Manchester Democrat. [volume] (Manchester, Iowa) 1875-1930, 1912-01-10
CHAPTER XIV. (contliInusd.)
"Was, that all."

Z % +
De ol. gln'ral he didn't seem ter
know what ter say: he done set dar
lookin on ober de prairie like he was
clar flumegasted 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 OBJ dat money less yo' put
up de proof. I'll meet yo' whar yo'
say. but az can git hol' oh some pa.
psrs dat's missin' I'll take dat grin on
9yo' face. De odder one laughed. an
de ol, gin'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 be say. sharp like,
maybe 20 know gambler rouns
yere called Hawley? De black debble
ncbber chen lose he's grin Do yo'
mean Block Bart Hawley?' OATS the
man. where Is he!' .Dealin faro TO-
Mike Kenna in Topeka = week ago
friend oh yoursr OATS none OBJ yo'
damned business. snorted de OIL.
gin'ral. Eivin' 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
On. d.
When was al this. Neb ?" 4. 81
vi. Bout de time yo all went up on
do hill. Il reck'n. done come right
syHre. and waited.
Keith walked across the room. re
slected . cigar. and came back. his
mind busy with the problem. Hawley3
had In some manner. then. got into
1 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 on on false trail. The lost
papers apparently contained the soiu..
ton TO all this mystery. Waite be.
heved 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 impatiently to
the clerk.
Any train running east ?" 81
Well. they generally. start one out
every day" with glance toward the
clock. !. long bout this time. Maybe
its gone. and maybe 1t hasn't
II was already nearly dark outside
n 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 loungtng 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 Lot one could tell whether
any man answering Yates 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
It seemed strange enough how COM
pleteIy he was blocked each time, Just
rs he thought the whole banning mys-
terry was about to be made clear. Haw-
ley was playing in rare luck. all the
cards running easily to his hand. thus.
ut least. gaining time. and strengthen
4ing his position There could no long
er Be any doubt that the gambler pos
ssessed some knowledge which made
him formidable adversary. From
Yates statement It was the loss OF
the papers which left him helpless to
openly resist the claim being made
spon 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 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 to thus
convince her az to the truth OF bis
statements. And Hsvley was still
In Sheridan. However. it was not
siiksiy the man would risk carrying
documents OF such value. and docu-
mepts connecting him so closely With
that murder on the Santa Fe Trail
about upon his person. At best. life
vas cheap in that community, and