Perth Amboy evening news., 1922-03-17

Billy saw the Judge pluck the note
from the box.
mot me-" denied Billy Wingo.
For a space he considered the
judge, then he said:
II guess we're ready for Riley,
now"
Despite his professional calm the
judge almost bounced out of his
chair. "Riley! Where"
"In the kitchen with the door
open,' explained Billy. HE didn't
go with Shotgun and Reelfoot a-tall.
Reelfoot wasn't completely success
full in separating me from my depu-
ties"
"Riley," said Billy Wingo, II guess
we'll need another witness. I won
der if you could get hold OF Guerilla
Melody" j.
Il won't CO." the judge declared
feebIy.
"You said that before" said Billy
Wingo, in no wise moved. "Youll
go all right. Do you wanna know
why? I'll tell you. You see, Judge,
/ know what I'm up against. / know
hat the only barrier that stands be-
tween me and the graveyard is the
lead in this gun. I like life. / enjoy
it. Besides, I'm too young to die
and too sinful and all that. There.
fore it's my business to see L amt
cut off in the flower of my youth.
ct cetera. It's my life or yours, and
it's not gonne be mine"
CHAPTER tx
Guerilla Melody regarded the
judge without expression. Huh"
he grunted. "Huh."
Within the quarter-hour they rode
out Of a belt of cottonwoods into the
Hillsville trail, three wooden-faced
men and the wretched judge. The
latter rode in front, with head DOW
ed on hunched shoulders.
A mile from the ranch house they
climbed the shelving side of the
draw and rode across the fla to
where a struggling growth OF pine
and spruce made a black. pear
shaped blot along the smooth white
slope of a saddle-backed hill.
Beyond and below this spruce,
where the draw met lower ground
and lost it's identity as a draw, was
the Walton ranch house.
The four men reached the trees.
rode in among them. Three OF them
dismounted and tied their horses.
The fourth remained in the saddle.
Said Billy Wingo to the fourth:
Get down."
The judge got down. Swiftly his
| hands were tied behind his back,
| and his eyes were thoroughly blind
folded with his W silk handker-
chief.
Guerilla Melody seized the Judges
right arm and forced him into mo-
ton.
Billy Wingo removed his overcoat'
/ From a voluminous pocket he tool
what appeared to be a roll OF cloth,
He shook out the roll and discovered
the common or garden variety OF
cotton nightshirt, size fifty.
eff whoever's in the house can
| pick me out from the snow afte.
wearing this, I'll give his eyes
| credit" he muttered, pulling on the
garment in question owe his head
He buttoned the nightshirt with
| meticulous care, fished a washed
flour sack from a hip pocket and
pulled it over his head.
Without any fear of being DIS,
covered. SO confident was he that u
would be impossible to see him
against the white background, he
approached the right angle end OF
the kitchen.
At the corner of the kitchen he
dropped on his knees and n hand
Here behind the windbreak the snow
was no more than two or three
inches deep. and he crawled alons
the side of the house toward a faint
ly glowing window that was his goal
Inch by inch Billy raised a SLOW
head above the window sill. For .
long time he could see nothing with
in the room but the fire in the fire'
place and a big chair over whicf
had been thrown a buffalo robe
| Then after a time he saw. beyond
the chair, the boot soles of a n an
lying on the floor. The body of ths
man lay in the shadow cast by the
big chair.
There was something about thoss
boot soles that told Billy that tho
man was dead.
Il figured it would be this way
Billy told himself. II didn't see how
else it could be. Damn their souls
They don't stop at a%nything.."
CONTINUED in our next issue)