River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1911-12-28
CHAPTER xxv.-(continued.)
was that aIl?"

was that all!
DE OF gln'ral he didn't seem ter
know what ter say; he done set dar
lookin' off ODER de prairie like he was
clar fumegasted. He sho' 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
Gawd. I'm goin' ter call yo'. Yo' don't
get a cent OBJ dat money less yo' put
up de proof. I'll meet yo' whar yo'
say. but eff | can git hol' OBJ some pa
pers OATS missin' I'll take dat grin off
20 face De odder one laughed, an
de OF gin'ral started TO- ter ride away,
den he pull up he's boss, an look
back. 'Yo' sorter herd wild dat kind
oh cattle, Bartlett he say, sharp like,
maybe yo' know a gambler roun'
yere called Hawley?' De black debble
nebber chen lose he's grin. DO yo'
mean Black Bart Hawley?' OATS the
man. where is he? 'Dealin' faro TO
Mike Kenna in Topeka week ago
friend OBJ yours?' OATS none oh yo'
damned business, snorted de OF
gin'ral. gfvfn' his boss de 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, | reck'n. | done come right
yere. and waited"
Keith walked across the room, Sc
lected 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 a false trail The lost
papers apparently contained the solu-
ton to all this mystery. Waite be-
iieved Hawley possessed them, but
did not suspect that Bartlett and Haw-
ley were 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
We'll. they generally start one out
every day." with glance toward the
clock. long bout this time Maybe
it's gone. and maybe it hasn't"
1t 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 lot of
drunken graders loaded on the fiat
cars by force. and sent out under
guard-and not one could tell whether
any man answering Waite's descrip-
ton was in the single passenger
coach. Convinced. however, that the
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 to
watch out closely for Hawley. he
made his own way back to the hotel.
1t seemed strange enough how COM
pIetely he was blocked each time, just
as he thought the whole battling mys-
terry was about to be made clear. Haw-
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
er be any doubt hat the gambler pos
sessed some knowledge which made
him a formidable adversary. From
Waite's statement i was the loss of
the papers which lef him helpless to
openly resist the clam being made
upon him on behalf ofthe mysterious
Phyllis. His only hope. therefore, lay
in recovering these; bu. with time
limited, he had been sent back on
wild goose chase, while Raith alone
knew, with any degree of postiveness.
where those documents really were.
Hawley certainly had them in ais pos
session the day before. for b, had
taken them to Miss Maclaire to thus
convince her as to the truth ofshis
statements And Hawley was SILL
in Sheridan. However, it was no
likely the man would risk carrying
documents of such value. and docu-
ments connecting him SO closely With
that murder on the Santa Fe Trail,
about upon his person. At best, life
was cheap in that community, and