The Minneapolis journal., 1902-08-09


had made away with Harkless grew in num-
Der. There came a telegram from the Rouen
chief Of police that he had clue to their
whereabouts; he thought they had succeeded
IN reaching Rouen, and it began to be gen.
orally believed that they had escaped by
the l o'clock freight, which had stopped to
take on some empty cars at a side-track a
mile northwest Of the town, across the fields
from the Brscoe house. Toward noon party
went out to examine the railroad embank
ment.
Men began to come back into the village
for breakfast by twos and threes, though
many kept on searching the woods, not feel
ing the need Of food, or caring II they did.
Every grove and clump OF underbrush,
every thicket. was ransacked; the waters OF
the creek. shallow for the most part. but
swollen overnight. were dragged at every pool.
Nothing was found; there was not sign.
The bar Of the hotel was thronged all NOR
ming as the returning citizens rapidly made
their way thither, and those who had break
tasted and were going out again paused for
Internal well external reinforcement.
The landlord, himself returned from long
hunt. set up his whisky with d lavish hand.
"He was the best man we had, boys" said
Lands, he poured the little glasses full
WED ort of sent him to the legislative halls
of Washington long ago. He'd Of done us
honor there; but we never thought Of doin'
anything fer him: jest set round and LETT him
build up the town and give him empty thank
yes. Drink hearty, gentlemen" he finished.
gfoomily, II don't grudge no liquor to-day-
except to Lige Wllletts.''
He was good man." said young William
Todd. whose nose was red. not from the
whisky. i've about give up"
Schof1elds Henry drew his sleeve across his
eyes. "He was the only man in this whole
city that didn't jab and nag at me when
done my best he exclaimed. with an in
ls
good word I've had from him when nobody In
town done nothin' but laugh an rile an
badger me about my-my bcli." And Scho-
fields Henry began to cry openly.
He was a great hand with the ehuldern,"
said one man. always have something 60
say to 'enl to make 'em laugh when he went
by. Talk more to them n hA would to grown
They knowed him ali right" added an
other. II reckon all OF us did. little and
big"
Its goln' to seem mighty empty around
here,' said Ross Schofield. what's goin' to
become of the Herald and the party In this
district? Where's the man to run either Of
em now? Like not" he concluded, des-
perately, 1.-THE election II go against US In
the fall"
Dibb Zane chozed over his four fingers.
'tWe nights we'll bust up this dab-dusted ole
town ef he's gone
'J don't know what's come over that Gym
thia Tipworthy,' said the landlord. "She's
waited table on him last two year. and her
brother Bud works at the Herald Office. She
didn't say word-only looked and looked and
looked-like a crazy woman; then her and
Bud went off together to hunt in the woods.
They Just took hold Of each others hands
like ..
THAT amt nothin'," Homer Tibbs broke
in. you'd ort to've saw ole Miz Hathaway,
tn
heard 1t. He had helped her to git her pen
sion and she tuck on worse n anything
ever hear-lot worse n when Hathaway died. -
Il reckon there amt many crazier than
them two Bowlders, father and son." said the
postmaster, wiping the drops from his beard
as he set his glass on the tar. '.They rid into
town like a couple Of wild Indians, the old
man beatln that gray mare o theirn till she
was one big welt and he amt natcherly no
old gentleman, pushing the table away and
relaxing his limbs on the sofa ''They prob
ably didn't have anything to do with 1t. We
thought they had at first. but everybody 8
about come to believe it was those two devils
that he had arrested yesterday.
mot the Cross-Roads!' echoed Minnie, and
she began to tremble violently. Haven't
they been out there YETI"
"What use? They out OF It. and they
can thank God they are!'
"They are not!' she cried excitedly. "They
did IT, It was the White-Caps. We saw them,
! Helen and -
| The judge got upon his feet with an oath.
| He had not sworn for years until that NOR
ming. Whats thls?' he said sharply.
Il ought to have told you before. but we
| were SO frightened, and-and you went of in
such rush aftor Mr.. Wiley was here. I
never dreamed everybody wouldn't know it
was the Cross Roads, that they would think
OF any one else. And looked for the scare
crow as soon as 1t was light; and it was way
off from where we saw them, and WASH
blown down at all, and Helen saw them In
the field besldes-saw all Of thefn-''
He interrupted her What do you mean
Try to tell me about it quietly. child" He
laid his hand on her shoulder.
She told him breathlesslx (while he grew
more and more vlsfbly perturbed and uneasy,
biting his cigar to pieces and groaning at in
| tervals) what she and Helen had seen in the
storm. When she finished he took q fevs
quick turns about the room with his hands
! thrust deep In his coat pockets, and then,
1 charging her to repeat the story to no one,
left the house, and, forgetting bis fatigue
rapidly crossed the fields to the point where
the bizarre figures Of the night bad shcwn
themselves to the two gifls at the window.
| The soft ground had been trampled by MANY
feet. The footprints pointed to the north
east He traced them backward to the south.
\ west through the field, and saw where they
QaQ come from near IHS IOaQ, going uOELn-
east Then, returning, he climbed the fenoe
and followed them northward through thu
next field. From there, the next, beyond th<
road that was continuation Of Main street
stretched the railroad embankment. Thu
track, raggedly defined in trampled loan ant
muddy furrow, bent in a direction which indi
Gated that it's terminus might be the switch
where tho empty cars had stood last night
waiting Tor the o'clock freight. Though tn
fields had been trampled down in many places
by the searching parties, he felt sure Of tn
direction taken by the Cross-Roads Srnen, ant
he perceived that the searchers had mistaken
the tracks be followed for those OF earle
parties III the hunt. On the embankment b.
saw number of men, walking west and ex
aminng the ground on each side, and a long
line OF people following them out from town
He stopped. He held the fate of Six-Cross
Roads in his hand and he knew it.
He knew that if he spoke, his evidence
would damn the Cross-Roads,> and that 1
meant that more than the Whlte-Cap
would be hurt, for the rCross-Roads woult
fight. if he had believed that tn
dissemination Of his knowledge could hav.
helped Harkless, he would have called to th'
men near him at once: but he had no hopt
that the young man was alive. They woult
not have dragged him out to their shantie
wounded, prisoner; such a proceed
ing would Have courted detection, and, also
they we're not that kind; they had been "look
/ ing for him. long time, and their one ide,
was to kill him. s
And Harbless, for all his gentleness, wa
the sort OF man, Briscoe believed, who wouis
Il have to be killed before he could be touched