South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1920-12-22

I rye. Take your choice"
/ Bridger chose rye. Reeves poured
/ three fingers of Scotch for himself.
I Morgan took The same. The sheriff.
/ 9gainst much protestation. filed his
I glass from the water bottle.
HERE'S 10 the appetite" said
\ Reeves. raising his glass, "of Mr..
= Will!ams!" Morgan's laugh and his
I drink encountering sent him into q
7 choking splitter. All began 10 pay
attention &c the dinner, which was
well cooked and palstablc.
Williams called PIunkett. sud
denly and sharply.
All looked up wonderingly.
Reeves found the sheriff's mild eve
resting upon him. He flushed a lit
tie
"see here" ne said, with some
asperity. my names Reeves, AMI /
don't want you to" But the com
edy OF the thing came 10 his rescue.
and he ended with laugh.
II suppose NJ. Plunkett," said
Morgan. carefully seasoning an al
ligatoI pear that you are aware Of
the fact that you viii import a good
deal OF trouble for yourself into
| Kentucky II you take back the
wrong man-that is. Of course, II
you take anybody back?"
Thank you for the salt" said the
sheriff. "Oh, I'll take somebody
| back. It'll be one OF you two gentle
men. Yes, knew I'd get stuck for
damages If / make a mistake. But
I'm going TO try to get the right
man
III ter YOU what you 40" said
Morgan, leaning forYeTd with p
jolly twinkle ia his eyes. You take
me. I'll go without any tro- BILE.
The cOcoannt business hasn't banned
out well this year. and I'd like to
make sumo extra money out Of
your bondsmen"
That's only fair" chimed in
Reeves. II got only SIC a thousand
for my last shipment. Take me.
AIR Plunkett"
ri take Wade Williams" said the
sherin, patiently, "or III come
pretty close 10 it."
Its like dining with n ghost, &"
remarked Morgan, with a pretend
ed SILVER The ghost Of a murder
ell, too! Will somebody pass the
toothpicks u tie shade of the
naughty Mr.. Williams ?"
Plunkett seemed as unconcc-ned
as II he were dining at his own
table in Chatham county He was
a gallant trencherman, and the
strange tropic vian1s tickled his
palate. Heavy, commonplace. al
most slothful In his movements. he
appeared TO he icvcId of ali the
sunniTg and watchfulness of the
slcuth. He even ceased TO observe.
with any sharpness 1r attempted
| discrimination. the two men, one of
whom he had undertake en- with sur
prlstng self-confidence 10 drag away
upor. the serious charge CT wife
murder. Here. indeed. was a prob
lens set before him that il wrongly
solved would have amounted To his
serious discontinue, yet there he
sat puzzling his soul itO all appear
| ances) over the novel flavor Of a
| broilcd iguana outlet.
The consul felt q decided discom-
| fort. Reeves and Morgan were his
friends and pals; yet the sheriff
| from Kentucky had a certain right
/ To bis official aid and moral sup
port So Bridger sat the silcntest
around the hoard and tried to esti-
| mate the peculiar situation. HIS
conclusion was that both Reeves
| and Morgan, luickwitted, as M
/ kneY th"m To be, had conceived al
/ the moment of Plunkett's disclos-
/ ure Of his mjssion-and in the brief
I space of a lightning 1ash--the idea
/ that the other might be the guilty
| Williams: and that each Cf them
| had decided in that moment Loyalty
/ TO protect his comrade against the
/ doom that thveate ned him. 1hi:
/ was the consul's theory and If he
/ had been a bSok maker at a race az
wits for life and liberty ne would
have offered heavy odds against the
/ Flooding sheriff Fl ON Chatham
| county, Kentucky.
! When tho inca! was concluded the
| Carib woman came and removed the
] dishes and cloth Reeves streweo
! the table with excellent cigars, and
| PlUnkett. with the others, Lighted
/ one Of these with evident sratifica-
| ton.
II may be dull" said Morgan
/ with a grin and "A wink at Bridger:
| but I want TO know il ! am. Now,
! I say this is ali a joke of Mr.. Plum
| kett's concocted 10 frighten two
! babes-in -the-woOds. Is this VIII.
Hanson To be taken seriously OF
| not"
Williams" corrected Plunkett
| gravely. I never got off any jokes il
/ my IRE. 1 KNOW 4 WOu4Qu l QdNtl =
900 miles to get off a poor one al
this would be If ] didn't take Wad,
| Williams back with me. Gentle
| men!" continued the sheriff, nov
| letting his mild eyes travel I'm
! partially from one Of the comp any Z
| another, see If you can find an.
! joke in this case. Wade Williams Il
listening 10 the words I utter now
but out Of politeness I will speak o
him as a third person. For five year
| he made his wife lead the life Of {
| dog-No; I'll take that back. No dos
| in Kentucky was ever treated as sh
was. He spent the money that sh
| brought him-spent It at races. a
the card table and on horses anC
hunting. He was a good fellow to hi
friends, but cold, sullen demon a
home. He wound up the five years o
neglect by striking her with hii
closed hand-a hand as hard as
stone-when she was III and veal
from suffering. She died the mex
day; and he skipped. That's all Their,
is 10 Il. It's enough. I never saw
| Williams; but I knew his wife. In
not a man to tell half. She and
were keeping company when sh,
met him. She went TO Louisville OF
a visit and saw him there. I'll ad
NIT that he spoilt my chances IN NJ