The star. (Reynoldsville, Pa.) 1892-1946, 1908-08-05
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Old Adam Hardburn was always
accounted very eccentric, but when
he adopted Malone's boy people
thought that his eccentricity amount
cd to madness. The Malones were a
bad lot, and this boy was not, as far
as any one knew, better than any
other of the family. Moreover, he
had fallen from tree which he was
robbing of peaches in his youth, and
crippled himself so that he must al
ways walk with crutch. What did
old Adam want of him? But Adam
cared nothing for criticism; he knew
that no one ever pleased all the world
yet, and when his friends prophesied
that he would be sorry he laughed in
their faces. Old Malone was dead,
two of the boys were in jail, one gone
away upon voyage. He had found
Dan deserted in the miserable hut
they had inhabited, friendless, with
no one to help him to such work as
he could do, and he had taken him
home.
There could not be better boy"
old Adam said, and after Dan had
been with him two years he was still
30 much of this opinion that he made
will in his favor. Dan Malone, the
old ruffian's lame boy, had come to
be the prospective heir of the largest
estate in the place.
He was gentle looking boy, who
grew refined in manner and learned
rapidly, but even when he had come
to be one-and-twenty people were
etiplprejudiced against him. Adam s
venture might turn out we'll, but they
doubted it,
At last something happened that
seemed to prove that they were all
right.
Old Adam was very fond of fishing.
Sometimes he spent long days beside
certain trout stream, and often his
boy, as he called Dan was with him,
but one summer day Dan was not
well and Adam went out alone. The
hired man was chopping wood in an
other direction, and the old woman
who washed and cooked kept to her
kitchen. But about o'clock that
evening Dan, very pale and with a
strange look in his eyes, came into a
neighbor's house.
II came because I wanted help"
he said. "Mr. Hardburn went away
to fish this morning. I was sick.
grow giddy when / try to stand. /
can't go after him, and he's not home
yet. / wanted Simon to go, but he
says his master is old enough to take
care of himself, and has probably
gone somewhere to supper. But
that's not like Mr.. Hardburn; besides
he had on his fishing hat and linen
Jacket. l wish some one would do
what l find I am unable to do. I'm
alarmed-very much alarmed"
The neighbors were kind. The
men started out for the trout stream,
and the women comforted Dan, tell
ing him that good news would soon
come; that it was too cool for sun
stroke. and that the stream was too
shallow to be dangerous. But the
young man sat paling and shivering,
partly with illness and partly with
anxiety, until news came. 1t was the
worst news possible. Mr.. Hardburn
had been found dead, shot through
the head. A pistol lay near him, and
his pockets were turned inside out,
and his watch was gone.
When Dan heard the news he
tainted away, and for awhile every
one sympathized with him. But soon
the tide turned.
Detectives came down from the city
and made explorations and inquiries
The watch was found in hollow tree
and all along the soft wood path were
very peculiar footsteps. They traced
them from the woods to the gate OF
the old mans home; the mark of q
shoe, and where the other shoe print
should have been, a puncture. Some
one has been here who walked with @
crutch was the conclusion.
In the whole village was but one
who used a crutch-young Dan Ma.
lone. The clouds of suspicion begar
to gather. Dan declared that he hat
been Ill in bed all day, but Simon, the
man, knew nothing of Dams where
abouts from the time he left home
until he returned, and Betty onl,
knew that he had not come home tc
dinner. The pistol with which Mr.
Hardburn had been murdered wal
one that was always kept in his owl
dining room. Ind finally Dan, ant
no other, had an object to attain b,
the old mans death.
Poor Dan was arrested. and hi
agony was very great.
What do they think of mel" h,
cried. ''Is money anything in com
parisQn with friend such as hav,
1osti / had all l wanted. He VA