The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1897-10-27


tree. From that, one would naturally
infer that he must be the ringleader.
In that case. the figure one, in this
corner, may mean him. 1t may be q
kind of signature, to his Instructions
to the others. The leader would most
likely be Number One"
"By crow, I hadn't thought O. that,
said Bill, scratching his head. "I'll
bet anything you've hit the nail right
squar' on the head. I tell you that
Dick Brayton's bad un an no mis-
take, but we've got him cornered, ]
reckon"
IT wouldn't have taken him for
horse-thief," said Wayne. 81 can't
believe it of him yet, and still"
The break in his sentence implied
that it was impossible for him to be.
lieve anything else.
"No, nor I, nuther," responded
Bill, "but I tell you he is one."
cit certainly looks as if he were,"
said Wayne, turning away as if to put
an end to conversation in which he
failed to take a great deal of interest.
He was satisfied that he had said
enough to set Bill going, and, that
being done, he could keep in the
background and let the other stir the
matter up.
What's up now?" asked one of
half dozen men who had been trying
to overhear the conversation taking
place between Wayne and Bill.
'Suthin' new in the wind, eh?"
Here was an opportunity for Bill to
display himself to good advantage. He
could cover himself with glory. He
could stand forth before his neigh
bors, who had not heretofore had
very exalted opinion of him, as hero
in the detective line.
"See here, neighbors, I've got
suthin' to say to ye," said Bill. mounS-
ing a stump. "Draw round, all on
ye."
By this time rumors that Bill had
discovered something very important,
and was about to divulge it, were
current, and the crowd surged about
him, eager, excited, anxious to know
what it was that he had to tell.
Bill was not what could be truth
fully called a natural orator. But it
did not require that he should be, on
this occasion, for the audience was
already at whitehead of excitement.
He began by telling of having seen
Brayton passing his fathers place
some time after midnight on the night
of the robbery at Averills.
cam there's some here as heerd ne
twit him of bein' off summers that
night" said Bill, "an' they heerd him
deny it, too, or try to, anyhow. Amt
that so, Josh Balcomb?"
Mr.. Balcomb, thus being called OH,
admitted that he had been witness of
the conversation to which Bill alluded.
"I thought So" said Bill. ''I DONE
want nobody to take my word fer it,
alone"
Then he went on to tell of his fol-
lowing Dick into, the woods, and OF
seeing him at work at something by
the old cottonwood, and of the discov-
cry he had made there, after Dick had
taken his departure from the place.
"Here's the thing, jest precisely as
you'll find it there now, less some-
body's meddled with it sence I see it,"
he said, holding up the piece of birch
bark on which he had made q din
gram of the marks on the tree, ut
Wayne's request. ''You see these
lines a-crossin' each other, don't ye?
Wall, me an Mr.. Wayne, we've
studied it out like this: These here
lines acrossing each other, they stan
fer these here crossroads. This here
spot, it stands fer the very identicle
place where we air now - Deacon
Snyder's farm, in the northwes' corner
O. the crossroads. An these here fig
gers, we take 'em to mean some OF the
gang O. horse-thieves an we b'leeve
Dick Brayton's at the head of it, We
do so; an this contrivance is kind o
map fer the rest on 'em to 60 By.
What do y'u think aboutit, neighbors?"
The crowd about the stump was
ominously quiet for moment. Then
the spell was broken by some ole
calling out:
."You say you see Dick Brayton
make that on the tree?'
"I did so," answered Bill, solemn
ly. 'tI see him make that on the
tree"
Let me do him the justice to say
again that I think he was honest when
he made this statement. He believed
that Dick had left the diagram on the
cottonwood, and that he had seen him
making it there.
"Then Dick Brayton is a hoss-
thief" the man said, with grim de.
cision that told that his mind was full.
ly made up regarding the matter.
circumstances show him to be jest
that, 'cordin' to Bill Green's story, an
I reckon Bill wouldn't lie about sich
things"
rTo he continued.