Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1903-11-26
MYSTERY OF THE
B AYOU WOODS
Copyright, 1908, by a, n. kellogg Newspaper 0''
By WALLER KENNEDY.

On December 2, IS, d man hurried.
iy entered the dingy police quarters
in NilnS. unhuttoned his ovcrcoat,
shook the snow from his large slouch
hat, and. warming his thin. trembling
fingers before the fire. onfroutcd the
chief OF police. The latter made n
Casua hut not careless examination
Of the newcomer, and saw that he was
young man Of good appearance"
who's" lace wore an expression OF be-
Nlld"rment and horror. NS the snow
| melted from his oNercOat. il was seen
| tn he very much the worse for wear,
and the clothing under il was thread
bare in The extreme. the mau's shoes
were pitifully thin and Insufficient,
and the wearing of such makcshifts
was little more than u mere obscrv-
ence of custom. Suffering of an acute
| kind had drawn its tracrrN over the
young mans countenancc. Deep lines
showed hcDeath the eyes, which were
unnatrraly MstrouS. and the skin
was drawn tightly over the pale. de-
FAINT face. creating at once the i'm
preston that starvation had perhaps
been at work there. Despite the gen
eral sbahbiness Of the mans apparel
there was an un,nistH kabe air of gen
tilty about him: and there could be
little doubt that a history. possibly a
romance. was hidden beneath the tat
tered clothes and the suffering face
The manner of the newcomer was
nervous, suspicious and eager, and
the chief Of police was satisfied that
lnnnnntS ~ u Y1po n-n
about to be made.
~ on have a communication to
make to me?" he asked, after direct
ing his visitor Go a chair.
Yes"
The response was prompt. and given
with an air of relief that the officer
had OWNED his errand.
just then the door opened and an
other young man entered. He saluted
the chief tfabiy and was about to re-
lire, when something IN the attitude
of the officer and the visitor caused
him to hesitate. He was the chief re-
porter on one OF the Nilus papers.
and he shifted the aroma of news in
the air.
Am I interrupting you?" he asked
in a way intimating the hope that he
was not
This gentleman is a bout to make
statement to me. Whether it is of
T. private nature"
"Ry no MEANS" quickly interrupted
the person referred to. IT do not
imagine that II would do any good to
keep il private. Besides. the news.
papers will have it tomorrow
This gentleman is chief reporter
on the Gazette" snid the officer.
II have no objection to his hearing
what | have to say"
Irving Warde. the newspaper man.
bowed and took his seat. lie never
missed an opportunity to learn any
Thing that WAS apt to make its way
into the newspapers.
The stranger began his story at
once. "Ny name is Herbert Wright,
ind am the son of john r. Wright"
THE Cotton King" said the chief
In evident surprise
of course You are surprised to see
son of his reduced to such straits
as | am. but that has nothing TO do
with my coming here. may as we'll
SAL at The start that differences have
existed between my father and my
'"' '',' Ivy "'' N''''" '''' ''" '''
'0"" S"'' Nv"
'l''"uSn'y ''""S'"' N"'" u" ne
u''
nav c""n", say 'N"e' MS
p"uN vas 1o'"" hls 'n"rn'"4:
"aroe' WI" na'' pee" "S''"'l3 WIZ"
mn "lr %! 'I'o' "''r''''' '"'N inc
talpa"F 'h''r'r'','' me,
men your Ia'hcF Mas kio"'
asked me 'hle''
There can be no dono' OF H.
Nv mere uld 'hlS ""Ppeh
I'm the Bayou MoodS' about three
miles below the Guy
'Nha' 90 you Know on the case
- .Wdg" that he mad zone out h"nt-
mo ana that ne was wa! la'd III me
woods know 'Ha' ne intended GO
Va" lie hk'd 1T IN TINS kho 81
weather. II" was great hunter;
lnu'ed' IT was me thlll" WhIch seemed
I" AFFORD nam the most pleasure ne
was NIIrd white hun''ng' ana the
wounds ON ms hcad ln0lca'' mar ne
was Nltu win p'uoE'"h' oSSip.E
he NAV have been shot as we'll, dlu