Tazewell Republican. [volume] (Tazewell, Va.) 1892-1919, 1903-09-03
the chase.

Eagerly the dog tugged at his collar,
a. 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
right along the lane as far as the stile;
over this andeacross the fields by the
footpath to the parsonage, straight
4 on into the village. What stranger had
( passed through that day? Eagerly
! they asked each other the question.
/ None could answer 1t. 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 il 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 - house Of death. I'm
erringly. without moments hesita-
ton. the great beast ;ugged along.
waking the echoes Of the coming night
with his deep-throated bay which an
nounced that he still held the trail
and it was growing warm. Tense with
the eagerness of the ques-, they fol-
lowed the hUrrying dog, shrinking
each from the other In the nameless
suspicion fast growing In every breast.
ArrEed at the lawn before the house,
the hound turned promptly toward the
lilac bush. But it did not go quite to
it, 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 a 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-
Dected. 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 a. third time to Rose Gable, the |
attendant followers now heightened to
a trailing que. as the dog pressed more |
eagerly forward, and the more infrm |
among the followers lost ground. I'M |
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 TIA party. led by the indom-
liable hound. was emerging from the |
Oap in the hedge. The man holding the |
leash stumbled and the dog, thrown |
forward ~ his own weight. overran |
the scent and for a moment was at |
fault. lie had it again In second. |
however. and with bay Of rejoicing |
resumed the tracking, but IN the other
direction. Back again ~ 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 sprang t 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 be
kent there until the Goth of March.
when you shall be hanged by the neck
until you be dead And may God have
mercy ~ 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 part.
who'd We thought it? Jasper
Downes, of all men! Why, I'd most
as soon We believed it ofmyself."
It was Homer Cough who spoke to
Uncle Amos. but he voiced the thought
of the countryside, which had not yet
recovered from the amazement into
which the unexpected climax of the
Rose Gable tragedy had thrown them.
For Jasper Downes had lived all his
life amongst them, beloved for his
gentle nature.
"The human heart is curious puz-
zle." said Uncle Amos. "There's never
any telling what anbody'll do. You
all know how Jasper loved his half
brother, and how he took that broth
er's going to the bad to heart. Of
course he thought it was the w&fe's
fault, and when he saw her living re-
spected' by the community, happy APP
parently, while his mothers son, the
man he loved better than he loved HIS
life, was an outcast and drunkard, he
lost his head"