The Bottineau courant. (Bottineau, Bottineau County, N.D.) 1895-1929, 1915-06-25
Hunted Down
By M. QUAD
Copyright, 1915, by the Mcclure
Newspaper Syndicate.
By M. QUAD

was putting In q month In q Swiss
town. and as l was ~strolling along the
highway in the suburbs one day a ve-
hicle containing a single traveller ap-
peared.
The driver pulled up that the ira weller
might ask If be could lnd accommoda.
ton ut some chalet instead of the hotel,
as he was not in good health and want
ed quietness. ! was lodging at a pri-
vate house. and there was room for ar.
other guest The stranger was driven
on, and l sat down on q rock to sum
him up. Having come from the YES in
a country vehicle. he must have come
from beyond the railroad station. The
horse looked weary, and the hour was
4 In the afternoon. and l settled it that
he must have come from Thalla. fifteen
miles away. The man wore q hat that
did not ft him and had the collar of bis
coat turned up. He had goggles.
though 1t was a dark day. A person
who wears goggles for weak eyes will
carry a finger to one Of the glasses
every two or three minutes, eve IL he
does not move them occasionally. On
this mans face was q newly grown
beard about an inch long. Every thirty
seconds up went his hand to scratch.
he was not used to q beard. but had
grown it for an object He thickened
his voice when he spoke to me, and it
was easy to detect the unnatural In
donation. Why did he do it, Travellers
searching for health are seldom to be
me- with In the mountain except in
early summer. and this was late In the
season. He might explain, however.
Mr.. Braceby, as be had given his name,
probably had more reasons for seclu-
sion than he had stated. and I had a
curiosity to observe him further.
He was taken in at the chalet, and
that night we ate supper together. l
saw by his table manners that he was
used to the quick lunches of a restau.
rant He claimed to be an English
man. but his American idioms would
have given him away to a child.
In the course Of four Or five days
l had the stranger sized up to a dot
and would have bet Eve to one that
my diagnosis was positively correct
BE was a straight haired American.
BE was a public official. It IA his
first time abroad He was in dis
guise and a fugitive. Whatever Doodle
be had with him be had In his under
shirt pocket. knew this because he
was constantly raising his hand to the
spot.
am no man hunter. | did not go
to the police or drop a hint to any one.
OF whatever crime he was guilty be
was safe from me. | knew It wasn't
murder. unless done In the trial of
passion. for be was sentimental and
tender hearted. l think it was on the
fifth day of his stay that he became
feverish and called In a doctor and
went to detrimental worry. you sex
! had finished my supper and was
smoking my pipe when l saw a
stranger coming up the path from the
hotel. From bis gait l judged him to
be an American. From the way he
furtively eyed the chalet and its sur.
roundings l reasoned that he had other
business than looking for lodgings.
AS he came to a halt and looked me
over he gave himself away as a de-
tective. He had taken me for the man
he wanted, and chagrin showed clearly
on his face. he was from q western
state and on the trail of a defaulting
city treasurer.
1t was queer enough that he didn't
ask If there was another traveller in
the house. He took it for granted that
| was the only n and be told me
the whole story of Braceby's theft and
fight He talked for two hours and
then went away. saying that be should
hang around for a few days. Half an
hour after his going it was discovered
that Braceby was missing. His bed
| room window was over the veranda.
and be had heard all.
When three days had passed and no
trace of the missing man bad been
had he was given away to the detec-
tive by one Of the town officials. he
had left the chalet lightly clad. with.
out food or baggage and in a fever.
and the idea was that he had lost him.
self on the mountains and would per-
ish If not found. Parties were sent
out in search. and it was not long be-
fore evidence was found.
Being i'll and without food and thinly
clad. ne could not keep his life over
two OF three days. In the gloom OF
that first night he had travelled nearly
two miles. making up the mountains
by a path. Then he had wandered
from the path and fallen into a STREAM
from a thirty foot bank. The rushing
waters had carried him down a mile or
more. and they found his body wedged
between two great rocks.
When the coroner overhauled the
effects found on the body there came
to light $1,000 in English money and
drafts for nearly 100000 more. His
name was not Braceby. Of course. but
as the city treasurer of a town In the