Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1919-03-11
the price of the betrayal OF his kin
and neighbors.

The Threat Of the Sinister Hundred
L,NEN the birds who sang mathis in
- the trees which bordered the high
ways and lanes OF the broad parish
OF Attegat knew that this day was
not like other days.
The rumble OF wheels, the patter OF
hoofs, the creak OF harness, and the
rattle OF whifietrees had sounded
early in the gray dawn in the re-
moter sections OF the district. The
birds had been awakened. Swaylng
buckboards. heavily loaded with men.
passed under the boughs. Voices chat
tered or numbled
Nearer TO Attegat village. where
roads converged and the lanes made
union with the main highway. the ris.
ing sun lighted the way for many
after the other the conveyances swung
into line as they met here and there.
and when the main street of the vii.
lage was reached the buckboards were
strung along in steady procession.
Men came trudging into the ham.
let, dusty men from far farms. who
Joined others on the way and formed
groups Of plodders.
The buckboards stretched long tails
into the street where the horses were
hitched to the gnawed posts. and men
sifted among the vehicles, talking
earnestly.
II was no gay convocation this
hocking TO the legislative convention
of Attegat. The faces were serious,
the tones were low.
Norman Aldrich. in his room under
the rafters OF the old tavern, was
awakened early by the stir in the
streets. He had arrived late at Atte-
gat the evening before. after tour
of duty along the border-a fortnight
OF tense activity that had produced
comforting results. viewed officially.
for he had turned over to the United
States deputy marshals a half dozen
sullen smugglers. He felt that he had
earned the privilege Of attending the
Attegat convention.
His window looked out upon the
inns courtyard. He heard the voices
Of men. One voice was loud, insis-
tent--the voice Of a braggart. a hate.
full voice. Its timbre stirred vague
resentment in the officer. when he
pcered down through the dingy glass
OF his window he understood why that
tingle of anger had thrilled him; the
lawless son of old Blaze Condor was
the center of the knot Of men. He
was passing a bottle, insisting pro.
/ fanely that no man could afford 10
slight his hospitality.
/ AldriCh's first indignant impulse
! was TO rush down and collar the rogue
who had ambushed him and who now
was impudently yenturing on United
States territory But. after he had
scrutinized Condon's companions, pru
dence suggested more willy measures
Those companions were not men OF
Attegat; Aldrich was sure OF that
! They were O. another type; they
we're plainly men from the Province
The officer knew the men OF the bor
der well enough to discern their char
acter as we'll as their habitat. He hat
seen such men before-reckless, swag
gcring men from tine woods and hid
den clearings, men from the high hill,
cast of the ST. John. They were o
the sort that David Roi captaineC
when he needed help for his exploits
) Aldrich hurried with his toilet, wor
ried. wondering, apprehensive. Thos'
swashbuckling aliens did not promis
a comfortable element for the side
lines of a political meeting.
He found more of the same ilk II
the big room of the tavern when n
: went downstairs-men who bawle'
coarse remarks and laughter afte
him when he passed through on hi
way to his breakfast.
, While he was eating he saw sey
eral buckboards halt in the yard; an
; more of those outsiders alighted an
ware hailsd boisterously by thei
friends. Under the coattails Of all o
them bottles bulged prominently.
was plain that intimidation and intel
ference were to play their part at tn
Attegat convention!
CONTINUED TOMORROW