Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1900-04-10
CHAPTER XIV

| Sunday morning came and brought new
fuel for the excitement which Bill, tax
advantage of Dicks absence, had
wrought up TO fever heat by artful insin-
uations and hints.
| Deacon Snyder's horses were missing.
The excitement, great as it had been
before, was now intensified tenfold.
When Averill's horses had been taken,
| the fact that he lived so far away from
Brownsville had seemed to take the mat
| ter out of the hands of Brownsville peo-
pie, to a certain extent.
Now the trouble had come home to
them. This last theft was a Brownsville
theft, pure and simple, and not one be-
longing to some outlying neighborhood.
We are always much more deeply inter-
ested in what happens in our immediate
vicinity than we are in what happens to
| our remote neighbors, and the tidings of
the theft spread like wildfre and stirred
everyone up as much as declaration of
immediate war with some foreign coun-
try would have done, if not great deal
more.
Two hours after the horses were miss
ed crowd had gathered at the deacon s.
1t was a crowd with an intense pur-
pose in it.
That purpose was to bring the thief or
thieves to justice--if he or they could be
found.
And that justice was-the ropei
But the difficulty in the way was to find
the thief or thieves on whom to admin
lister justice.
Wayne was among the crowd listening
to what was said, and watching the prog
ress Of events.
Presently he called Bill aside.
What do you think of your discovery
on the tree now?" he asked
'Hain't had time to think much about
it to-day, the news took me so all of a
sudden answered Bill why? What
makes We ask the question:"
Make another copy of what you say
you saw Brayton put on the tree" said
Wayne. handing Bill piece of birch
bark that he picked up from the deacon S
chip pile, and pencil
Bill made rough diagram on the bark
and handed it back to Wayne
4 think | have solved the puzzle" said
the singing teacher. "See here. We will
lay this bark down with this side to the
north. Here we have a cross, and in
the northwest corner a dot, which stands
for something. Can you study out what
that something is and what the cross
means, Mr.. Green?'
Bill bent all his energies to the task in
hand. He stared hard at the bark for
some minutes.
At last
by the jumpin' Jehosaphat l du
b'leeYe see what the gol burned thing
means! That cross STAINS fer these here
crossroads an that air spot means the
deacon's place, where we air now, an the
whole thing is kind O. guide for some
body to go by. 1t told 'em where tn
steal bosses mex time. Yes, Stree, that's
it. It's kind O map, so to speak, show
in how the land lays, an them as it
was meant fer understood it, you bet
your bottom dollar. Here's the very iden-
teal roads a-crossin' each other, an
here's the deacon's place in the northwest
corner; but the figgerin' l don't jest see
thru. Du your"
Not unless the figures stand in some
way for members of the gang who are
up to this kind of business" replied
Wayne. You say that you ss.w Bray
ton make the diagram on the tree. From
that one would naturally infer that he
must be the ringleader. In that case the
figure one, in this corner, may mean him.
1t may be kind Of signature, to his in
structions to the others. The leader
would most likely be Number One"
(To be continued)