Connecticut western news., 1919-02-06

HOW charming she looked as sne walked toward me! I had never seen her quite so fixed up.
 "Bart," sEe said. "I suppose you're not going to speak to me-"
 "If you'll speak to me-" answered.
 'I love to speak to you," she said. i've been looking all around for you. Mother wants you to come over to dinner with us at just twelve o'clock. You're going away with father as soon as we get through"
 Iwanted to go but got the notion all at once that the Dunkelbergs were in need of information about me and that then and there that ancient Olympus of our family received notice as it were.
 'T can't" said. 'Tve got to study my lessons before go away with your father"
 It was a blow to her. I saw the shadow that fell upon her face. She was vexed and turned and ran away from me without another word and I felt a pang of regret as went to the lonely and deserted home of the schoolmaster.
 At twelve-thirty MT. Dunkelberg came for me, with a high-stepping horse in a new harness and a shiny, still-running buggy. He wore gloves and a beaver hat and sat very erect and had little to say.
 'T hear you met the president" he remarked. ' ~--'-
 "Yes, sir. I was introduced to him this morning." I answered a bit too proudly, and wondering how he had heard of my good fortune, but deeply gratified at his knowledge of it.
 "What did he have to SayY
 I described the interview and the looks of the great man. Not much more was said as we sped away toward the deep woods and the high hills.
 I was eager to get home but won- dered why he should be going with Ine to talk with MT. Grimshaw and my uncle. Of course I suspected that it had to do with Amos, but how I knew not. He hummed in the rough going and thoughtfully licked the bushes with his whip. I never knew a more persistent hummer.
 Aunt Deel shook hands with Mir. Dunkelberg and then came to me and said:
 Wal, Bart Baynesl never was so glad to see anybody in all the days O my life-ayes! We been lookin' up the road for an hour - eyesl You come right into the house this min ute-both O you"
 The table was spread with the things I enjoyed most-big, brown bis cults and great comb of honey sur rounded with its nectar and a pitcher of milk and plate of cheese and some jerked meat and an apple pie.
 "Set right down an eat-I just want to see ye eat-ayes I do"
 Mr. Grimshaw came soon after we had finished our luncheon. He hitched his horse at the post and came in.
 Good day" he said, once and for all, as he came in at the open door. "Baynes, I want to have a talk with you and the boy. Tell me what you know about that murder"
 "Wal. I had some business over to Plattsburg,"' my uncle began. 'While I was there I thought I'd go and see Amos. So I drove out to Beekman's farm. They told me that Amos had left there after workin' four days. They gave him fourteen shillins an he was goin' to take the stage in the mornin'. He left some time in the night an took Beekman's rife with him, so they said. There was a piece O wood broke out O the stock O the rife. That was the kind O gun that was used In the murder"
 It surprised me that my uncle knew all this. He had said nothing to me of his journey or its result. :
 "How do you know?" snapped MT. Grimshaw.
 "This boy see it plain. It was a gun with a piece O wood broke out O the stock"
 'Is that so?" was the brusque de mand of the money lender as he turned to me.
 "Yes, sir" I answered.
 "The boy lies," he snapped, and turning to my uncle added: ''Yer mad cause Pm tryin' to make ye pay yer honest debts-ain't ye nowr
 Uncle Peabody, keeping his temper, shook his head and calmly said: 'No, I ain't 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 off"
 MT. Dunkelberg turned to me and asked:
 "Are you sure that the stock of the gun you saw was brokenT
 "Yes, sir-and Pm almost sure 1t was Amos that ran away with it."
 "WhyT
 "I picked up a stone and threw it at him and 1t graZed the left side of