Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1911-10-26


the story and repeated 1t to Hawley
That's what set that fellow going. II
seems Mrs. Yates maiden name was
Pierpont and when she was seven
teen years old she was married to the
son of rich North Carolina planter.
The fellow was q drunken, dissolute.
good-for-nothing. They had a daugh.
ter born-this Phyllis--and when the
child was three years old her father.
In q fit Of drunken rage, ran away. and
to spite his wife took the little girl
with him. All efforts to trace them
failed, and the mother finally secured
divorce and, two years later. mar
ried Willis Waite. Waite. of couree.
knew these facts, but probably they
were never told the children. When
the father OF Mrs. Waite's first has
band died, he left all his large proper.
ty to his grandchild, providing she
could be found and identified within n
certain time, failing which the proper
~ wes TO be distributed among Ger.
tain designated charities. Waite was
named sole administrator. Well. the
old man took as much interest in It as
though it was his own girl, but made
mighty little progress. He did dis
/ cover that the father had taken tho
/ child to ST Louis and left here there
with woman named Raymond. but
after the woman died the girl COM
pletely disappeared
Then Miss Maclaire is Hope
Waites half-sister?"
/ That's the way 1t looks now"
And Hswley merely happened to
stuDse on to the right party?"
Sure; It's clear enough how that
came about. The boy told him about
the lost heiress his father was search
ing after. and showed him his sisters
picture. Black Bart instantly recog-
nized her resemblance to Christie
Maclaire, and thought he saw a good
chance for some easy money He
needed the papers however, to ascer-
tain exactly the terms OF the will.
and what would be necessary for the
Identification. He never intended to
go into court, but hoped to either get
Waite out OF the way, or else convince
|
on her gratitude for his profits. When
Waite played into his hands by COM
ing to Carson City the chance was too
good to be lost I'm not sure he meant
to kill him. but he did mean to have
those papers at any cost Probably
you know tho rest-the girl was easy,
because she was SO ignorant of her
parentage. and nothing prevented
HawIec from winning except that
Waite got mad and decided to fight
That knocked over the whole thing"
They were outside now. and the
first touch Of the cool night air, tho
first glance up and down the noisy
street, brought Keith to himself, his
mind ready to grapple with the prob
lem Of Hopes disappearance II
seemed to him he had already looked
everywhere, yet there was nothing 20
do except TO continue the search only
more systematically. The sheriff as
sumed ConLrol-Clear headed and ac-
customed TO that sort Of thing-cail-
ing in Hiokock and his deputies TO
assist, and fairly combing the town
from one end to the other. Not rat
could have slipped unobserved
through the net he dragged down that
long street, or its intersectng alleys
but 1t was without result; nowhere
was there found "a trace OF either the
gambler or his companion.
They dug Into saloons, bag1'os,
dance halls, searching back rooms
and questioning inmates; they routed
out every occupant of the hotel. In
vaded boarding housed, and explored
shacks and teuts, ind ferent 10 The
protests OF those Gisturbed-but with
out result They found several who
knew Hawley, others who had seen the
two together passing by the lighted
windows OF the Trooatero, but beyond
that-nothng Convinced. az last, thn.
thS parties n.'ught were not alive In
Sheridan, and beginning to fear tho
worst, tho searohers separated, and
began spreading forth over the black
surrounding prairie. and by the light
OF lanterns seeking any semblance Of
trail There was no lack of voluu-
teers Tor this work. but It vas cay
light before the slightest clue pre-
sentod Itself. Keith, with the sheriff
and two or three others, mad CROPPED
their way outward until. with the first
Hush OF dawn, they found themselves
at the opening OF small rocky ra.
vine. near the foot OF Boots Hill"
Poering down into It's still shadowcd
depths, they disoerned what appeared
like u body lying there motionless.
Keith sprang down beside II, and turn
cd the rigid form over until the dead
faoe was revealed In the wan light
II was that OF the rod moustached
Scot. Ne staggered back at tho REQ
ognitfun barely able 20 calculate.
Here, Sheriff! This Is one OF Haw-
ley's men,
The sheriff was bending instantly
above the corpse, searching for the
truth
You know tho fellow?"
Yes, his name was Scott"
We'll, he's baen dead some hours,
at least six | should say; shot just
above the eye. and good Heavens!
look here, Keith. at the size Of this
bullet wound: that's no mans gun In
this country--no moro than q 90 I'd
say"
Miss Waite had q small revolver.
She must have shot the fellow. But
why did they leave the body here to
4