Cleveland County herald., 1919-06-19
CHAPTER lV-Continued.

"They was hitehed jest about a hun dred yards below MT. Curtis propity, on the off side O the road. I hadn't any more'n got to our front gate when I heard some one running in the road up there behind me. Fore I knowed what was happenin', bang went a gun. I almost jumped out'n my boots. The runnin' had stopped. The horses was rarin' an tearing so I thought I'd"
 .Where'd the shot come from?" de manded Jones.
 up the road some'eres, I couldn't swear just where. Must'a' been up by the road that cuts in to Green Fancy. So I thought I'd hustle in an see if pa was awake, an git my gun. Jest then pa stuck his head out'n the win der an yelled what the hell's the mat ter. You betcher life I sung out who I was mighty quick, cause pas purity Spry with a gun an I didn't want him takin' me fer burglars sneaking around the house. While we wuz talkin' there one of the hoSses started our way lickety-split, an in about two seconds II h, we see plain as day that there was a man in the saddle, bendin' low over the hoss' neck and shoutin' to 1t. We waited couple O minutes, wonderin what to do, an listenin' to the hoss gittin' furder and furtier away in the direction of the crossroads. Then way down there by the pike we heerd another shot. Right there an then pa said he'd put on his clothes an we'd set out to see what it was all about.
 "Weli, pa come out with my gun an his'n an we walks up to where seen the hosses. Shore 'nough, one of lem was still hitched to the fence, an t'other was gone. We stood around a minute or two examinin' the hoss an then pa says let's go up the road ways an see if we c'n see anything. An by gosh, we hadn't gone moren' fifty feet afore we come plumb on man layin' in the middle of the road. Pa shook him an he didn't let out a sound. He was warm, but deader'n a tombstone. I wuz fer leavin' him there till we ed git the coroner, but pa says no. We'd carry him down to our porch an lay him there, sos he'd be out O danger. 1 jumps on Polly an lights out fer here, MT. Jones, to telephone up to Saint Liz fer the sheriff an the coroner, not givin' a dang what I run into on the way. Polly shied some thin terrible jest afore we got to the pike an 1 come derned near bein' throwed. An right there side the road was this felier, all in a heap. Thinks l, you poor cuss, you must "a tried to stop that feller on hossback an he plunked you. That accounted fer the second shot. The thing that worries all of us is did the same man do the shootin', or was there two of 'em, one waitin' down the cross-roads?"
 "Must have been two," said Jones, thoughtfully. "The same man couldn't have got down there ahead of him, that's, sure. Did anybody go up to Green Fancy to make inquiries
 Twasnt necessary. MT. Curtis heard the shootin' an jest before we left he sent a man out to see what it Nuo dlA dDOut. luc Olu Skc6ZICkS tnaC been drivin' his car lately come down half-dress' d. He said nOthin' out of the way had happened up at Green Fancy"
 Its most mysterious" said Barnes. glancing round the circle of awed faces. There must have been some one lying in wait for these men, and with very definite purpose in mind"
 Strikes me-" said Jones, ''that these two men were up to some kind of dirty work themselves, else why did they say they were goin' to Spanish Falls? They were queer actin men, I'll have to say that"
 His eyes met Barnes and there was a queer light in them.
 You don't happen to know anything about this, do you, MT. Earnest" he de manded, suddenly.
 CHAPTER V.