Catoctin clarion. [volume] (Mechanicstown, Md.) 1871-1940, 1915-03-18

In his COInIOTIdOlc udCuoAoA AouSS
in the Western town of Nokomis. Judge
Charters was seated In his arm chair.
But he was not seated as q judge
should sit. we'll poised and at ease.
secure in the consciousness OF his In
tegrity and the appreciation OF his fel'
low men Judge Charters was hud'
died .up and crouching forward, a
drained glass of whisky and milk at
his right hand, and at his left q hard.
ly inhaled perfecto burning itself
slowly away in an ash-tray. Tae
Judges face was an unhealthy yell
low, touched here and there with
streaks of livid white which gave 1t
curiously blotched appearance. And
in fact, the man was trembling upon
the verge Of a nervous breakdown.
He had returned that afternoon
from the court in which he had earned
a reputation for the severe sentences
which he meted out to the wretched
criminals who fell into the clutches
Of the law. There he exempliied the
laws outraged majesty; but here he
was nothing but a cowardly, weak.
elderly man, with q whole life OF evil
and injustice stretching away behind
him and the unknown future ever
drawing more near.
The knowledge that his life was
passing and that 1t had availed him
nothing bore hardly on him at times
OF introspection. But now the cause
of his despair was more immediate.
1t lay upon the table, sheet OF paper
taken from an envelope that had been
posted In Pittsburg, which he had re-
ceived some minutes before. On the
enclosure were scrawled four words:
Your turn comes next" they said.
That was all; there was no sigma
ture-but he knew we'll what that
message portended. When, five years
previously, he had assisted In the
Nokomis Land Company's nefarious
scheme in return for q thousand shares
In 1t. he had imagined that he could
place his memories away and grind
his conscience under foot, as he had
done so many times. John Haynes.
the millionaire owner OF the estates
which the land gang had coveted.
was an Englishman. ignorant OF the
law the customs, and Of the country.
He had been torn from his wife and
daughter, railroaded into the peniten-
tiary for fourteen years as Pete Tim
mons, a gang leader-and the gang Sc
cured his lands, those upon which NO.
komis stood. Five years went by
five years Of loneliness and despair
for Haynes. Then he was placed IN
the penitentiary machine shop, where
he invented a gyroscopic attachment
which would propel any vehicle at an
incredible rate of speed; he had es-
caped by means of 1t, and. one by one.
was hunting down and Furnishing the
men who had betrayed and plundered
him.
None of them knew where the next
blow would fall or who would be the
victim. Now here, now there, East.
West and South, John Haynes went
like the wind in some Internal con.
trivance propelled by his gyroscope.
And each visit was followed by swift
and terrible retribution.
Had 1t been death alone that would
satisfy him, John Haynes might have
been met by armed men: his victims
would have taken heart and armed
themselves and gone abroad like ar
senals.
Judge Charters looked up. The
light was dying out OF the West, the
desolate prairies stretched almost up to
the threshold Of his home. Charteris
shuddered. In such land anything
was possible. He would fee, he
would 20 south to warmer climes and
leave no trail behind him. The letter
had been posted only two days before.
Surely, II he acted at once. he could
yet contrive to elude that terrible ven
geance.
He would leave no sign Of his de-
parture. He would pack couple OF
suit cases, rush East upon a special
car to Des Moines or Omaha, and
there vanish. His shares had been
sold long since; his money was salted
away in banks in various cities. II he
abandoned everything in Nokomis
money, house. land. reputation, he
could still reach Florida with more
than a hundred thousand dollars In
gold. Panic-stricken, he could think
of nothing else to do.
He reached his trembling hand out
to the telephone. Give me Girouard
a." he called. Hello! Is that you
Mr.. Hopkins? This is Judge Charteris
speaking. I've got to 60 to Omaha at
once on private business. Private,
mind you; nobody must know. Can
you get me a special car inside two
hours?"
He heard the President OF the No
komis and Western answer:
Sorry, but the trains are stalled In
snow-drifts. Now II you wanted to
go West could manage 1t. but"
Then I'll 60 West" cried Charteris,
terror-stricken at this conspiracy Of
the elements against him. For Gods
sake get me special car for any
where-San Francisco. Portland, Los
Angeles"
Between himself and Hopkins exist
cd an intimacy Of many years stand
ing. 1t had been born In infamy,
when both were struggling lawyers. II
had been nursed by Charters through
days of growing self-respect and i'm
portance. until 1t blossomed into .