The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1909-08-04

the sheriff spoke again with terrible en-
phasis.
Dick knew that he cringed with fright
at the words. Spratts sudden raising
Of his voice TO the tone Of thunder
would have startled a man who had not
been through Dicks afternoon expert
encFs.
But it's theah It's on yo' sleeve.
It's Cu'nul Robert Mahun's blood. An
it's on yO' sleeve an on yO soul You
know it. You can't look at that theah
sleeve an in my eye an say it amt SO
he tone in which the uncOuth man
delivered these words would have done
credit to a master JTagedian.
Dicks nerves we're already unstrung
by the ordeal through which he had
passed. The thought tnat, right upon
his own person. was the blood of muir
dered man was more than he could en-
dUre calmly.
The realization Ihat this. in itself,
was almost conclusive evidence OF his
guilt gave him a sense of fear that
rendered him completely unable to lift
his eyes quickly from the brown stains
on his sleeve to those of the sheriff.
During the deatnlike silence that fol-
lowed. Dick tried again and again TO
speak his denial. His throat seemed
chOIed with terror. His tongue clave
10 the roof of his mouth. Each time
his eyes were raised in an attempt 10
meet those Of the Iormentor, they came
back automatically to the fascinating
horror of those blood stains.
He felt an intense relief when Spratt
began TO speak once more. Bad as the
sheTiff's talk was. frightful as he made
the ClimaXes to each series Of questions
they We're luOre enduring than silence
with those brown spots cleaning at one.
Young feller, 10 yOu-all happen to
know anything about the law?'
Dick acknowledged that he did not.
Il though so. II you knOWed any
thing about it-vou'd a-confe ssed the
fust thing. The laws aIlUs easier on
man what owns up to his guilt. It's
yC' only hope O. not gettin' hung. Say
you done it, an it'll be easier fe' you
to get a prison sentence std o. bein'
hanged to a gallOws,"
"BUt ] did not 40 it," Dick protested.
Spratt's tone had been almost wheed-
| ling in suggesting a confession. Now
his head seemed again to shoot forward
from his neck as he fairly shouted
fierce denunciatiOn.
"Didn' do Il? Didn' do it? You die
do it. I'll tell you jest what you done
You kin see 70 yo'self whethah they's
anythin' I dunno abaout II. You kir
see whethah you bettah confess o set
| theah denyin' It an pu'1urln' 20 soul
you knowed as Gu null R0bt was
goin' 10 the bank to Beattyville. Or
| you seen him go into the bank theah
] dunno which way 1t wuz. 1t doan't
l make no die ence.
| you followed, a-sneakin' aftah him
/ In the dark. Or, you got ahead an
waited 70 him. lyin' in the bushes
/ like the cowa'd you-all is. You wait
/ ed an you waited
| "Bymebye YOU heahs the footsteps
of his hose. You waits till he's dons
t gone by. Then you shoots him in the
shOuldah.
"He falls often his hose into the
road. An theah, you, afraid 20 WOE
/ amt done. afraid he amt quite dead
] you comes Up an stabs him in the
| back three times with this"
| Again II was the suddenneSs with
| which the sheriff thrust something al
| him that caused Dick TO recon from
| the ugly dagger. It's hilt and the upper
/ part of the blade showed spots of blood
But these things had partially lost
/ their terror for the young man now
! He looked at this cutie calmly wheT