Elmore bulletin. [volume] (Rocky Bar, Idaho) 1889-1906, 1899-07-20
A FELON'S LOVE.
BY HENRY W. NESFIELD.
BY HENRY ". NESFIELD.

plu uldle was udlluyt MS ne udu lell uSl
In the stock-yard with a 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 Luke's 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 eccentrcity, 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 a patch of scrub unsearched.
Every building on the station had
been examined. and there only re-
mained Tom Baynes hut to visit.
Baynes was the first to suggest that it
should be searched.
| There's been a lot OF talk, 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 | should like the sergeant to satisfy
/ himself that Luke isn't in hiding
| therel"
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 a 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 a 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, a 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 nc
doubt told you about IT."
"Yes, yes," replied Mrs. Baynes. at
seems very strange that he should
have gone on like that!"
What a nice woman" thought Mr.
Hail. "and a good-looking one, too
It's a thousand pities that she shoulC
be broken down. No wonder Baynes II
careful of her" Then he said aloud
III we were only certain that he haC
gone off somewhere, 1t would be sat
sfactory, but we can find no traces o
him anywhere. Besides, a man doe
not run off in the middle OF the nigh
without his boots, leaving two O
three months wa es behind him, un
less he has very important reasol
for doing So"
There was very little for the sergean
to inspect In the hnt-a deal table, wv
rough benches, the bed upon whic
, Mrs. Baynes reclined, and which ha
, nz hangings or drapery upon 1t tha
could conceal anything, and one or tw
small boxes containing clothes. Thes
articles made up the entire furnitur
! OF the apartment. The walls, whic
were of roughly y-hewn slabs nailed t
the frame of the hut, were CAREFUL
papered over with old Sydney Mornin
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 gen
orally has a large fireplace which en-
tirely occupies one end of It, Such
one had this. and upon the heart
there blazed log-fre. beneath ket
tie which hung from an iron bar.
Altogether the visit to the hut di
. not occupy above FIVE minutes.
The sergeant declared himself salts
fed and Mrs Baynes, rising from tn
, bed begged Mr.. Hall to stay and az
Z cept OF some tea
THE kettle is already on the boi
sir" she said.
Pray do not disturb yourself, Mr.
q Baynes," the squatter answered, as 81
( stood up. "We are too sorry for ha,
ing had to come at ALL"
e When the search-party had will
e drawn. the sergeant remarked to NJ
Hall
It That's the woman, I suppose, z
:, heard so much talk about-the OIL
n people said was mad and shut |
herew
If Il dare say" replied Mr.. Hall. "Pe
d pie say all sorts of things. She's t
cooks wife, and is a hopeless inval
is but she is very good at her need
and my wife is uncommonly glad
have her here. Poor thing, she loo
N very white and HIP
The disappearance OF Bob Luke
;e mained a complete enigma.
ly The colonial papers. under the hes
d. ing OF THE Mysterious Disappearar
ii on the Barrier RanGes," suggested