The Skyland post. [volume] (West Jefferson, N.C.) 193?-1988, 1939-11-16

meets a man called Tom Haveril
whom he accuses of being his
cousin, Jesse, in disguise. Barry
becomes convinced Of this later
and they have a gun battle, both
getting hurt. Recovered, Barry
discovers Tom Haveril has mar
ried Lucy whom he loves. Barry
kidnaps Lucy and al ter a gum
battle with Haveril'S men takes
her to his cabin i'm the mountains.
There he finds the real Laredo
Kid wounded and dying.
Sarboe had brought in a small
pack of food. Lucy wouldn't eat;
Barry merely shook his head at
it. So Sarboe ate few bites
alone and lay down in a corner
beyond the fireplace and went
to sleep, Lucy, on her elbows,
looked ct Barry brooding by the
chimney.
"There was something you
were going to tell me-" she re-
minded him.
He looked at her blankly. Then:
cts late and you're done in. Bet
ter 90 to sleep, hadn't your"
"Sleep! Without knowing what
it was that you said you could ex-
plain! You said 1 wasn't Lucy
Blue at all"
81 know how you feel" His
own mind had been cropping;
there weer questions he wanted
answered before he could think
of sleep.
His somber eyes trailed back
to the man on the bunk; for a
time he forgot Lucy and his pro-
mise to tell her what he could OF
the amazing news concerning
herself.
eff there was a single word of
truth in what you told me"
said Lucy.
He looked at her absently, then
nodded end went out. Returning
he brought the flat steel box with
him. She was all eagerness at his
elbow as he opened the box.
"Why." she gasped, seeing the
hundreds of pictures. "They are
all of me! I know them; papa
the Judge-used to take one of
me every Sunday almost!'
ever strike you as a funny
thing to do?" he asked.
"No. Well, it does seem sort Of
queer, but you see I've always
been used to it."
"They're all dated on the
backs" said Barry. The last pic
ture doesn't look much like the
first, does it? But when you take
them straight through, you can
see it's the same you, can't your
"Of course" said Lucy, and
looked at him with a puzzled
frown. But l don't understand
Here's something else. 1t was
in the box when I got it; 1 guess
it's been there always, for a. do
zen years. It's an old newspaper.
The Laredo Blade"
He opened it for her carefully;
from years of being folded it split
along the ceases. 1t was small,
two sheet affair; banner head
lines across the first page had to
do with a crime the enormity OF
which had Mortified the commu-
nifty not unused to violence.
Briefly, this was the gist of the
newspaper article:
Colonel Dave Hamilton, his
wife and three other members OF
his household had been shot to
death. The Colonel, a newcomer
to Laredo, but already immense
ly popular, had arrived with his
family from Virginia, intending
to buy a vast holding hereabouts
and make this his home. He had
brought with him a large sum OF
money in cash. There was not the
slightest clue to the identity of
the murderer, he had made a
clean sweep, with none left alive
to accuse him.
But" began Lucy, more puz-
zled than ever.
Her eyes, busted with the
streaming headlines and big bold
type at the top of the page had
missed what Barry now pointed
out. There were pictures of Colo
mel and Mrs. Hamilton, as of 9TH
er members of his household, the
ColonePs aunt and two servants.
There was another picture. It
was of a little girl five or six
years old, the ColoneIs daugh-
ter. At first it was thought that
she too had been murdered. But
her tiny body was never found.
eyes," said Barry. doesn't
look much like you now, does it?