Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1915-10-23
The Broad Highway
A Tale Of 18th Century England, Full Of
the Thrills % Adventure and Spirit
Of Romance
BY JEFFERY FARNoL
BOOK II.

BOOK H.
CHAPTER xLI-(Continued)
OWES" l nodded; "you also possess
Il legs, and can probably walk fast?"
"Ah and run. too. II need be-" he
added significantly. Then suppose you
start"
Start whereY"
Anywhere. so long as you do start"
mot wi'out you. my buck I've took
powerful fancy 10 you, and that there 500
pounds"-here his left hand shot out and
grasped my ycollar-'so-sposin you come
along O me And no tricks mind-no
tricks, or-ah would yer The heavy
stick whirled up. but quick as he, | had
caught his wrist. and now presented my
pistol full In his face.
Drop that stick !" said I. pressing the
muzzle Of the weapon lightly against his
forehead as | spoke. Al the touch Of the
cold steel his body suddenly stiffened and
grew rigid his eyes opened In a horrifed
stare, and the stick clattered down on the
road
Talking Of fancies," pursued, - have
, a great mind to that smock-frock OF yours,
so take II of. and quick about it
In fever Of haste he tore off the gar
mes In question, and. he thrusting II
eagerly upon me, | folded IL over my
arm.
Now" said I, since you say YOU can
run. supposing you show me what you
can do. This is a good straight lane-on
with you and do your best, and no turning
or stopping mind, for the moon is very
bright, and ] am a pretty good shot
Hardly waiting TO hear me out, the fellow
set of up the lane, running like the wind
whereupon, (waiting only TO snatch up
! his forgotten bread and meat took to my
heels-down the lane. so that, when |
presently stopped to don the smock-frock,
| its late possessor had vanished as though
he had never been.
hurried on, nevertheless. eating greed
| lily as I went, and. after some while. left
| the narrow lane behind. and came out on
| the broad highway that stretched like
great. white riband. unrolled beneath the
moon. And here was another finger-post
! with the words
ITO Sevenosks, Tonbridge and the
| Wells.-To Bromley and London"
| And here, also was another placard
headed by that awful word: MURDER
which semed to leap out at me from the
rest. And, with that word. there rushed
| over me the memory Of CHAIRMAN as
had seen her stand-white-lipped. haggard
OF eye, and-with one hand hidden in the
| folds OF her gown
SO / turned and strove to fee from
1 this hideous word. and, as ] went.
| clenched my fists and cried within my
| self: 81 love her-love her-no doubt
| can come between us more-I love her
| love her-love herr" Thus ! hurried on
! along the great highroad. but wherever I
| looked, | saw this most hateful word IL
| shone out palely from the sha dows IL was
| scored into the dust at my feet; even
| across the splendor OF the moon, i'm jagged
| characters. | seemed to read that awful
word: MURDER
And the soft night wind woke voices
| to whisper 1t as I passed; the sombre
trees and gloomy hedgerows were full
| OF it; I heard it i'm the echo of my step
| MURDER! MURDER! 1t was always
| there. whether I walked or ran, i'm rough
and stony places, in the deep soft dust.
| in the dewy tender grass-it was always
| there, whispering at my heels and re-
| fusing to be silenced.
! had gone on in this way for an hour
| or more, avoiding the middle of the road
because of the brilliance OF the moon,
| when / overlook something that crawled
| in the gloom Of the hedge, and approach
| ing pistol in hand. saw that II was a
| man.
He was creeping forward slowly and
painfully on his hands and knees. out,
| all at once. sank down on his face IN
the grass. only to rise. groaning. and
| creep on once more; and, as he went,
heard him praying:
Lord. give me strength-O Lord. give
me strength. Angela! Angela! II is so
far-so far" And. groaning, he sank
down again upon his face.
you are nl!' said !, bending over
him.
| .'I must reach Deptford-she buried
| at Deptford, and | shall die tonight-O
Lord give me strength" he painted.
"DeptfoTd is miles away, said |.
| Now, as / spoke, he lifted himself upon
his hands and stared at me. ] saw a
haggard, hairy face. very thin and
sunken, but a fire burned i'm the eyes,
| and the eyes seemed, somehow, familiar.
You" he cried. and spat up in the
air toward me; "devil3' he cried. Devil
Wharf" ! recoiled instinetively before
the mans sudden. wild ferocity; but
propping himself against the bank, he
shook his hand at me and laughed.
| "Devil!" he repeated; "shade-ghost of
a devil.-have you come back to see me
die?"
who are you?" I cried. bending to
look into the pale. emaciated face who
are you?"
| "A shadow" he answered. passing a
| shaking hand up over his face and brow,
| "a ghost-a phantom-as you are; but
| my name was Strickland once. as yours
was Devil Wharf ! am changed Of late
| YOU said so in the Hollow, and
laughed You don't laugh now, Devil
Wharf you remember poor John Strick-
land now"
You are the Outside Passenger" !
exclaimed, "the madInan who followed
! and shot at me in a wood"
Followed? Yes, l was a shadow that
was always behind yOu-following and
| following you, Satan Wharf, tracking and
| tracking you to hell and damnation. And
you fed here, and you fled there, but I
was always behind you; you hid from
me among lOwly folk, but you could not
escape the shadow. Many times / would
have killed you-but she was between
! the Woman. l came once to your cot
! taEe; Il was night, and the door opened
| beneath my hand-but your time was
not then. But hall met you among
| trees as 1 did once before. and i told
you my name-as / did once before, and
| spoke OF her-Of Angela, and cried her
name-and shot you-just here, above
the brow: and so you died, Devil Wharf,
as soon | must, for my mission Is ac-
complicated"
'It was your ] cried, kneeling beside
him, 'it was your hand that shot Sir
| Maurice Hibart?"
Yes" he answered, his voice grow
| ing very gentle as he went on. for An
geia's saks-my dead wife" and, FUN
bling in his pocket. he drew out wom-
ans small lace-edged handkerchief and
| saw that II was thiekened and black
with blood. This was hers" he con
! tlnued, Sin her hand. the night she died