Audubon Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Iowa) 1894-1925, 1911-11-02
CHAPTER xvlI.-contInued.

Good" exclaimed the editor
"That amt ALL" said Colonel Bill
triumphantly. Il got here signed
paper witnessed before Justice Of the
Peace Jennings, the only one we had,
and signed by me and several other
men, which swears they heerd Bree-
den say his wife killed him and that
they seen this thirty-two bullet took
out Of his breast. the autopsy bein'
public like the fun'ral. And it's made
out In due form"
It's quite satisfactory" said the
editor. glancing at It and passing 1t
over to Shaw.
$50 you see we fellers kind o.
thought Fordyce done mans part In
takin' the blame on hisself, and al
ways kept these things. l thought
they might turn up handy sometime"
"You did WELL"
"And that amt all either" said Col
Bill Hamilton.
what more have your"
"Well, I've seen the woman. She's
alive yet"
Naturally she must have been or
they couldn't have got this story from
her." was the answer.
Course. Well, the end OF the
story's this: Them people plunged
south in that blizzard. We looked for
'em In the spring; but never expected
TO find their remains, cause 1t was
more'n human flesh could stand, such
a storm as that, and we naturally
s'posed they'd both died and got ct up
by the wolves when they was partly
thawed out But the other night
was takin' trip through the tender
loin--for observation purposes" said
Colonel Bill as the ghost of smile
fiickered on the face of the night ed
itor-"and seen this woman and had
an interview with her. She's plumb
scared to death. The chief OF police
who got this stuff from her s fright
ened her out of her boots But I, bein'
an old friend Of hers, managed to
calm her down. and got her to give
me her story. She's always been sor-
~ that she served Fordyce the way
she done.
IT don't know how It is, but some
how I got at the good side of her.
You see these women are going
straight to hell perhaps-although
amt got no inside information as to
fhat--but however low they git and
however bad they are, there's always
a soft spot In 'em somewhere. They're
women still And guess must've
touched the soft spot In her somehow
or other; for she told me the truth.
At any rate she confessed the whole
thing to me, and she said furthermore
than when them two was goin' south
In the storm, her horse fell down and
died, and that Fordyce got OF his
horse and she mounted 1t, and he
walked hisself hangin' to the saddle
strap. and she said that seem that
the remainin' bronco was givin' out
too. she showed Fordyce down and gal
Ioped away and left him. And I got
her signature to paper confessin' It."
Again Colonel Bill had recourse to
the tin box.
IltIo II ID. NOW II Lnom QOu
make a complete case for my old
friend. don't know what else to do"
Where's the woman?" asked the
editor, after he had examined the last
paper that Colonel Bill had submitted.
We'll. you won't find her," said the
old miner slowly. "She's pulled up
stakes and hit the trail helped her,
and I don't mind sayin' that I said
I'd see her through this thing. I don't
believe she could be caught where
she's gone. don't b1ieve thero'll be
any pursuit made after her; but II she
is. she's got to be let 60. Pete Bree.
den was dog II ever there was one,
and he deserved all he got That's
all, I guess. GOSH I'm dryi"
Mr.. AbbVt," said the editor. will
you procure such refreshments az
Colonel Hamilton Is accustomed &c
take under such circumstancesf
"Yoz know the dope, boy. I want