The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1917-01-17

ping her head with her finger, indicat-
ing that the horse thief was not in his
right mind. Then, riding up to Mart
as she called him, she said In a low
voice, not to be heard by Dibbley:
"He's goin' to Hutton's cave, he
says, to hunt for the bones O people
thousand O. years old. That's evidence
enough that he's went daft"
Mart concluded to ask the professor |
a few questions himself:
"What We expect to find in the cave?"
"A treasure worth more than millions |
Of dollars"
"What kind Of treasurer
"The bones of man who lived when
the plains down there were covered
by an ocean"
"That'll do, SAL" said the interrog-
ator to the girl. Il don't want to
hear any more. But we can't let a
Teller like that go browsin' about by
hisself. Come, my friend" to the pro-
fe~sor. you'll have to go back with
me-"
81 can't do that" replied Dibbley.
ave come all the way from New
England to examine this find, and l
beg of you not to interfere with me.
| didn't know the horse was yours"
Dibbley begged so hard that Sal set
about persuading his captor to let him
go to the cave, which was but mile
distant.
"Y' got to humor them lunatics," she
said aside to Mart IF you don't
they're liable to hurt themselves"
Mart yielded to please her, and the
three went ON to the cave. The escorts
watched to see what Dibbley would do.
Dibbley had brought some digging
utensils with him and began to make
a hole in the floor of the cave. Remov
ing some earth. he picked out fints.
The watchers, supposing them to be
stones and seeing the professor put
them carefully in bag, saw confirma-
ton of their theory that he was crazy.
Besides. the excavator was constantly
talking to himself, using the words
neolithic. paleolithic and such other
unintelligiblc names.
What the professor discovered or
what he might have discovered is not
to be definitely described, for the pa
tience of the two lockers on was soon
exhausted. and they concluded that he
should be confined in place where he
would do neither himself nor any one
else harm. They compelled him to
leave his work and return with them
to the place where he had paid a man
9 So for the use of another mans horse.
> Unfortunately persons who had re
Gently lost horses were waiting Marts
: return. and they were not prepared fol
the line of defense the professors at
PENDANTS were about to give them
An angry knot of men were talking
L. about the loss of their horses when the
captive was seen coming, between
Mart and Sal When the party reach
> ed the station there were frantic cries
of Hang himw "Shoot him" XII
him," mingled with uncomplimentar,
!. remarks. Mart, who had become con
vinced of Dibbley's insanity, attempted
70 argue with the crowd, but failed
They all said that, having recovered
his own horse. he was inclined to Tor
give the crime that had deprived 9th
ers of their horses.
= Meanwhile the professor had com
= down from the age of primitive man Z
!, hin own tragic situation and was trem
i bling like leaf. Then Sal rose to tn
: occasion and proved that a womal
- NAV be a valuable legal advocate.
"Men," she said. arguing from tn
rostrum of a horses back, sittin
In straddle, "ef you'd "a seen and hear
10 what we seen and heard you'd be cor
r WINGED Of this yere little fellers inne
a cence. He's as crazy as a loon. ID
10 said while he was talkin' that we wa
all the sons and darters Of monkeys
b. that there was times when eyerytnin
was covered with ice, runnin like VIZ
&C. ter: that kangeroos was cavortii
IT, around bigger'n any house In tins yef
u Mace. that sometimes the sea wa
a.splashin' agin Table mountain; tins
n there was men on earth before the ii
Tins. He went into Hutton's cave an
al was a-diggin' there, THROWN up dirt
ne stones and putin 'em in his bag 8
no they was silver spoons. II thel
~ things don't prove him crazy there
oe nobody crazy. and they'd better tel
down the madhouses.
aHow about his stealth Mart
horse?" called voice. :.
-. "Tn tell you; he's not only a iunatl
a' but a fool. He got TUX In by some U
that he give a flyer to fur the use
= Mart's horse to go to the cave TO nu'
70 for the bones of a man 25,ooo yea
on DID,"
'ni "rm the party as TUX his fver," sa
"a a man. 81 knowed him for tenue
~ foot right off, but / didn't think ne WI