The Jasper news. [volume] (Jasper, Missouri) 1898-1924, 1920-10-14
b
WILLIAM
JOHNSTON
oopsrisA. by Il..l.. Brown Ac0
mnsiratisns by
IRWIN MYERS
cHAPrER xI-contInued.

In my cell, a keeper opened the door.
You're wanted downstairs" he an
nounced.
what is lt?" asked, wonderingly.
you've got a visitor"
"Who?" questioned eagerly. Could
It, wondered. be Barbaraf Had my
sternly repressed longing to see her
In some way communicated itself to
her through the ether and impelled
her to throw caution to the winds and
come to the prison to see met
II don't know" the keeper answer
ed. "It's man. / don't know who
he is."
A man. Who could 1t be7 In all
the monOtonous time had been be-
hind the bars, only two men had come
to see me, German and McGregor. It
could not be either of them, for both
were well known to the prison attend
ants. AS / FASTENED down the long
corridor past the dismal row Of barred
doors, 1 was revolving In my mind the
possibilities Of my callers identity.
Who could 1t be2 Spurred on by
my curiosity, hastened into the coun-
sci room. There sat my great-uncle
Rufus.
He looked in much better physical
condition than when l had last seen
him, more vigorous and healthier. His
skin was Drowned from exposure to
the sun and wind, and his eyes were
clearer and brighter. As studied his
face l could trace no vestige there of
the terrible fear that had seemed to
Obsess him on the last occasion Of our
meeting.
For moment we eyed each other
without speaking. was wondering
and well ! think might-whether
the suspicious had at times in regard
to him had been wholly without foun-
dalton. Could 1t be possible that the
crafty. miserly old chap was the mas
ter mind at the bottom of all the
mystery and plotting7 AS my previous
suspicious came up in my mind de-
termined to be wary ins what ] said
to him. The fires Of anger toward
him began to kIndle within me as /
looked at him. / felt that It was his
fault that was locked up here.
Meanwhile he had been studying me.
His keen old eyes had surveyed me
from head to foot. returning to rest
fixedly on my face, as though he was
trying to read my thoughts. I won
dered what was passing in his
mind. Was he inwardly chortling
at the plight in which he found
met Was he distressed to see
a blood-relative behind the bars7 Did
he believe that / was guilty of the
murder Of Daisy Lutan1 How had he
learned of my arrestf What was his
purpose In coming to see me? But
his expression was unfathonable, sc
far as was concerned. ~
He was the first to speak.
"So-you didn't do II, did your"
"Of course not" l retorted indlg
nantly. "Did you suspect that | wal
a murderer
He shook his head disparaglngly
smiling an inscrutable smile.
1.-THE evidence against you certainl!
looks convincing"
IL don't care" i exclaimed Will
heat. "Tm as innocent Of the killing
of Daisy Lutan as"-I hesltated-"ai
you are"
He nodded his head approylngly.
There, there, boy, don't get excited
OF course know you are innocent
You're of the CASTOR blood, and ther,
never was CASTOR that was mur
derer or a lawbreaker. I never sus
pected you for single second. / wa
off in the Maine woods twenty mile
from a railroad. l didn't see a news
paper until day before yesterday eve
ming. My eye Just happened to catcl
a paragraph about the Granddeck. /
was about your trial for the murde
of Miss Lutan being set for next weeh
That was the first had heard abou
Il. L Travelled all night to get to you.
My feelings toward him underwear
a sudden reyuIsion. There was ever
evidence of sincerity in his manner
The knowledge that he believed in m
was the most welcome news ha
heard since my Incarceration.
"WelI soon have you out Of here.
he went ON, NOW that am here I
help you. I-got you into this, an
III get you out Of It II II takes ever
cent l possess. There's more tina
one hght left in old Rufus yet. No
start At the very beginning and to