The Hays free press. [volume] (Hays, Kan.) 1908-1924, 1921-05-26

JIla1 YOU no.
There were deep breathing and shut
fling of feet as Allan completed this
part of his statement, but only the
coroner found his voice. Most re-
markable evidence" he CALCULATED.
Most extraordinary evidence. l have
never heard anything so obviously sin
cere and at the same time 50 altogeth-
ed unexplainable."
perhaps its not so uneXplaInable,"
said a quiet voice; and Mary Harris
made her way through the circle of
men TO the side of the bed. She sat
down on the coverlet and took the
boys hand in hers. 1t mattered not
how many were looking on; he was
her little boy again.
You will understand, Doctor, and
some of you men are parents" she
began. ALLAN will be twenty-five
years old this coming winter lit
tie less than % years ago my husband
was obliged TO leave me alone for a
considerable period in our little sod
shanty on the homestead where we
had located down in Manitoba. There
were no near neighbOrs, as we count
distance in well-settled districts. and
l was altogether alone. L stood it all
right for the first day or two. but my
nerves were not what they should
have been. and gradually a strange.
unreasoning fear came upon me. l
suppose it was the immensely of the
prairies. the terrible loneliness of it
all. and my own state of health. but
the dread grew from day TO day and
from night TO night. l tried to busy
myself, to keep my mind active. to
throw off the specter that haunted
me, but day and night I was oppressed
with a sense of impending danger. We
had no wooden door on the house; we
hadn't money to buy the boards to
make one, and all my protection was
a blanket hung in the doorway. l
used to watch that blanket at night;
l would light the lantern and sit in
the corner and watch that blanket.
My fear gradually pictured TO itself
an attack through that doorway
didn't know by what; by white man,
or Indian, or wild beast, or ghost, or
worse. if that is possible; my mind
could not balance things; nothing
seemed too unreasonable or terrible
to expect. So 1 took the gun, and sat
in the corner. and waited.
And then at last it came. l didn't
see anything. and l didn't hear any
thing, but l knew it was there. l
still remember how frightened and yet
how cool 1 was in that last moment.
l held the gun to my shoulder and
waited for 1t to thrust itself against
r. 7
sure l should have fired. But before
that moment 1 heard my name called,
and 1 knew my husbands voice, and
l came out of the nightmare"
Most extraordinary" the coroner
repeated, after a silence. ut seems
to account for the shooting of Rifles
but it leaves us as much as ever
more than ever, I should say-in the
dark concerning the disappearance OF
the money, and the part which has i'm
plicated the young man Travers in the
affair"
The banker gave his evidence. II
was not unusual, he said, for cOnsid-
cradle sums in bank notes to be han
died among spectators and land buy
Harris was so great that it had left
him somewhat i'll at ease, and as Ser
geant Grey had happened his way he
had mentioned the matter to him.
During the hearing Of the various
witnesses Gardiner had attempted an
air of impersOnal interest, but with no
great success. His demeanOr, studied
though it was, betrayed a certain
anxiety and impatience. He was
dressed just as he had dismounted
from his horse, having removed only
his hat. But he smiled confidently
when asked for his evidence and told
1t is quite true that he was assO-
ciated with Rifles and Mr.. Harris in
the coal mine investment. He was
acting for the owner of the property,
but had seen that "a large profit was
to be made from the turnover, and
had been glad to place the opportunity
in the way of two old friends.
Il feel a grave responsibility in this
whole matter" Gardiner protested,
with some emotion. 81 feel that am,
at least indirectly, responsible for the
S0AIOuS AOSS IlioI mas OCAoIloll MI AAoA
riS, and for the injury to his son.
But when you have heard the whole
circumstances you will agree that the
situation was one 1 could not possibly
have fOreseen. Let me give them to
you in some detail.
THE day before yesterday, in com
pany with Rifles, met Mr.. Harris and
his son, and found that their money
had arrived. The remittance was not
as large as they expected. but I be-
lieved that 1 could raise some money
privately, and that we would still be
able TO put the deal through. I adj
vised against losing any time, as 1
knew that if the owner should meet