The Washington times., 1909-08-02

! farther away each Iainute
Wait moment he cried hating
In his steps and facing about If you
men are looking for a real criminal. L
I can give you clue to his Were
| abouts. Half an hour ago"
heek mOVln', will YEP We've got
/ real a criminal right now as ever kill
ed a man IN cold blood. an he's gOin'
to walk straight ahead daown this
/ heah pike. Move, will yer your
The sherin emphasized his command
. with cut of his short riding whip
across Dicks face.
DIX saw that il was useless to at
tempt to do anything with this ruff
nan. That all the other men were in
sympathy with their leader was evil
sent from their looks
Tee girl averted her face when he
turned about. as though the very sight
OF hin were loathsOme 10 her. And
The words conveyed a hint of the crime
OF which they suspected him. Sheriff
Spratt had spoken Of the killing Of a
man.
OF course. when he reached the Jail
and was takeE before the magistrate.
or whatever officer attended TO such
matters, he would be released immedi-
ateiy upon the recital of his story
Then the sheriff would have opportun-
ity to lead his posse forth upon a re-
newed chase made well nigh hopeless
by the loss of these precious hours
The worst feature OF the day would
be the loss of Dicks clothes. On the
other hand. he would be able to give a
detailed description of these garments
that might lead to the more speedy ar
rest OF the criminal.
AS he rudged along, he went over
the story, trying to put IL into as few
words as possible.
Then he went over 1t again, because ii
struck him that the way he had lust
told il to himself did not seem quite
convincing. Through this recital he
4 IN Ha Ha %
a hearer.
He discovered that the tale seemed a
little hard to tell. once more he sought
10 md thoroughly plausible account
for his having stopped at Corn Center,
Tor his starting on an aimless walk
through a mountain Wilderness for his
turning aside ar the waterfall, for his
freakish act in staying behind the cata-
ract.
Ee had plenty of time for such men
tai recasting of the circumstances. 1t
was ten miles TO Martinsburg, the
county seat of Grover county. Before
he had covered A quarter Of this dis
lance his feet we're blistering in the
rogga shoes he wore, his arms were.
aching only a lille less than his back. .
And, long before he had gone that
far, he had made up his mind that the
mere telling OF his story would be of no
earthly use unless he could prove that
he had not been in the neighbOrhOOd be-
fore that afternoon. However true that
story was in fact, in the telling it was
/ the veriest yarn.
His strength and his spirits ebbed
together, as he trudged on, yard upon
yard, rod upon rod, furlOng upon fur
long, mile upon mile. When he had
/ tramped what seemed to him hardly
less than ha!E a hundred miles, the
sun went down at the end Of the long
As twilight deepened into night the
riders drew closer upon him and their
leader prcdded him frequently with the
J but Of his whip.
Dick could hear the words OF their
conversation now. That the sheriff was
celebrating his capture in frequent liba-
tons from a pocket flask became ap-
parent TO the prisoner. The whisky was
loosening his tongue.
Il rather reckon the amt nobody
as'l be sayin' that the sheriff of Grover
county don't git his man when he goes
after him." he boosted. ''Mebbe we
amt got such a derned lot of deestiliery
raids 10 our CT sdit-"
"Quit yer cussin', BILL" a seemingly
younger member OF the posse spoke
quickly. Don't fergit the's q lady here "
'Aw. shet UP, Jim Mayhem. / reclxIn
Miss Lulie amt gOin' to git sore at tn
man what ketcbed her fathers muir
derer- HaoW abaout that, Miss Lulie?
E-eh?"
If the girl responded Dick could not
hear her Another voice, low, quick, and
savagely earnest, broke the silence OF
the wait Tor ner reply.
"Doan' bOthah the gal She's ben
brave enough without havin' L talk
about IL aftah it's all { Yah with. When
! think what she's ben through in the
last two days I cd help string that
devil Z tn fust tree"
y might git a chanel L dew that
afoah mawnin'. / reckon, sheriff, y
6Oin' [ gyahd this heah party purity
ca full might, amt ye?'
I'm goin' Z see TO it as he doan
walk aOut Of jail on his own hook
That's shuah enough"
The tone Of the words was plainly
intended 10 convey the hint that the
sheriff would not be too strenuous in
preventing the prisoners going forth
under an escort OF the rowdies Of the
county.
That's right. DO youh dooty, sheriff
That's what we done elected We To-
that, an TO KNOWN y wouldn't be tew
blame ca'ful abaout inte'ferin' with
othah folks business"
Sheriff Spratt chuckled loudly Wall
] allaOw as this amt jist Ike a o.din-
airy KILN, seer as might accidental
happen wheah two families he'd some
diff rince. TIL man what killed Cu'nut
Mahtiu done II In cold blood, an 70 the
purpose Of robbery. II shush do seem
TO me as tn laws a poaW'f full slow way
of dealin' VT this so't. But I'm a goin'
10 do my dOoty, all tn same"
1T won't hC- yoah chanel of bein'
AF-EitCtrls All'f.lEiis 10 INLutLlDdn EluL
this heah cuss amt with the life Of. no
respectable, law abidiu' citizens, Bill.
It's jist nachra as theah's a lot of
teelin abaOuI this heah case, an, spos-
IN some Of the men do git a little bit
too excited. I Fould-Ikindo' use yoah
judgment, Bill"
~ amt nevah faound me a Iackin'
In Judgment, hev ye. Hep the sherin
asked with another chuckle.
The men seemed satisfied, and rode on
for some distance IN silence, broken
only by an occasional oath-embellishe ed
command 70 Dick TO keep moving When
they again awoke the subject was
slightly changed.
What / can't quite make aOut BIZ
Is haow you knowed so we'll wheah to
look To- the mu derah."
Tibet WuX easy" Sheriff Spratt's tore
was bOastful again.
Y' see, ] fggah'd as tn man es.J
done tn KILN WIZ a coWah'd d. We all
knowed Wheah III cu'nul Wuz tn cay
befOah. The amt no lonesomer spot
on tn whole road FUN heah TO Beatty
Vile than that theah.
That's why / KEEP you all beatin' m
bushes araOun theah till we faoun' IN
body. Theah was that same reason To-
eXDeCtiH that IN m'derah would hang
araoun' tibet lonesome spot--it bein' sech
good hidn'.
Then they dew allus say as a mu'der-
an II come back L tn place wheah he
killed his man. ! allowed he'd be
araOun' theah If he wuz anywheahs in
tn caounty'