The Starkville news. (Starkville, Miss.) 1902-1960, 1903-08-14

"With the hand, apparently. 1t is at
about the height of man and looks
as though it might have been twisted
aside and broken by some one hicing
there who wished clearer view of the
house"
"And has any one touch ed it since?"
Touched it? No"
''Then there is way" Uncle Afhos
exclaimed. "See to it that no one dis
turbs the place until l return"
"But what are you going to do?"
"Get the bloodhound from the peo-
Pile at the old quarry and put him on
the scent; arouse the neighborhood
and run the scoundrel to earth"
Without further words he clambered
into his buggy and, gathering up tue
lines, was whirled away into the
lengthening shadows of the after
noon.
The sun had almost set when the
buggy, followed by men, women and
children, all who were able to walk,
again drew up before the door of Rose
Gable The great brute was lifted out
and stretching its gaunt, powerful
form after the cramping ride, rolled
on the soft. cool grass, like puppy.
And the crowd watched it in silence,
awed by the thing they had come to do,
standing in the shadow of this house
of death. Guided by the doctor and
Uncle Amos. the foreman, grasping
the nail-studded leather collar of the
dog, led him to the clump of hlacs,
raised his heavy muzzle and laid it
along the broken stalk. Mute sur
prise in the beasts eyes only. Fur
ther along, above the fracture. An
eager shifting told that it understood,
that it had the scent.
Dropped to all fours, the dog smiled
the ground eagerly, ran hither and
thither, circled around the lilac bush,
then, tossing it's head high. with long
deep-chested bay, it laid its muzzle
once more to the ground. and, drag
ging the quarryman who held 1t with
a stout leathern thong, it set Off across
the lawn. 1t was on the trail.
And those who heard, thrilled with
the savage music of that bay, which
awoke in their own breasts the latent
savagery of the human beast. lhelr
pulses beat to a faster measure, the
righteous Indignation of an outraged
neighborhood. for the moment gave
place to the fierce exultation of the
hunters of wild beasts. Primeval man
awoke in them and. scorning the chas-
tening effects of centuries, reJo1ced In
the chase.
Eagerly the dog tugged at his collar.
as eagerly the crowd of young and old
pressed in it's wake. Yes, here was
where he got through the hedge. 1t
could be seen plainly. the gap. now
that the dog pointed the way. To the
right along the lane as far as the stile;
over this and across the fields by the
footpath to the parsonage, straight
on into the village. What stranger had
passed through that day? Eagerly
they asked each other the question.
None could answer it. And the Won
der grew as step by step the keen
scented dog tracked the footsteps OF
this unknown fugitive. followed them
! into the various familiar places in the
village, the store, the blacksmith shop,
the post office. Men looked at each
other with wonder and suspicion.
What did it mean? Eagerly the dog
strained at his leash; quicker and
ever quicker he dragged his keeper
along Again into the fields, back
again into the village, then along the
road, back to the house of death. Un-
erringly, without a moments hesita-
ton, the great beast rugged along,