Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1906-04-02
"They don't identify us with

NO" replied Sheppard deliberately,
"but it pulls the police web closer over
us. We're marked men in a way. we
shall have difficulty. This business is
getting too complex. The fact is, we
ought to have settled it by bold
stroke much earlier
1--WE didn't know" said Montgomery
| said nothing then at once, but pres
emily l spoke up.
sheppard" l said, land you, Mont
gomery, think this thing has gone far
enough To tell you the truth, | have
had enough of it for some time past.
| That man in the moat sickened me.
Look ut it in this way. We have been
| actuated by mere greed Of gold.
There's no denying that. ] will confess
that l undertook it lightly. 1 had no
notion that we were to be called upon
to enter bloody warfare What has
| Williams done? He stood no chance
with us; he was not to share in our
throw of the dice. It's plain murder,
| and an ugly sound it has. Can you
tell me why he came by his death? l
can. That man l tracked through the
wood last night-he got wind Of me.
| What his mission was l have no guess,
| but Williams was taken for an ennis
sary, and dead men tell no tales. What
| he saw before he received his death
blow l won't hazard. But, mind you,
| he was knitted to death-hacked in the
| quick flesh till the life oozed out at the
bloody gaps. That's black; that's
bloody-and that's good enough, or bad
enough, for me-"
spoke with heat, even with pas
sionate emotion, for the thoughts had
been burning in my mind for some
time. Sheppard said nothing for a
+! space, but leaned forward and careful
ly knocked the ash from his cigar
"What you say is very true, Ned"
he said quietly at last, land you have
put it very bluntly, and l don't say
that you have not something on your
and we shall all be agreed that good,
honest emotion is to be reckoned n
force as much as reason. But. to my
mind, you forget, lp,u overlook, too
much, and your feelings miscarry.
What, precisely, have we done? We
have defended against pack Of ruff
fans what certainly is not their prop
erty, and what, SO far as it is any
ones, is ours or, rather, yours. We
have drawn blood in the encounters.
but it was that same cutthroat blood.
l will confess to you both that am
of a squeamish temper myself, and
that first surprise fairly wrought upon
me. But pulled myself up and con-
sidered. And as for this last affair,
there's no denying its gravity. 1t has
the menace Of tragedy that's a fact.
But where do we intervene? Williams
meets fate destined for one Of us.
We take our chances, but Providence
designs otherwise. Williams is dead;
I learn that with regret. l understood
him for a man Of spirit and pluck.
Rest his soul. But by whom was he
killed? By these very cutthroats
against whom we are conspiring.
There's another reason, and, if you
like, more potent reason, why we
should continue. Williams dead body
does not stand between us and the
treasure, and especially if we aim at
two ends. Justice will be measured
out by our pursuit. You will think
speak harshly, but l am talking sense
That is how it appears to me"
"You are wrong" said. cit is not
emotionally that speak. On the con-
trary, am guided by reason, and l
take leave to say it is yours that is the
sentiment. We have shed blood; that
is bad. We have been the cause of
bloodshed, and that in a way is worse
at least 1t seems so to me. am not
taking upon me the obligations of that
murder. The plain truth is that had
we not been involved in this feud the
man would have been alive this day.
If we 60 on it will be with increasing
ferocity. We shall set ;ions in mo-
ton like machine, the force of which
is irresistible, the end of which is dis
aster ask you to consider that"
Sheppard turned softly to Montgom-
cry. What do you say?" he asked.
II agree with what Greatorex says"
he answered sturdily. LET us go on
and finish the brutes. They've done
for Williams, poor chap! It's time we
did for them
Sheppard burst into gentle laughter,
and l, too, could not forbear smiling at
the boys confusion of mind.
"There, you see, Ned" said Sheppard
slyly, your eloquence has convinced
Montgomery, and 1 must reluctantly
give way. l am all for peace, but" he
sighed, 1--WE must needs be governed
by the majority in these democratic
times"
81 take your hint" 1 said quietly.
"But l am entitled to ask if you have
duly considered"
81 have, Ned" said he gravely. "And
you, Montgomery
81 am anxious to go and ready to
face the results" replied the lad
$50 be it." said l, and thereafter new
er reverted to the subject. Having once
made up my mind that we must go
forward, threw myself into the bust
ness with alacrity. Sercombe was
gone; indeed, we learned that day that
the police were searching for him. The
treasure also had disappeared, and only
Hood remained-silent, decile, civil,
ond DC l,ner imnIo "a fla He had