The Bridgeport times and evening farmer., 1922-10-13
THE BUTTERFLY ORCHID
 BY l. ALLAN DUNN
CHAPTER VIII (Continued
 

incredible speed before the SnerlI1 command and accusing eye. The fig ure was hideouS traveSty on human ity, one-sided, legged like stoI, for all it's swift shuffling through the mud. A great head 1olled on the wide uneven shoulders, and a, hare lip distorted the black face. Hunpy ran at an angle, tangent to the gal lery, and his eyes leered at the group with a wierd intensity as he scuttled off.
 'AlIus Iistenin"' said the sheriff. Hell tell Hardin we-all, or you-au are lookin' for him. He's Hardin's cook, when he has anything to cook. I low Humpy catches mos Of his grub an steals the rest. He's Hardin's washer, if they have enny dishes, makes up what Hardin calls his bed, does all the chores, earns Hardfn's 'baccy by runnin errands, an genal1y woraAsps Hardin an the Butterfly FasWer."
 "The Butterfly F1ower?''
 Yep. It's long yahn, an a dry one. Shall we moisten ?''
 Once more they endured the naus- eous, soapy ginger-a1e while the sher- if gulped down without apparent eff feet his need of whisky. Then they repaired again to the chairs.
 This Hardin is crazy prefaced the sheriff. Not thet he's wuthless, by a long shot. He was bon heah. Was a druggist up father no'th an has travelled. He has no license, but we don't botheh him none. We ain't no regular doctor jest now, an Hardin certainly knows swamp fever. Plucky too. Sucked moccasin-pien from the 1and1o'd's kid a while back. He don't git paid much. Scipio bein' kind of shy on ready cash until the levees fixed.
 This Humpy came down from no'th with him a spell ago. Hardn has been in parts, too, by the way Mebbe Humpy was with him an I reckon thets where they got the But terfly Flower. Say it's shuah a queer thing, looks like a red butterfly when it's in bloom, an it's shuah Humpys god-Hardin's too, reckon.
 Though you can't make much of his talk. There ain't enough ot it. An, wen I say the Butterfly Flower is Humpy's religion, Hardin, comes first and fo'most. There's bin some talk of Hardin havin' saver the life of the pore squat some time, or other, an Humpy suah worships him. He'll tip off to him that we-a1l are co1nfn' out''
 That shouldn't make so much diff ference, should it? ?'. asked Blatchley Hardin doesn't necessarily know what we are after. He's not liable to skip out, is he?"
 If he has done this thing we sus- pect him off, said Cairns. If he has got the death of Forsythe on his guilty or not under the circumstances he will be on the lookout for any strangers. By this time Quando will have got word to him and she may have sent my. description. I think we had better be getting out after liar din."
 He turned to the sheriff, who was looking somewhat blank, and both he and Blatch1ey showed their creden- tials, and then Cairns told as much of the story as they deemed wise, for they would have to work through the law and it's local representative. The sheriff gnawed off a fresh ouid and chewed on 1t for a few minutes in con- templative silence.
 T don't low how you all are goin' to nail ennything on to Hardin" he said
 You ain't got much what I'd call real evidence. But, circumstantially it sho'ly looks like Hardin had it in fo' this Forsythe. Yo' papehs are all right an I don't aim to discourage justice. An Hardin has been actin funny of late. Mutterin' about Gawd's vengeance bein' wrought through hu- man hands. But he's clever. Unless he comes clean through with a con- fession, how you all goin' to pin him down? Dog-gone it all, how could he hev' killed a man hundreds of miles away with you-alI watchin' that same man an Hardin right here in Scipio? It ain't reasonable!"
 That is what we want to find out from Hardin,'' said Cairns quietly Will you go with us?"
 T will. Don't you worry none about Hardin cuttin' stick an gettin' away 'fo' we get there. He ain't thet sort. Wouldn't do him no good. His cabins back heah in the swamps, an thet'S to'ard Scipio. You want to go foot or hawseback?"
 How far is t?" asked Cairns.
 Match O three-fo' mf1e Cordu roy road, not much good fo' walkin or ridin'. I'd say walk, 'count of tho plank bridges over the sloughs. Some day all thet is goin' to be leveed an then you'll see Scipio soar. Jes' now she's sort of mou1tin'.. We-all he'd betteh take along some grub an a little ague-medicine. an. you-an bet teh put on some 1eggin's or boots. Sort of wet in places goin' through to Hardin's"
 It was an hour before they finally got started, having changed their at tire on the sheriff's suggestion. That worthy had. in the meanwhile forti- fled himself inward1y against the ague several times, and further provided himself with a flask of the only pre- ventive he considered worthy of car But he was still sober and, somewhat to Cairns surprise, he had not talked about their business or where it led them, explaining to the curious natives, who all gathered about the hotel on the eve of their departure, that these gentlemen from the Moth were goin' to hev a look at the possibility of the swamp section of Scipio."
 There were a few grins and a few sEacked jaws at the announcement but nobody made any suggestions Scipio would never soar through the exeruons of its own citizens, it was plain. If niracle-makers from the North came along and got it going. well and good, they would try to trail along with the procession To them