New Ulm review. (New Ulm, Brown County, Minn.) 1892-1961, 1914-07-29
CHAPTER vi.

SLruck three OeIOre the WICK 9f the
lamp caught fire.
CHAPTER vi.
Get Into tho Game.
SAW the affair now from q new
I, viewpoint. l was not so sure, so
certain, that l understood the en-
tire truth.
COOmbs was no plantation overseer,
but mere Texas bully. The very ap-
pearance of the man told that, and
those neglected, weed grown fields
were another proof. What was he
here for. then? And Sallie! Lord,
could despise that Texas rough, but
the snaky eyes of the woman made
me SILVER and look about apprehen-
sively. Then there was the dead man.
There was wrong somewhere surely
cOwardly crime, murder!
With the first return of daylight
would seek out Coombs. tell him what
had seen and compel him to confess
the truth. Then l should know how
; to act, how to approach her and ex-
plain. Ny nerves steadied as sat
there in the silence, and my mind
drifted to the woman sleeping across
the hall. Then l also fell asleep in
the chair.
The gray of dawn was on the win
dows when l awoke, my body aching
from its unnatural position. With
loaded pistol in my pocket l slipped
into the hall. The faint light revealed
it's shabbiness, the .grimy rag carpet
and discolored walls. Some spirit of
adventure led me the full length until
my hand was upon the latch of that
last door l could not resist an i'm
pulse to look upon the dead man again
by daylight and thus assure myself of
the reality of what seemed only a
dream. All was exactly as recalled
it to memory-the stained walls, the
dirty floor, the table Uttered with
cards. the. overturned chair and the
motionless body of the dead maa.
From the wound in the head dark
flow of blood stained the floor, and as
! bent closer noticed the eyelids were
lowered over the dead eyes. Shot as
he had been. killed instantly, the hand
Of the assassin must have performed
this act. Then surely this killing had
been no common quarrel, but plan
ned assassination, the elimination of
some prearranged plot.
This knowledge, while it set my
heart throbbing in realization of new
danger, yet served also to stiffen my
nerves. My thought was not so much
concerned with myself and my own
danger as with that of the young wo-
man whom was bound to protect
l. closed the door on the silence and
stole quietly downstairs. There was
no movement, no sound in the great
house. The front room, hideous in its
grimy disorder, was vacant, and
opened the front door noiselessly and
stepped forth into the spectral gray
light Of the dawn. The first glimpse
about was depressing enough. The
house itself, big and glaring as 1t was.
was nevertheless little better than a
ruin. Several Of the windows were
broken, and the steps sagged and trem-
bled under my weight The front yard.
full half acre in extent, was tan
gled mass of bushes and weeds, a
high, untrimmed hedge shutting OF all
view Of the road. From the foot of
the steps narrow passage trampled
into the dirt circled the corner of the
house, disappearing within few feet.
Convinced that this must lead to the
rear and possibly the negro cabins
where Coombs slept, l followed its
tortuous windings, although half afraid
to desert my guardianship Of the house
even for this purpose. Still there was
little to be feared so long as Mrs. Ber-
nard remained securely locked in her
room. Perhaps by the time she arous-
ed and appeared below stairs / could,
find a reasonable explanation Of all
this mystery something to smile over,
rather than fear.
emerged into somewhat clearer
space Of ground at the rear. The
kitchen was an ell, constructed of
rough boards, but with single roof.
The door stood ajar, and glanced in,
only to find the room empty, the pots
and pans used the night before still
unwashed.
There was nothing there to interest
me, and ! crossed q narrow space Of
grass to where broken picket fence
was visible amid q fringe of weeds.
No description can ftly picture the
gloomy desOlatiOn surrounding that
ramshackle place. Evidently this fence.
now mere ruin, had once served to
protect a garden plot But j saw mere
Ily tangled mass Of wild vegetation.
SO thick and high as to obstruct the
view. Narrow footpaths branched in