The Connecticut labor news. (New Haven, Conn.) 1921-1925, 1921-04-08

transferred the homestead into your
WifeS name. l assured the purchaser
that there would be no difficulty about
getting title from your wife. but as all
the buildings are on the homestead
quarter he would agree to nothing bet
ter than paying $4,000 for the rest
of your land, leaving the homestead
quarter, with the buildings, stock and
implements out of the transa ction. AS
his price seemed a fair one for the
balance of the property, and as l as
sumed your need of the money was
urgent, I closed deal on that basis,
cashed the agreement and RENTED
the proceeds to you at once by wire.
I trust NY actions in the matter meet
with your approval
"YOurs sincerely,
GEORGE BRADSHAW"
hands of his wife. She tried to read
it, but a great happiness enveloped
her as a flood and the typewriter
characters seemed to swim before her.
''What does it mean, John?" she asked,
noting his restrained excitement.
what does it mean?"
"It means that the homestead quar-
ter was not sold-after all-that it is
still yours, with the buildings, and ma
chinery, and stock, and this years
crop just ready for cutting"
She raised her eyes to his. "Still
ours, John, you mean. Still ours"
In the rapid succession of events
everyone seemed to have forgotten, or
disregarded, Gardiner. But at this
moment the doctor came rushing out
of the house.
'Gardiner's gone!" he exclaimed,
as he came up to the men.
Some Of the party removed their
hats.
"Oh, not that way-not that way!"
exclaimed the doctor. 81 mean he's
gone-skipped- it, If you under
stand. Most extra rdinary! I was
taking his pulse. 1t was about normal,
and he seemed resting easier, so 1
slipped downstairs for the antidote.
When went back-I was only gone a
moment-there wasn't a sight or sound
of him."
Sergeant Grey conducted a swift
examination, not of Gardeners room,
but of the one in which Allan was ly-
ing. He was rewarded by finding the
little slip Of paper, with a few crys-
tails of powder still clinging to it. The
coroner examined the crystals through
his magnifying glass; then, somewhat
obviously, raised them on a moistened
finger to his tongue, and after mo-
ment's hesitation swallowed in an i'm
pressive, scholarly fashion,
''Saccharum album!" he exclaimed.
common white sugar! Most extraor-
dinary!''
But Sergeant Grey was at the open
window. It was only an eight-foot
drop to the soft earth, and to the po-
liceman there was no longer any mys-
terry in Gardeners disappearance. The
mock suicide was a carefully-planned
ruse to be employed by Gardiner if the
worst came to the worst.
81 want all of you men, and horse
for each," said Grey, quickly, turning
upon them like a general marshaling
his officers. "There are a dozen differ
ent trails he may follow, and we must
put man on each. I will give imme-
date pursuit, in the hope of riding
him down before he can throw US off
the scent and I will leave it to you,
Mr.. Arthurs, to organize the posse and
scour the whole country until he is To-
Gated"
Grey knew that the main road, if
followed far enough, dwindled into
pack trail, which in turn semed to lose
itself in the Businesses Of the noun
tains, but in reality opened into pass
leading through the range. He gave
Gardiner credit for knowing as much,
and concluded that the fugitive would
make a bolt straight through the
mountains. -~'
An hours hard riding brought him
into tremendously rough country,
where the trail at times was nothing
more than a narrow defile or ledge,
and sheer walls of rock rose thou
sands Of feet above, their giant edges
cutting the blue sky like the teeth of
a mighty saw. Far below, a ribbon of
green and white, the river rolled in it's
canyon. Here and there a thin stream
Of water sprayed down the mountain
side, cutting a damp, treacherous belt
across the trail. But at one such spot
Grey's heart leaped within him, for
there, Enthusiastically clear in the thin
soil and soft rock, were the marks of
horses shoe, not an hour old. A
few minutes later he saw Gardiner
swinging round a spur of rock half a
mile further up the pass.
Suddenly, at turn in the path, his
eye caught a sight which made him
throw his horse back on his tracks. A
sheer precipice fell away a thousand
feet below him, and beetling cliffs cut
off the sky above. Across the path
trickled little stream. And there in
the stream, so clear they could not be
misread, were the marks cut by a |
horses feet sliding over the preci-
pice.
The policeman dismounted carefully. |
There was scarcely room for him to
pass his horse on the narrow ledge |
Where the stream had worn it it |