Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1911-10-05

/ I've got yo' nailed, Waite, dis time"
/ Was that all?"
DE OIL ginral he didn't seem ter
know what ter say; he done set dar
lookin off ober de prairie like he was
clar fumegasted He sbo' did look
like dat black debble he'd hit him
mighty hard. Den he says slow like.
turnin' his boss round: Bartlett, yo'
am putin up a good bluff, but, by
Cawd, I'm gon' ter call yo'. Yo' don't
get cent ob dat money less yo' put
up de proof. I'll meet yo' whar yo'
Say, but ct | can git hol' OBJ some pa
pers OATS missn' I'll take dat grin off
yo' face De odder one laughed. an
de oil gin'ral started TO ter ride away.
den ne pull up he's boss, an look
back 'Yo' sorter herd Wild dat kind
oh cattle, Bartlett he say. sharp like,
maybe yo know gambler roup'
we're called Hawley? De black debble
nebber chen lose he's grin. DO yo'
mean Black Bart Hawley?' OATS tho
man, where is he?' Dealin faro TO
Mike Kenna in Topeka week ago
friend OBJ yours? OATS none OBJ yo'
damned business snorted de OIL
ginral, givin his boss dc spur Sho'.
Massa Jack, he nebber knowed he was
talkin' ter dat same Hawley, an dat
black debble Jest laughed as he rode
off"
When was all this. Neb?"
Bout de time yo' all went UP on
de hill, reckn. l done come right
yere, and waited"
Keith walked across the room, Sc
lectcd a cigar, and came back, his
mind busy with the problem. Hawley
had in some manner, then, got into
communication with Waite, and was
threatening him. But Waite evidently
knew the man under another name
his given name-and the gambler had
sent him off on false trail. The lost
papers apparently contained the solu.
ton to all this mystery. Waite be-
lieved Hawley possessed them, but
did not suspect that BARTLETT and Haw-
, Icy we're the same person. What
, would he most naturally do now?
Seek Hawley in Topeka probably;
seize the first opportunity of getting
, there. Keith turned impatiently to
the clerk.
.. Any train running east"
We'll, they generally start one out
every day" with glance toward tha
. clock, long bout this time Maybe
its gone. and maybe it hasn't"
, It was already nearly dark outside
as the two men FASTENED toward the
depot They arrived there barely in
time to see the red lights on the last
, car disappear. No inquiries made OF
+ those lounging about brought results
, they had been interested in a lot OF
, drunken graders loaded on the fat
/. cars by force and sent out under
! :uard-and not one could tell whether
Z any m&n answering Waite's descrip-
, ton was in the single passenger
, coach. Convinced, however. that the
r General would waste no time in prose-
, cutting his search. Keith believed him
, already on his way east, and after dis
missing Neb. with instructions 70
/, watch out closely for Hawley, he
made his own way back TO the hotel.
, 1t seemed strange enough how COM
pletely he was blocked each time, just
rs he thought the whole haGling mys-
, terry was about to be made clear. Hrw-
, ley was playing in rare luck, all the
cards running easily to his hand, thus,
at least, gaining time, and strengthen
| ing his position. There could no long
or be any doubt that the gambler pos
sessed some knowledge which made
him 4 formidable adversary. From
r. a. = hp ln4- Of
the papers which left him helpless to
, openly resist the claim being made
upon him on behalf OF the mysterious
Phyllis. His only hope, therefore, lay
=, in recovering these; but with time
limited. he had been sent back on a
wild goose chase, while Keith alone
knew, with any degree OF postiveness,
, whore those documents really were.
Fawiey certainly had them in his pos
session the day before. for he had
taken them TO Miss MaClslre to thus
convince her as TO the truth OF his
statements. And Hawley was stll
in Sheridan. However, it vas not
likely rhe man would risk carrying
documents of such value. and dOcu-
mcnts connecting him so closely with
that murder on the Santa Fe Trail.
about upon his person AZ best. lie
was cheap in that community, and
BLACK Bart must possess enemies in
plenty. Yet If not on his person
where Scott was only a tool mere
ignorant desperate, not to be trusted
TO such a degree-yet apparently he
was the only one working with the
gambler in this deal. the only ono
cognizant as to his plans, Christie
Keith came to a stop in the street at
the recurrence Of the wOman's name.
Why not? II she had been convinced,
If she really believed that these pa
pers proved her right to both property
and parentage, then she would guard
them as Il tigross does her young. And
HaWlcy would know that, and mast
realize they would be far safer in her
hands than In his pocket she could
not use them without his aid and
guidance, and yet, whatever happened
10 him thCy would still be safely be-
yOnd reach. True, this might not have
been done; the gambler might not vet
have felt that he had sufficient hold
upon the woman to trust her thus far,
but II was, ar least, a possibility to be
considered, and acted upon.