Vernon County censor. [volume] (Viroqua, Wis.) 1865-1955, 1917-08-29
CHAPTER xV-continued.

Smith was jabbing his paper knife
absently into the desk blotter. 'And
yet we go on calling this a civilized
countryr he said meditatively Then
with a sudden change of front: I'm
In this fight to stay until ! win out
or die out, Billy; you know that. As
have said, Miss Verda can kill me off
If she chooses to i; but she won't choose
to. Now let's get TO work. It's pretty
late to rout justice of the peace
out of bed to issue warrant for us,
but Wen do it. Then We'll go after
Lanterby and make him turn states
evidence. Come on; let's get busy"
But Starbuck, reaching softly for
chair-righting handhold upon Smiths
desk, made no reply. Instead he
snapped his 1.-THE body out of the chair
and launched it in a sudden tigr
spring at the door. To Smiths aston
ishment, the door, which should have
been latched, came in at Starbucks
wrenching jerk of the knob, bringing
with 1t, hatless. and with the breath
startled out of him, the new stenOgra-
.pher. Shaw.
There's your states evidence" said
Starbuck grimly. pushing the half
dazed door listener into a chair. "Just
put the auger couple of inches into
this fellow and see what you can find"
Richard Shaw had an exceedingly
bad quarter of an hour when Smith
and Starbuck applied the thumbscrews
to force confession out of him. New
ertheless, knowing the dangerous
ground upon which he stood. he evaded
and shuffled and prevaricated under
the charges and questionings until 1t
became apparent that nothing short of
bribery or physical torture would get
the truth out of him Smith was not
willing to offer the bride, and since
the literal thumbscrews We're out of
the question, Shaw was locked into
one of the vacant rooms across the
corridor until his captOrs could deter
mine what was to be done with him.
THAT is one time when l fired and
missed the whole side of the barn."
Starbuck admitted when Shaw had been
remanded to the makeshift cell across
the hall. 81 know that fellow is on
Stant0n's pay roll and it's reasonably
certain that he got his job with you so
that he could keep cases on you. But
we can't prove anything that we say,
so long as he refuses to talk"
mo" Smith agreed. Il can dis
charge him, and that's about all that
can be done with him."
HE is pretty smooth article" said
StarbucE rehectively. HE used to be
Il clerk in Maxwells railroad office,
and he was mixed up In some kind of
crookedness, 1 don't remember just
what"
Smith caught quickly at the sugges-
ton.
wait a minute, Billy" he broke in;
md then: There's no doubt in your
mind that he's a spy?"
'Sure he is" was the prompt re-
joinder.
81 was just thinking-he has heard
enough to give Stanton a pretty good
chance TO outfigure our outfit again."
Fright you are"
''In which case it would be little
short of idiotic in us to turn him loose.
We've got TO hold him, proof or no
proof. Where would we be apt TO
catch Maxwell at this time of night?"
Sat home and In bed, I reckon"
Call him upon the phone and state
the case briefly. Tell him if he has
any nip on Shaw that would warrant
us in turning him over to the sheriff.
we'd like to know it."
You're getting the range now,"
laughed the ex-cowman, and instead
of using the desk set, he went to shut
himself into the sound-proof telephone
closet.
When he emerged q few minutes
later he was grinning exultantly. THAT
was sure a smooth one of yours, John.
Dick gave me the facts. Shaw's
thief; but he has sick sister on his