The Forrest City times., 1903-08-07

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 il had the scent.
Dropped to all tours. the deg shifted
the ground eagerly. ran hither and
thither. circled around the lilac bush.
! then, tossing its head high. with long
| deep-chested bay. ii laid its muzzle
once more to the ground. and, drag
| ging the quarryman who held it with
a stout leathern thong. il 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. Their
pulses beat to a faster measure, the
righteous Indignation of an outraged
neighborhood. for the moment gave
place to the fierce exuitation of the
hunters of wild beasts. Primeval man
awoke in them and, scorning the chas-
tening effects of centuries, rejoiced in
the chase.
Eagerly the dog tueged al his collar.
as eagerly the crowd of young and old
| pressed in its 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
1 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. Tn
erringly, without a moments hesita-
ton. the great beast rugged along.
waking the echoes of the coming night
( with his dcep-throated bay. which an
nounced that he still held the trail
and it was growing warm. Tense With
the eagerness Of the quess. they fol-
lowed the hurrNing dog. shrinking
each from the other in the nameless
suspicion fast growing in every breast.
Arrived at the lawn before the house.
the hound turned promptly toward the
lilac bush. But il did not go quite 20
il. At a point some dozen feet short
of the shrub it turned off and headed
again across the lawn toward the gap
in the hedge. Again To the right. along
the lane. over the stile. across the
fields. The dog was tracking the track
ing party. Among those who followed
this hunt for man was the hunted
man himself. Lifelong friends eyed
each other askance; in each face was a
look writ by horror and trepidation.
which to the superficial might appear
the look of guilt itself. Each suspect
ed his neighbor and felt himself sus-
pected. Vain in that universal uneasi-
ness to seek TO read the really guilty
one. Nothing to do but to follow on
this everything trial, around and around
until the end.
Back third time to Rose Gable. the
attendant followers now heightened to
n trailing que, as the dog pressed more
eagerly forward. and the more infrm
among the followers lost ground. un-
! able to keep up. though none dreamed
| of dropping out. Painting. nearly over
! come, a little group brought up the
rear, entering the grounds just as the
head of the party. led by the indom-
/ liable hound was emerging from the
/ gap in the hedge. The man holding he
leash stumbled and the dog. thrown
! forward by his own weight. overran
the scent and for moment was at
! fault. He had il again in a second.
| however. and with bay of rejoicing
resumed the tracking, bet in the other
| direction. Back again to the gate Of
! Rose Gable. back across the lawn. and
with snarl of rage the great beast
tore itself free from the restraining
hand that held him and sprane at the
/ throat of Jasper Downes.
And the sentence of the court Is
that you be taken back to the place
where YOU have been confined and he
| kept there until the both of March.
! when YOU shah be hanged by the neck
until YOU be dead. And may God have
mercy ON your soul"
The famous trial was over at last,
and the villagers filed out Of the court
| room. silent and aWed: still under the
| influence of the impressive scene in
which they had just played a part.
Who'd We thought it? jasper
Downes. of all men, Why. I'd most
as soon We believed il of myself"
1t was Homer Cough who spoke TO
| Uncle Amos but he voiced the thought
of the countryside, which had not Yet
recovered from the amazemeut into
/ binb no 81