Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1912-01-09
CHAPTER xxV.-(continued.)

WAS that all?"
DE oil gIn'ral he didn't seem ter
know what ter say; he done set dar
lookin off ober de prairie like he was
clar fiumesasted He sho' did look
like dat black debble he'd hit him
mighty hard. Den he says slow like.
turnin his boss round: Bartlett. yo'
am putin up a good bluff. but by
Gawd. I'm goin' ter call yo 70 don't
get a cent OBJ dat money less yo' put
up de proof. III meet yo' whar yo
say. but eft | can git hol' OBJ some pa
pers OATS missin I'll take dat grin off
yo' face. De odder one laughed. an
de OF gin'ral started TO ter ride away
den he pull up he's boss, an look
back 'Yo' sorter herd wild dat kind
oh cattle. Bartlett, be say, sharp like
maybe yo' know a gambler roun
yere called Hawley?' De black debble
nebber chen lose he's grin DO yo
mean Black Bart Hawley?' OATS tie
man. where is hep 'Dealin' faro to-
friend OBJ yours? OATS none OBJ yo
damned business. snorted de oil
gin'ral, giyin' his boss de spur Sho
Massa Jack. he nebber knowed he was
talkin ter dat same Hawley. an dat
black debble jest laughed as he rode
off"
When was all this. Neb?''
Bout de time yo' all went up on
de Mill. | reck'n | done come right
we're. and waited"
Keith walked acros. The room, Sc
lected a cigar. and came back, his
mind busy with the problem Hawley
mad in some manner, then. got into
communication vith Waite, and was
threatening him. But Waite evidently
knew the man under another name
his given name-and the gambler had
sent him off on a false trail The lost
papers apparently contained the soIu-
ton to all this mystery. Waite be-
lieved Hawley possessed them. but
did not suspect that Bartlett and Haw-
ley were the same person What
would he most naturally do now?
Seek Hawley in Topeka probably:
seize the first opportunity of getting
there Keith turned impatientiy to
the clerk
ANY train running east?"
Well. they generally start one out
every day" with glance toward the
clock, long bout this time Maybe
it's gone. and maybe it hasn't"
Ii was already nearly dark outside
as the two men FASTENED toward the
depot They arrived there barely In
time to see the red lights on the last
car disappear. No inquiries made of
those lounging about brought results
they had been interested in a lot OF
drunken graders loaded on the dat
cars by force. and sent out under
guard-and not one could tell whether
any man answering Waite's descrtp,
ton was in the single passenger
coach Convinced. however. that the
General would waste no time in prose
cutting his search. Keith believed hlm
already on his way east. and after dls-
missing Neb, with Instructions TO
watch out closely for Hawley. he
made his own way back TO the hotel.
pletely be was blocked each time. JUS.
as he thought the whole battling mys-
terry was about TO be made clear H',w-
ley was playing in rare luck. ali the
cards running easily TO his hand hus.
at least. gaining time. and strengt hen
ing his position. There could no long
er be any doubt that the gambler DOS
seSsed some knowledge which mpde
him a formidable adversary From
Waite's statement IL was the loss of
the papers which left him helpless TO
openly resist the claim being msde
upon him on behalf of the mysterious
Phyllis His only hope, therefore. lay
I'm recovering these; but. With time
limited. &c lad heen sent back on a
wild goose chase. Whine Keith alone
knew. with any degree of positiveness,
where those documents really were.
Hawley certainly had them in his pos
session the day before, for he had
taken them TO Miss Maclaire 20 thus
convince her as TO the truth OF bis
statements. And Hawley was stil
in sheridan. However. IL was not
likely the man would risk carrying
documents Of such value, and docu-
ments connecting him so closely With
that murder on the Santa Fe Trail.
about upon his person. AT best, life
was cheap in that community. and