The Watertown weekly leader. [volume] (Watertown, Jefferson County, Wis.) 1912-1917, 1912-01-05
CHAPTER xxv.-(continued.)
w as that all?"

DE OF gIn'ral he didn't seem ter
know what ter say; he done set dar
lookin off ober de prairie like he was
clar fumegasted 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 good bluff, but, by
Gawd. I'm goin' ter call yo' Yo' don't
get cent oh dat money less yo' put
up de proof. I'll meet yo' whar yo'
say. but Ell can git hor oh some pa
pers OATS missin' I'll take dat grin off
70 face De odder one laughed, an
de oil gin'ral started To- ter ride away,
den he pull up he's boss, an look
back. 70 sorter herd wild dat kind
OBJ cattle, Bartlett he 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 the
man. where is hep Dealin' faro fo'
Mike Kenna in Topeka a week ago
friend oh yours?' Oats none OBJ yo'
damned business, snorted de OF
gin'ral. givin his boss de spur. Sho',
fMassa Jack, he nebber knowed be was
aalkln' 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 hill. | reck'n. | done come right
yere. and waited"
Keith walked across the room. Sc
iected 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 gambler had
sent him off on false trail. The lost
papers apparently contained the solu-
ton to all this mystery Waite be-
ifeved Hawley possessed them. but
did not suspect that Bartlett and Haw-
ley We're the same person. What
would he most naturally do nowy
Seek Hawley in Topeka probably;
seize the first opportunity of getting
there. Keith turned impatiently 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"
1t 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 lot of
drunken graders loaded on the fat
cars by force. and sent out under
guard-and not one could tell whether
any man answering Waite's 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 his way east, and after dis
missing Neb. with instructions to
watch out closely for Hawley, he
made his own way back to the hotel
1t seemed strange enough how COM
pleteiy he was blocked each time, just
as he thought the whole battling mys-
terry was about to be made clear Haw-
ley was playing in rare luck. all 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 that the gambler pos
sessed some knowledge which made
him formidable adversary. From
Waite's statement 1t was the loss of
the papers which left him helpless to
openly resist the claim being made
upon him on behalf of the mysterious
Fhyllls His only hope therefore. lay
an recovering these; but, with time
limited. he had been sent back on
Wild goose chase, while Keith alone
knew. with any degree of positiveness.
Wnere those documents really were.
HaWiey 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. And Hawley was still
In Sheridan. However. it was not
likely the man would risk carrying
docu nents 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 chean in that community and