Emmons County record. [volume] (Williamsport, D.T. [i.e. N.D.]) 1884-current, 1920-12-02
CHAPTER XVII.

Jed came into the room again as
finished reading. and put another log
on the fire. Then he sat down in a
rocking chair by the fire.
'They met that night, you know"
he said after he had rocked while.
'"rhey?" l said.
arthur and Richard Dobson," said
Jed. "Mr. Sidney and his brother,
who Is over there in the peniten-
tiary."
'"Ihey met what night?" 1 asked.
Jed was patient.
'"They met the night last fall" he
explained, "when you found Mr.. Sid
ney leaving the house, the night
found you outside. the night we pre-
tended l was sick, the night he came
in here and had us call the penitentiary
to say convict had escaped. That
night, he met his brother. His BROTH
err was the convict
Jed was rocking and talking to the
fire.
"Mr. Sidney-Arthur Dobson-" he
said, "went 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. imagine he might have
lived another year or two if he had
not had the experience lie had this
fall.
Il knew 1t was great hate that
vas keeping Mr.. Sidney alive" he
continued. "Such a hate as he had
I don't know that understand it
now. 1t was so Improbable. Or was
it? l do not know. 1t had great
value in his life. think the hate he
cherished warmed and colored his life.
''He went to the pool every year
the night Of his murder. He did not
know that went with him. It was
such an abnormal abuse of his
strength. l was afraid for him."
'Your prospects depended upon
him." l suggested.
He allowed Il 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 Il moment from talking 1t was as
if he were opening the windows for
that moment. When the air was
cleared of the odors of my teSty re-
mark, he went on as if had said
nothing. The old rascal was very diff
ticult to deal with.
''1'he night am reminding you of
he met Richard Dobson at the pool
and recognized him. The poor old fool,
Dick, had walked out of the peniten-
tiary. He had every opportunity to
do so. The warden would have let
him out If he had asked to 20. He
was helpless outside. He did not have
a place to get a rag or 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. I was so
| feet away. hidden by the bushes.
could see the two old men in the moon
light, and when Arthur Dobson began
to speak. could hear distinctly.
"'Well, Richard.'" said Mr.. Sidney,
we are here again.
Richard Dobson quavered in a
weak. senile tone, almost falsetto:
Who are you?
"I'm your brother Arthur said Mr..
Sidney. What are you doing here?
"Richard Dobson must have felt
that he was confronted by ghost.
He made shrill little sound, as an
old woman might. Il was palsied. The
situation was tremendous. l didn't
know what would happen, and didn't
know what to do. Mr.. Sidney was
calm as an oyster.
81 am your brother Arthur, Rich
ard he said, and 1 am not dead. /
haven't been dead. You didn't kill
me. I have been living in the old
place comfortably while you have
been in prison. No one would be-
lieve you If you told that. You are
old and half crazy. II you were out
Of prison. you would die of starva-
ton and exposure in "a hours. am
not ghost, Richard; am your liv.
ing brother
"There was a lot of malevolence in
Mr.. Sidney's tone, tremendous
amount Of hate. Richard Dobson ut
tered the quivering, quavering little
cry again and started to run. AS he
got under way, he shrieked. 1t sound
ed like an old woman's shrek.
"Mr. Sidney started after him. He
had that cane you saw him take out
Of this room. That was the one he
was beaten down with.
Il think for moment he wanted to
kill Richard. He fiourished the stick
and yelled. Richard, being in fren-
~ of fright, was stronger on his legs
than his brother. He was of into the
bush. Mr.. Sidney stumbled and fell.
He got up rather slowly, as II he were