People's voice. [volume] (Wellington, Sumner County, Kansas) 1890-1917, 1899-08-17

seen a good deal OF him, and he seems
to be quite above chicken-stealing. I
believe I'd trust him with my pocket
book"
"You could do that safely enough;
he'd bring it back; but that isn't saying
he wouldn't borrow a fat chicken il
Providence threw one in his way. Tn
Gle Eph is as honest as the day is long,
but he'll bear watching after dark re-
piled Ludlow. However, agree with
Hester; the intruder wasn't . vagrant
or chicken thief"
NO." said Hester; II suppose it was
one of the Bynum boys; and l wanted
to ask you, Mr.. Ludlow, if there had
been any new developments lately;
can't get anything out of father or
Henry"
Nothing that | know of, except
well, yes; we've decided to begin work
again on the McNabb vein, but don't
see how that could account for your
visitor; that's distinctly company af-
fair, now"
"You may be sure they won't consid-
or it so. I'm afraid it will mean a re-
turn of the old days of cut clothesliDes,
and broken fences. and border warfare
generally"
Ringbrand looked shocked, and Lud-
low replied, gravely: I'VE won't have
that, at any cost. | wish there were
some way of getting evidence against
them"
Can it be possible that there have
been no witnesses to any Of their depre-
dations?' asked Ringbrand.
"Oh, | suppose there are few, only
they won't testify, and | don't know
that blame them much; I'd 90 on the
witness stand myself, il were morally
sure of conviction, but otherwise it
would be risky enough. 1t takes a he
roic love Of justice for its own sake to
make man willing to incur the enmity
If such people as the Bynums."
What would be necessary to con-
Vict them?"
THE testimony of one or more relia-
bic eye-witnesses, or chain OF circum-
stantial evidence that could not be east
ly broken"
Ludlow's bantering suggestion that
he should turn detective came to Ring
brand with a sober meaning in the
light of the threatened danger to the
Latimers, and in connection with his
discovery Of the Uevice cave. He saw
his opportunity, and how a drawer man
would have turned it to account; dozen
plans for entrapping the criminals
flashed through his mind, but they all
asked for more or less personal courage
on the part of the person who should
execute them. Of course there was the
alternative that he could efface himself
BY turning his information over TO those
who would make use OF it; but Ring
brand was only human, and he had al
ready learned enough of Hester's char
acter to make him fear that she might
suspect his motive in shifting the re-
sponsibility. AS matter of fact, he
lid her an injustice in this; but when
:owardice, or venality, or vice, or any
other human weakness or wickedness
once undermines the fortress of char
acter, there are many uncanny shapes
standing ready to slip unnoticed
through the breach.
After they had left the dining table
he excused himself, and spent the early
part of the afternoon in wandering
aimlessly about the village, trying to
devise some scheme which offered q
compromise between his weakness and
his determination to win Hester's ap-
probation; and with the planning came
that curiously insistent urging which
finds parallel in the desire to see how
near one can creep to the brink Of a
precipice without being oyerbalanced.
1t is the quality which often leads a
timorous man to attempt that which
would make brave one hesitate, and
when Ringbrand finally yielded to its
importantly he turned his steps toward
the road he had taken in the forenoon.
The shadows Of the western cliffs
were beginning their evening march
down the sloping sides of McNabb's
cove, and the hush of the summer after.
noon brooded over the picturesque land
scape of the narrow valley. Bud By
NUNS dog, lying in the shadow of the
barn, arose yawning, made a canine
obeisance, and cooked one ear toward
the road leading up from Harmony val.
ley. That his acute sense was not al
fault was presently proved by the ap.
pearance of man approaching the
farmhouse, and he began TO bark furi
ously at the intruder. julie Bynum
coming to the back door to find out
what had aroused the dogs anger saw
pleasant-faced young man standing
at the gate, and she stepped into the
yard and spoke sharply to the barking
eur. Ringbrand looked up at the sound
OF her voice, and found himself con
fronted by middle-aged woman with
unkempt hair and sallow face, whose
bigh cheek bones and flashing black
eyes made him wonder II there wer,
not Indian blood in her veins. H,
ss,ss,n.
L<aNfSNI