Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1900-06-05
CHAPTER XII.

CHAPTER XII.
Twenty minutes later they were in
the sheriff's buggy, on the way to
Danube. Ratcliff had put cheap cigar
between his teeth, but he was not go
ing to light it till they were entering
the town.
"Thar's one disagreeable feature" he
remarked. eat first, my idea was to
hurry up an git it over, SO you wouldn't
have to go to Jail at all; but it has
just struck me that this is Saturday,
an it is sometimes awkward work to
have trial the last day O. the week,
You see the prosecution will want to
summon Thad Williams an that will
take time. Then, as tomorrow is Sun
day, you may have obleeged to wait
over till Monday"
Ronald told him that it would make
little difference to him whether he
spent the time in Jail or out.
you feel that away now" comment
ed the sheriff, ''but you will feel diff
ferent when you git in thar, at least
that's my experience with prisoners,
a Jail house is like a woman's bonnet;
it has better look from the outside
than the inside"
Just before driving into the public
square Ratcliff struck match and APP
Piled the fame to his cigar, then he
drew himself up more erectly, and
drove on to the office of Judge Richard
ho %, 40 A
cut told Ratcliff that the judge had
gone out to his farm to spend Sunday.
"You see" said Ratcliff, as he puffed,
and seemed to view himself from the
standpoint of a group of citizens who
had gathered on the sidewalk and
whose eyes were asking what had hap
pened. One of the crowd stepped out
the buggy and asked if Ronald was
under arrest, but he received only a
non-committal grin and shrug as
Ratcliff turned his horse towards the
Jail, modern red brick structure adj
joining the courthouse in the center
of the town. When they arrived the
jailer, short, thickset man, with a
bald spot on his head, was playing
checkers in the yard with the ordinary
OF the county. The jailer answered to
his name reluctantly, without looking
up from the board.
You'd better git up from thar"
called out RatcliS, jocularly. The
taxpayers say they are tired O payin'
you fellers wages to draw flies like
sleepin' niggers in the courthouse
square"
The jailer crowned king and got
up from the grass with a lingering
backward glance at the hand of his
opponent. Whats wanted?" ne
asked as he drew near the buggy.
mt. Henderson, you remember Mr..
Fanshaw, of Honeycut DISTRICT" re-
minded Ratcliff. "He's the Teller that
helped me out last summer with that
lynchin' crowd over our way. Well,
he's settled Sgd Harris hash to-day
an will have to register at yore She
bang till Monday, reckon. l want you
to make i'm comfortable, Jeff; he's a
friend O. mine"
'I'll do the best can" promised the
jailer; "but you know all the cells are
alike
They followed him into the Jail and
up the stone steps to heavy iron door
at the head of the stairs. The room
was too large to be called cell. 1t
was light, having four windows, which
were heavily barred, and bed that
was faultlessly clean. AS Ratcliff and
the jailer were leaving, the sheriff asked
Ronald if he could do anything for
him.
Ronald told him he could think of
nothing; indeed, he could think of moth
ing at the moment but sgd Hart's eyes
Sgd Harris blood.
you'll have to have lawyer" sug-
Eested Ratcliff. Il,
Then send Mr.. Redding to me-" said
the prisoner.
When they had left him, Ronald
threw himself on the bed and stared
up at the ceiling. Harris corpse, had
way of coming before him with new
force each time that, it made it's APP
pearance. 1t approached him now il
solitude oftener and with more tena-
cious reality than ever. The afternoon
died slowly. 1t began to grow colder
as the sun went down, and the light
against the western sky turned from
yellow to gray. Once he fancied he
saw the body on the floor by his bed
in the shadow, just as it was lying when
he had last beheld it. Almost with a
prayer for protection he turned his
face away and stified scream. and
| yet the feeling of actual guilt had not
come to him. He tried to draw Evelyn
into his thoughts, but there was cold
comfort in the memory that he had
blighted her life as well as his own
Could he have done SO then, he woulG
have killed her affection for him thai
she might have the peace Of soul thai
was denied him. He; heard steps on Ths