Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1904-03-03


time to do IT, and we all know the
were laying for him. You want to h
mighty careful. fellow citizens Hoi
ner is already in Geographic commun
cation with every town around here
| and he'll have those men before night
All you've got to do is TO control youi
selves n little and 10 home quietly
lie could see that his words Except
those in reference to returning home
no one was going home, made an i'm
preston. There was babble of shou
ing and argument and swearing tina,
grew louder and louder
Mr.. Ephroim Watts. in spite Of all
confusion. clad as carefully as upon
the preceding day, deliberately climbed
the fence and stood 10y the lawyer and
made single steady gesture with his
hand. He was listened to at once, rs
his respect for the law was less noto
rious than his irrcvcrcnce for it, and
he had been known in Carlow as Gus
tomarily a reckless man. They want
cd illegal and desperate advice and
Quietcd down to hear it. He spoke in
his professionally calm voice.
Gentlemen, il seems to me that Mr.
Smith and Mr.. Ribshaw." nodding to
!, the man with the rawhido whip, ARE
both right. What good are we doing
here? What we want to know is what's
happened to Mr.. Harkless. It 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 any
things known for certain Hibbard's
mill whistle will blow three times
Keep on looking till it does; then" he
finished. with barely pcrccptible
scornful smile at the Attorney
we can decide on what had ought be
done"
Six Crossroads lay dark and steam
ing in the sun that morning. The forge
was silent. the saloon locked ND, 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 chill
dren Of the Crossroads-to play about
it. Once, when the deputy sheriff rode
through alone tattered blacl. hound,
more wolf than dog, half emerged
growing. from beneath one of the
tumbledOwn barns and was jerked
back into the darkness by his tail. with
snar. fcrCcr than his own, while
gun barrel shone for second as it
swung for q stroke on the brute's head
The hound did not yclp or whine when
the blow fell. He shut his eyes twice
and skunk sullenly back to his place
The shantics might have received n
volley or two from some of the mount
ed bands. eXasperated by futile search
Ing. had not the escape Of IIorncr's
prisoners made the guilt Of the Cross
roads appear doubtful! in the minds Of
many. As The morning wnncd the adj
vOcntcS of the theory that the gam
blcrs had made away with Uarklcss
grew in number. There came a telc-
gram from the Rouen chief Of police
that he had 2 clew to their whcrea bouts
He thought they had succeeded in
reaching Rouen. and it began To he
generally believed that they had es
capped by the o'clock freight train.
which had stopped to take on some
empty cars at a side track mile north
west of town, across the fields froni
the Brscoc house. Toward noon ii
party went out TO examine the rail
road embankmeEt.
Men begar TO come back into the vii
lage for breakfas. by twos aEt threcs,
but many kept on searching til. woods
not feeling the need of food or caring
If they did. Every grove and clulnp
Of underbrush, every thlckct was ran
sacked. The waters of the creek shall
low for the most part but swollen
overnight, We're dragged at every pool.
Nothing was found There was not II
sign.
The bar OF the hotel was thronged
all morning as the returning citizens
rapidly made their way thithcr, and
those who had brcakfastcd and We're
going out again paused for internal as
well as external reinforcement. The
landlord, himself returned from a long
hunt, set out his whisky with a lavish
hand.
HE was the best man we had, boys"
said Lands as he poured the little
glasses full. eyed 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 len
him build up the town and give him
empty thankyes. Drink hearty. gen
tlemen." he finished gloomily. II don't
grudgc no liquor today-except TO Lige
Willetts."
He was good man. said young
William Todd, whose nose was red, not
from the whisky. 1--WE about give
up"
ITS goin' to seem mighty empty
around here" said Ross Schofield.
WHATS goin' to become O. the Herald
md the party in this district? Where's
the man to run either of 'em now?
Like as not" he continued desperately,
it'll 60 against us in the fall"
Dibb Zane choked over his four fin
gers. 1--WE nights well bust up the
dab busted ole town eff he's gone"
II don't know what's come over that
Cynthy Tipworthy," said the landlord.
Shes waited table on him last two
years, and her brother Bud works at
the Herald Office. She didn't say n
word, only looked and looked and
| looked, like crazy woman; then her
and Bud went off together to hunt In
the woods. They jest tuck hold OF
each others hands like