Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1912-01-06
THE CRIMSON HABIT.

| ing a pretty girl In q crimson naDit
| on q back steed BY her side galloped
sturdy lad of five years on Shet-
land pony. At the gateway they
paused. The girl glanced back along
] the drive .bordered by leadess trees,
then spoke:
"We'd better hurry, Malcolm, if we
return before tea"
They rode along the country road
until they had passed beyond the sight
of the man concealed behind the
underbrush Giving low whistle,
that Immediately summoned two SINH
lar ruff1ans, he turned and moved soft
| " and quickly to a clearing not far
distant from the highway, but hidden
by the surrounding underbrush.
The November sun was sinking be-
yond the horizon when Dorothy King
and her nephew turned homeward
from the humble cottage where death
had recently snatched 4 victim.
"rIl beat you down to the old mill, .
challenged Malcolm.
"You won't" retorted she.
or they started, Malcolm in the
| lead. Dorothy's horse picked up a
stone before they had gone mile,
and she was forced to rein in and re-
| move it. The stone was harder to dis
lodge than she had thought, so 1t was
quite thirty minutes later, ere she
was again on her way.
Meanwhile Malcolm had rounded
the bend in the road and, as he could
not see his aunt's scarlet figure, ne
refined in. Bonny Boy willingly chang
ed from q gallop to walk. When he
reached the mill he stopped to wait
until Dorothy should arrive.
His back was toward the mill, from
| behind which crept three silent fig
ures. The boy remained intent on
| the roadway before him. Nearer
| crept the three figures. One seized
Bonny's rein; second dragged the
! lad from the saddle, and before he
| could utter a scream, he had been
bound and gagged by the third ruff1an.
They bound Malcolm on the pony,
then short, squarely built man led
the captive down a steep trail, with a
man on each side of the pony.
Dorothy arrived at the mill with
! cheeks glowing, eyes sparkling, and
her dark hair blowing. She hes1tated
an instant then, concluding that Nal.
colin had become restless and gone
one, she trotted home, the sun warn
| ing her that it was late.
When home she went directly to her
| room to pin up her rebellious locks.
In a few minutes she went down to
the library where tea was served. =
Betty, Malcolm's mother, asked
where he was. Dorothy related the
episode of the race saying.
81 thought he became tired Of wait
ing and came home but he probably
stopped at the Gaston's.'
The conversation was turned into
other channels by the entrance OF Mr..
CASTOR, Betty's husband.
| "Bentley's house and several others
across the river we're robbed last
night" he remarked. II saw two sus-
picious characters loafing around the
store this morning.
! Nobody thought about this news
| being connected with the lads alb
sence at the time. Dusk came but
Malcolm was still absent. Mrs. Cas-
ton became alarmed and they tele-
phoned to Mrs. CASTOR, ST., but he was
not there nor had he been there since
morning. The other neighbors were
telephoned but the search was I'M
available.
| ILLS LllAC IuS lAACl hou I6hhSAA
the boy they threw him on the ground.
He was closely watched for while,
but the men gradually relaxed their
vigilance.
The short man, who seemed to be
the leader, ordered the other two after
more f1rewood. He himself made
numero trips into the nearby cave
for different articles Of food. On one
of these trips Malcolm unintentionally
started to roll backwards. When he
was stopped by an obstructing stone,
he noticed the movement was unob-
served and conceiving the idea OF
making his escape by rolling away.
Again he started. but he had not TAX
en- into account the hill back of him.
Down. down. down, he rolled, faster
and faster until at last he lay an un-
conscious figure on deserted road.
Coming down the road at lively
pace was an athletic young man on
a bay horse. His horse suddenly stop.
ped short and looking, he saw the un-
conscious boy with large cash in his
.shs - 81" if