Payette enterprise. (Payette, Canyon Co., Idaho) 1909-1935, 1916-07-13
AUTHOR OF THE OCCASIONAL OFFENDER"
1.-THE WIRE TAPPERS." .CUN RUNNERS" ETC.
OF SANE NAME
Mslnc.s

haps due to the haste with which /
IS had to make off with his prisoners.
Il was blinking cautiously about,
9 voice startlingly close to his ow
: portly carcass called out with sue
den warning:
+ Look out for the Iron Claw!"
"How's dat?" was the answerin
|, cry Of the tingling Rastus.
Look out for the Iron Claw" re
peated the voice so close behind him
'Wha-what iron claw" demanded
the sweating Rastus.
I'll get you'll announced the bode
full voice behind him. And at tha
threat utter and unreasoning panic
seized the terrified Rastus, who, with
a throaty below of agony, charged
across newly-dug garden and bound
ed like rotund jackrabbit down q
moonlit alley bordered with shadowy
| fences.
At the end of this alley Rastus
plunged through a narrow gate, and
charged bodily into the peaceful beer
garden belonging to the roadhouse of
one Antonio Dibello, where sat four
men in quiet conference about one of
the little iron tables well out of pub
lie ken.
These men showed prompt resent
ment at this unheralded interruption
to their talk. But as the parrot, with
its head thrust through hole in the
gunnysack, repeated it's shrill cry of
Look out for the Iron Claw" these
men rose In a body to their feet.
Their leader, who in even the dim
light from the garden lamps showed
himself to be a one-armed man with
a strangely-scarred face, sprang for
the terrified negro. Rastus, however,
was in no mood for either interruption
or argument. He merely emitted
whoop of reawakened terror and head
ed for home
There he burst in upon the astound-
ed Jemima and collapsed with a
quavering groan of exhaustion. But be-
fore Jemima could either understand
the nature of his ailment or investi-
gate the contents of his gunnysack, a
second and even more violent irrup-
ton took place. Legar and his men
dragged the quaking and gasping Ras-
tus to his feet, showed him into chair,
and snatched up the gunnysack. From
1t they took out the loudly-protesting |
green parrot and wonderingly ex-
amined 1t.
Where did you get that parrot?"
was the quick demand of the man who |
wore an iron hook where hand ought |
10 be. Rastus merely wheezed and [
shook In the legs and showed the
whites Of his eyes. 1t was indeed.
several minutes before he was so
much as awakened to the fact that he
vas not in the grip Of the law. But
nee convinced of that fact, he became
,oluble enough in his protestations to
'blige the white gen'Pmen" with any
they desired. He even led
hose white gentlemen back to the
of Hannah's chicken
oop.
So engrossed were they in their dis
overies that they thereupon paid
cant attention to Rastus himself,
rho took advantage of that diversion
D disappear.
There were certain phases OF that
urried pursuit, however, which had
OF entirely escaped the attention of
circumspect stranger who had mo-
bred casually about the quiet streets
r11n in 70 n o.
unit Jemima Watson, In fact, had
carcely recovered from the shock
upon the sudden invasion
her cottage when she discovered
erself confronted by still another
ranger. And the fact that this
ranger wore yellow mask did not
Id to her immediate peace Of mind. !,
"All want to know, my good wom-
/, is where those men are taking !,
,ur husband"
"Dey's takin' him back t. whar he
me got dat Bird explained the ne :
ess The stranger started for the !
'or. Then he stopped. dead short. !,
DR. lying overlooked on the floor, ;,
ose beside a battered water bucket, =
} caught sight of q Misunderstanding
long of yellow paper. In another
oment he had possession of it.
Where did that paper come from?' =
demanded. For he knew that it .
Is the long-sought Golden, chart
itch he held in his hand =
Dat done come from nah offus :,
'eepin's." explained the other. But -
IN Rastus allows it hain't even wuff -
green tradin' stamp!"
Your Rastus may be right" was
strangers quiet reply. But it's
nth this much to me-" And Aunt
NINA found a ten-dollar bill thrust
% her astonished pink palm. That '
yours, my good woman, If you do =.
It one thing, and do 1t quickly. I =.
mt you to go to the sheriff's, wake Az
n up, and get him to the house ~
ere that woman called Hannah =
rks. Tell him to get there in q ~
rry, and to bring his men, or therell t.
murder done in this village before -. 40