Western liberal. (Lordsburg, N.M.) 1887-1919, 1917-02-09

a - WIN a9 49,
was blinking cautiously about, to
make SUR the coast was clear, whom
a voice startllngly close to his OWL
portly carcass called out with q sud
den warning:
Look out for the Iron Clawl"
"How's dat2' was the answering
cry OF the tingling Rastus.
Look out for the Iron Clawl" re-
peated the voice 90 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 that
threat utter and unreasoning panic
seized the terrified Rastus, who. with
a throaty below OF agony, charged
across a n~ewly-dug garden and bound
ed like a rotund jackrabbit down a
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
n 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 unheraided interruption
to their talk. But as the parrot, with
its head thrust through a hole in the
gunnysack, repeated its shrill cry of
Look u 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 a
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 g%unnysack. a
second and even more violent irrup-
ton took place. LegaT and his men
dragged the quaking and gasping Ras-
tus to his feet, showed him into a 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 nan who
wore an iron hook where a hand ought
to be. Rastus merely wheezed and
shook in the legs and showed the
whites of his eyes. It was indeed,
several minutes before he vas so
much as awakened to the fact that he
was not in the grip of the law. But
once convinced OF that fact, he became
voluble enough in his protestations to
oblige the white gen1'men' with any
information they desired. He even led
those white gentlemen back to the
neighborhood of Hannah's chicken
coop.
So ~engrossed were they in their dis
coveries that they thereupon paid
scant attention to Rastus himself,
who took advantage Of that diversion
to disappear.
There were certain phases OF that
hurried pursuit, however, which had
not entirely escaped the attention Of
a circumspect stranger who had mo-
tored casually about the quiet streets
OF Cedarton earlier in the evening.
Aunt Jemima Watson, in fact, had
scarcely recovered from the shock
consequent upon the sudden invasion
OF her cottage when she discovered
herself confronted by still another
stranger. And the fact that this
stranger wore a yellow mask did not
add to her immediate peace of mind.
"All / want to know, my good wom-
an, is where those men are taking
your husband"
"Dey's takin' him back e whar he
done got dat bird" explained the ne
gress. The stranger started for the
door. Then he stopped, dead short.
For lying overlooked on the floor,
close beside a battered water bucket,
he caught sight Of a familiarloOking
oblong of yellow paper. In another
moment he had possession OF 1t.
Where did that paper come from?"
he demanded. For he knew that it
was the long-sought Golden chart
which he held in his hand.
Dat done come from nah ofus
sweepin's." explained the other. "But
NAH Rastus allows It hain't even wuh'
a green tradin' stampl"
your Rastus may be right" was
the strangers quiet reply. But it's
worth this much TO me-" And Aunt
Jemima found a ten-dollar bill thrust
into her astonished pink palm. That
is yours, my good woman. IL you do
Just one thing, and do Il quickly. l
want you to go to the sherin's, wake
him up, and get him to the house
where that called Hannah
works. Tell him to get there in a
hurry, and to bring his men. or theren
be murder done in this village before
the sun risesl"