Baxter Springs news., 1919-02-21
BELLE OF THE OZARKS
Copyrighted 1918 By B. F. Lloyd

was n chance of getting pinched; but
the plan he had in mind to kill Zekt
Sutton needed some backing BY the
Judge, under whom the case would bt
tried, if his plan was successful. anc
after putting into execution his plar
20 trap Zekc that night, he hastcnet
or 20 see the Judge.
The Judge was at his desk pouring
over n legal proposition when os'
borne entered. The two girls, busy
with the afternoon cleanup, saw Os'
borne enter and the usual speed oi
courtship was n matter only to be set
tied later. Osborn inquiring fol
McClain both girls grabbed Osborne
by the arm and the trio tripped gaily
across the room and entered the pri'
vate office OF the Judge.
"Hello, Osborn, glad to see you,'
said the Judge as he turned from the
desk and shook Osborn's hand heart
lily. After q hand shake in which the
Judge adroitly gave evidence that os-
born was welcome visitor, he intro
duced him to his daughters. Ellen
pushed up u cushioned rocker and
with a glance Of confidence toward
Belle, Osborn took the chair and sit
down meditatively, for he was think
ing-not Of the nectars of a honey
moon in the Ozarks-but his plan to
get rid of his corn thief was boring
hole into his heart. He finally broke
the silence and addressing the Judge,
said:
81 say, Judge, some thief has been
stealing corn from my crib and have
my suspicious. l have fixed up my
5000 in the back end of the crib, with
the muzzle toward the door, and q
string to the trigger, and have drawn
the string around a nail behind the
gun, then fastened the other end OF
the string to the corn crib door SO
that when the thief opens the door
the string will pull on the trigger and
the rifle will be discharged. Now
what want to know is this: The
thief will get $3.50 put through him
when he opens that door tonight, and
the question is, and which ! want you
to answer, can they hang 4 man for q
crime when, under the law, he is pro-
tecting his property rights?"
While the Judge was mentally view
ing the law point, Belle, who had
heard Osborn's proposal to fix up the
rife, and realising that Ellen had won
the first attention from Osborn,
grasped the opportunity to play joke
on Osborn and in the end outwit her
sister in the mad love race they were
having for Osborn's attention. She
moved forward to put her joke into
execution as the Judge turned to Os-
born with the remark that it. would
not become his dignity, before whom
the case would come, to decide so i'm
portant matter, and referred the
question to Belle, the County Attor-
ney.
"You are clearly within the law, Mr.
Osborn, clearly within the law" said
Belle, the County Attorney, as she
gracefully and suavely bent back up.
on her authority. She had weighed
every step of the future and knew
her ground, and to get Osborn to car
ry out his plan that night would be
her first victory over Ellen.
The great, heavy weight which hac
been pressing down upon Osborn was
still there. He could hear the dis
charge of the 30-30, see the thief lying
on the ground, hear the rap at the
door when the officer came to arrest
him; but now another thought came
across his pathway: Who would go hi:
bond? He was a stranger there, com
paratively-the Judge would be eX
empt as a bondsman-but he decided
if he had to go to Jail, the thief would
be killed that night. With this firm
ly settled in his mind he arose and
with a "thank you" to Belle, hurried
out of the office, fer the sun was fas'
beginning to cast It's evening shades
across the lower edge of the OzarkI
and silhouette the range down into thC
valley right where the thief was tt
come after his last sack Of yellow
Dent corn.
CHAPTER II
The Joke
The McClain law office was a por
ton of the residence, and, being
crowded for room, closet in the Law
-..z.. .,.al L., 4bo T,,1nra in XuhiPl