The Bon Homme County independent. [volume] (Tabor, S.D.) 1904-1913, 1909-07-08

unnatural calm was more exciting to
the men who knew him than any mo-
ment of buster would have been. II
was the hush before the typhooh.
Amos alone seemed to be UNI
impressed. He sat and smoked slow
ly, but there was a little knot be-
! tween his eyes that no one had ever
Z seen there before.
"As / said before, squire" he said
at length. hadn't you better kinder
go slow? You say this job is Jest like
the Sugar Valley job and one by the
same gang, but the Farthings cleared
themselves Of that"
Who a Y they did2 WHAT'S your
proof that Jim Farthing want in it?'
"Pshawl That don't prove nothing.
She want responsible: the doctor says
so. The Paintings had her right In
their power. Didn't you see how Al
Farthing's little black eye was on her
every minute, AM how wild M fus-
trated she looked? Her story Is abso-
lutely unreasonable on the face of II.
Then how about the handkerchief"
Then letters can stand for a good
many things besides 'Jin Farthing.'
How do you know but the one that
done this job left It there Jest on pur-
pose to turn suspicion onto Jim? It's
easy enough to mark a handkerchief"
What do yeh meanY. roared the
/ oHhAASg NAANOlhAAb dPoh UNA lAAoNdlltAJs
That's rot. Things may happen once,
but they don't twice. Talk common
sense, IL you're going to,talk here. We
amt boys
"AI the same Squire, you let me
advise you to go slow--mighty slow.
You've got a cool. clean-cut, clever man
to deal with, and he'll eucher yeh I'M
less you've got both bowers and the
joker right in your hand. The day he
cleared himself here In the store, seq
l to myself: The man that deals with
j Farthing g got to play square and
keep his head"
"Humph!" snorted the old man.
You'll see some things before you're
much older. He's tackled the wrong
man for once in his life. You wait and
see."
"All right; I've said my say" Amos
leaned back resignedly and went on
with his smoking.
Say, I agree with Amos in one thing,
Squire" Lem Fisher was nervous and
excited. He gesticulated almost con-
vulslvely. You keep out of this, Squire;
don't you tech him wunst. Don't you
dast to. You can't ketch this here
Farthing, sheriff or no sheriff. I don't
care II you seen him with your own
eyes still right here in the store wunst,
stealing things. he'll clear himself
Already. He's a hacker and you've gut
to fight fire with fire still. He'll tech
your life next"
That's right. Squire" chimed In
Ulie. Hell hack you sure's death"
"HumphY' grunted the old man.
II tell o IL ain't no small matter;
no, II amt. Nosuh." Lem was tre-
mendously in earnest. ''Jest you see
what he did to Rose already. She's he'd
the rundown all the spring still, Jest as
/ told you-uns she'd h; We. When I
seen her that morning you 0 her
away I didn't know her. In was that
pale-paler n a winter ghost--just like
Katie Barndollar when she was haexe
with the o~ppnehmer. She won't last
the summer out still; you can ser her
to Pittsburg or Rooshey, / don't care.
Again you leave the Paintings be, 1t
Ill be too late Already yet. i tell you,
Squire. 0 are the next one; you're
liable to go any minute like poor Karl,
with q black ring round your neck.
I'm your friend, Squire, and for Gods
sake you take my advice. You CO."
lowering his voice to a shuddertng
whisper-"you go to GRAMMAR Miller's
this VERY night. this VERY night,
Squire. Fore Gods. it's your only
/ chanct."
"oh. I'm all right, Lem" He spoke
with an indulgent tone. II carry words
against him. See here He flshed a
slip of lark paper from his inner pocket
and landed it v to the circle.
II don't know about this, Squire"
Lem examined IT with the air of an ex-
pert, n the others crowded around
to look over his. shoulder. That's for
stilibindin' a thief wunst. This won't
stand ag'ln AL Farthing. Nosuh. You
take my advice, Squire, and go this
VERY night. It's your only chanel"
''Oh, don't you worry, Lem. You don't
know where l got them words"
Il don't care where you gut en-; they
won't stand" He mumbled a moment,
then relapsed into silence.
{, The hours passed slowly. Some OF
the men went home to dinner; others
lunched at the Squire's expense. They
discussed In detail all the robberies and
: inferred and deduced and conjectured.
The Squire dwelt much or Karl Keich-
: line: his character. his abilities, his tact
and honesty and his lovable qualities
generally. He worked himself into q
passion of indignation and pity. The
! poor boy" had been like q son to him
he was beginning to lean on him and
love him. Tn getting to be an old
man" he went on pathetically. 1.-The
cares of my business are Weighing upon
me, and TO- I'm all alone" There
were actually tears On the old mans
cheeks as he went on, and q thrill of
. real pity went over the crowd. Karl
had been a general favorite everywhere.
! It was four forty-fve when the sheriff
/ and posse with pomp n dash swung
up before the store. The details OF the
a raid had all been carefully planned over
the telephone, and they delayed only
{ a moment. Leaving their horses they
: struck out with the crowd for Heller's
: Gap.
Twenty rods from the Farthing place
' a great silence came over them. The
3 excited humble of voices fell to q whis-
: per and then, a few steps further on
died out entirely. There was no move.
q ment about the house and not a sound
though they listened intently. Squire
Hartswick and the sheriff held a wills.
d pered council of war, and then the
: sheriff. with the air of one leading 9
d forl, "A hope, advanced to the front
: gate.
q "Hello!" he cried. Hello, in there!'
q No response.
e Say, watch them upper winders
: still" whispered lille sharply, keeping
n well In tho rear. you'll see a CUR
berrel in less n one minute. Get GU
"a | Of line nf the ahariff nuipkiu ha ar