The Key West citizen. [volume] (Key West, Fla.) 1879-current, 1939-05-15
Worse Than A Creased Pig
Chapter 80

Worse Than A Creased Pig
Chapter 80
COMEWHERE away off in the
- distance, three shots replied to
his. Asey nodded. That was Lane,
or some one of his men, and they
would be heartily welcome.
As the noise of the shots died
out, the fellow began to run, ap-
parently realizing that Asey was
having reinforcements. Asey went
after him.
In the chase that followed, he
began to understand how Zeb
Chase had felt the previous Satur-
day night.
No matter how grimly he con-
tinued, or how many times he tried
70 raise his speed, the man was al
ways ahead. and just far enough
ahead that Asey actually never
once saw him. Once he took poi
shot, but a pot shot had no effect
on that speeding. twisting, dodg-
ing human.
%1f," Asey thought. "the man Is
humani"
BY degrees they circled around
TO where the ground sloped tc
the pond and the surrounding
marshes.
When they reached the begin
ming of the marsh land, ASey
slowed up.
He had no knowledge of this par
ticular spot, but he knew enough
about these treacherouS muddy
marshes in general to be very
wary. In his childhood the marshes
near his home had been to wan
dering cattle what the automobile
later became to wandering dogs. A
series of pictures flashed through
his mind-the time his fathers
best mare had gone down in mud
hole over by Holbrook's, and the
hastily improvised blocks and tac-
kles, and the lanterns Pickering
and finally his uncle borrowing q
shotgun from Nate Holbrook.
The strange laugh fioated out
ahead of him, but Asey stood still
Not even on the chance of catch
ing a murderer would he let him.
self be Unanswered toward that
ground.
Instead he sat down and loaded
his forty-five.
According to his calculations, he
was on the edge of the swampy
land east Of the pond, and not over
three hundred yards from the ice
house where he had been with
Kay and Brinley and the soprano
earlier in the day.
Somewhere this fellow. must
have a car. There were two ap-
proaches to the pond, the short
narrow lane which he and Kay
had used, and the road where
Brinley had left his machine. The
latter road was by far the better,
but it was also farther from the
pond and harder to reach in a hur-
~. But il seemed to Asey that il
he were in this fellows shoes, he
would prefer having a greater dis
lance to cover in an emergency to
the chance of being bottled up in
that narrow path. II was about
three to one that the car was
parked on the east road.
Asey decided to abandon the
chase and investigate the line OF
retreat. Trying to catch this fellow
was on a par with trying to catch
the creased pig at the old Barn.
stable fairs. the principal differ
ence being that the pig at least was
visible.
After three unsuccessful at
tempts. he finally reached the east
road.
A parked car doomed out of the
fog directly ahead of him, and the
sight nearly made him Whoop.
He waited in the bushes, flash.
light IN one hand, forty-five in the
other. This business was going to
come to a finish. right then and
there.
AT last the man came, sliding out
OF the underbrush so quietly that
Asey almost missed him,
The fellow was painting, Asey
noted With pleasure. His breath
came in short quick gasps and he
walked as though he were utterly
exhausted. Asey knew how those
feet felt. His felt exactly the same
way.
Flabbergasted'
THE man was abreast of him.
l. Asey's light flashed into hi.
face and the forty-five grounc
above the fellows belt buckle.
MY gollyl So it's you, is it
]. Arthur? Brother Brinley, tht
old-say, it is you, isn't it?"
J. Arthur was shaking from
head to foot.
"It's me-who-are-is it Asey?'
"Old Mayo" Asey said. 'Nurm
Mayo. You turn around. That's il
Keep on reaching. That's right, j
Arthur. You don't mind if / admi
TO bein' fiabbergasted, do you? II
never suspected it in a hundred
years. Feel this gun borin' int,
your back? You do? Well, ]. Ar.
thur, you behave, or it'll 60 of
with r'sults that'll be a revelation
TO you"
With the fiashlight propped be-