The Prince George's enquirer and southern Maryland advertiser. (Upper Marlborough, Md.) 1882-1925, 1912-02-02
CHAPTER xxV.-(continued)
Was that all?"

WAS that all?"
DE oil gin raj he didn't seem ter
know what ter say; he done set dar
clar fumegasted. He sho did look
like dat black debble he'd hit him
mighty hard Den he says slow like.
tulnin' his boss round: Bartlett. yo'
am putin up a good bluff. but, by
Gawd. I'm goin ter call yo'. Yo' don't
get a cent OBJ dat money less yo' put
up de proof. III meet yo' whar yo
say. but ef | can git hol' OBJ some pa
pers dat's missin I'll take dat grin OF
yo' face. De odder one laughed. an
de oil gln'ral started TO ter ride away.
den he pull up he's boss, an look
back. 'Yo sorter herd wild dat kind
OBJ cattle. Bartlett. he say. sharp like
maybe so' know gambler roun
yere called Haw!ey?' De black debble
nebber eben lose he's grin DO yo
mean Black Bart Hawley?' OATS the
man. where is he?' 'Dealin faro TO
Nike Kenna in Topeka a week ago
friend oh yours?' OATS none OBJ yo
damned business snorted de OIL
gin'ral, givin his boss de spur Sho'
Massa Jack. he nebber knowed be 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
yere. and waited"
Keith walked across the room, Sc
lected cigar, and came back. his
mind busy with the problem. Hawley
had in some manner, then. got into
communication with Waite. and was
threatening him. But Waite evidently
knew the man under another name
his given name-and the gamb er had
sent him off on a false trail The lost
papers apparently contained the sou-
ton to all this mystery. Waite be-
iieved Rawley 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 proba bly,;
seize the first opportunity of getting
there Keith turned impatiently TO
the clerk
ANY train running east?"
We'll. 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"
1t was already nearly dark outside
as the two men hastened toward the
depot They arrived there barely III
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 nat
cars by force, and sent out under
guard-and not one could tell whether
any man answering Waites descrIp
ton was in the single passenger
coach Convinced. however, that the
General would waste no time in prose
cutting his search. Keith believed him
already on bis way east, and after dis
missing Neb. with Instructions to
watch out closely for Hawley. he
made his own way back 10 the hotel
1t seemed strange enough how COM
pletely he was blocked each time. just
ss he thought the whole battling mys-
terry was about to be made clear Haw
ley was playing in rare luck. ali the
cards running easily to his hand. thus. /
at least, gaining time. and strengthen |
ing his position. There could no long /
er be any doubt shat the gambler pos |
sesSed some knowledge which made |
him a formidable adversary. From /
Naite's statement 1t was the los. of |
the papers which left him helpless to |
openly resist the claim being made /
upon him on behalf of the mysterious /
Phyllis His only hope. therefore. lay .
in recovering these: but. with time |
limited. he had been sent back on .
wild goose chase. while Keith alone
knew. with any degree of postiveness.
where those documents really were
HaWley certainly had them in his pos
session the day before, for he had
taken them TO Miss Maclaire to thus
convince her as to the truth Of his
statements Ard Hawley was still
In Sheridan. However, 1t was not
likely the man would risk carrying
documents of such value. and docu-
meEts 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