La Junta tribune., 1899-01-07
A FELON'S LOVE.
BY HENRY ". NESFIELD.

in the stock-yard with n good feed,
and he thought he would be able to
find his way back to the station, and
return early to the drays the next
morning.
Mr.. Hall became more and more per-
picked about Lukes disappearance.
''If he had been drinking heavily"
he said to his wife, mo one would
feel in the least surprised. But the
man was sober enough, and showed
no signs of eccentricity. so far as ! can
find out. 1t beats anything l ever ex-
perienced. Perhaps he will turn up in
the morning. and we shall find a very
simple solution to the puzzle after all
The morning came and went. and
day after day passed by. but no Rob-
ert Luke appeared.
The mounted police, with the black
trackers. secured the country for over
thirty miles around, and left hardly
a rock or patch Of scrub unsearched
Every building on the station had
been examined, and there only re-
manned Tom Baynes' hut to visit.
Baynes was the first to suggest that it
should be searched.
There's been a lot OF talk, I know
sir" he said. about my wife's shutting
herself up so. Poor thing, she can't
help that wish she could get about
SO I should like the sergeant to satisfy
himself that Luke isn't in hiding
there!'
Nobody would be foolish enough to
suppose he was. Baynes." replied Mr..
Hall. smiling at the young mans anxi-
ETY.: "but We had better. as you say.
look everywhere while we are about
it,
Mr. Hall had really secret desire to
behold this hidden treasure in the way
of wife, who was so persistently shell
tered from the vulgar gaze. Accord
ingly he made one OF the party to ex-
anime the hut.
When the troopers knocked at the
door. 1t was standing little way open.
Come in." said low voice.
Half-sitting. half-reclining upon the
bed which occupied one corner OF the
one room the hut possessed, dressed
in the ordinary printed calico gown
Of a working woman. n shawl over her
feet, and some needlework on which
she was engaged upon her lap, was
Mrs. Baynes. Her jet-black hair was
neatly smoothed in front and braided
at the back, and her pale face and
nervous manner denoted the invalid
She wore colored spectacles.
Very sorry to intrude, Mrs. Baynes,
am sure" said Mr. Hall. but we
are compelled to search everywhere for
this lost man. Your husband has no
doubt told you about it,"
Yes, yes" replied Mrs. Baynes. "It
seems very strange that he should
have gone on like that"
What a nice woman" thought Mr..
Hall, land a good-looking one, too!
It's a thousand pities that she should
be broken down. No wonder Baynes is
careful of her." Then he said aloud.
III we we're only certain that he had
gone off somewhere, 1t would be sat
isfactory, but We can fnd no traces of
him anywhere. Besides, a man does
not run off In the middle of the night
without his boots, leaving two or
three months wages behind him, un-
less he has a very important reason
for doing So
There was very little for the sergeant
to inspect in the hut-a deal table, two
rough benches, the bed upon which
Mrs. Baynes reclined, and which had
no hangings or drapery upon it that
could conceal anything, and one or two
small boxes containing clothes. These
articles made up the entire furniture
of the apartment. The walls, which
were Of roughly-hewn slabs nailed to
the frame of the hut, were carefully
papered over with old Sydney Morning
Heralds, while the two small window
frames were covered with calico.
A hut which is built for the dual pur-
pose OF cooking and sleeping in gem
orally has a large fireplace which en-
tirely occupies one end of it. Such a
one had this, and upon the hearth
there blazed log-fre. beneath ket
tie which hung from an iron bar
Altogether the visit to the hut did
not occupy above FIVE minutes.
The sergeant declared himself salts
fed. and Mrs. Baynes, rising from the
bed, begged Mr.. Hall to stay and ac-
cept of some tea.
The kettle is already on the boil,
SIR" she said.
Pray do not disturb yourself, Mrs.
Baynes." the squatter answered. as she
stood up. I'VE are too sorry for hav-
ing had to come at ALL"
When the search-party had with
drawn, the sergeant remarked to Mr..
Hall
That's the woman, suppose, I've
heard SO much talk about-the one
people said was mad and shut up
herev'
Il dare say" replied Mr.. Hall. "Peo-
pie say all sorts Of things. She's the
cooks wife, and is hopeless invalid,