Reporter and farmer. [volume] (Webster, Day County, Dakota [S.D.]) 188?-1946, 1900-11-29

I had the highest opinion OF HIS
mans abilities, and made no secret OF
| his expectation that he would be hign
mn ON the list OF w~ranglers. / lost no
| time in getting to Oldburgh, and l put
nm at the Brunswick, for, failing Mr.
Byrne. I might gather a good deal Oh
Information required from the gossip
OF the smoking room or billiard saIooh'
could I but lead II in the right chan'
mel. At the very outset hearo eoou
news. for the man who waited on ine
at dinner told me that Mr.. Byrne was
still at the farm, and that ne was a
hale and hearty man. And so L tounu
him when / called upon him next uas'
| and the good yoeman blood that ran III
his veins showed itself In the warm
welcome he gave me when I told him
that I had come from n long distance
to see him. I did not beat about the
bush. but told him that ! wanted all
the information he could give me reia-
tive to the attack that had been made
upon a gentleman some years back.
do you remember h occurrence!
I asked, describing 1t more minutely.
THAT / do. sir. Sit down for a mo-
ment;" and hen there was a looking
for spectacles and a hunt for the old
papers, accompanied by a running COM
ment on the good of keeping printed
matter by one. He came upon the pa
per at last, and when, with trembling
fingers, 1 had opened 1t. I found that
IL had first seen the light somewhere
about the time that my father had
come for me to take me abroad. A
second newspaper, bearing a date some
week or so later than the other, gave a
fuller description of the gentleman at
tackled than that which 1 had alreay
read. and I was convinced that this
description could in no way apply TO
my father, for certain peculiarities
were mentioned that could not possibly
be connected with him.
I hardly knew whether to be pleased
or not at the discovery I had made, Tor
II brought me face to face with the TACT
that the powers of evil against which 1
would Dit myself were working In a
much wider field of action than I had
imagined, since II was now clear THAI
the lives Of others beside that or my
father were aimed at. TO begin with.
here was the attack at Oldburg on an
unknown man; then there was the
murder of DR.. James in London, anu
doubtless my father had originally es-
caped by reason Of the ~precaution ne
took upon leaving England, and OF as
sociating as little as possible with Eng
disappearing people.
hush. but told him that l wanted all
the information he could give relative
70 the attack that had been made upon
a gentleman some years back.
The Byrnes were so hospitable That
r could not get away until I had helped
them dispose of their midday meal,
and when IL was finished / was taken
TO the spot where the lad, Willie ROO
duck had lain and watched when the
tramp attacked the gentleman.
"Yon's the spot where the man feli,
said the farmer, "just where you see
tina stake. We drove 1t In to mark
the place like, and there she's stuck
ever since"
AS / YVES certain that 1t was not my
father who had been attacked the mat
ter had lost part OF It's interest Tor me,
and 1t was as much for the sake OF
saying something. as for any informa-
tino that I might get, that presently
asked IL they had ever heard or o.
from This Willie Paddock; and scarce
ly needing the answer that nothing
was know as to his whereabouts, 1
asked what sort Of a boy he a
.sIt's a long time since he left u.s.
said Mr.. Byrne, u we have a picture
at home with him in 1t, as ne was
then. I mind il was taken a month
before he went away Come BACK ana
TIL show IL to you."
And so, back he went, and a photo
graph, rather faded and well-thumpeo'
was produced. 1t was that of a group
and In it was a boy, and his features
had come out so plainly that 1 begged
leave to take the photo away with me.
NV idea was to enlarge the face; n l
may mention here, that my father had
fostered my natural aptitude for draw
ing, and had, whenever the opportunity
occurred (such as when we lives In the
suburbs of some large city,, sent me to
the best masters; for, as he argued.
there was no knowing when the accom-
plishment might prove Of great service.
1 took the picture to the hotel, and
spent nearly the whole day sketching a
life-size face, and I was rewarded for
my pains when Mrs. Byrnes declared
hat 1t was the image of Willie Rud-
dock. On the back of the drawing I
made notes Of such particulars as the
color OF the lads hair and eyes, his
height and build when they had last
seen MIN, and any striking peculiaritles
that would have abided with him as he
grew. Then I began to sketch the face
as / supposed it would be when it's
owEer was some few years older; and
then / drew another, and so on, until I
at last produced the picture Of a young
man of twenty-three, the age Ruddock
would now be If he were living, though
of this both Mn and Mrs. Byrne were
doubtful, "for the boy was main fond
of them, and 1t Jared to be strange If
he was still alive and he hadn't written
to them"
I stayed some time In Oldburgh, for,
although the place was very quiet, the
air was bracing, and there were many
pleasant walks in the neighborhood,
over the moorlands and through the
woods and across the breezy links; and
I amused myself, too, by drawing on.
the landlord and making him tell me
everything about the event that haa
thrown the town into such a state of
excitement twelve years before.
"a