Vernon County censor. [volume] (Viroqua, Wis.) 1865-1955, 1917-10-10
CHAPTER XIV.
A Race to the Swift.

stand for a second time before the
mesa-fronting entrance of the court
house, Smith came quickly across the
walk from the portal.
Mr.. Harding" he began abruptly,
Judge Warner has gone home and he
has made me his messenger. There is
a bit of sharp work to be done, and
you'll need a strong posse. Can you
deputize fifteen or twenty good men
who can be depended upon in a fight
and rendezvous them on the north
side river road in two hours from
now?"
The sheriff, a big. bearded man who
might have sat for the model of one
Of Frederic Remington's frontiersmen,
took time to consider. as il a scrap?"
he asked.
rants to be served, and there will
most probably be resistance. Your
posse should be well armed"
"We'll try for it," was the decision.
"On the nOrth-side river road, you
say? You'll want us mOunted?"
at will be better to take horses. We
could get autos, but Judge Warner
agrees with me that the thing had
better be done quietly and without
making too much of a stir in town"
"All right" said the man of the
law. at that all?"
mo, not quite all. The first of the
warrants Is to be served here in Brew
ster-upon Mr.. Crawford Stanton.
Your deputy will probably find him at
the HOphra House. Here is the paper:
il is a bench warrant of commitment
on a charge of conspiracy, and Stan
ton is to be locked up. Also you are
to see to 1t that your jail telephone
is out of order, so that Stanton won't
be able to make any attempt to get a
hearing and bail before tomorrow"
"That part of it is mighty risky"
said Harding "Does the judge know
about that, too?"
"He does; and for the ends of pure
justice, he concurs with me-though,
of course, he couldn't give a manda-
tory order"
The sheriff turned TO his Jail dep
uty, who had descended from the
rumble seat in the rear.
you've heard the dope, Jimmie"
he said shortly. "GO and get His
Nobs and lock him up. And If he
wants to be yelling 'Helpr and send
ing for his lawyer or somebody, why,
the telephones takin' lay-off.
Savvy?"
The deputy nodded and turned upon
his heel. stuffing the warrant for Stan
toms arrest into his pocket as he
went. Smith swung up beside Star
buck, saying: ''In a couple of hours,
then, Mr. Harding; somewhere near
the bridge approach on the other side
of the river"
Starbuck had started the motor and
was bending forward to adjust the oil
feed when the sheriff left them.
"You seem TO have made a ten
strike with Judge Warner" the ex-
cowpuncher remarked, replacing the
fash-lamp in its seat pocket.
Judge Warner is a man in every
inch of him; but there is something
behind this nights work that I don't
quite understand" was the quick re-
ply. 81 had hardly begun to state the
case when the judge interrupted me.
4 know he said. 1 have been wait
ing for you people to come and ask
for relief What do you make of
that, Billy?"
81 don't know; unless someone In
Stantons outfit has welShed. Shaw
might have done il. He has been to
Bob Stillings, and Stillings says he is
sore at Stanton for Some reason. Shaw
was trying to get Stillings to agree to
drop the railroad case against him,
and Bob says he made sOsne vague
promise of help in the high Line bust
ness if the railroad people would
agree not to prosecute"
There is a screw loose somewhere;
| know by the way Judge Warner
took hold. When l proposed to swear
out the warrant for Stanton's arrest,
he said, L can't understand, Mr..
Smith, why you haven't done this be-
fore and he sat down and filled out
the blank. But we can let that go for
the present. How are you going to
get me across the river without TAX
ing me through the heart of the town
and giving the Brewster police shy
at me?"
Starbuck's answer was wordless.
With quick twist of the pilot wheel
he sent the car skidding around the
coruar uSinp undue haste as II
seemed. since they had two hours be-
fore them. A few minutes farther
along the lights of the town had been
left behind and the car was speeding
swiftly westward on a country road
paralleling the railway track; the
road over which Smith had twice
driven with the Kidnapped Jibbey.
I'm still guessing" the passenger
ventured, when the last Of the rail
road distance signals had flashed to
the rear. And then: whats the fran
tic hurry, Billy?'
Starbuck was running with the
muffier cut out. but now he cut it in
and the roar of the motor sank TO a
humming murmur
Il thought So" he remarked. turn
ing his head to listen. you didn't
notice that police whistle just as we
were leaving the courthouse, did you?
nor the answers to it while we were
lodging through the suburbs? Some
body has marked US down and passed
the word, and now they're chasing us
,r-ffh a huzz-szra anu Tlonff Won haar