The Brookings register. [volume] (Brookings, Brookings County, S.D.) 1903-1971, 1922-11-09


Ben Chacherre writhed suddenly,
hurting a storm OF curses at Gramont.
The latter, unheeding the contor-
tons Of his captive, searched the man
thoroughly. Except for q roll Of
money, the pockets gave up little Of
interest. The only paper Gramont Sc
cured was n fresh telegraph blank.
He would have passed this unheeded
had he not noted a snaky fitting Of
Chacherfe's eyes to It.
"Ah!' he said, pleasantly. you APP
pear to be interested In this, Ben.
Pray, what Is the secret?"
Chacherre merely glared at him, and
Il sudden exclamation broke from him.
He held the bit of yellow paper to
the Hight at varying angles.
ITS the most natural thing in the
world he said after a moment, "for
a man to walk into a telegraph office,
write out a telegram, and then find
that he's torn two blanks instead Of
one from the pad on the desk. Eli?
I've done II, Often-and I've always
put the extra blank into my pocket,
Ben. thinking it might come In handy;
just as you did, eh2 Now, let's see!
"You were excited when you wrote
this, weren't you? You'd just thought
Of something very important, and you
took care Of 1t hurriedly-that made
you jab down your pencil pretty hard.
Who's Dick Hearne at llouma? An
agent of the bang theref'
Chacherre merely glared, s%ullenly
defiant. Word by word, Gramont
made out the message:
BURN bundle under rear seat my
ear. Have done at once"
Gramont looked up and smiled
thinly.
your car? Why, you left 1t in the
garage at Gumberts' place, Ell? That
little roadster of Fell's, with the extra
seat behind. If you'd been just a little
bit cooler yesterday, Ben, you would
have made fewer mistakes, 1t never
occurred to you that other people
might have been there in the bushes
when the sheriff was murdered, chi"
Chacherre went liyid.
at was another mistake to throw
away your knife after you killed him.
pursued Gramont, retlect!yely. You
should have held OF to that knife, Ben.
There's no blood, remember, on Ham
mond's knife-a hard thing for you
and your friends to explain plausibly.
Yet your knife Is heavy with blood,
which tests will show to be human
blood. Also, the knife has your name
on It; quite a handsome knife, too.
On the whole, you must admit that
YOU bungled the murder from start
TO finish
Chacherre broke in with a frightful
oath-a frantically obscene storm Of
curses. SO furious were his words
that Gramont very efficiently gagged
him with cloths, gagged him hard and
fast.
II think that I'll send another wire
10 Dick Hearne on this blank which
you so thoughtfully provided. I'll or
der him, in your name. not to burn
that bundle after all l fancy 1t may
prove of some value to me. AND I'll
also tell your friend-l suppose he
has some familiar cOgnomen, such as
Slippery Dick-to meet Henry Ora
mont at Houma early In the morning.
I'd like to gather Dick In with the
other gentlemen. I'll mention that
you were kind enough to supply a few
names and Incidents"
At this last Ben Chacherre writhed
anew, for 1t was a shrewd blow. He
and his friends belonged to that class
Of crook which never peaches" Ii
by any m%ischance one of that class Is
jailed and convicted, he invariably
takes his medicine silently, knowing
that the whole gang Is behind him,
n that when he energies from pris-
OF he will be sure to find money and
friends and occupation awaiting him.
To know that he would be placed,
In the estimation Of the gang, In the
same class with stool-pigeons, must
have bitten deeper into Ben Chacherre
han any other lash. He stared a,
Gramont with a frightful hatred In
his blazing eyes-a hatred which
gradually passed into a look of help
lessness and of impotent despair.
Gramont, meantime, vas writing out
the telegram to Dick Hearne. This
finished, he got his hat and coat, and