Ladysmith news-budget. [volume] (Ladysmith, Rusk County, Wis.) 1907-1927, 1920-02-06
Continued from last week

. steamer uofoly W ltdAh lhS A"S'S -
this case | know the whole truth now,
even TO your late quarrel with Kirby.
I do not believe you realized before
what you were doing-but you do now
You are guilty of assisting that con-
temptible gambler to abduct Eloise
Beaucaire, and are shielding him now
in his cowardly scheme to compel her
to marry him by threats and force"
"The d, low-lived pup told
him Whut he wus."
eyes, but that doesn't prevent the
crime. Hes all you said, and more.
But calling the man names isn't going
to brighten him, nor get that girl out
of his clutches. What | want to know
is, are you ready to help me fight the
fellow? Block his gamer
"HOw? What do We want done|
."Give me a pledge first, and I'll tell
you"
did you say We wus an army offer
cer?"
eyes, a lieutenant; my name is
Knox
81 neTer knOW'd yer"
probably not, but Joe Kirby does.
/ was ON the steamer Warrior coming
down when he robbed old Judge Beau
caire That was what got me mixed
up in this affair. Later | was in that
skiff you fellows rammed and sunk on
the Illinois. [ know the whole dirty
story, Kennedy, from the very tegin-
ming. And now it is up to you wheth-
err or not tell it to Governor Clark"
81 reckon yer must be right" he adj
mitted helplessly. "Only. | quit cold
the minute | caught ON ter whit wus
up. l never knOw'd she want no mig
ger till after we got we're Sures yer
live that's true. Only then | didn't
know Whut else ter do, so l got bilin'
drunk"
you are willing to work with me,
them"
eyer kin bet I am; I amt no
gurl-stealer."
"Then listen, Kennedy Jack Rale
told me exactly what their plans were,
because he needed me to help him.
When you jumped the reservation, he
had to find someone else, and picked
me. They mean to pull off the affair
tonight. Here's the story"
told it to him, exactly in the form
it had come to me, interrupted only in
the recital by an occasional profane
ejaculation, or some interjected ques-
ton. The deputy appeared sober
enough before / had finished, and fully
grasped the seriousness of the situa-
tiOn.
"NOw that is the way it stacks up /
ended. 'The girl is to be taken to this
fellows shack and compelled to marry
Kirby, whether she wants to or not.
They either intend threatening her or
else to actually resort to force-likely
both No doubt they can rely on this
renegade preacher in either case"
Jack didn't name no name"
"'NO-why?"
s'Only thar ulster be a bum hangin'
round the river front in Saint LOuee
who he'd preachers papers, en- wore
a long tailed coat. Thar want no low
down game he Wudn't take a hand in
fer a drink. His name WuS Gaskins; l
he'd him up fer mayhem Onct. I'll bet
he's the duck, for he hung round Jacks
place most o. the time Whatcha want
me ter d0?"
at has seemed TO me, Tim" I said
fhOughtfully, shat the best action for
us to take will be to let them place the
girl in my hands, just as they have
planned to do. That will throw them
entirely off their guard. Once we sue.
coed in getting her safely away, and
remain unknown ourselves, there ought
TO be very little trouble in straighten'
sng out the whole matter. My plan
zyOuld be to either ride around the
camp in the NIGHT, and then report the
whole affair at headquarters, or else
to strike out direct for Fort Armstrong
across country. Do you know cny
place you can pick up horsew
That's a slew oy 'em round yere,'
he admitted. "These fellers are most
all hoss-soldiers. reckon l. cud cincf
sum sort o. critter. Yer want me
a'0ngT
Perhaps not, Tim. Your disappear
ance might cause suspicion, and senf
chem after us. My plan is to get ava!
as quietly as possible, and let them be
gieye everything is all right. | want
day or two in which to work. befor'
Raie or Kirby discover we have no
gone to Bear Creek. I'll met them alone
at the spring down the trail, but shall
want you somewhere near by. You se'
this is bound to mean fight if / an
recognized-likely three against one
and those men wouldn't hesitate a
murder"
81 reckon not, an it wudn't be thei
furst one nuther. Looks ter me lik
yer wus takin' q big chance. I'll b.
thar, though; yer kin bet on tibet, an
ready fer fight er foot race. Thi
is how I size it up-if thar amt N
row, I'm just ter keep still an low; an
af fracas starts I'm ter jump in fe
ali I'm worth. Is tibet the program?
''Exactly-that's my idea"
"Wai' then, I'm prayin' it starts: