Plentywood herald. [volume] (Plentywood, Mont.) 1908-current, 1928-07-19

ders from the ground. The four of
us carried him into the house, not an
easy load at all. Villas Hayward met
US at the door.
The effect on the younger Hay
ward was hardly what / expected. 1t
was true that / didn't look for pros
tration. He was the kind of man
that grows away from his parents
in late boyhood.
"My father?" he shrieked. The
sound went high and wild in the
storm. Don't dare to tell me he's
dead"
1--WE don't dare to tell you any
thing else, because he u.s." Ernest
answered.
Villas leaped toward Southley, and
for an instant | thought he would
attack him. His face was drawn
hideously in the half-light. He had
evidently left his bed only when the
levee gave way; he was only partly
dressed.
"Then you're the devil that killed
him! You, | say, %Southley! You
killed him to get rid Of him, and
you'll be trying to kill me next"
Don't be silly" | cautioned
swiftly. 81 was with Mr.. Southley
up to the moment that we found
him."
"Then it was you, Long, in South
ley's pay. | don't believe anything
else"
Ernest tried to quiet him, and af-
ter he had got him away, | took the
covering from the dead mans face.
| made a close examination of the
body. My aged host knelt beside
me. Nothing but a superhuman blow
could have so broken the neck. 1t
could not have been from a fall; be-
cause only a severe fall could have
done it, and out on the isthmus
where we had found the corpse there
/ were no heights to fall from. Be-
sides, there was plenty of other evil
dence that some sort of a blow had
killed lin. The worst of them all
were two deep, parallel grooves on
| his face, from which the flesh had
| been simply raked. The flesh was
1iscolored, too.
"It's plain as the nose on your
face that the mar was murdered,
| Southley said. "Any coroner's jury
n Florida would say so. And the
sooner we get word into town the
| better"
"At least" / answered, "the muir
1erer can't get away. Unless he got
out before the levee broke, he's on
The island with u.s."
"And it doesn't seem likely that
he could get out without s%uperhuman
strength and agility. Of course it
might have been possible for a speedy
runner to reach the highlands across
The valley before the flood waters
swept over the isthmus, but it's GER
ain he couldn't get back to civiliza-
ton. The first thing to do is to post
guards to watch over the lowlands,
and see that he doesn't get out"
Southley's eyes met mine. / had
never seen better s~elf-control.
"The first thing to do is to quiet
The negroes" | told him. "They are
terrorized. The next is to send for
aid"
The old mar turned quickly. "Do
you mean the coroner?"
Eyes. The State will send detec-
tives. | will be glad. 1t is certain
that one of US three will have to face
a murder charge, and the sooner it is
cleared up the better"
"But we three were together"
"That won't matter. They will
say we hired one of the negroes to
commit the crime. We can impro-
wise a raft, and send a man out to-
| morrow to bring the coroner"
"We can do better than that. I've
got a little sneak boat-just a canoe
that | use for ducks. Well have
to have a bigger n to bring sup
plies, but it will carry a message to
| the mainland"
There was little else to do in the
rain. We went into the den, and
Just as morning broke we told Err
nest and Villas our plans. The rain
was less violent now. The storm
was at ebb.
Pm Sorry / said what | did," vi
las a~pologized. at was the excite
ment Of the moment. But / would
like to know what you think, South
ley. What killed my father-accident
or murder, or WHAT"
The eyes of the two men met.
"Your father was struck down
there is no question about it," South
ley replied. "He was killed by a
blow from some unknown source.
There is every reason to think that
his slayer is still about this house