Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1904-03-24

SYNOPSIS.
/ CHAPTER John Harkless, fresh
from college, buys the bankrupt Car
| low County Herald, at Plattsville, Ind,
| and starts in to reform things His
first triumph is to compel Rodney Nc
| Cune to withdraw from the candidacy
for congress under pain of exposures.
| He reNlaims a drunken college pro-
/ fessor named Frisbee and takes him on
his staff. Gossip tells him of a strange
young woman named Sherwood who Is
visiting the daughter of Judge Brscoe.
| 11--Miss Sherwood deeply interested
| In HAIRLESS. She hears of the White
Caps, a.: Six Crossroads, whom he has
attacked in the Herald. They threaten
vengeance. and the editor is shadowed
every night by a Plattsville friend. on
guard. ITT-Harltless gets vague
hint thru Frisbee that he may have
| met Miss Sherwood at Winter Harbor
in his college days. He goes at night
to call on her, followed by William
| Todd. his guard Harkless rs fired on
at Judge Briscoe's door. Miss Sher-
wood PUSHES out and refuses to retire
until he does. He carries her indoors.
Visiting on bench in Judge Brls-
GOES garden. HAIRLESS and Helen Sher-
wood t'alk sentiment In the moonlight
but barely break the ice Of acquaint-
ance. aarkless jokes at the White Caps
| but thinks Helen for saving his life
| With Helen and the Briscoes Hark-
| less views the circus parade. He res
| cues Hartley Bowlder, another drunk
ard reformed by his efforts, from the
clutches of two skin gamblers, and
aided by Eph Watts, a gambler he mas
driven into honest courses. gets the
| pair arrested. He is again assailed by
White Caps. VI-Harkless and Helen
discover that they have met and danced
together years before at Winter Har-
| bor She is the cousin Of Tom Mere
dith. Harkless' college chum. AT night
Harkless sets out for Judge Briscoe's,
accompanied by his guard, Ltge VIII
I let's the beau OF Minnie Briscoe. VII
Helen wants to stay in Plattsville and
work on the Herald. Her people are
going abroad, and she is required to
leave l3riscoe's next day and join them
on the trip. HAIRLESS hetrays his love
for her, then abruptly starts alone for
his office during thunderstorm. Helen
sees ghostly white figures in the fields.
Harkltss can not be found.
Her father shook bis head. "Then
why hasn't he turned up2 He'd have
gone home after the storm II something
bad wasn't the matter"
"Bu,: nothing nothing that bad
could have happened. They haven't
found -any-anything."
but why hasn't lie come back,
child?"
well. he's lying hurt somewhere,
that's all"
"Then why haven't they found him?'
Il don't care" she cried and choked
with the words and tossed her DISNEY
eled hair from her temples, lit isn't
true! Helen won't believe it. Why
should I! It's only few hours since
he was right here in our yard talking
to us all. won't believe 1t till they've
searched every stick and stone Of Six
Crossroads and found him.
1T wasn't the Crossroads" said
the old gentleman, pushing the table
away and relaxing his limbs ON the
sofa. "They probably didn't have any
u.
had at first but everybody's about
come to believe 1t was those two fell
lows That he had arrested yesterday"
1T wasn't the Crossroads" echoed
Minnie, and she began to tremble VIC
lently., Haven't they been out there
YETI"
What use? They are out Of II, and
they can thank God they are"
"Ttey are not" she cried, very much
agitased. They did it. 1t was the
Whit, Caps. We saw them, Helen
and l."
The judge got upon his feet with an
oath. He had not sworn for years un-
til that morning. What's thisy' he
said sharply.
II ought to have told you before, but i
we were SO frightened, and-and you
went off in such rush after Mr.. Wiley |
was tere. never dreamed everybody
wouldn't know it was the Crossroads;
that they would think Of any one else.
And looked for the scarecrow as soon
as it was light, and 1t was away of |
from where we saw them and wasn't /
blown down at all; and Helen saw
them In the field besides; saw all of I
them
He interrupted her. 'What do you |
mean? Try to tell me about it quietly, !
child" He laid his hand on her shout
der.
Sh, told him breathlessly what she
and Helen had seen, and he grew more /
and more visibly perturbed and I'M
easy, biting his cigar to pieces and
grooming at intervals When she had
finished he took few quick turns
abou. the room, with his hands thrust
deep in his coat pockets, and then,
charging her to repeat the story to no
one, left the house apd, forgetting his
fatigue, rapidly crossed the fields to
the Point where the bizarre figures of
the night had shown themselves to the
Two girls at the window.
The soft ground had been trampled
~ many feet. The boot prints pointed
% the northeast. He traced them back
ward to the southwest through the
ield and saw where they had come
rom near the road, going northeast;
hen returning, he climbed the fence
md followed them northward through
he next field. From there the next field
o the north, lying beyond the road that
vas a continuation of Main street,
4 |