West Virginia argus. [volume] (Kingwood, W. Va.) 1877-1946, 1899-03-23
CHAPTER XII.
AN EvENlN0 ~ JAN.

straightcn themselves ont was lifted
to my feet and half pushed half lifted,
to the station platform. Camp was al
ready there, and rs l took this fact in
saw Frederic and his lcrdship pulled
through the doorway of my car by the
cowboys and dragged out on the plat
form beside me. The reports were now
in Lord Rallies hands.
That's what we want. boys" cried
Camp, those letters.
Take your hands off me, " said Lord
Rallies coolly, land III give them to
you.
The men who had hold of his arms
let 20 of him, and quick us II flash
Rallies tore the papers in two He tried
TO tear them once more, but lcfmc he
could do so half dozen men Were hold
ing him AID the papers We're forced out
of his hands. Albert Cullen-for all of
them were on the platform of 2lS by
this time-shouted, well done,
Rallesl quite forgetting in the excite
ment of the moment his English accent
and drawl Apparently Camp didn't
agree with him, for he ripped out IA
string of oaths which he impartially di-
vided among Rallies, the cowboys and
myself. / was decidedly sorry that /
hadn't given the real letters, for his
lordship apparently had no scruple about
| destroying them, and 1 knew fow men
whom would have seen behind prison
bars with as little personal regret
! However, no one had apparently paid the
slightest attention 90 the pony, and the
probabilities were that he was already
headed for Baldwin's ranch, with no
| likelihood of his stopping till he reached
home At least that was what hoped,
but there werc "a lot of ponies standing
about, and, not knowing the markings
of the one | had riddCn, wasn't able
J 20 tell whether he might not be among
/ them.
Just as tho fragments Of the papers
were passed over 90 Mr.. Camp he was
/ joined by Baldwin and the judge, and
Z Camp held the torn pieces up TO them,
saying:
! They We torn the proxies in two"
Don { let that trouble you, " said the
| judge. Make an affidavit before me,
reciting the manner in which they were
destroyed, ana I'll grant you man
daTus compelling the directors TO ac-
ccpt them 80 bona fidc proxies. Let me
II
Camp unfolded the papers and /
chuckled TO myself at the look of sur
! prise that oyerspread his face as he took
/ IL the fact that they were nothing but
! section reports And, though / don't
like cnss words, 1 have TO acknowledge
] that l enjoyed the two or three that he
/ promptly CALCULATED.
When the first surprise Of the trio was
, fNNrrp la.wr III 81.
/ rived oppOrtuDely. to take us into 81 and
search the three OF us, proceeding that
puzzled Fred and his lordship not lit
tic, for they weren't on TO the fact that
the letters hadn't been recovered. pre-
sumo the latter will some day write
| book dwelling ON the favolite theme of
the forciRner-that there is no personal
| privacy in America The running re-
marks as the search was made seemed
| TO open Frcd's oycs, for he looked at me
| with puzzled air, but l winlcd and
frowned at him, and he put his face in
order.
| When the papers were not found on
any OF us, Camp and Baldwin both
nearly went demented. Baldwin suR-
gested that / had never had the papers
| but Camp argued that Fred or Lord
Rallies must have hidden them in the
car in spite of the fact that the COWBOYS
who had caught them insisted that they
couldn't have had time TO hide the pa
pers. Anyway they spent AN hour in fer
roting about in my car, and even search
ed my two darkies, on the possibility
that the true letters had been passed on
TO them.
While they were engaged i'm this I
was trying TO think out some way OF
letting Mr.. Cullen and Albert know
where the letters were The problem
was TO suggest the saddle TO them with
out letting the cowboys understand, and
by good luck thought had the means
Albert had complained TO me the day wo
had ridden out TO the Indian dwellings
at Flagstaff that his saddle fretted somo
CALLED spots which he had chafed ON his
trip TO Moran's s Point Hoping he would
"catch on" I shouted to him:
" How arc your sore spots. Albert?"
He looked at me in puzzled way and
called, "Aw-I don't understand youP'
"Thoso sore spots you complained
about TO mo the day before yesterday"
l explained
He didn't seem any the less befoggcd
rs no replied, ~ had forgotten all about
them.
I've got a touch Of the same trou.
| bic, / went on, "aud II 1 were you ia
look into the cause "
Albert only looked very much mysti-
fed, and i didn't dare say more, for at
this point tho THO. with the sheriff.
came ont Of my car. If L hadn't known
that the letters were safe. could have
read tho story in their faces, for moro
disgu9tcd and angry looking men / have
rarely sccu.
They had a talk with the sheriff, and
then Fred, Lord Rallies and I were
marched on by the official, his lordship
demanding sight of a warrant and pro-
testing against the illegally Of his ar
rest. varied az moments by threats 10
appeal TO the British consul minister
plcnipO., her majosty's foreign office.
ctc., al of which had about as much in
hueuce on The sheriff and his cowboy
assistants as Moqui Indian snake
dance would havo i'm stopping run
away engine. / confess to feeling a GER
tain grim satisfaction i'm the i.ct that If
was 20 be shut or from seeing MadVc
the Britishcr was iu the same Lox with
me