Mountain Home maverick. [volume] (Mountain Home, Idaho) 1906-1911, 1911-07-06
CHAPTER I.
1 60 10 Plttsburu.

the criminal end of the business. 1
never liked it. and since the strange
case OF the man 10 lower ten, have
been q bit squeamsh. Given a case
like that. where you can build up a
network of clews that absolutely in
criminate three entirely different peo-
pie, only one of whom can be guilty,
and your faith in circumstantial evil |
dense dies of overcrowding. never
see a shivering. white-faced wretch IN
the prisoners dock that l do not bark
back with shuddering horror to the
strange events on the Pullman car
Ontario, between Washington and
Pittsburg. on the night of September
9. last.
Mcknight could tell the story a
great deal better than /, although he
cannot spell three consecutive words
correctly. But, while he has imagi-
nation and humor. he is lazy.
1T dida't happen to me. anyhow"
he protested, when ! put it up to him
And nobody cares for secondhand
thrills. Besides, you want the I'M
vanished and ungarnished truth, and
I'm no hand for that. I'm a lawyer"
So am /, although there have been
times when my assumption in that
particular has been disputed. ! am
unmarried, and just old enough to
dance with the grown-up little sisters
of the girls used to know. / am fond
of outdoors, prefer horses to the afore-
said grown-up little sisters, and with
out sentiment Gam" crossed out and
was" substituted.-Ed) and com
pIctely ruled and frequently routed by
my housekeeper. an elderly widow.
In fact, of all the men of my &C
quaintance, ] was probably the most
prosaic, the least adventurous. the
one man in a hundred who would be
likely to go without a deviation from
the normal through the orderly pro
cessioD of the seasons, summer suits
to Writer fIannels, golf to bridge
So 1t was a queer freak of the de-
mons Of chance to perch on my I'M
susceptible 30-year-old chest, tie me
up with a crime, ticket me with a
lore affair, and start me on that SEN
sational and not always respectable
journey that ended so surprisingly less
than three weeks later in the firms
private Office 1t had been the most
remarkable period of my life. / would
neither give 1t up nor live 1t again
under any inducement, and yet all
that / lost was some 20 yards off my
drivel
It was really Meningitis turn to
make the next journey. 1 had a
tournament at Chevy Chase for Satur
day, and a short yacht cruise planned
for Sunday, and when man has beer
grinding at statute law for a week, he
needs relaxation. But Mcknight
begged Off It was not the first time
he had shirked that summer in order
to run down to Richmond, and l was
surly about It. But this time he haC
L new excuse.
Il wouldn't be able to look after the
business if l did CO." he said. He hal
u sort of wide-eyed frankness tina
makes one ashamed to doubt him
I'm always car sick crossing the
mountains. It's a fact. Lollie. See
saving over the peaks does it. Why
crossing the Allegheny mountains ha
-he gulf stream to Bermuda beaten t
FRAGILE
So l gave him up finally and wen
nome to pack. He came later In tn
evening with his machine, the Car
nonball, to take me to the station, an
ne brought the forged notes in tn
Bronson case.
Guard them with your life" h
warned me. "They are more preciou
nan honor. Sew them in your ches
rnnp1a Inn
saluables never keep any. I'll nc
be happy until see Gentleman And
doing the lockstep."
He sat down on my clean collars
round my cigarettes and struck
match on the mahogany bed post wit
one movement.
where's the Pirate?" he demanded
The Pirate is my housekeeper, Mr.
Klopton. a very worthy woman. S
labeled-and libeled-because Of f
rocious pair of eyes and what Nj
Knight called ENGINEERING nose.
quietly closed the door into the hall.
Keep your voice down. Richey,"
said. "She is looking for the evenir
oaper to see if it is going to rain. 81
has my raincoat and an umbrella wal
ing in the hail."
The collars being damaged beyor
repair he left them and went to Il
window. He stood there for son
rime, staring at the blaokness TIL
represented the wall Il the houl
next door
"It's raining now" he said over h
shoulder, and closed the window al
the shutters. Something in his vol
made me glance up, but he was waite
ing me. his hands idly in his pocket
who lives next door2" he inquire
in a perfunctory toae. after a paus
1 was packing my razor
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