Forest City press. (Forest City, Potter County, D.T. [S.D.]) 1883-19??, 1916-12-13

dreamily. stone bruise. Lame horse!
Don't believe 1 ought to go on. Sorry,
but it'll be the %ruination of the horse.
You amt in a hurry l hope"
The passenger in great excitement
promised to double the fare if the
young man would get another horse
and hurry him forward. n after great
professions of doubt Joe gave in and
said he would try the horse. but it
wouldn't do to work him hard. They
would have to let him take his time.
He ouldn on any account leave the
horse behind anywhere n get a fresh
one because it belonged to his best
fiend and he promised to bring ii back
safe and sound. They would just take
their time and go slow and see if the
horse could stand it. He wouldn't
think of trying it if it weren't for the
extra money which he needed.
SO the impatient traveller was drag
ged fum,ng along weary hour after
weary hour through the monotonouS
glory of Il spring afternoon of which
he saw nothing but the dust of the road
as he tried to u the endless miles.
! Every mile or two Joe would descend
from the Wagon seat and fuss around
the horses leg. the horse nothing 10th
at sue unprecedented attention doing
cozily by the road side during the
process. And SO was the traveller
brought to his destination 10 minutes
after the last train that stopped at Mill
ton that night had passed the station.
The telegraph office was not closed
however. and without waiting to haggle,
the passenger paid his $50 for the long
est journey he ever took. and disap-
peared into the station, While Joe. whip
ping up his petted animal, and whist
ling cheerily:
Where did you get that girl
went rafting down the short cut from
Milton home at a surprising pace for
a Len M hnrSo He nrnC nnfir~ hi~ -,,N
per at home in a little more than an
hour, and the horse seemed to have
~miraculously from his stone
brujse. Joe was wondering how his
girl would look in a hat with purple
| plumes, and thinking of his $50 with
a chuckle.
1t was surprising how much that
thick-set man. weary and desperate
though he was, could accomplish, when
once he reached the telegraph station
and sent his messages flying on their
a In less than three minutes after
his arrival he had extracted from the
station agent the fact that two people,
man and woman. answering the de-
%scription he gave. had bought tickets
for Pittsburgh and taken the afternoon
ticed them on account of their looking
as II they came from the city. He
especially noticed the purple plumes,
the like of which he had never seen
before. He had taken every minute
he could get off from selling tickets
ana sending kilograms to watch the
lady through his little cobwebby win
dow. They didn't wear hats X h
in Milton.
In ten minute one message was on
Its way to a crony in Pittsburgh with
whom the thick man kept in con-
slant touch for just such occasions as
the present. stirring him to
action; another message had winged it's
mysterious way to Mr.. Holman, giving
MIN the main facts in the case: while
a third message caught another crony
80 miles north Of Pittsburgh n ord
cred him to board the evening express
at his own station, hunt up the parties
described, and shadow them to their
destination, II possible getting in touch
with the Pittsburgh crony when he
reached the city.
h pursuer then ate a ham sandwich
with liberal washings Of liquid fire
while he waited replies to some OF his
messages; and as soon as he was salts
fled that he had set justice in motion
he hlred an automobile and hied him
across country to catch a midnight ex-
press to Pittsburgh. He had given
orders that his man and accompanying
lady should be held in Pittsburgh until
his arrival. and he had no doubt but
that the orders would be carried out,
SO sure was he that he was on the right
S.NSAt 0AAA NAStS Allo vi "Oulu De
able and willing to follow his orders.
There was some Kind OF an excur-
sion on at Pittsburgh, and the place
was crowded. The trainmen kept call
ing off specials, and crowds hurried out
of the waiting ROOM, only to be replaced
by other crowds, all eager. pushing,
talking. laughing. They We're mostly
men, but a good many women and some
children seemed to be of the number;
and the noise and excitement worried
her after her own exciting afternoon.
Celia longed to lay her Town and sleep,
but the seat was narrow. n hard. and
people were pressing on every side.
nat would stand too near. He was most
repulsive looking, though he did not
seem to be aware of her presence.
Gordon had a long wait before he
finally secured the coveted state
room and started back to her.
knew doomed up in the crowd and
startled him. 1t was the face OF a
private detective who was well known
about Washington, but whose head
quarters were in New York.
Until that instant, 1t nae not oc-
Cured to him to fear watchers SO far
south and west of Pittsburgh. It was
not possible that the other BRIDEGROOM
would think to track him here, and,
as for the Holman contingent, they
would not be likely to make a public
disturbance about his disappearance.
lest they be found to have some CON
nection with the first theft OF govern
ment property. They could have
watchers only through private means,
II they had anticipated his move
through Pittsburgh to Washington.
Still. it was the natural move for him
TO make In order to get home as quick