The Yale expositor. (Yale, St. Clair County, Mich.) 1894-current, 1911-06-29
A CASE IN EQUITY.
BY FRANCIS LYNDE.
Copyright. 1905. by }. B. LippIneott Col
BY FRANCIS LYNDE.
XIV.-CoNTINUED.

-NlN
There was a rasping noise, as of a
hastily opened drawer, and the old man
spJapg to his feet and leveled revolt
YER at Thcrndyke. His eyes blazed, and
his voice quavered with excitement.
"By the Mighty! if ye don't get out
o here"
Philip stood his ground long enough
to show his contempt for the argu-
nlent of force; then he turned his back
on the angry man and ran up the street
to catch. an electric car for the new
courthouse. AS soon as he could find
a magistrate, he swore out warrant
for Pragmore's arrest and went him
self with the deputy who was to serve
it. AS matter of course, they found
the Office locked and empty; and, leav-
ing the officer to continue the search
for the notary, Philip went back to the
Johannesburg to prepare the papers Ill
the suit against the town company.
The constable had promised to report
in the course of the afternoon, and
when evening came without any word
from him; Philip resolved to go to the
Jail and see if Pragmorc had been
caught. With the heedlessness which
goes hand in hand with triumphant
perseverance, he left the forged deed,
together with the unfinished papers.
on the writing-table in his room at
the hotel; and, picking his way through
the INSTRUCTED streets, he was soon in
the neighborhood of the courthouse.
Under the branches of water-oali, at
a point where the light from the cleo
trio lamps at the crossings made a
garish twilight, he stumbled over the
body of a man lying across the side
walk. Before he could recover HIM
self he was promptly garroted, thrown
down and held by two footpads while
third rifled his pockets. The assault
was well planned and deity executed,
and when his assailants had left him
Thorndyke was astonished to find that
they had taken none of his valuables.
Then it came to him like sudden
stroke of illness that their object had
been to secure the forged deed, and he
grew cold with dismay when he re-
membered where he had left it. The
next moment he was racing madly
ing over heaps of building material and
paving-stones, and colliding blindly
with chance pedestrians who happened
to get in his way.
He breathed freely again when he
reached his room and found that the
papers were undisturbcd, but the dis
Quieting experience taught him the
lesson of prudence which he might
otherwise have gone wanting. Button
ing the papers into an inside pocket OF
his coat, he went out again, taking care
to keep in the well-lighted and fire.
quented streets until he reached a hard
ware store where he could buy n re-
volver With the weapon in his pocket
he felt safer; and, leaving Broadway,
he once more turned his steps toward
the Jail. Pragmore had not been
found; and, after assuring himself that
description of the missing notary had
been telegraphed to the neighboring
towns on the railway, Thorndyke went
back to the hotel. Approaching the
building by walk through the
grounds which led him beneath the
windows of his own room in one of
the southern gables, he was surprised
to see them brilliantly lighted; and,
boiling up the stairway at the end Of
the corridor. he was. barely in time to
save the Johannesburg from destruo-
ton. In his absence the room had
been thoroughly and ruthlessly ran.
sacked, and one of the gas jets-wheth-
er by accident or design he never knew
had been swung around against the
mosquito netting, which was blazing
and dropping a shower of small fire
brands upon the white counterpane be
meath it.
When he had put out the fire and
gathered up his scattered belongings.
Philip began to have juster apprecin-
ton of the desperate character of the
men with whom he had to deal, and
he determined to take no more risks.
After having his room changed, he
telephoned to the stable for his horse
and rode out to the Duncan farm. sleep
ing that night in the attic bedroom
with the forged deed under his pillow.
XIV.