The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1903-02-22


here What we want to know IS what
happened to Mr.. Harkless. 1t looks
| just now like the shell-men might have
| done it. Let s find out what they done.
Scatter and hunt for him. Soon as
anything is known for certain, Hib
: bards mill whistle will blow three
| times. Keep on looking till it does.
! Then he finished. with a barely per-
! ceptible scornfhIl smile at the attorney.
then we can decide on what had
ought be done
Six-Cross- Roads lay dark and steam
| ing in the sun that morning. The forge
| was silent the saloon locked up, the
roadway deserted. even by the pigs.
The broken old buggy stood rotting in
| the mud without a single lean, little
old man or wOman-such were the
children of the Cross Roadside play
about it. The fields were empty, and
the ragstuffed windows blank. under
the baleful glance of the horsemen who
galloped by at intervals, muttering
curses. not always combining themselves
to muttering them. Once, when the
deputy sheriff rode through alone, a
tattered black hound, more wolf than
dog, half-emerged. growing, from be-
meath one of the tum ble-down barns,
and was jerked back into the darkness
by his tail, with snarl fiercer than
his own. while a gun-barr shone for
a second as it swung for a stroke on
the brute's head. The hound did not
yelp or whine when the blow fell. He
shut his eyes twice, and skunk sullenly
back to his place.
The shanties might have received a
volley or two from some of the mount
ed bands eXasperated by futile search
ing, had not the escape of Horners
prisoners made the guilt of the Cross
Roads appear doubtful in the minds of
many. As the morning waned. the adj
vOcates of the theory that the gam
blers had made away with Harkless
grew in number. There came d tele-
gram from the Rouen chief of police
that he had a clew to their where
abouts; he thought they had succeed
ed in reaching Rouen, and it began to
be generally believed that they had
escaped by the One-oclock freight,
which had stopped to take on some
empty ears at a side-track a mile
northwest of the town, across the fields
from the Briscoe house. Toward noon
| a party went out to examine the rail-
road embankment.
Men began to come back into the vii
| lage for breakfast by twos and threes,
though many kept on searching the
woods not feeling the need of food, or
caring if they did. Every grove and
clump of underbrush. every thicket,
was ransacked; the waters of the
creek, shallow for the most part, but
swollen overnight, We're dragged at
every pool. Nothing was found; there
| was not a sign.
The bar of the hotel was thronged
all morning as the returning citizens
| rapidly made their way thither and
| those who had breakfasted and were
| going out again paused for internal.
| as well as external, reinforcement The
| landlord, himself returned from a long
| hunt. set up his whisky with a lavish
| hand.
He was the best man we had, boys"
| said Lands, as he poured the little
| glasses full. Wed ort of sent him to
the legislative halls of Washington
| long ago. He'd of done us honor there;
| but We never thought of dom any
! thing fer him: Jest set round and left
| him build up the town and give him
! empty thankyes. Drink hearty. gem
| tlemen," he finished, gloomily, Il don't
| grudge no liquor to-day-except to
| Lige Willetts"
He was a good man" said young
| William Todd, whose nose was red not
| from the whisky. I've about give
up
Schofields Henry drew his sleeve
| across his eyes. He was the only man
| in this whole city that didn't jab and
| nag at me when l done my best he
| exclaimed. with an increasing break in
| had from him when nobody in town
| done nothin' but laugh an rile an
| badger me about my-my bell" And
| Schofields' Henry began to cry openly.
He was a great hand with the chill
| dren," said one man. Always have
| something to say to 'em to make 'em
! laugh when he went by. Talk more
| to them n he would to grown folks.
| Yes, sir"
They knowed him all right" added
! another. Il reckon all of us did, little
| and big
It's goin' to seem mighty empty
around here" said Ross Schotield.
What's goin' to become O. the Her
aid and the party in this district?
| Where's the man to run either of 'em
| now. Like as not" he concluded des-
perately, the election II go against
| us in the fall"
Dibb Zane choked over his four fin
gers. 1--WE nights well bust up this
dab-dusted ole town eff he's gone"
Il don't know what's come over that
| Cynthy Tipworthy," said the landlord
She's waited table on him last two
year, and her brother Bud works at the
| Herald office. She didn't say a word
| only looked and looked and looked
| like crazy woman; then her and Bud
| went off together to hunt in the woods.
They just tuck hold of each others
| ndHQS Ike----
THAT amt nothin'," Homer Tibbs
broke in. You'd ort to've saw old Miz
! Hathaway, that wilder woman next
door to us, when she heard it. He had
helped her to git her pension: and she
tuck on worse n anything l ever hear
lot worse N when Hathaway died"
II reckon there amt many CRATER
than them two, Bowlders. father and
son. said the postmaster wiping the
drops from his beard as he set his
glass on the bar. "They rid into town
like a couple of wild Indians the old
man beatin that gray mare o. theirn
till she was one big welt, and he amt
hatchery no cruel man, either. l reck-
on Lige Willetts better keep out of
Hartley's way"
Il keep out of no mans way" cried
a voice behind him. Turning, they
saw Lige standing on the threshold
of the door that led to the street In
his hand he held the bride of the
horse he had ridden across the side
walk, and that now stood painting with
lowered head, half through the door
way, beside his master Lige was hat
less, splashed with mud from head to
foot: his jaw was set. his teeth ground
together; his eyes burned under red
lids. and his hair lay tossed and damp
on his brow. II keep out of no mans
way" he repeated, hoarsely. Il heard
you, Mr.. Tibbs. but I've got too much
to do, while you loaf and gas AMI
drink over Lum Lands bar-Ive got
other business than keeping out OF
Hartley Bowlders way. I'm looking
for John HAIRLESS. He was the best