The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1932-04-08
The House Of the
Three Ga11ders

EXPLANATIONS.
"Praise the Lord!" he shouted as
they wrapped an old shawl around
the cage. Then they locked the door
and set out for Canton in the sheriff's
buggy, the bird under the blankets
between them.
Mrs. Doolittle was weak from loss
of blood but likely to recover. Her
father still fingered, dimly conscious
but unable to speak. The doctor had
extracted one, bullet from his neck,
one had gone so deep that it could not
be reached, another-and that no
doubt, was the one which had struck
Mrs. Doolittle-had been found on the
floor. The two bullets were delivered
to Colonel Blake.
Shad took the judge and the district
attorney to the part Of the road
where, the night before, the unknown
man had left it and taken to the field.
At length they located the point with
absolute precision. They saw where
he had turned and gone into the ditch.
Beyond the low fence in fallow corn
field they could discern the familiar
rubber tracks. The judge measured
them.
"The same tracks" he exclaimed.
HE went below. crossed the road
somewhere and got into his boat. Did
you observe whether he limped or
not?"
Shad could not say, the night was
too dark. But he did not believe that
Bumpy Brown could travel so fast as
that man was going. He thought that
the man he saw wore broad-brimmed
hat. He could not be sure of it.
They walked down the road mile
or SO but saw no more rubber tracks.
The two men who had brought the
tinker to Smithers' store were Ellery
Anderson, carpenter of middle age,
and Richard Berry, a mason, some
what younger. These men were often
working in Ashfield and other villages.
They had families and were respected
members of the community of Amity
Dam. They went with Colonel Blake
and his associates and the boy Shad
Morryson to Browns cove. The col
onel had requested Smithers to allow
Shad to go with the party.
They had come to the rickety turn
stile, near which the men hitched
their horses and took the winding path.
The district attorney and the judge
stood moment surveying the curious
little home Of the tinker. They de-
scended to its door, which the sheriff
had unlocked, and entered its one
room. An old clock was ticking on
it's shelf. They surveyed the crayon
portrait.
Its a decent, motherly face" the
colonel remarked. "Her spirit is
here. The place is as neat as wax"
They searched the cupboard, small
closet and every nook and corner and
crevice in and around the house. I'm
der the broad overhang Of the caves,
toward the river, an old black knit
jacket hung on wooden peg. In one
Of its pockets they made really iul-
portant discovery:
Two loaded, square-based pistol
cartridges.
The sheriff called to his associates.
"What do you think Of that?" he asked
as he displayed them.
The colonel examined them.
Thunder and Mars! !" he exclaimed.
swell, the pistol must be here some
where"
I'll bet he threw it in the river"
said the sheriff.
"That may be-" the colonel an
swered. ''But such man is not apt
to throw away things that cost so
much. If he did, he would do it care
fully"
He turned to Anderson and Berry
and asked: How long did it take
you to get hereT
Berry answered: "Not more than
ten or twelve minutes. We got in
with Tip Beach a little below the
corner. He ran his horse. Brown
came three or four minutes after we
arrived"
"Just where did he land?"
fright there near them bushes"
Berry answered. 1--WE heard him COM
ing. He was rowing fast"
Did he see you before he landed?"
"Yes, sir. We sang out to him: is
that you, Brown? He slowed up an
says, "Ay uh! It's me- l held the
OIL boat while he got out / told him
what had happened an that folks
thought he was the murderer"
"What did he say?"
"'God almighty he says. I'll go
up an face 'em. 1 knew HI was
goin' to break loose somewhere.
been feelin' 1t in my bones.'"
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