The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1929-03-02
"the thought Of killing q man sort
OF upset your stomach"

Of upset your stomach"
~ \ X
Benny shrank from McMann'
narrowed, menacing eyes as far q
the back of his chair would permit
"Me?" Benny's adolescent voic,
quavered and broke. II amt killet
nobody! Gosh! You don't achull,
think ! killed Mr.. Borden, do you
mister?"
please, Mr.. McMann!" Ruth beg
ged. "Don't brighten him to death
Of course Benny didn't do it! WHY ir
the world should he? ?" And she laid
hand protectingly, fondly upon the
boys shaking shoulder and chal.
lenged the detective with flashing
blue eyes.
"When did you last see Henry
Borden. Benny" the detective de-
manded sternly.
Saturday, bout half-past one,'
the boy answered sullenly. II had
to come back to the office for some
thing I'd forgot"
"What was it," the detective in
terrupted harshly.
To Ruth's amazement, color flood
ed the boys pale, freckled face. ct
Just something's don't remem-
bcr." he stammered.
listen here, my boy, I'll clap the
handouts on you too quick to talk
about if you don't answer my ques-
tons and answer them truthfully!"
McMann threatened, emphasizing
his words with a thump Of his fist
upon the dead mans desk. "What
did you come back for? The truth,
now. or the handouts for you, my
lad"
Benny covered lower in his chair
and shivered, looking wildly toward
Ruth for help. "Tell the truth, Ben
n.y." the girl urged.
IL come back to get Miss Les
ter's gun" the boy gasped. II took
it Saturday before last for target
practice out in the country and
brought it back Monday morning,
without Ruth knowing nothing about
it. didn't mean no HARM"
"Oh!" The exclamation seemed to
burst from Ruth's despairinR heart,
rather than from her throat. If Ben
ny had taken her automatic, Nc
Mann would Of course consider the
mystery entirely solved. With that
troublesome second weapon thus
eliminated, how could she expect the
detective to have any doubt that it
was Jack Hayward's gun which had
fired the fatal shot? And it was she
who had urged Benny to tell the
truth!
"All right, Benny!" McMann in
terrupted harshly. "Where's the gun
now? Did you bring it in with you?"
AT Ruth's cry of anguish the Of
flee boy had raised his terror-strick-
en- eyes to search her face. But at
the detectives question he faced his
tormentor, his chin thrust out bellig-
erently. II don't know where it is!
didn't take it Saturday, cause it
wasn't there! And that's the truth.
so help me God!"
Ruth. in her joy,ycould have kissed
every freckle on the homely young
face, but the detectives savage eff
fort to make the boy confess that he 4
had lied killed that joy in the mo-
ment of its birth.
Finally, since the boy, miserably
i'll and frightened though he was,
stuck stubbornly to his story, Nc
Mann tried new tack: "And YOU
saw Borden, did you, when you came
back to swipe Miss Testers run?"
wasn't gonna swipe it; was just
gonna borrow it," Benny quavered.
eyes, seen him all right. He was
settin' at his desk. seen him through
the door. Old Minnie left it open
when she was emptying his waste
basket. I was closing the drawer of
Miss Testers desk, and he thought l
was her, cause he called out, That
you, Miss Lester = and stepped into
the middle Of the office, SOS he could
see me, and I said, mo, sir, it's me,
Mr.. Borden And he yelled out,
Then what the devil are you hang
ing around here for? What are you
looking for in Miss Testers desk ?
And I said I was lookin' for q stamp,
and he said to get tell out of here,
and-and / beat it. An ats ALL
honest to God!''
Benny" Ruth asked quickly, be-
fore McMann could spring his next
question, ibid you see my pistol on
Mr.. Borden's desk when you were
talking to him :"
"You keep out Of this, Miss Les
ter" McMann said sharply. "This
love-sick young puppy would swear
black was white if he thought you
wanted him to-"
II didn't see the gun, but I wasn't
looking at his desk" Benny answered