Ladysmith news-budget. [volume] (Ladysmith, Rusk County, Wis.) 1907-1927, 1912-11-22


opportunity: the hurricane lamp flew
between them, going out where it fell.
and for minute the revOlveIs Spat
harmleSsly in the remaining patchwork
Of moonshine and shadow.
Get behind trees: shoot low, don't
saddle. "Now on to him before he
can load again. That's it. Pin him.
Throw your revolyers away or he'll
snatch one before you know where
you are. All, thought he was too
strong for you. Mr.. Hardcastle, III
put q bullet through you myself if
you don't instantly surrender"
And the fight ended with the bent
man leaning in his stirrups over the
locked and swayin@ group us he bran
dished his revolver to suit deed to
word 1t was q heavy blow with the
long barrel that finally turned the
scale. In few seconds Hardcastle
stood a prisoner, the handouts fitting
his large wrists like gloves, his great
frame painting from the fray and yet Il
marvel of monstrous manhood in It's
stoical and defiant carriage.
For Gods sake, Cairns, do what
you say he cried. Put three bullets
through nle and divide what's on the
ground between your
Il half wish we could for your
sake" was the reply. But it's idle to
speak Of it, and I'm afraid you've
committed crime that places you be-
yond the reach Of sympathy"
THAT he has" cried the sergeant,
wiping blood from his gray beard.
It's plain as pikeStaff now. And to
think that he was the one to come and
fetch us the very night he'd done it.
But what ticks me more than any
thing is how in the world you found
him out, sir"
The hunchback looked down upon
the stalwart prisoner standing up 10
his last inch between bis two captors
There was IN impersonal interest III
the mans bold eyes that invited Il
statement more eloquently than the
sergeant'S tongue,
Il will tell YOU" said the hOrSeman,
smiling down upon the three Oh foot.
In the first place, ] had my own rea-
sons for knowing that Stlngaree was
nowhere near this place on the night
Of the murder, for | happen to have
been on his tracks for some time. Who
knew all about the dead mans stroke
Of luck. his insane preference for hard
cash. the time Of his return? Mr..
Uardt asst Ie for one. Who SWOre that
lie bad met Stingaree face to face upon
the run! Mr.. Hardcastle alone. There
was not a soul to corrObOrate or con-
tradict him. Who was in need of many
thousand pounds: Mr.. HardcaStIe. as
| suspected. and as he practically adj
united to me when we discussed the
bad season on my arrival. / was pretty
sure of my man.
The prisoner smiled SardonicHlly IA
the moonlight. The policemen gaZed
with awe upon the man who had soiy-
ed Il niue days mystery in fewer hours.
You must remember" he continued,
that I have spent some days and
nights upon the run. During the days
| have camped in the thickest scrub |
could find but by night | have been
very busy. and last night | had Il
stroke Of luck. stumbled by accident
on track that led me TO the place
had been looking for all along"
But | can't make out why that
wasn't enough for YOU. sill" ventured
the sergeant GefcrentialIy. why didn't
you come in and arrest him on that?'
You shall see in three minutes.
Wasn't it far better to catch him red
handed as we have? You will at least
admit that it was far heater. / say
have the place. say we are all going
to it at , in the morning. | say, let us
sleep till q little after /. Was it not
obvious what would happen? The only
thing | did not expect was to find him
asleep with the sWag under his nose"
Then Hardcastle spoke up.
Il was not asleep said he. Il
thought was safe for an hour or two,
and | began to think. | was wonder
ing what TO Go, whether to cut my
throat at once
And his dreadful voice died away
like q single chord struck in an empty
room.
But Stingaree," put i'll Tyler in the
end. 'What's happened to him.
He also has been here. But he was
many a mile away at the time
'.What brought him here?
The crooked superintendent from
sydney was sitting strangely upright
in his saddle, His face was not to be
seen, for his back was to the moon.
but he seemed 20 rub one Of his eyes.
He may have wished to clear his
character. He may have itched to up
hold the honor Of that road Of which
he considers himself a not imperfect
knight He may have found it so jolly
easy TO play policeman down in Vic
toria that he couldn't resist another
shot in Il better cause up here. At his
worst he never killed q man in all his
life. And you will be good enough to
take his own word for it that he never