Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1901-08-24

, HS Sdlu was IN this clear
Hs "oout SIN or seven years ago. Fl,
mad big load of stuff and canned
mere during the day. a man came ur
mere and kicked about the storing of
liquor. He threatened to get the Off
GERS and arrest the gang because they
mao dared to hide their cOntraband on
MS farm with his consent. There was
row and Jules and saw il all from
the bushes here. AS soon as the first
snot was fired Jules sprang to his
1eet and ran up over the bank drag
Sing me along with him. | wonder
what became of the farmer and
whether he vas hurt by the shot that
. saw Flatfoot fire. Jules wouldn't
sslst me wait to see"
Six Yeas ago. unused Bessie.
GIhat was about the time that Mar
fE5oet Nivins father so suddenly dis
EhQpeared. And he lived down here
;safncng these hills somewhere. Say.
hoWy-yOu don't suppose it was he that
F1nade Abe complaint and was shot, do
:yon.s
s have heard it said that the Nj
Evans family owns this clearing and the
| mighfabe. What a desperate charact-
Sl H. anu iioN OIL dIlSc tild'
ii never, occurred to me that Bill
Nivins was murdered by F'latfoot. and
that III might have been the shot
heard thai killed him.
They s&ere now down in the clear
ing and Jules was running eXcitedly
about shifting here and there. sud
denly thcre-was a loud cry and Il groan
from q thick clump of young pines
Flarfaot OBrien. half mad with the
pain OF his broken arm. and crazed by
the hduor he had been drinking to still
the pain mad awakened from a
troubled sleep to find Jules standing
over him. He started up but fell
back unconscious.
When the two young people ran for
ward Jules was smelling of the body.
Evidently he thought the man was
tdcad for he took him up in his mouth
and in spite of the protests of his
master carried him bodily off through
the woods to where years before
great tree had been blown down. and
| its upturned roots were already begin
/ ming to decay and drop away. Here
| the bear laid the wounded man down
and began deliberately digging in the
| ground beneath the roots. To Pierre
| and BESSIE it was "A mystery. but the
reader will recognize the place as the
very spot where Jules had discovered
| that Flatfoot had buried the body of
i! poor Bill Nivins years before.
| Flatfoot recovered consciousness
enough to see the bear digging in the
ground. paving out great handfuls of
dirt with his paws. The terrified man
IL. rAnt "A
livid yellow. Then seeing Pierre he
| begged him to stop the bear from dig
ging there But the dog-like creature
kept on till beneath his paw shone
the white crown of a grinning skull
| F'latfoot saw it also and .yeng too
weak to rise simply groaned;
That's Nirins. That's his skull. II
was IL killed Bill Nivns. And this
black thing. this bear is his ghost that
| has followed me all these years. |
have seen him waking and sleeping.
oh. save me from him. Shoot me.
Kill me. anything to keep me from
him. He is going to bury me alive.
! Mercy" And the maniac fell back un-
/! conscious again.
1t was evident that Jules did intend
to bury Flatfoot Thinking him dead.
and not wanting to eat him. he had
| simply done as his instinct taught
| him He had tried to bury him where
he had found another man buried six
| years before.
Flatfoot's arm not having been set
properly was in a bad condition. While
Jules and Bessie watched the unCon-
| Scious man Pierre ran down to the
main road and stopped a farm wagon
in which they took the smuggler to the
| county seat.
| When Bessie and Pierre We're safely
in the train returning from the Jail
| to the village where Bessie was To visit
! for few weeks she took the money
| from her pocket-the 800 reWard-and
holding out half to Pierre said:
Here it is. Now what shall we d"
| with it,
Keep it to help furnish our house.
The young girls eyes fell and blush
| surmounted her fine face. But after a
minute of silence she folded up the
bills and tucked them back into her
pocket with shy look at Pierre in
which something more than friendly
| interest glOwed.
| You're the incest fellow that |
| know Pierre" she said gently.