The Bottineau courant. (Bottineau, Bottineau County, N.D.) 1895-1929, 1914-09-18

into curves of LEAKAGE and bloom.
Along the paths pansies laughed ut
the sun. and mignonette scattered It's
scented summons to bee and butter
fy. The place was a loved place; so
much Kent felt with sureness Of in
stinct. No home blooms except by love.
But the house was dead. Its eyes
were closed. Silence held 1t. The gar
den buzzed and hickered with vivid
multicolored life. but there was no
stir from the habitation OF a Had
its occupants deserted it?
From the far side Of the mansion
came the sound Of q door opening and
closing again. Moving quickly along
the sumac fringed course Of the creek.
Kent made a detour which gave him
view Of a side entrance and had bare
~ time to efface himself in the shrub.
berry when a light wagon. with a spir-
tied horse between the shafts. turned
briskly out into the road. Kent. we'll
sheltered. caught one brief sufficient
glimpse Of the occupant. 1t was DIR.
Breed. The medical officer looked. as
always, nerve beset. but there was a
greedy smile on "'s lips.
Kent's mouth purkered. He tool a
deep breath of musical inspiration and
exhaled it in painful noiselessness.
%1attening himself amid the greenery
as he saw a IA emerge from b rear
of Hedgerow house. The man was
Gansett Jim. He carried q pick and a
spade and walked slowly. Presently
be disappeared in the willow shaded
place Of mounds. The sound Of his toll
came. mutf1ed. to the ears OF the hid
den man.
Cautiously Kent worked his way.
now In the stream. now through the
heavy growth on the banks. until he
gained the roadway. Once there he
went forward to the front gate OF
Hedgerow house. Kent paused for
the merest moment. His gaze rested
on the heavy black door. Heavier and
blacker against the woodwork a pen
dant waved %Ianguidly.
To the normal human being the girls.
~ insignium of death over a portal is
provocative Of anything rather than
mirth. But Chester Kent. viewing the
Grape or Hedgerow house, laughed as
be turned to the open road.
Meditation furrowed the brow of
Lawyer Adam Balm. Nobody versus
~Sedgwick." grumbled he. Public opin
ion versus Sedgwick." he amended.
''How's a self respecting lawyer going
to earn a fee out of that? And Len
Schlager standing owe the grave of
the corpus deficit with a warrant
against searching. so to speak. in his
hand! For that matter. this Professor
Kent worries me more than the sher-
it,"
A sharp humming rose in the air and
brought the idle counselor t his win
dow. whence he beheld the prime au
thor Of his bewilderment descending
from a car A minute later the two
men were sitting with their feet on one
desk. a fairly good sign Of mutual re-
spect and confidence.
"Blair?" said Lawyer Balm. mo. |
don't know him. not even to see. Took
Hogg's haven. didn't he?"
Then he doesn't use this postofice?"
mo. Might use any one of half a
dozen. See here" He drew a county
map from a shelf. Here's the place.
Seven railroad stations on three diff
ferent roads within ten miles of it.
Annalaka would be way out Of his
reach"
Yet Gansett Jim seems to be known
here"
"Oh. Is it Blair that the Indian works
for? | never knew. Closer'n q deaf
mute with lockjaw. he is. Well. l ex-
pect the reason he comes here Occa.
sionally is that it's the nearest license
town.
10. the poor In1un when he wants q
drink
Will walk ten miles as easy as you'd
wink"
do you know most Of the postoffices
around here?"
There isn't but one postmaster with
in twenty miles that | don't call by his
first name. and she's a postmistress."
Then you could probably find out by
telephone where the blair family get
their mall
Easy"
And perhaps what newspapers they
take"
HIN: Yes. l guess So"
TRY It as soon as you get back"
Back from where?"
Back from the medical officers
place. think he must have returned
by this time"
You want to see Tim Breed?"
mo: just his records. Burial per-
mits. l suppose. are a matter of public
record"
Yes. All you've got to do is to 90
and ask for EN-. You won't need me-"
"Regretta bic as his bad taste is"
said Kent with a solemn face. II fear
that Dr., Breed doesn't regard me with
that confidence and esteem which one
reads Of in illuminated resolutions"
And you want me as an a~ccelerator.
eh?" smiled the lawyer. "All right.
It's the Jane Doe permit you're after.
| suppose"