The Holbrook news., 1921-05-27


 who has got the real dope, and like wise the long-green.''
 "Churchill's his name. ain't it?'
 That's the duffer; some big fellel down East; Virginia, as I understand Judge Cornelius Churchill; tht whole story goes a h-l of lone ways back"
 He leaned his head against the tree trunk behind him. pulling away al the cigarette between his bearded : liFs, ths dull g.a-~ barely touching his face. The younger man leaned for ward waiting.
 Well" he said impatientIy, "that ain't all of it; what started the rump- us? Whats the idea of stealth the girl? An just whar do you an me come in?'
 "Well, as I figure it, we've got to make our own medicine You saw that outfit go along afore dark-Macklin an the four reds?"
 Sure; they had a woman with 'em?"
 That's the ticket. an they was bound for Wolves hole. I thought maybe they'd camp down here. but they didn't-just kept movin'. Well, that's one thing you an laid out here for, to get line on Macklin. The other thing is that this we're Cornelius Churchill is about due also, an is most likely to blow in along this same trail. It is my notion to have a word privatelike with that gent before Joe gets to him-see?"
 Cant say that I do, Hanley. exact ly. Whats 1t all about-the girl?"
 Mostly. I reckon, an a h-l of a slice of money down East. This is how the Kid blew it to me. It seems an army officer named Carlyn bout the time the Civil war closed, ran away with Rose Churchill down in Virginia, and married her. All he cared for was the girl. an he never even knew she was rich, only that her family objected to him, an that they'd have to skip out. I reckon. maybe, she didn't know 1t herself at the time, nor the rest O the Churchill family, for they didn't make no great effcr. to find her for some while. Then, when they opened a will. they discov- cred that most all the Churchill for tune had been left to this Rose, and they naturally becom' mighty inter- eSted. Cornelius, as I understand, was the brother of Roses father, an the property was put in his hands as trustee on behalf of the girl. Maybe he was a straight enough guy general Iy speaking, but he had expected to get most of this dough after the girl skipped out, an was consequently al- mighty hot. Naturally he wanted to keep the stuff. an he didn't make no great effort to locate the heiress. By the time he did learn who she had married. Rose died, leaving a daugh- ter. By the terms of the will if she ed to Cornelius, and he wasn't the sort O guy to lose that kind O bet"
 An this soldier never suspected nothing?"
 Not thing. He was a colonel by this time, out at some frontier post, and left his baby to the care of some relatives in the East There wasn't no fuss made, an so Churchill sorter let affairs slide along. He had the use of the money, an begun to think there never would be no trouble. Of course he kept a line on the husband, but lost trace of the kid entirely"
 Yer mean the colonel never even know'd he'd married a rich girl?"
 'So it seems I reckon she didn't even know it, his wife. But after awhile some inkling of the truth must have reached him, for he went East, and began to make inquiries through a lawyer When Churchill heard about this he got scared. reckon he'd played h-l with the trust funds by that time, an with the husband on his trail got mighty desperate. Meanwhile the daughter was in some convent school. and not to be found Carlyn struck a hot trail all right, but, be- fore he could take any action, was shot and killed in street fight with some rOughs in Sheridan. Nobody knows for sure just how 1t happened, but it's my opinion Churchill got up the row just to get him out O the way. It all happened sudden, an un- expected, the only fellow with the colonel at the time being an old ser geant. named Calkins. Calkins was shot himself. but got away, and took care of CarIyn till he died, maybe an hour later. Enyhow he kept the fel- lows from getting hold O any papers. an I reckon the colonel give him an idea of what was up."
 What makes you think so?"
 "The way he acted afterward. Churchill had got Carlyn out of the way. but he couldn't locate the girl He didn't suspect the sergeant at first, nor for a long time. He was foxy guy. and stuck to the army for several years. never maxim a move, just payin' for the girls schoolin', but never goin' near her. Then, when everybody had quit watchin' him. Cal kins took his discharge papers, and skipped out, takin' the girl with him."
 Flow could he do that?"
 That's what I asked Macklin, an he said they'd finally found out that durin' the time between when Carlyn was shot, an when he died, he'd signed a paper maxim Calkins the girls guardian, an gave him the key to a deposit box in Kansas City, where all his papers was. A lawyer named Weeks at Sheridan. did it for him