Willmar tribune. [volume] (Willmar, Minn.) 1895-1931, 1916-08-23

- I'm all hl!lrl up an hardly
know what believe an what | don't
believe. Now. in the lust place. il is
impossible to even start ON Il hunt like
his unless YOU have some little thin.
~ some particular person ~ aim at
Now. I've GOT this irurh 10 >tnrt on.
IN it is all | have got Tive Lord
Knows it is SllaIl er"u-h when You
'ealZe that vnu may be >l!>pnrt'U an
innocent man an orc Without 4 dollar
to defend hlSse't with. Nnu remember
thg day Howard an CrIi-- met in town
N had tnat row. Well. that runrrin
Just as Craig WIS >tlrtin off to town.
I happened t. te in TrUmhlev'S piece
. woodland Oh the slope nverloukin'
Cratg> farm. | WAS NJ, thar ~ see
about some trees I'll agreed to cut
Town u'll >tn.'k in cords fer Trum-
Oley'S winter supply. Well, l seed
Craig leave his hess 1T the barn an
walk across his tirll 10 wtlar Abe Full
ton was maxim Il wire fence fer i'm.
The truth IS, | tuck no particular no.
ice of EN-. an he distance WAS so
great hat | couldn't see Their faces
good nor hear what WAS said. but
somehow it struck me at the time that
hey WAS havin' words.
"Whether it was Their motions or
ooks or what not don't know. but.
anyways. | rrnrInl er that the fllSt
thought that popped into my head aft
r Crai-'S mNup with Howard WAS
hat Craig had Vulrrecd with .\uc an
hat was one reason he WAS SO ready
o pOunce on somebody else. But |
- lidnt let the thing weigh much with
ne at the time. fer. you see. was fol-
OWN the other scent. but after that
failed tuck up the other an tried to
see eff | could connect Abe with the
elillin'."
An did you--uil YOU. that's the
question: Abner'S lower lip was Quiv-
ring under tense suspense. His bushy
bfaws had met.
Il don't know. Uncle Alb: as God IS
my final judge. DON'T" Pole return
ed. AN that's why I've come to you.
IAll l could do was this: went by
lCraig's field an seed that the fence
wasn't finished. but couldn't say that
-Imeant anything. fer Graf" was slow
pay. an no sensible person would keep
on workin' fer Il dead man without
KNOWN who was his boss. anyway"
NO, of course not" Abner agreed.
WAS that all?"
. mo, not quite. | next set out to look
J fer Abe l seed i'm in Il bunch O
loafers at the cotton compress. whar
1 jobs by the hour was give out fer
truckin' an loadin' an the like. |
knOwed most of EN-. All the time Abe
set on 4 bale O cotton whittlin' stick
an sayin' notLin'. l noticed that he
wouldn't laugh much along With the
balance. but when came to think Of
it l couldn't remember ever seem the
cuSs smile or pass a joke nOhOw. an
so, you see. | couldn't go by that. |
studied i'm good hour. l got the
crowd to talk about the murder once.
! an l watched Abe. but l couldn't no.
! tice that he acted anyway different
! from the rest. He jest set with his
feet crossed an the brim O his old hat
ront of i'm"
, II see, see." Abner nodded. thought
/, fully.
Il set about in 4 sly. underhand way
among folks that had knowed Abe a
! long time, to see eff he'd ever been in
| any difficulties. Now, here comes the
| only pint I've found worth conSilerin'.
! an | want yOre opinion. Ten years
, ago. when Abe lived over the noun
| n tnI an t,io, f,r
| sault on 4 Teller an put in Jail fer a
/ year. The Teller who he mighty nigh
! killed owned little sawmill whar Abe
J was WOrkin'. an one day ut LOG rollin'
! the sawmill man got mad at Abe fer
some blunder or other an kicked i'm
like dog in the presence O all the
rest. Now watch close Uncle Alb.
Witnesses said on oath ut the trial that
Abe tuck his kjckin' without a word.
lie rolled logs on the rest . the day
an ORA wed Ills pay: but that night evi-
Npce showed that he wayIaid the saw
milf. man. beat i'm over the head with
hickory club an left i'm unconscious
in the road
, 1T is some'n' anyway" Abner an
! swered intereStedly. Lets 20 yonler.
: have a chew and plan this thing fur
J ther,' Abner continued.
J
One sultTy evening at dusk. as .Aburr
sat talking to Mary about Howard in
the front yard. Abe Fulton truuyptl
along past the gute. small bag of
| flour on his shoulder He did not look
toward them. but kept his eyes on the
dusty road. Seeing that Mary was
looking at the man. Abner remarked
casually:
J. That Teller looks like he is purity
Eos 81 UP He had regular job work
YM;I fer Craig, but that's all off now, of
Mourse."
[ I'm sorry for his wife," Mary said
| istessy. II don't believe the poor
J creature gets enough to eat half the
time. and us for clothes. she is pitiful
sight. I've heard that she is constantly
complaining
At this instant Mrs. TrumbIey called
Mary into the house. and Abncr was
left alone. Going to the gate. he look
ed after the disappearing figure he had
1 just noted: then he glanced back into
",tne house. Might as we'll now us
s.ter.' he museu. Time is valuable
1 an after all Pole may be away off the
track. Twenty men could a done the
ithing as we'll rs this I'M
l Taking Il cautious look into the
= house. Abner slipped around the cor.
amer and went down the path to the