The Hope pioneer. [volume] (Hope, N.D.) 1882-1964, 1920-12-02
CHAPTER XVII.

Jed came into the again as !
finished reading, and put another log
on the fire. Then he sat down in q
rocking chair by the fire.
"They met that night, you know"
lie said after he had rocked a while.
"They?" l said.
arthur and Richard Dobson," said
Jed. "Mr. Sidney and his brother,
who is over there In the peniten-
tiary."
"They met what night?" I asked.
Jed was patient.
"They met the night last fall" he
explained, when you found Mr.. Sid.
ney leaving the house, the night l
found you outside, the night we pre-
tended l was sick, the night he came
in here and had US call the p%enitentiary
to say a convict had escaped. That
night, he met his brother. His BROTH
er was the convict"
Jed was rocking and talking to the
fire.
"Mr. Sidney-Arthur D1hson-" he
said, event out to see the pool on
every anniversary of his murder. He
found the strength out OF some reser-
voir Of will. The reaction was almost
disastrous. I imagine he might have
lived another year or two if he had
not had the experience he had this
fall.
II knew it was a great hate that
was keeping Mr.. Sidney alive" he
continued. "Such a hate as he had
I don't know that l understand 1t
now. 1t was so Improbable. Or was
it? l do not know. 1t had a great
value in his life. l think the hate he
cherished warmed and colored his life.
Gle went to the pool every year
the night of his murder. He did not
Enow that 1 went with him. 1t was
such an abnormal abuse of his
strength. l was afraid for him"
"Your prospects depended upon
him." l suggested.
He allowed a moment to pass in
silence. 1t was as if he permitted ven-
tilation before we again entered the
room Of common thought and COM
munion. He did not look panied or
hurt in any fashion. There was no
display about it. He just refrained
for a moment from talking. It was as
if he were opening the windows for
that moment. When the air was
cleared of the odors of my testy re-
n,Or.ly hn 4r,opf on nc, 20 7 ho1 .-al
nothing. The old rascal was very diff
ticult to deal with.
"The night l am reminding YOU of
lie met Richard Dobson at the pool
and recognized him. The poor old fool,
Dick, had walked out Of the peniten.
ttary. He had every opportunity to
do so. The warden would have let
him out If he had asked to go. He
was helpless outside. He did not have
a place to get a rag or a crust. But
he wanted to escape.
"There must have been something
in his mind about this night and this
place. Arthur Dobson found his broth.
er standing by the pool. 1 was sc
feet away, hidden by the bushes. ]
could see the two old men in the moun.
light, and when Arthur Dobson began
to speak. l could hear distinctly.
"'Well, Richard,'" said Mr.. Sidney,
we are here again.
Richard Dobson quavered in a
weak, senile tone, almost q falsetto
Who are !youY
"'I'm your brother Arthur said Mr.
Sidney. What are you doing here?'
Richard Dobson must have fel,
that he was confronted by a ghost
He made a shrill little sound, as al
old woman might. l was palsied. The
situation was tremendous. l didn'
know what would happen, and 1 didn'
know what to do. Mr.. Sidney wa.
calm as an oyster.
"I am your brother Arthur, Rich
ard he said, and l am not dead.
haven't been dead. You didn't xii
me. I have been living in the ole
place comfortably while you hav,
been in prison. No one would be
lieve you If you told that. You ar,
old and half crazy. If you were gu
of prison, you would die of starva
ton and exposure in "a hours. I an
not a ghost, Richard; I am your liy
ing brother
mo m C0n,ryH,y,r~