The Holly chieftain., 1897-12-24
A CASE IN EQUITY.
BY FRANCIS LyNDE.
lcepyicht. Isss. BY J. Q. upp,aceai Col
IN THE NAME OF THE LAW.


shut himself in his room to finish the
letter begun the previous evening. He
went about il lcisurely. placing the
table in front of nm open window and
sitting where the sweet afternoon
breeze might blow in his face as he
wrote. Between the sentences he
stopped often,weighing and turning the
words until they fitted his purpose;
which was to make this latest letter to
his mother as one with those preceding
It. This preserving OF the unities proved
10 be less difficult than he had thought
IL would be. The new determination
was but a suckling as yet, and the turn
Ing of = fresh leaf in the book of reso-
ming. Besides, ones mother is always
the first to accept show of frankness
rs a substitute for the reol quality,
and Mrs. Thorndyke would have found
reasons for refusing to believe Philip
If he had told her the plain truth.
The window in the attic bedroom
looked out upon the stretch Of yellow
road leading to Allacoochee, and in
one Of the inter sentence pauses Philip
saw two horscmcn ride over the crest
Of the spur which shut of the view Of
the lower valley. They halted among
the trees on the hillside. and one OF
them pointed to the farmhouse, while
the other took something from his
pocket and went through the motions
of man drinking from bottle. Philip
watched them listlessly until, at the
end of q full minute, his curiosity
awoke to comment upon the phenome-
nal thirst of the man who still sat like
an equestrian statue with arm bent and
head thrown back. There was a field
glass hanging in its case on the wall,
and when Philip took it down and TO-
cused it upon the statuesque horseman
the mystery speedily took another form.
The man was not drinking; he was ex-
smining the house and the adjacent
mountain through glass not unlike
the one in whose field Philip was OBJ
serving him.
Thorndyke's first thought was of Kill
grow and his prosecutors, but before he
could form a plan for warning the old
mountaineer the two horsemcn rode
down to the house, and he heard one of
them ask Mrs. Duncan il the road led
to Alta Springs, village on the western
slope of Johns mountain. Since the
question appeared to explain the recon-
nnissance, Philip let his suspicious
lnpse, and straightwny forgot the incl
dent when the travellers had ridden on.
He had finished his letter, md was be-
ginning to wonder IL Duncan would
succeed in finding Kilgrow, when he
heard voices below, followed by STUN
bling footsteps on the stairs, and Dun
can entered with the old mountaineer.
This is aud Johnnie keelgrow,
Master Thorndyke, he said. presenting
his companion with a perpendicular
gesture which seemed to call attention
to Kilgrow's great height. Il just
Innde free to fess him till yer ain room,
whaur ye could hne it oot wi him in pri-
vate." 5.,.,. .........
'"That was right-Tm giad to meet
you. Mr.. Kilgrow. Sit down, both OF
you. and let me ask few questions"
The mountaineer folded his thin
length upon the edge of chair, but
Duncan stood irresolute. I'm no sac
over rash, myself, Master Thorndyke,
us yc ken, but auld Johnnie here is
mair captious than the canniest Scot O.
them a. D. ye think, now. he Wilma
set foot in the house till he makes me
promise to pit myself on guard on the
doorstane!" W
Duncan's dissatisfaction with any ar
rongement that excluded him from a
share in the conference was very evil
dent, but Thorndyke judged wisely that
his client would be less embarrassed IL
the inquisitive Scot were out of the
way, and he commended the precau-
ton.
"It's we'll enough to be careful, Mr..
Duncan; we're not likely to spoil our
chances OF success by being over-pru-
dent"
That's guide seasonable Scotch
sense, d. ye ken that, Johnnie, man?"
said Duncan, forgetting for the moment
that he had been arguing on the other
aide Of the question. "Ye maun Just
open yer min freely to Master Thorn
dyke; he's an auld held, If he does gang
aboo& on young shouthers."
KiIgrow nodded, and Thondyke's
heart warmed toward the old man when
he was at leisure to read the story of
privation and distress written so plain
ly on the thin face and in the restless
eyes. II was some senEe of the need
for encouragement that prompted him
70 speak first in terms of assurance.
Duncan has told me all about your
case, Mr.. Kilgrow, and l want you to
believe me when say that you're in
NO danger whatever. OF prosecution on
the old charge of brandy-making. II
you were arrested to-day could clear
you tomorrow. You ahouldn't have
run away In the beginning"
The old man resented the impdtation
upon his courage. II reckon yo-uns
d run, too, 18th thee r four of 'em a.
poppin' at ye 18th Their rifles"
"Perhaps should, utter it got TINT
far along; but should have gone quiet
~ with the officers at first and fought it
out in court"
Kilgrow shook his head obviously.
-The law hain't fer pore man like me- =
That's just where you're mistaken
the law Is for everyone, and we couldn't
do anything In the present case without
It. But that's neither here nor there,
What want to impress on your mind
y this: You are In no danger whatever
from the United States authorities, but
you arc in danger from these fellows
who have taken your land, and they
will leave NO stone unturned to make
A1nl,amn N tho hce to hoId Won" ffA