The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1932-04-08
CHAPTER IV-Continued

Brown as the aSSallanC.
CHAPTER IV-Continued
swell, he was kind O. high an
mighty an told him that I thought
Oscar Perry had one more dog than
he really needed"
Colonel Blake smiled with amuse.
ment as he said:
Il think that have no further ques-
lions to ask at present"
He turned to his associates.
"There's one other matter" said the
county judge. "This man has on a
pair of new rubbers."
"Mr. Brown, presume that you will
not object to my taking the measure
Of your foot" said the judge.
"No, sir. You can do anything to
my feet but step on the good one."
Judge Swift began the measure
ments with a pocket rule, while
Bumpy rested his feet on chair bot
tom, announcing them to Colonel
Blake, who noted them on his pad as
follows:
width Of heel two and fifteen-six-
teenths; length Of heel three and
seven-sixteenths; width of ball three
and three-quarters; width Of toe two
and one-half; length ten and three
quarters"
Colonel Blake turned to Smithers
and said: "Will you retire to the rear
room with Sheriff Colewell and Mr..
Brown and close the door, if you
please? We shall not detain you
long,"
The three promptly. retired, leaving
Shad, the colonel and the judge to-
gether.
"How do the measurements COM
pare?" the judge inquired.
"They are identical with the rub
Der tracks we measured this evening
leading down through the fields back
Of the Doolittle house."
my Cd! 1 guess we must have
the man we want"
swell, we shall have to hold him."
the colonel remarked with puzzled
look.
HE was a foolish man not to get
rid of those rubbers."
Perhaps. It's curious. He doesn't
act like a guilty man. Yet here are
the facts. No alibi, the tracks and a
degree of motive. It is likely that
right after he had landed from his
boat in the darkness those men caught
him. He couldn't take 'em off then"
'His mistake was that he didn't
dump them into the river" said the
Judge. "But Of course he was in q
hurry and not expecting to be grabbed
as soon as he got ashore"
This conference was interrupted by
a singular event.
The boy Shad, who had been sitting
on the counter listening with deep in
terest to the talk Of the two men,
having covered his face in his elbow,
was silently sobbing. The colonel,
touched by his outbreak of sympa-
thetic emotion, put his hand on the
boys shoulder and spoke to him like
a gentle father.
Don't worry, lad. The man shall
have every chance to prove his inno-
cence. You're very tired. Please go
home now and to bed"
Shad went home and to bed, saying
before he went to sleep the first real
prayer of his life for old Bumpy
Brown.
The sheriff, Smithers and the tinker
wore summoned from the rear room.
Colonel Blake addressed these words
to the suspected man:
"Mr. Brown, tracks leading from
Cyrus Doolittle's house were either
made by your rubbers or a pair ex-
actly like them. The evidence against
you is strong. Have you anything
further to say?"
"No, sir"
"Where did you get the rubbers?'
"At Hubbard's store in South Boil
ton"
"When?"
"About a week ago."
ave shall have to take you to Can
ton. There you will be held for ex-
animation. The sheriff will go with
\you TO your house. You can take your
Nird and some clothing with YOU"
" The old man sat filing his pipe.
= "Don't matter much" he said. II
amt scared o. dyin'-not a bit. But
you're barkin' up the wrong tree,
mister"
"Well, / may be barking up another
tree tomorrow" the colonel answered,
s. The sheriff went with his prisoner
to the lonely little shack on Browns