Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1907-08-13
8 - = : : : : : = : : : s : : + : :
5 Ole ....
s a. E.W. HORNUNG, !
q 49, ~ HMw "a Author Of "Rafnes
g E5A 81 "a ND e. the Annatev Cracks :
81 A%O&N ~ ~ ~ "Sinease"
- Elk. x - - {
) March. :,,: :;:: = J, $: &C..


Hockey Simpson nor Wall-eye nor Slip
per seemed In the least surprised or
perturbed, but De Gruclly showed
teeth as white as those of the corpse
and ground them horribly. and Hockey
Simpson fixed his spectac!ns upon De
Gruchy, leaning forward N.h the tip
{ of his hook between finger and thumb.
"The fact is" said Tom, 81 thought
1t must be the work of that italian
brigand fellow"
All but De Gruchy burst out laugh
Ing
"And when first saw your fire. he
added, ~ thought you must be his
bandit"
All but De Gruchy laughed louder
than before. De Gruchy hid his sullcn,
foreign face in his hands, and the little
gray man held up his hook for silence.
I'VE areT' said he.
"SNhat? Bushrangers after all7"
'eThe band you speak Of"
"Then where's the Italian?'
You saw him for yourself about an
hour ago."
And the little mans eyes were twin
king through their horn trimmed lenses
as If he had made joke. But there
was no more laughing outright, though
Tom heard Slipper chuckle and De
Gruchy snarl. AS for himself, he was
shulderlng in the most mortifying
fashion under the fascinating specta-
cles of the little gray man.
.'rhat was your leader!y' he stammer-
ed out.
80 he flattered himself"
"4And thought it was his handi-
work.
ut was mine, said Hockey Simpson
coolly. Indeed, benign smile accom-
panied the confession, as though 1t
were a public service lie had perform
ed, with the utmost mercy. But Tom
thought Of the stripped body with the
torn ears, and those living faces, lit up
by the cracking camp fire, lived ever
after'in his mind in the yet more lurid
light of this dreadful revelation.
The high forehead, the twinkling
spectacles, the gray tufts and the pol
ished hook of the elderly man, the
broad, keen, flashing blade with which
Slipper sat pairing his finger nails. the
will eyes hard. dead stare; the knot
ted hands that hid De Gruchy's face
, and the blue black hair in turn hiding
half his fingers, the harmless playing
cards upon the ground, the ruddy, gen.
ial fire and the white, the watchful
moon peering through screen Of trem-
bling leaves-all these were as pieces
OF mosaic inlaid at this instant in
Tom ErIchsen's brain, for him to carry
there to bis grave.
$50 you killed him yourself" he
found himself saying at last in a stout
er voice.
S 4 =! did," said Hockey. II was under
that painful necessity this very after
noon. 1t wasn't done for the fun Of
the thing, you understand, but only
when it became evident that one Of us
must go. naturally preferred to stay.
At the game time, must admit was
wearying of being hectored and bullied
by a confounded foreigner, and there
were three Of us Englishmen OF the
same mind. So you perceive how 1t
all fitted in. Last night we had words.
Now, house divided against itself
cannot stand. Neither can band Of
bushrangers, much less when the
mounted police are on their track"
Are they!" cried Tom.
maybe within fifteen miles," replied
Hockey Simpson. Maybe within five.
An ensign, two sergeants and eighteen
troopers, as / understand. But never
mind them. We two had words. They
had been coming OH for weeks. Well,
there were three on my side and only
two on his. So we made 1t up, but lay
md, watched each other with one eye
open all night. This afternoon ut his
suggestion we rode behind together tc
come to some understanding. but I saw
him looking ut me queerly," said the
little gray man, "and that was enough
for me. When galloped after these
good fellows our number was reduced
by one, but the little question of lead
ership was at an end"
"a good Job toow cried Slipper, and
Yall-eye nodded n grave assent.
"You see, the change is not unpopu
lar continued Hockey modestly
Though I'm bound to add that dom
see how 1t could be-among English
men. What vas he before they kicked
him out of his own country? The wore
that described our friend Barabba.
was already applicable to the late
lamented But what was before cir
cumstances compelled me to leave
mine7 What do you suppose? Come
give guess" said Hockey Simpson.
aYon talk like parson," suggested
Tom to compliment the wretch.
"And / was next door to one!' criet
the little man, beaming benevolently
"a schoolmaster! A pedagogue!
pattern to the village and Its mode
church warden until nm accursed orgal
fund brought trouble in Its train! s.
here I am, and here was while on
late friend was cutting threats in II
nIy, yet he thinks I'm going to knuckl
under to him forever. Likely, WASH
It? No, no; he was bold enougl
man, but he'd met another, and ven
ture to say that tonight-my first i
commandments on bigger Job thai
we ever should have tackled unde
friend Francisco"
'Hear, heart" cried Slipper, Will
Wall-eye nodded again, and Tor
caught an evil CLEAN between D
Gruchy's fingers. There followed
.,ause, for the mellitiuous gray ma
had taken off his spectacles and wa
breathing on the lenses with as tral
auil deiiberation rs though he wei
still in the village schoolroom, ruin
.ls1 xnnnno,,t nhildran inStnMl of grnM