The Key West citizen. [volume] (Key West, Fla.) 1879-current, 1936-07-25
Chapter 20
HUNTSMEN BOLD


KINGSLEY HYLTON - despite
IA the social drawback of his I'll
assorted hunting clothes. largely
borrowed from his landlord - was
feeling happy. He enjoyed a days
hunting. and it was long enough
since he had had one.
True his mount was long past the
FIRST fine flush of its youth, but Hyl-
ton felt instinctively towards the
old horse a bond of sympathetic fel'
lowship. He refined back to the outer
fringe OF the animated little crowd
at the Five Ways Post and studied
the scene attentively. Mrs. Reeves
looked splendid on her big dark bay
he noticed particularly how smart
and trim her hair was looking; be-
side her Nancy Featherstone was on
the dowdy side of workmanlike:
Reeves, who managed not to see the
Inspector. looked the thruster that
he was, and nobody would have mis-
taken Dale Shipley for anything but
a horseman.
Hylton ran his eye over that quar-
tet of diverse people a score of
times. They had all been under one
roof, as he knew, when the murder
had been announced. and one OF
them, he was convinced. maybe
more than one. knew more about
the matter than mad been admitted.
A long nights reflection had not
made the Inspector any more
pleased with the way the case was
going. True. Lumsdale still had a
good deal to explain: true. too. that
friend Lumsdale was already. on the
Inspectors orders. subject to fair
ly close though unObtrusive super
vision; but Hylton had a feeling
that he was Swimming on the sur
face of deeper waters than he knew
of. and he would not be satisfied un-
til a good deal which he was certain
was at present being hidden from
him came to light.
Doctor Chambers came tiptutting
up on a great ungainly brute that
had landed him at various times in
practically every ditch In Sussex:
he seemed to know everyone and to
be popular with them all. 1t was not
a big field. and there was only a
Bprinkling of pink coats outnum.
bered by the people in ratcatcher
and the usual healthy assortment
of sporting farmers in clothes as
diverse as their mounts.
Hounds. gcnnelmen. please"
The pack. eighteen and a half
couple. came pad-padding along.
their waving sterns like a feathery
forest above them. Hard conditioned
hounds these. willing to face briar
and bramble and the most punish
ing OF going. sobeit they could do
the one thing their nature craved
for-kill.
Inspector HyIton eyed them re.
flectively and it crossed his mind
that there was a good deal of human
life reproduced in miniature in a
hunt. The wind freshened little
and men turned to one another and
prophesied. divergently. ignorantly
and unscientifically. of that most
mysterious Of all natures mysteri.
Gus things-scent.
IT was this little puff of freshening
L wind that carried the first signals
of danger to the sleeping vixen I'm
Seven Acre Spinney. She slept. and
slept deeply, but. as with all wild
things. one of her acute senses re-
manned on almost undiminished
guard. and her soft muzzle had hard
ly done twitching at the danger
laden wind before her eyes opened
and she was wide awake.
Man!
The vixen lifted a fore paw and
licked it where a sharp stone in
the bed of brook had cut the pad
a little. Then. as though coming to
a sudden decision. she shook her.
self. turned her muzzle up hill and
set off at great pace as straight as
an arrow for Hangman's Holt The
Morechester Hunt was in for the
fastest thing OF its life.
Kingsley Hylton's hack from the
Hoops had not always been a mere
hack. 1t had come down by a long
series Of successive degradations to
that ignominous position: 1t knew
great deal more about hunting than
all the young horses out that dag
put together. and when It discov'
cred that the man on its back was
not altogether fool at the game Il
set out to enjoy itself.
HyltOn went with tho ~oS: - ~