The Hays free press. [volume] (Hays, Kan.) 1908-1924, 1919-03-27

all this He had said nothing to me
of his journey or its result
"How do you know?" snapped Mr..
Grimshaw.
This boy see it plain. 1t was
gun with piece O. wood broke out
o. the stock"
as that so?" was the brusque de-
mand of the money lender as he
turned to me.
Yes. sir" I answered.
1.-THE boy lies" he snapped. and
turning to my uncle added: Eyer mad
cause I'm tryin' to make We pay yer
honest debts-ain't We now?
Uncle Peabody, keeping his temper,
shook his head and calmly said: mo,
amt anything ag'in' you or Amos,
but it's got to be so that a man can
travel the roads O. this town without
gettin' his head blowed of"
Mr.. Dunkelberg turned to me and
asked:
"Are you sure that the stock of the
gun you saw was broken?'
eyes, strand I'm almost sure it
was Amos that ran away with it,"
"WhyT'
d
at him and it grazed the left side of
his face, and the other night saw
the scar it made"
My aunt and uncle and Mr. Dunkel-
berg moved with establishment as
spoke of the scar. Mr.. Grimshaw,
with keen eyes fixed upon me, gave a
little grunt of incredulity.
Huh !-Liar!" he muttered.
81 am not liar declared with in
dignation, whereupOn my aunt angriIy
stirred the fire in the stove and Uncle
Peabody put his hand on my arm and
said:
flush. Bart! Keep your temper,
son."
eff you tell these things you may
be the means of sending an innocent
boy to his DEATH Mr. Dunkelberg said
tc me. Il wouldn't be too sure about
'em If I were you. It's so easy to be
mistaken. You couldn't be sure in the
dusk that the stone really hit him.
could your"
I answered: Eyes. sir-I saw the
stone hit and I saw him put his hand
on the place while he was running
1 guess it hurt him some"
Look a here, Baynes," Mr.. Grim
shaw began in that familiar scolding
tone Of his, Il know what you want
an we might jest as well git right
down to business first as last. You
keep this boy still an I'll give ye five
years interest"
Aunt Deel gave a gasp and quickly
covered her mouth with her hand.
Uncle Peabody changed color as he
rose from his chair with strange look
on his face. He swung his big right
hand in the al: az he said:
by the eternal jumpin'-"
He stopped, pulled down the left
sleeve of his flannel shirt and walked
to the water pail and drank out of
the diDper.
'Say, Mr.. Grimshaw, I'm awful sorry
for ye," said my uncle as he returned
to his chair, but I've always learnt
this boy to tell the truth an the hull
truth. 1 know the danger I'm in.
We're gettin' old. It'll be hard to
start over ag'in an you can ruin US
if We want to an I'm as scared o. We
as a mouse in a cats paw, but this
boy has got TO tell the truth right out
plain 1 couldn't muzzie him if 1
tried-he's too much of man. If
you're scared o the truth you mus
know that Amos is guilty"
Mr.. Grimshaw shook his head with
anger and beat the floor with the end
OF his cane.
Nobody knows anything o the kind, |
Baynes,'' said Mr. DunkeIberg. "Of
course Amos never thought % killing
anybody. He's harmless kind of a
boy. 1 know him we'll and so do you.
Under the circumstances Mr.. Grim
shaw is afraid that Bart's story will
make it difficult for Amos to prove
his innocence"
Uncle Peabody shook his head With
a look of frmness-
Again Grimshaw laughed between
his teeth as he looked at my uncle
In his view every man had his price.
81 see that I'm the mouse an you're
the cat" he resumed. as that curious
laugh ratified in his throat. Look a
here. Baynes. I'll tell We what I'll do
I'll cancel the hull mortgage"
Again Uncle Peabody rose from his
chair with a look in his face which
have never forgotten. How his voice
rang QUIT
mo. sirl'' he shouted so loudly that
we ali jumped to our feet and Aunt
Deel covered her face with her apron
and began to cry. It was like the ex-
plosfon of a blast. Then the frag-
ments began falling with loud crash:
mo. SIR! YE CAN'T BUY THE
NAIL ON MY LITTLE FINGER OR
HIS WITH ALL YER MONEY
On YOU!"
It was like the shout of Israel from |
the top OF the mountains. Shep
bounced into the house with hair on |
end and the chickens cackled and the |
old rooster clapped his wings and |
crowed with all the power OF his lungs. |
Every member of that little group |
stood stock still and breathless.
trembled with a fear l could not |
have defined. Mr.. Grimshaw shuf1ed |
out of the door, his cane rapping the |
floor as if his arm had been stricken |
with palsy in a moment.
Mr. Dunkelberg turned to my aunt, |