Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-10-24

sponded to her invitation with remarka BILE
ag'iity for one OF his age, and a moment
later he and the wild queen of this noun
tain home were eating and chatting as
though they were lifelong friends Very
soon Mckiernan had all the information
concerning Butcher which he could have
wished The girl before him was the out
laws bride-they had been married barely
two weeks. Butchers still was back up
the hollow a scant half mile. and his only
assistant hitherto had been a worthless
sort of fellow who had given a great deal
OF trouble on account of his trif1ingness.
Then Denny saw why he had been ac-
cepted so promptly. Seth was good to her
for the most part, the girl said. but there
were times when he was drunk and then
he struck her If the notion seized him.
Mckiernan felt his blood warming at this
part of the recital, but he said nothing.
AdrOitly and in a manner not to excite
suspicion he piled question after question,
and quite soon the minutest detail Of the
life of the man whom he had come to cap
ture was laid bare. They of the noun
tains do not sit up into the small hours
except at the Illicit still Soon after sup
per Denny was shown the way to the loft
and he sought rest gratefully, for he was
tired and sore. But for a long. long time
he lay upon his hack and stared wide
eyed through the chinks in the roof at the
fara way stars. 1t was ponderous prob
lem which confronted him; a task which
had assumed greatly magnif1ed proper
tons since his chat with the girl-wife Of
the mountaineer For she had told him.
in her own crude way. that Seth was the
most wary and watchful of men; that his
pistol was always at his waist and always
loose in its holster; that he could shoot
quicker and truer than any man for miles
around; that he distrusted every one and
never turned his back on friend nor foe,
felled beef II he chose. All this was not
especially delectable to his mind. Here
he was destined to come and go, to eat
and sleep with the man who had murder
ed his friend. to work with him day and
highland vet how was he to take such
a person? He pondered and thought to no
avail and. bordering still. at last fell
asleep. 1t was early morning. shadowy
morning, when he was awakened by a
stentorian voice from below.
Cit up OIL man, an show yo'sen! 1t
said "Breakfas IS waitin' an thars
plenty to do"'
McKiernan was not long in finding the
ladder which connected with the room be
low. but before he went he scrutinized his
disguise closely by the aid OF pocket
mirror. to see that his nights rest had
not disturbed his wig or beard.
When he got down he found Seth
spra wled at one end Of the table, devour-
ing his coarse food in coarse way, and
1t was only by great effort OF Will That
Denny sat down to his repast The girl.
who had been so communicative the night
before, seemed subdued, and ate silently.
with downcast eyes. Very little was said
during the meal. and when it was done
Butcher arose noisily, wiped his mouth on
the back Of his hand. and striding to the
fireplace, took down pipe from nall on
the wall
Fill UP. Uncle Jim. an we'll 60 up the
boiler" he said, and Denny obediently
crammed his pipe bowl with natural leaf
tobacco. noting as he did so the murder
,,rJ,, To- al
host.
Work began that day and continued for
a week without interruption. Not a mo-
ment passed but Denny was watchful to
secure his man; not moment passed but
Butcher was on the alert. alive. awake and
crafty. Though there appeared to be not
the slightest suspicion in his mind that his
assistant was not what he claimed to be.
vet he was never off guard. and there was
never time when Denny could have
plan did the officer formulate but In
perfectly natural way Butcher frustrated
them ALL Two more days passed. and
Denny grew desperate. 1t was not his
reputation and the reward which con
cerned him 80 much. 1t was the thought
that he was about to fail. and that poor
Tom Cleghorn was not avenged. Night
after night he would crawl to his shake
down. and lie there racking his brain, and
night after night he would go to sleep
with the great question still unsolved. He
was at his ropes end, and the thought was
bitter Then the devil came to his aid.
+ 4
One evening when he had lain down to
rest, gazing in blank despair through the
ragged roof above him, the serpent in his
heart awoke and whispered plan into his
car. To do Denny justice he fought
against It: for half the night he lay and
wrestled with the temptation. He was not
a man of rare culture, and he had never
bothered himself about the finer questions
of ethics. Yet he knew right from wrong,
as every man does. and ne 1elt that ne ne
would be doing gross wrong If he
yielded to this sinister suggestion OF the
tempter which kept DINING into his ears
a way out of the trouble which beset him.
But he did not throw it from him violent
Nv. as he should have done. He entertain
ed Il tentatively at first. then met 1t face
to face and finally fondled, caressed and
accepted It, / believe II was Pope who
delivered this truth to the world:
Vice is a monster OF 30 frightful mien
AS to be hated needs but to be seen;
But seen too oft, familiar with her face,
We first endure, then pity, then embrace
The plan which had come to Denny as
the only way out of his dilemma. and
which he had adopted after half night
of mental and moral turmoil; was not free
his complete downfall. Still 1t presented
the only possible way to success that he
could see, and his square chin and firm
mouth were birthrights with a meaning.
To be brief, his idea dealt with the young
wife of the man against whom his plans
were laid. He meant her no wrong be-
yond a deception which would injure her
pride and result in disappointment for
her and his heart and soul were In the
project which he had In hand. A pene-
trating student of human nature. Nc
Herman had observed that Butchers Wife
loved f1nery and tnsel, and that she was
poorly satisfied with the life Of drudgery
which had been thrust upon her. She
loved to be free. she wanted adulation and
compliments. and she was vain.
In the flush of feeling occasioned by his
jubiiant project, Denny couldn't go TO
Sleep He knew 1t was after midnight
when he heard knock on the door below
Butcher must have been expecting 1t, for
after a few low words with some one on
the outside he told his wife that he would
not be home till the next evening. and de-
parted In company with his caller. 1t
seemed to Denny that he had been asleep
only a few moments when the daylight
reused him. Indy CHS hostess) was
bending over the fire when he came down
with his carpetbag and passed out to the
shed in the rear and to the bench where
the washpan and water bucket sat. Busy
inside, the girl paid no heed. Quickly the
whiskers and wig came off, the pocket
mirror was hung on a nail and shaving
materials extracted from the bag His
dexterously his hair combed and collar
and tie placed around his neck The
metamorphosis was as speedy as It was
wonderful. When It was done, he took