Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1911-11-09

horse thief as the speaker. mere 3
an old party in there! No need to
SINCE HIM"
"Friend?"
Itried him."
The Judge tossed away the stool.
He understood now that these men
were neither fynchers nor regulators.
With confident. not to say juanty
step, he emerged from the jail.
Your servant, gentlemen!" he said.
lifting his hat.
"Git!" said one kof the men briefly.
and the Judge moved nimbly away to-
ward the woods. He had gained it's
Eshelter, when the Jail began to glow
redly. % ..s2
Now to find Solomon and the boy,
and then to put the miles between
himself and Pleasantville with all dill
gence. AS he thought this, almost at
his elbow MahAffy and Hannibal arose
from behind fallen log. The Yankee
mentioned for silence and pointed
| west. v.# @
Yes breathed the judge. He noted
that Mahaffy had q heavy pack,
and the boy his long rife. For mile
or two they moved forward without
speech, the boy in the lead; while at
his heels strobe Mahaffy, with the
Judge bringing up the rear.
How do you feel, Price," asked
Mahaffy at length, over his shoulder.
Like one come into fortune! Those
horse thieves gave me a fine scare,
but did me a good turn
CHAPTER KILL
Eannlna. kept to the woods by q
kind of instinct, and the two men
yielded themselves to his guidance;
but there was no speech between
them. Mahaffy trod in the boys steps
and the Judge. pufing like an over.
worked engine, came close upon his
heels. In this way they continued to
advance for an hour or more, then
the boy paused.
Go ont" commanded Mahaffy.
do you low the Judge can stand It?
! asked Hannibal.
Bless you, lad!" painted the Judge
feelingly
Hes got to stand it-either that, or
what do you suppose will happen to us
If they start their dogs?" said Ma
haffy. t@n. &E
"Solomon's right-you are sure we
are not going in circle, Hannibal?'
Eyes, I'm sure" said Hannibal. do
you see that star? My Uncle Bob
| learned me how was to watch that
star when l wanted to keep going
! straight" a..... .s#5a
There was another long interval OF
silence Bit by bit the sky became
overcast. Vague, fleecy riffs OF clouds
appeared in the heavens. A wind
sprang up. murmuring about them,
there came distant roll of thunder,
while along the horizon the lightning
rushed In broken, jagged lines of fire.
In the east there was a pale flush that
showed the black hurrying clouds the
winds had summoned out Of space.
The booming thunder, first only the
| sullen menace of the approaching
storm, rolled nearer and nearer, and
the fierce light came in binding sheets
of fame. A ceaseless, pauseless MUIR
mur sprang up out of the distance,
and the trees rocked with mighty
| crashing OF branches, while here
and there a big drop OF
rain fell. Then the murmur swelled
into a roar as the low clouds disgordg-
ed themselves Drenched to the skin
on the instant, the two men and the
boy stumbled forward through the
gray wake Of the storm.
| Whats come OF our trail, now?"
shouted the Judge, but the sound of his
voice was lost In the rush of the hur-
rying winds and the roar of the airy
cascades that fell about them
|, An. hour passed. There was light
under the trees. faint, impalpable with
out visible cause, but they caught the
first sparkle of the rain drops en- leaf
and branch; they saw the silvery rivu-
| let's coursing down the messy trunks
, of old trees: last of all through mar
row rift in the clouds, the sun showed
! them its golden rim, and day broke IN
1.-The, streaming woods. With the sun.
with a final rush of the hurrying wind.
final torrent, the storm spent itself,
and there was only the drip from
Dough and leaf, or pearly opalescent
points OF moisture on the drenched
black trunks of maple and oak; a sap,
| phire sky, high arched, remote over
head; and the June day all about.
whats come Of the trail now?'
cried the Judge again. Hell be a
good dog that follows it through these
woods!" l.
They had paused on thickly wood
ed hillside. ..,.y
| ,l. we've come elSHJ Ut LeH mileer ~
we have come rod, Price" said Ma
haffy, "and am in favor of lying by
for the day. When 1t comes dark
We can 10 on again.
The Judge readily acquiesced in this
and they presently found dense
thicket which they cautiously entered.
Reaching the center Of the tangled
growth, they beat down the briers and
bushes, or cut them away with their
knives, until they had little cleared
space where they could build a fire.
Then from the pack which Mahaffy
carried, the rudinlents of simple but
filling meal were produced.
"Your parents took no chances when
they named you Solomon said the
Judge approvingly.
& CHAPTER XIV.
Now, Tom" said Betty, with bust
Ling little air Of excitement as she
rose from the breakfast table that first
morning at Belle Plain, II am ready
II you are. / want you to show me
everything!
"1 reckon you'll notice some
| changes remarked Tom.
| LIZ Pro,,o kh~ r10~,, opH H1rrv,