Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1906-03-21
CHAPTER XII.

| HT was not long before we were Wis
| tied by the first retribution for
what might be accounted crime
and what was at least provoked
| by our own illegal acts. Indeed, the
surprise fell sooner than l had antici-
pated, although it happened by the
means l had always considered proba-
BILE. That Williams, garrulous and
sharp eyed Welshman as he was, could
be secured in silence was well nigh i'm
possible, for even if concealment had
been for his personal benefit he would
| still have piled his tongue, and, though
he were sworn to secrecy. the private
transactions Of this singular feud
would have slowly dribbled through
| his communications and become cur
rent in the gossip of the country. This
knowledge was mainly instrumental
in lettering us from conf1ding in him.
| Burglars were the bugaboo we had
| brandished before him, and burglary,
sure enough, was the word that ran
over the district The news came to lis
late that morning. AS gathered, Will
some girl of Llanellan, woke early
| from his belated sleep and ran down
| to the village, full of the battle. His
own appearance in it, as I afterward
| discovered. had been gorgeously con-
ceived and magniloquently rendered.
believe, according to his version, it
was he, and he alone, who gave the sig
81 fN, Rro nd w. i,,lx 1,o
was the author of that fall from the
battlements. But this was just as well,
for the man knew nothing Of its fatal
issue, and poor Sheppard did not
grudge him the credit
But am trespassing upon my narra-
tive too rashly. Williams returned lat
er in the morning and, apparently to
celebrate his own cleverness, made his
communications to me. He had given
warning to the schoolmaster at Liam
elan, who had offered to hand on the
notice to the authorities at Raymond.
I could have cursed the man for his
folly and his babbling tongue, but l
was just enough to recall that his con-
duct was merely natural. In truth, If
he thought at all, he must have consid-
cred us pack of egregious asses for
not taking better precautions and &C
quiring the aid Of the Raymond police.
I could do nothing, therefore, but ac-
quiesce with as good grace as
might and wish heartily that we had
left him sleeping as soundly as Mrs.
Main and the maid, who, 1t appeared,
had never opened an eye throughout
the night, although the former asserteu
that she had dreamed there was
thunderstorm-like," adding the enclitic
familiar to her conversation.
But the situation remained to be
faced, and 1 guessed that we should
be confronted with 1t very shortly.
Consequently we must compose plan
Of action, and, whatever we agreed
upon, must run no risk Of denial at
other hands. In this connection it
seemed that must pay necessary
visit to Sercombe, task which for
some reason was not to my taste.
Sheppard, who had quite recovered
himself and had not yet referred in
any way to the event of the early
morning, cordially approved my sug-
gestion.
"It will be a wise course" he de-
ciared. "And, BESIDES, am anxious to
inspect these fSseigners nearer"
Where the Greeks were lodged we
knew not, but it was evidently not at
the Woodman, for on our arrival there
the place was deserted except by the
woman who had charge Of Hoods
kitchen. She could give US little in.
formation. She had not seen her mas
ter since she went to bed on the pre-
vious evening. But Captain Sercombe
had been called at 9 o'clock and had
gone out after eating hasty break
fast There was no one else staying
in the house Such was the infOrma-
ton sine impaired to us, Influenced to
her frankness, | had no doubt, by my
position as the big landed proprietor Of
the place. Which way had Captain
Sercombe gone? He had gone down
the roadway in the direction of Ray.
mond.
With this we had to content our
selves; but, determined at all hazards
to catch Sercombe, Sheppard and
took the narrow lane that led down the
valley in the hope of hitting upon him.
At the bottom of the valley the stream
makes an open pool Of some consider.
able size upon a piece Of fiat land.
Here it receives a few exiguous
branches from the lower hills and
rests, as it were, in those spreading
shadows ere it narrows and spins for
the Ray. The wood was sparse about
the pool, but it was very private and
retired from the roads, and it was
quite by accident that we penetrated
the wood so far But here we per-
ceived through the LEAKAGE the smoke
of fires and heard the noises of human
creatures, an uncommon feature in the
silent Gwent. Pushing through the
brushwood, we came next upon YER
table encampment in that friendly
spot. And now we solved the riddle
which had perplexed us earlier in the