The Worthington advance. [volume] (Worthington, Minn.) 1874-1908, 1897-05-20

gloomily rejecting upon the unkind-
ness Of fate that made her stay at home
the night of the ball, heard another
ktlock. This time it was Henderson
that the light of the candle shone upon,
and his face, too, gave evidence Of in
ward trouble. Miss Miggins,' . said the
maid, ''has been gone quite awhile. She
went with another gentleman" Bob
by's face turned to flint. :
Jim Bowloe did not find Miss higgins
at the dance. He felt relieved, for if
she had disappointed him, she had, at
least, not favored anyone else. And
SO, having a great regard for the repu-
tation of James Bowloe, esquire, he
affected an air of great enjoyment, and
to one or two inquiries regarding Miss
higgins, he shrugged his shoulders as
much as to say that that was a subject
in which he was not interested. His
laugh was the loudest, his jokes the
most numerous, and his dancing the
liveliest of all the company. Bobby
Henderson, coming down the street,
had no thought of the pleasures of the
ball. He was fully satisfied that Bow
loe was thief and that he was the VIC
tim of the robbery. At the door of
the improvised ballroom he paused for
a moment, and then, in the whirl of
dancing figures one caught his eye and
lie saw nothing else. His lip curled
scornfully. Bowloe the brave, Bowloe
the mighty, had stolen his clothes, but
was afraid to wear them! Straight
across the floor he STROBE, needless OF
the dancers rights, and in another mo-
ment Bowloe was gazing into the angry
eyes of his partner. Then Henderson
spoke. His tones were not loud, but
his tense voice caused every dancer to
stop and listen, and the scorn and rage
expressed in every word and gesture
held their attention.
"a man might jump widder's claim
and then try to distract her attention
by KILN her six small children, or he
might trade all the good words on his
mothers tombstone fer drink of bad
whisky; but that mans a gentleman
'longside of Teller that steals his part
ner's layout and then is too big cow
ard to use it,
In the moment of silence that fol-
lowed every man drew his breath anu
turned his face squarely to where the
forms of the partners stood statued in
the candle light, and every woman
shrank instinctively toward the door.
Bowloe's red face swelled darkly with
rage.
''You scoundrel!'' he shouted, as he
leaped forward. And then the trouble
began.
It was we'll that it had been made the
gentleman should carry a weapon to
a social entertainment. for if it had not
been so, the population of the camp
would have been sadly less by sunrise.
AS it was, there were many. private
scores to be paid off, many personal
grudges to be settled, and the popula-
ton of Saints Rest rose joyfully to the
occasion.
The major and Superintendent Nc
Adoo, of the Starlight Stage company,
rode side by side in the moonlight,
while two officers and detective Hoped
close behind.
''His reports" said Superintendent
McAdoo, shave not been satisfactory for
some time, but thought it was the re-
suit of incapacity or carelessness rather
than dishonesty, and that is the reason
wrote and asked you to keep an eye
on the young man and find out what
kind of hours and company he was
keeping. To think that he should fool
us all in that way! But johnson back
here seems to have pretty good evil
dence that our Saints Rest agent is
about as clever a villain as ever COM
mitted a bank robbery in New York
or forgery in Boston"
II suspected him." returned the ma
ior, lust as soon as he refused to snap
up some of those bargains in the So
foot lots on Hermosa- boulevard, which
we are going to build, for know he
was bright enough to know what good
thing they are at the figures am ask
ing. felt certain he was getting ready
to skip out
A chorus of yells interrupted the ma
jor. For moment they slackened
pace and listened. They were at the
outskirts of the camp, and as they re-
allied that the noises that the evening
breeze brought TO them were not
sounds of joyous revelry, with one i'm
pulse they started forward. Down the
street they galloped and drew up clat-
tering before the dance hall, from
which issued all that acknowledging
clamor.
The participants were almost ex-
hausted, and the officers, armed and ex-
perienced in the handling of men, with
the vigorous aid of the major and the
succeeded in restoring
order. But, though they searched long
and carefully and inquired of all who
were in condition to answer, no trace
could be found of the stage-agent, Joe
McLeary. The next morning brought
no better success. Indeed, it is diff
cult matter to get information out OF
a man who has had his head bandaged
in towel or carries a newly-lamed arm