Mexico Missouri message. (Mexico, Audrain County, Mo.) 1899-1918, 1916-12-14
CHAPTER IV--continued.


With the closing of the doors behind
him, In the dim light he distinguished
at the other end Of the room the high
platform and desk where the judges
were to sit, when the court had been
transferred from old Vincennes. Be
hind the high-backed desk he would
be absolutely concealed from view.
He made himself comfortable behind
1t and settled down to what promised
to be a wait Of several hours. Above
him q square OF azure showed through
the unfinished roof. The afternoon
was warm. David was more tired than
he had realized. He grew drowsy,
nodded slept.
When he awolle, without raising his
head, his ears caught the murmur of
voices that had seemed to run through
from the room, star shone through
the unfinished roof high above him.
The voices ran on at his ear. He
could hear them more plainly now.
"Money? Why, / tell you, man,
there's barrels of it waiting at NAL
den." The voice was inpatient, a
cultural harshness checked with an
effort to whisper; sometimes it rose
as though its owner could with diff
Guilty constrain himself to caution.
Barrels of it, tell you. Heaps o.
good dollars like maize in the Indian
villages"
"But do you think he is with us?'
David could scarcely repress a start
at the second voice.
The first speaker grunted contemp-
tuOusly. "And with blood on his
head? You're as sure of him as you
are of me-"
The voice that answered was one
of hearty friendliness.
"There, there, Captain Girty, no of.
Tense. But you'll admit that was
sent over to treat with you and you
only. And now you propose the name
of this man. You must admit, Cap.
tain Girty, that there's a bare chance
ne would prefer a Yankee to an Eng.
dish commission"
The man addressed as Girty swore
irritably.
American? He hain't no more
American than be. You promise
him nice berth with the kings com
mission and protection and he'll take
It."
"And If he refuses?"
mo ones the wiser. I'll cut his
throat easy enough"
David thought the husky gigglC
which accompanied the words woult
have graced Satan.
swell, Wen meet him tonight, then
Where do you say he's to be found?'
swell meet at the forge at the cor
ner Of Oak lane and Walnut-Israe
Butts smithy. He slips in and on
when he pleases."
"We'll meet there at midnight?"
Whereabouts. Give me time to gi
some O. this liquor. We don't git gooc
wine every day in the wilderness.
And the backwoodsman chucklet
again wheezily.
David heard the faint shuttle of tn
British agents steps as the two movet
away. The second man must be bare
foot, he thought. Then came the just
audible sound of the closing doors an,
he was alone. He rose and hasteneu
through the growing darkness like
tattered ghost. He had still anothe
rendezvous with traitors to keep tina
night.
With grunt portly passer-by fel
his impact as he turned the corner;
was Cranmer himself, lingering on tn
way to his inn.
''Why, it's Davidp he exclaime
with bluff friendliness. elbow are yol
young man." He crushed David's col
fingers in a mighty grasp. "My boy,
he went on sturdily, "Pve seen notl
ing in this town all day long br
drunken backwoodsmen. 1 don't thin
they're folk you can depend on.
stick to old John Wesley, rest hi
honest soull I'm Methodist, an
even in a town where there's none I
preach. I'm hurrying back to m
daughter, and then Wen have famil
prayers together. Won't you join u.s.
He beamed on David with the e.
preston of one ready to suffer the II
QUESTION. But David stared at hi
IN silence with a strange look an
then abruptly turned away. What
fool he had been TO trust these Graz
mers for a moments He caught hin
self-Lydia, for aught he really kney
was innocent of her fathers intrigue
On the corner of the lanes Gale
Oak and Walnut the blacksmith she
Of Israel Butt. low barrack of log
showed no CLEAN Of light from the Il
terror to the chance passer-by. ID
~id. hidden in the dark passageway |