Nogales international., 1928-10-23
2&|;;5!;|!k3j|2
~ Ma IT'S
ELEVENTH INSTALLMENT
ILLUSTRATIONS syEE.n4zs0X

you had got on the track Of some
thing. You had, hadn't you Shines"
Not a thingP Simon Judd said.
II come East just like | said, to
study up how detectives do down
here. / didn't suspicion a thing,
Abner, not until [ saw you. And
then I only wondered why you
had come down here and changed
your name And at that, Abner,
I didn't think anything but what
| heard back home when you did
disappear-that you was bankrupt
and had skipped out
II was bankrupt" the undertaken
said. Il did skip out. Slime, I
never made a decent living at
undertaking the whole time l was
in Riverbank 1t wore on me
wore on my mind. And Ella
wasn't patient wife: she was a
nagger, Si1ne-an awful nagger."
Always sayin' she wished she
was a man, | bet youW Simon
Judd said. THAT kind of woman
does wear a man down, Abner.
black my cats If she don't! Well,
she had her wish"
"She was terrible woman,
SiineI" the little undertaken said.
shaking his head. Il don't know
that there ever was another such
woman except where you read
about them in books. Slime. I wish
you were on my side in this busi-
ness; wish | had you or somebody
to be friend to me right now. /
don't know anybody in this town
mot anybody. I'm alone. I'm
the most friendless man in the
world She wouldn't let me know
anybody-she was jealous-jealous
and afraid, Pm ali alone, Slime,
and I'm scared. can't think
right; my head don't seem to work
right today"
"What have you got to be afraid
off" Simon Judd asked. What
have you done to be afraid of,
AbnerP'
Nothing! Nothingp the little
man said tremulously "As God is
my witness, Slime, / never did
thing but keep my mouth shut,
They can't hang me for that, can
they? Blt---thirty-two years Of
keeping my mouth shutl What do
you think ought to do, Sine"
"W'hy. il ! was You, Abner,"
Simon Judd said, 'I'd tell this
Brennan the whole story, straight
and clean. I sure would. Tell you
the honest truth, Abner, I'd get
it off my chest and out of my
soul just as quick as ever | could"
Il don't know-I don't knowP'
the little man mourned, but Bren-
nan came down then and out upon
the veranda, and Simon Judd spoke
to him, half turning in his chair.
Come on over here, Richard.
he said. Dart wants to tell you
all about it. He knows purity near
the whole thing, up to the murder
anyway. Go ahead now, Abner--
tell him how it was"
The little man pulled at his
beard, frowning at his feet. 49,
But, now, hold on a rninuteG
Simon Judd said suddenly. 1--WE
ought to let this Amy girl hear
this, accordin' to my notion.
Seems like she has right to know,
amt it so, Abner?"
Eyes; she'll know it anyway,
the little man said, and Simon Judd
went into the house to send Nor
bert to find the girl. She came
presently, Robert Carter with her,
and Simon Judd told her why she
had been sent for. She and young
Carter seated themselves and the
girl looked anxiously from face to
face. But the undertaken did not
speak.
"Amy," Simon Judd said. when
the silence had lasted a few mo
ments, "I'm goin to start this OFT,
because what l know l know.
Tohn Drane and me was boys
together, born close to the same
time, away back in 1853. John was
born in SO and Emily, his sister,
dead upstairs there, was born the
next year, 1854. That's all the
Dranes there was; there wasn't no
Daniel Branches fairy story.
Who you are / don't know, but
maybe Abner here can tell US that.
Anyhow, Amy, we three-ne
and John Drane and his sister
Emily grew up together out there
in Riverbank. John never did get
married and in 1883 he went west
and we lost track of him d'd
anyway. What did he do outwest'
Abner?" :, :,
"Fie got ito copper and silver,
Abner said. "He made million.
"TIe made a million between
1889 and 1892" Simon Judd SAID.
"But his sister Ella stayed right
there in Riverbank and in 1884 she
married a man that came to town
and started in the undertaken bust
ness. His name was Abner Dart,
wasn't it, Abner?"
Eyes, | married her. June O.,
1884" Abner Dart said.
"And after awhile she got to be
a naggy wife," Simon Judd sad.
"She bore down pretty hard on
hbner and quinched his spirit till
he was no more than a worm;
About eight years Of that, until
1892, and then John Drane, came
home m visit Ilcr ard see the old