Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1903-03-05
Stairs Of Sand
ERNEST DE LANCY PIERSON.
Copyright, 1901, by Street & Smith
CHAPTER XT.
FRIENDS AND FOES.

such a tonic effect on an elderly
mans spirits, but Job Hendricks
seemed highly elated over the discov-
cry he had made in the Ellisons
house.
While the sudden fitting of Ellison
was surprise to him, he believed
that he should have no trouble in
finding him, for he would have to
appear when the murder case came
up for trial.
When he assured himself that the
young girl had been taken away
that morning by her father, he felt
that for the present he had no bust
ness furthel n the town. What set
tied the question of his going was
when he entered his little room at
the inn and found his bag had been
broken and it's meager contents scat
tered about. 1t appeared as if the
searcher, in q rage, had tossed the
things recklessly around because he
could not find what he wanted.
Job accepted the incident with
good humor.
$50 they have left some one be-
hind to try and get hold of that pa
per-" he said to himself. with that
in Ellison's possession he might bite
his thumb at me. But he never will,
as long as I am able to stand up
right
The most important articles of h.
belongings he thrust in his bullying
pockets, and the rest he restored to
the bag and left it lying on the floor.
Then he wrote note to the landlord,
wrapped bank note around it, that
was more than his bill amounted to,
sealed and addressed it, and left it
on the bureau where it could be
easily seen, and went quietly out of
the room, closing the door softly be-
hind him. He was rather glad that
he did not find the landlord below
stairs, but even if the worthy Peter
had been there he should have said
nothing about his going.
''Let this spy and thief still think
I am in town." he said to himself, as
he went out the door. $50 much the
easier for me to throw him off the
track
Thinking that perhaps there might
be unseen eyes watching him, he APP
preached the depot in a circuitous
way, reaching it from exactly the OPP
posite road he had set out. Then he
kept out of sight until the train ar
rived that was to carry him to Far
renford, where he knew that poor
Dick Barnett was confined. He felt
satisfied as the train moved out of
the station that his departure had
not been noticed, and the thought
that the man who had been left to
watch him was outwitted filled him
with quiet amusement.
So it came about that the little
man in brown was never again seen
in the town of Exton, and the land
iord of the Bluebell, when he found
his star boarder had taken French
leave, mourned his loss for many
weeks afterward, and was wont to
regale the loafers of his establish
ment with the prodigality of the mil
lionaire travelling in disguise who
had honored his roof for few short
days.
Meanwhile Dick Barnett took his
confinement coolly, and now and then
his solitary life was cheered by a
visit from Grace Ellison.
She generally came with her
father, and it seemed to Dick that
Ellison did not treat him with the
same feeling as in the past, before
this trouble came up. He often won
dered, too, what had become of the
little man who had acted in such a
friendly way while he was enjoying,
or rather enduring, Mr.. Bliven's hos
pitality at EXton. He finally set him
down as an eccentric, who had be-
come tired of playing philanthropist
in his case and was probably anus
ing himself on fresh subject.
When he was examined he was sur
prised to find what a weight of cir
cumstantial evidence there was
against him. There were two things
that counted in his favor. First, his
good character and even temper
making it seem impossible that he
could in. fit of anger have killed
the mother, simply because she OPP
posed his suit; secondly, the discov-
cry that Mrs. Ellison had been de-
spoiled of her earrings of diamonds
and emeralds. STILL there was
some doubt whether she had worn
them that night, though they could
not be found in the receptacle where
she usually kept her jewels.
That the young school-teacher
could have been d robber as well as
guilty of deeper crime seemed alb
surd on the face of it. On the other
hand, he was very poor, and had
made arrangements to leave the town
that night surreptitiously.
So the case remained, and he was
remanded to await his trial with the
prospect of some months in jail, any
way, before he could be free. AS for
Ellison, he promised to do great
things. He would pay force of de-
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