The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1913-05-10
TEE EVENING STORY
What Laura Knew.
(By Alfred Howe Davis. }

What Laura Knew.
| (By Alfred Howe Davis.)
Whatever respect the fifty citizens
| of Hahn's Peak may have had for the
/ mysterious stranger who rode into
| town every three or four months for
| supplies, began to give way to sus-
| picion when old Sandrus Browns dead
| body was found tied securely in a
canoe a mile or so down the river from
| his ranch.
This discovery had caused some of
| the residents of the Peak to hasten
into the wild country known as
| Browns park, in the northern part
/ of the county, to make investigation
! there. They found that the old mans
! shanty had been burned to the
Old Sandrus had been in the park
| for forty years, so it was said-the
only survivor of those who had once
believed that there was a living in
! placer mining in that country.
AS soon as the body had been dis
| covered, it was suspected that some
member of the old Browns park gang
| had returned and had killed Sandrus
| for his enmity toward the sheep and
| cattle thieves of that locality.
The fact that the stranger from the
north had not put in an appearance
! in Hahn'S Park since the discovery of
| the murder gave rise to a suspicion
which rapidly became common belief
! that he knew something of the killing.
Heretofore he had come to the Peak
)
far as was known, had quietly pur-
chased a good supply of provisions and
, had returned to the hills That was
all Hahn's Peak had known about him
or cared until this time.
Some of the Peaks oldest residents
began to wonder audibly whether the
silent stranger might not be one of
those whom Brown had forced to leave
the country and who had abided his
time in the hills until the opportunity
came to kill Brown.
II seen that fellar about as good as
any of you for a dozen years now,
ever since he started coming here and
l want to tell you that there is a
mighty close resemblance in his face
to Butch Cassidy's," Jerry Weld, the
postmaster and general storekeeper of
! the Peak observed to a couple of
speculative citizens who had fingered
; after the mail had been distributed to
talk with Jerry. Besides being post
master and storekeeper for the Peak,
Jerry was likewise the possessor of a
deputy sheriff's commission and boast
/ ed the only painted house in the camp,
all of which gave him voice of au-
| thority in affairs of the town.
The two nodded their heads
thoughtfully in agreement with 'Jer-
/ rvs statement.
eighteen, was sitting behind stove
in the rear of the store. AT the men
ton of Cassidy's name, she dropped
her embroidery frame and listened.
he s TOO young 10 ne OU-
jected Peter Baucus, cattleman, land
too stylish" The leather leggings and
corduroy suit y and cap which the
stranger wore had given rise to all
sorts of romantic stories, especially
among the women of the camp.
eff remember right, Butch Cassidy
had a boy" Jerry Weld replied
shrewdly and rested his case.
The statement produced a profound
effect on the others They looked seri-
ously at each other The girl arose
from her chair and approached the
group of men. Her eyes were alert,
and one who knew her would have
noticed that the high color had faded
from her cheeks.
What would be more likely than
that Butch's boy would come back to
this country that finally got his dad
and kill the man who was most re-
sponsible for Butch's departure ?''
asked Jerry.
How long has it been since he was
here ?" questioned Baucus.
about four months" replied Weld
ct found him hanging around the store
here one night when came in
Before the three parted that night
it was decided to investigate the case
of the mysterious stranger. All the
evidence was against him. The only
thing that remained to prove was his
identity as the son of Butch Cassidy.
Then, as Jerry expressed it, he should
hang anyhow on general principles,
from running off range stock and kill
ing sheep to ship over the border.
The next afternoon Jerry placed his
revolver a little closer to the cracker
box. over which he had put a board
to serve as seat. There were sus-
picious bulges on the left hips of Bau-
Gus and three or four others who
sauntered into the store toward even
ing
Yields daughter remained an hour
or more in the rear of the store. She
was very pale. Talk of lynching drift
ed back to her and despite the loud
laughing which interspersed the re-
marks. she knew that the men were
serious in their purpose, for many cat
tie had disappeared recently from the
range, lesser crimes had been com
rnitted and the murder of Brown was
the elimination of a long series OF
disturbances. And Hahn's Peak for
the past ten years had shown small
favor to the lawless. The town had
been purged of undesirables.
At last she wrote a hasty note,
folded it and placed it on the coun-
ter perhaps a dozen yards from the
group of men. Then she quietly
went out the rear door of the store
and mounting q horse rode briSkly