The Detroit times. [volume] (Detroit, Mich.) 1903-1920, 1913-01-13

ways went armed. Sometimes. when
in an unusually gracious mood. his
father permitted him TO verify this
fact by feeling his bullying hip
pocket The feel OF IL was vastly
pleasing 10 Custer. particularly when
Mr.. Shrimplin had 10 tell OF stran-
gers engaged in mysterious converse
ton on dark street corners, who
skunk away as he approached. More
than this. IL was a matter OF public
knowledge that he had had numer-
Gus controversies In low portions OF
the town touching the right OF the
private citizen 10 throw stones at the
street lamps; TO Custer he made dire
threats He'd toss a scare into
them red necks yeti They'd bust
his lamps once too often-he was
laying for them, He knowed pretty
well who done II. and when he found
out for sure" He winked at Gus
ter. leaving IL 10 his sons magma
ton 10 determine just what form his
vengeance would take. and Custer
being nothing IL not sanguinary,
prayed for bloodshed.
But the thing that pleased the boy
best was his fathers account OF
those meetings with mysterious
strangers. How as he approached
they moved OF with many furtiye
backward glance; how he made as
II to drive away in the opposite d.
rection. and then at the first corner
turned swiftly about and raced down
some parallel street in hot pursuit, to
| come on them again. TO their great
| and manifest discontinue, Ctrcum-
stantially he described each turn he
/ made, down what streets he drove
/ Bill at a gallop, up which he walk
/ ed that trustworthy animal; all was
deliberately worked out. The chase,
! however. always ended one way
the strangers disappeared unaccount-
| ably. and. search as he might, he
could not find them again. but he
and Custer felt certain that his
| activity had probably averted some
| criminal act.
In short. TO Mr.. Shrimplin and his
son the small events OF life magni-
/ fed themselves, becoming distorted
and portentous. A man. emerging
| suddenly from an alley In the dusk
| OF the early evening. furnished them
with theme for infinite speculation
and varied conjecture; that nine
times out OF ten the man said,
Hello, Shrimp" and passed on his
way perfectly we'll known 10 the
/ little lamplighter was a matter or
not the slightest Importance. Some
times, II Is true, Mr.. Shrimplin told
OF the salutation, but the man was
always stranger TO him, and that
| he should have spoken, calling him
! by name, he and Custer agreed only
added to the sinister mystery OF the
encounter.
II was midday on that twenty
seventh OF November when Mr..
Shrimplin killed Murphy OF the soil
tary eye. and he reached the climax
OF the story just as Mrs. Shrimplin
began to prepare the dressing for
the small turkey that was TO be the
| principal feature OF their ,four-o' clock
dinner. The mornings scanty fall
OF snow had been so added TO as time
passed that now 1t completely
whitened the strip OF brown turf In
the little side yard beyond the kitch-
en- windows.
81 think" said Mr.. Shrimplin.
I'VE are going to see some weather.
Well. snow aint bad thing. His
dreamy eyes rested on Custer for an
instant; they seemed to invite
question.
moi" said Custer interrogatiyely.
IF was going TO murder man.
don't reckon I'd care to do II when
there was snow on the ground"
Mrs. Shrimplin here suggested
cynically that perhaps he dreaded
cold feet, but her husband ignored
this To what he felt TO be the COM
monplaceness OF her outlook he had
long since accustomed himself. He
merely said:
aT .unnoea more criminals has