The Tupelo journal., 1909-07-09

DCrS AID. Haley m kltO were MOI
among them; they were to guard the
garage which was too vital a point in
their household economy to leave I'm.
protected. Nevertheless, Haley and
Kito did both run away, leaving a
Mexican helper to watch; and when
they returned they were breathless
and Haley's face was covered with
blood. He was carefully carrying
something covered with q carriage
robe in his hand.
i've the honor to report, sir"
Haley mumbled, stiff and straight in
his military posture, a very grImy and
blood-stained hand at salute, I've the
honor to report, sor, that Private Kite
and me discovered two suspicious
characters making up the hillside by
the sekrut road. We purshooed Thin
sor, and whin they wu'dn't halt we
fired on thin, sor, Exploding this here
bum which whit off whin the aindmost
man tumbled."
Kito smilingly flung aside the car
riage-robe disclosing the still smoking
shell of an ingenious round bomb.
very similar to those used in fire
works.
The colonel examined it Closely; it
was an ugly bit of dynamite craft.
ANY casualties, sergeant" the
colonel asked grimly.
Yes, sor. The man wild the bum
was kilt be the Explosion; the other
man was hit by Private Kfto and
wounded in the shoulder but escaped.
/ mesilf have a confusion on me right
arrum, me ankle is s%prasned; and
livery tooth in me head is in me pockit!
Report to Miss Smith st the hos.
pital, sergeant. Any further report?"
q wu'd like to riccommlad Private
Kito for honorable minshEn for gal.
lanthry."
Il shall certainly remember him !;
and you also, sergeant, in any report
that l may make. Look after the
garage, Kito."
Kito bowed and retirsE, beaming,
while Haley hobbled into the house.
The consequences of the attack made
on the garage did not appear at once.
One was that young Arnold had al
ready brought the touring car into the
patio in the absence of Haley and
Kito. Another was that Re and Tracy
and Kito all repaired to The scene of
the explosion to examine the dead
mans body. They returned almost i'm.
mediately, but for a fsw moments
there was no mi of the house in the
court. The colonel went to Keatcham
in a final effort to dissrade him from
going into the city until after he him
self had gone to the Presidio and re.
turned with a guard. he represented
as forcibly as he could the danger of
Keatcham's appearance during a time
of such tumult and lamlessness.
I'VE are down to the primeval pas
sions now" he pleaded. do you sup
pose If it had been Heley instead of
that dago out there who was killed
that we could have punished the
murderer? Not unless we did it with
our own hands. They are maybe lying
in wait at the first street corner now.
If you will only wait"
Keatcham chopped off his sentence
without ceremony, not irritably, but
with the brusquerie of n whose time
is too precious for dilatory amenities.
evil the fire waltz" he demanded.
"Will the thieves and toughs and ruff
fans whom we have to crush before
they realize their strength, will they
wait? This is my town, Winter, the
only town l care a rap for; and
propose to help save it. / can. Dan
ger? OF course there is danger; there
is danger in every battle; bat do you
keep out of battles where you belong
because you may get killed? This is
my affair; if I get killed it is in the
way of business, and I can't help it!
No, Arnold, l won't have your fathers
son mixed up In my fights; you can't
CO."
Somebody has got to u the ma
chine, sir" insinuated young Arnold
with a coaxing smile; "and / fancy ]
shouldn't be my fathers son if I didn't
look after my guest-not very long;
he'd cut me out. Tracy is going, too.
he's armed"
"You are not both going" said the
colonel, somebody with a head on
him must stay here to guard the
ladies'"
He would have detailed both Tracy
and Mercer; but Mercer could really
help Keatcham better than anyone
in any business arrangements which
might need to be made. And Keatch'
am plainly wished his company. Had
not the situation been so grimly Sc
rious Winter could have laughed al
the ~grotesque reversal Of their condi
tons; Tracy and Arnold did laugh;
they were all taking their orders from
the man who had been their defeated
prisoner a little while hack. Mercer
alone kept his melancholy poise; he
had obtained the aim of years; he was
not sure but his revenge was subtlel
and completer than he had dared te
hope. Being a zealot he was pos
sessed by his dreams. Suppose ne
had converted this relentless and ire
mendous power to his W way Of
faith; what mightn't he hope to &C
complish? Meanwhile. SO far as the
business In hand was concerned, he
believed in Keatcham and in Keatch
ANS methods Of help; he bowed t.
the innate power of the man: and he
was as simply obedient and loyal a
Kito would have been to his feuda'
lord.
In a very brief time all the arrange
mania ware made. the four men Wend