
<b><span style="font-size:small">The Project Gutenberg Etext of The Oakdale Affair, by Burroughs</span></b>
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<b><span style="font-size:small">The Oakdale Affair</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">by Edgar Rice Burroughs</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">November, 1995<span> </span>[Etext #363]</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">The Project Gutenberg Etext of The Oakdale Affair, by Burroughs</span></b>
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<b><span style="font-size:small">Association <span></b><st1:placename><b><span style="font-size:small">Illinois</span></b></st1:placename><b><span style="font-size:small"></span></b><st1:placename><b><span style="font-size:small"> Benedictine</span></b></st1:placename><b><span style="font-size:small"></span></b><st1:placetype><b><span style="font-size:small"> College</span></b></st1:placetype><b><span style="font-size:small">".</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">This "Small Print!" by Charles B. Kramer, Attorney</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">Internet (72600.2026@compuserve.com); TEL: (212-254-5093)</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">\*END\*THE SMALL PRINT! FOR PUBLIC DOMAIN ETEXTS\*Ver.04.29.93\*END\*</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">THE OAKDALE AFFAIR</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">EDGAR RICE</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">BURROUGHS</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">Chapter One</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">The house on the hill showed lights only upon the first</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">floor--in the spacious reception hall, the dining room,</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">and those more or less mysterious purLieus thereof from</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">which emanate disagreeable odors and agreeable foods.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">From behind a low bush across the
wide lawn a pair</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">of eyes transferred to an alert brain these simple per-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">ceptions from which the brain deduced with Sherlock-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">ian accuracy and Raffleian purpose that the family of</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">the president of The First National Bank of--Oh, let's</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">call it Oakdale--was at dinner, that the servants were be-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">low stairs and the second floor deserted.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">The owner of the eyes had but recently descended</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">from the quarters of the chauffeur above the garage</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">which he had entered as a thief in the night and quitted</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">apparelled in a perfectly good suit of clothes belong-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">ing to the gentlemanly chauffeur and a soft, checked</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">cap which was now pulled well down over a pair of</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">large brown eyes in which a rather strained expression</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">might have suggested to an alienist a certain neophy-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">tism which even the stern set of well shaped lips could</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">not effectually belie.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">Apparently this was a youth steeling himself against</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">a natural repugnance to the dangerous profession he had</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">espoused; and when, a moment later, he stepped out</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">into the moonlight and crossed the
lawn toward the</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">house, the slender, graceful lines which the ill-fitting</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">clothes could not entirely conceal carried the conviction</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">of youth if not of innocence.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">The brazen assurance with which the lad crossed the</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">lawn and mounted the steps to the verandah suggested</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">a familiarity with the habits and customs of the inmates</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">of the house upon the hill which bespoke long and care-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">ful study of the contemplated job.<span> </span>An old timer could</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">not have moved with greater confidence.<span> </span>No detail</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">seemed to have escaped his cunning calculation.<span> </span>Though</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">the door leading from the verandah into the reception</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">hall swung wide to the balmy airs of late Spring the</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">prowler passed this blatant invitation to the hospitality</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">of the House of Prim.<span> </span>It was as though he knew that</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">from his place at the head of the table, with his back</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">toward the great fire place which is the pride of the</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">Prim dining hall, Jonas Prim commands a view of the</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">major portion of the reception hall.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">Stooping low the youth passed along the verandah to</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">a window of the darkened
library--a French window</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">which swung open without noise to his light touch.<span> </span>Step-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">ping within he crossed the room to a door which opened</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">at the foot of a narrow stairway--a convenient little stair-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">way which had often let the Hon. Jonas Prim to pass</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">from his library to his second floor bedroom unnoticed</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">when Mrs. Prim chanced to be entertaining the femi-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">nine elite of Oakdale across the hall.<span> </span>A convenient little</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">stairway for retiring husbands and diffident burglars--</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">yes, indeed!</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">The darkness of the upper hallway offered no obstacle</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">to this familiar housebreaker.<span> </span>He passed the tempting</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">luxury of Mrs. Prim's boudoir, the chaste elegance of</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">Jonas Prim's bedroom with all the possibilities of forgot-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">ten wallets and negotiable papers, setting his course</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">straight for the apartments of Abigail Prim, the spinster</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">daughter of the First National Bank of Oakdale.<span> </span>Or</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">should we utilize a more charitable and at the same time</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">more truthful word than spinster? I think we should,</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">since Abigail was but nineteen and quite human, de-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">spite
her name.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">Upon the dressing table of Abigail reposed much sil-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">ver and gold and ivory, wrought by clever artisans into</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">articles of great beauty and some utility; but with scarce</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">a glance the burglar passed them by, directing his course</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">straight across the room to a small wall safe cleverly</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">hidden by a bit of tapestry.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">How, Oh how, this suggestive familiarity with the</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">innermost secrets of a virgin's sacred apartments upon</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">the part of one so obviously of the male persuasion and,</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">by his all too apparent calling, a denizen of that under-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">world of which no Abigail should have intimate knowl-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">edge? Yet, truly and with scarce a faint indication of</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">groping, though the room was dark, the marauder</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">walked directly to the hidden safe, swung back the</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">tapestry in its frame, turned the knob of the combina-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">tion and in a moment opened the circular door of the</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">strong box.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">A fat roll of bills and a handful of jewelry he trans-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">ferred to the pockets of his coat.<span> </span>Some papers which his</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">hand brushed within the safe he pushed aside as
though</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">preadvised of their inutility to one of his calling.<span> </span>Then</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">he closed the safe door, closed the tapestry upon it</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">and turned toward a dainty dressing table.<span> </span>From a</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">drawer in this exquisite bit of Sheraton the burglar took</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">a small, nickel plated automatic, which he slipped into</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">an inside breast pocket of his coat, nor did he touch</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">another article therein or thereon, nor hesitate an in-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">stant in the selection of the drawer to be rifled.<span> </span>His</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">knowledge of the apartment of the daughter of the</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">house of Prim was little short of uncanny.<span> </span>Doubtless the</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">fellow was some plumber's apprentice who had made</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">good use of an opportunity to study the lay of the land</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">against a contemplated invasion of these holy pre-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">cincts.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">But even the most expert of second story men nod</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">and now that all seemed as though running on greased</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">rails a careless elbow raked a silver candlestick from</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">the dressing table to the floor where it crashed with a</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">resounding din that sent cold shivers up the youth's</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">spine and conjured in his mind a sudden onslaught of</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">investigators from the floor below.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">The noise of the falling candlestick sounded to the</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">taut nerved housebreaker as might the explosion of a</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">stick of dynamite during prayer in a meeting house.<span> </span></span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">That all Oakdale had heard it seemed quite possible,</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">while that those below stairs were already turning ques-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">tioning ears, and probably inquisitive footsteps, upward</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">was almost a foregone conclusion.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">Adjoining Miss Prim's boudoir was her bath and be-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">fore the door leading from the one to the other was a</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">cretonne covered screen behind which the burglar now</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">concealed himself the while he listened in rigid appre-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">hension for the approach of the enemy; but the only</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">sound that came to him from the floor below was the</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">deep laugh of Jonas Prim.<span> </span>A profound sigh of relief es-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">caped the beardless lips; for that laugh assured the</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">youth that, after all, the noise of the fallen candlestick</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">had not alarmed the household.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">With knees that still trembled a bit he crossed the</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">room and passed out into the hallway, descended the</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">stairs,
and stood again in the library.<span> </span>Here he paused</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">a moment listening to the voices which came from the</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">dining room.<span> </span>Mrs. Prim was speaking.<span> </span>"I feel quite re-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">lieved about Abigail," she was saying.<span> </span>"I believe that at</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">last she sees the wisdom and the advantages of an</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">alliance with Mr. Benham, and it was almost with en-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">thusiasm that she left this morning to visit his sister.<span> </span></span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">I am positive that a week or two of companionship</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">with him will impress upon her the fine qualities of his</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">nature.<span> </span>We are to be congratulated, Jonas, upon settling</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">our daughter so advantageously both in the matter of</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">family and wealth."</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">Jonas Prim grunted.<span> </span>"Sam Benham is old enough to</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">be the girl's father," he growled.<span> </span>"If she wants him, all</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">right; but I can't imagine Abbie wanting a bald-headed</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">husband with rheumatism.<span> </span>I wish you'd let her alone,</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">Pudgy, to find her own mate in her own way--someone</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">nearer her own age."</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"The child is not old enough to judge wisely for her-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">self," replied Mrs. Prim.<span>
</span>"It was my duty to arrange a</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">proper alliance; and, Jonas, I will thank you not to call</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">me Pudgy--it is perfectly ridiculous for a woman of my</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">age--and position."</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">The burglar did not hear Mr. Prim's reply for he had</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">moved across the library and passed out onto the ve-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">randah.<span> </span>Once again he crossed the lawn, taking advan-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">tage of the several trees and shrubs which dotted it,</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">scaled the low stone wall at the side and was in the</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">concealing shadows of the unlighted side street which</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">bounds the Prim estate upon the south.<span> </span>The streets of</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">Oakdale are flanked by imposing battalions of elm and</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">maple which overarch and meet above the thorough-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">fares; and now, following an early Spring, their foliage</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">eclipsed the infrequent arclights to the eminent satis-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">faction of those nocturnal wayfarers who prefer neither</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">publicity nor the spot light.<span> </span>Of such there are few within</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">the well ordered precincts of lawabiding Oakdale; but</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">tonight there was at least one and this one was deeply</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">grateful for the gloomy walks along which he hurried</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">toward
the limits of the city.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">At last he found himself upon a country road with</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">the odors of Spring in his nostrils and the world before</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">him.<span> </span>The night noises of the open country fell strangely</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">upon his ears accentuating rather than relieving the my-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">riad noted silence of Nature.<span> </span>Familiar sounds became</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">unreal and weird, the deep bass of innumerable bull</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">frogs took on an uncanny humanness which sent a half</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">shudder through the slender frame.<span> </span>The burglar felt a</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">sad loneliness creeping over him.<span> </span>He tried whistling in</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">an effort to shake off the depressing effects of this seem-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">ing solitude through which he moved; but there re-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">mained with him still the hallucination that he moved</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">alone through a strange, new world peopled by invisible</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">and unfamiliar forms--menacing shapes which lurked in</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">waiting behind each tree and shrub.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">He ceased his whistling and went warily upon the</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">balls of his feet, lest he unnecessarily call attention to</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">his presence.<span> </span>If the truth were to be told it would chron-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">icle the fact that a very nervous and
frightened burglar</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">sneaked along the quiet and peaceful country road out-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">side of Oakdale.<span> </span>A lonesome burglar, this, who so craved</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">the companionship of man that he would almost have</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">welcomed joyously the detaining hand of the law had</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">it fallen upon him in the guise of a flesh and blood po-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">lice officer from Oakdale.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">In leaving the city the youth had given little thought</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">to the practicalities of the open road.<span> </span>He had thought,</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">rather vaguely, of sleeping in a bed of new clover in</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">some hospitable fence corner; but the fence corners</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">looked very dark and the wide expanse of fields be-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">yond suggested a mysterious country which might be</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">peopled by almost anything but human beings.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">At a farm house the youth hesitated and was almost</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">upon the verge of entering and asking for a night's lodg-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">ing when a savage voiced dog shattered the peace of</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">the universe and sent the burglar along the road at a</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">rapid run.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">A half mile further on a straw stack loomed large</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">within a fenced enclosure.<span> </span>The youth wormed his way</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">between the barbed
wires determined at last to let</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">nothing prevent him from making a cozy bed in the</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">deep straw beside the stack.<span> </span>With courage radiating</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">from every pore he strode toward the stack.<span> </span>His walk</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">was almost a swagger, for thus does youth dissemble</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">the bravery it yearns for but does not possess.<span> </span>He al-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">most whistled again; but not quite, since it seemed an</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">unnecessary provocation to disaster to call particular</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">attention to himself at this time.<span> </span>An instant later he was</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">extremely glad that he had refrained, for as he ap-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">proached the stack a huge bulk slowly loomed from be-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">hind it; and silhouetted against the moonlit sky he saw</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">the vast proportions of a great, shaggy bull.<span> </span>The burglar</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">tore the inside of one trousers' leg and the back of his</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">coat in his haste to pass through the barbed wire fence</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">onto the open road.<span> </span>There he paused to mop the per-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">spiration from his forehead, though the night was now</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">far from warm.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">For another mile the now tired and discouraged</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">housebreaker plodded, heavy footed, the unending</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">road.<span> </span>Did vain compunction stir his youthful breast? Did</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">he regret the safe respectability of the plumber's appren-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">tice? Or, if he had not been a plumber's apprentice did</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">he yearn to once again assume the unharried peace of</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">whatever legitimate calling had been his before he bent</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">his steps upon the broad boulevard of sin? We think he</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">did.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">And then he saw through the chinks and apertures</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">in the half ruined wall of what had once been a hay</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">barn the rosy flare of a genial light which appeared to</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">announce in all but human terms that man, red blooded</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">and hospitable, forgathered within.<span> </span>No growling dogs,</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">no bulking bulls contested the short stretch of weed</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">grown ground between the road and the disintegrat-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">ing structure; and presently two wide, brown eyes were</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">peering through a crack in the wall of the abandoned</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">building.<span> </span>What they saw was a small fire built upon</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">the earth floor in the center of the building and around</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">the warming blaze the figures of six men.<span> </span>Some reclined</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">at length upon old straw; others squatted, Turk fash-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">ion.<span> </span>All were smoking either disreputable pipes or rolled</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">cigarets.<span> </span>Blear-eyed and foxy-eyed, bearded and stub-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">bled cheeked, young and old, were the men the youth</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">looked upon.<span> </span>All were more or less dishevelled and</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">filthy; but they were human.<span> </span>They were not dogs, or</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">bulls, or croaking frogs.<span> </span>The boy's heart went out to</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">them.<span> </span>Something that was almost a sob rose in his</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">throat, and then he turned the corner of the building</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">and stood in the doorway, the light from the fire playing</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">upon his lithe young figure clothed in its torn and ill-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">fitting suit and upon his oval face and his laughing</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">brown eyes.<span> </span>For several seconds he stood there looking</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">at the men around the fire.<span> </span>None of them had noticed</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">him.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"Tramps!" thought the youth.<span> </span>"Regular tramps." He</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">wondered that they had not seen him, and then, clear-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">ing his throat, he said: "Hello, tramps!"</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">Six heads snapped up or around.<span> </span>Six pairs of eyes,</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">blear or foxy, were riveted upon the boyish figure of</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">the housebreaker.<span> </span>"Wotinel!" ejaculated a frowzy gentle-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">man
in a frock coat and golf cap.<span> </span>"Wheredju blow</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">from?" inquired another.<span> </span>"'Hello, tramps'!" mimicked a</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">third.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">The youth came slowly toward the fire.<span> </span>"I saw your</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">fire," he said, "and I thought I'd stop.<span> </span>I'm a tramp, too,</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">you know."</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"Oh," sighed the elderly person in the frock coat.<span> </span></span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"He's a tramp, he is.<span> </span>An' does he think gents like us has</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">any time for tramps? An' where might he be trampin',</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">sonny, without his maw?"</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">The youth flushed.<span> </span>"Oh say!" he cried; "you needn't</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">kid me just because I'm new at it.<span> </span>You all had to start</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">sometime.<span> </span>I've always longed for the free life of a tramp;</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">and if you'll let me go along with you for a little while,</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">and teach me, I'll not bother you; and I'll do whatever</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">you say."</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">The elderly person frowned.<span> </span>"Beat it, kid!" he com-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">manded.<span> </span>"We ain't runnin' no day nursery.<span> </span>These you</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">see here is all the real thing.<span> </span>Maybe we asks fer a hand-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">out now and then; but that ain't our reg'lar
lay.<span> </span>You</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">ain't swift enough to travel with this bunch, kid, so</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">you'd better duck.<span> </span>Why we gents, here, if we was added</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">up is wanted in about twenty-seven cities fer about ev-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">erything from rollin' a souse to crackin' a box and</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">croakin' a bull.<span> </span>You gotta do something before you can</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">train wid gents like us, see?" The speaker projected a</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">stubbled jaw, scowled horridly and swept a flattened</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">palm downward and backward at a right angle to a</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">hairy arm in eloquent gesture of finality.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">The boy had stood with his straight, black eyebrows</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">puckered into a studious frown, drinking in every word.<span> </span></span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">Now he straightened up.<span> </span>"I guess I made a mistake," he</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">said, apologetically.<span> </span>"You ain't tramps at all.<span> </span>You're</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">thieves and murderers and things like that." His eyes</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">opened a bit wider and his voice sank to a whisper as</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">the words passed his lips.<span> </span>"But you haven't so much on</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">me, at that," he went on, "for I'm a regular burglar,</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">too," and from the bulging pockets of his coat he drew</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">two handfuls of
greenbacks and jewelry.<span> </span>The eyes of</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">the six registered astonishment, mixed with craft and</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">greed.<span> </span>"I just robbed a house in Oakdale," explained the</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">boy.<span> </span>"I usually rob one every night."</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">For a moment his auditors were too surprised to voice</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">a single emotion; but presently one murmured, soulfully:</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"Pipe de swag!" He of the frock coat, golf cap, and</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">years waved a conciliatory hand.<span> </span>He tried to look at the</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">boy's face; but for the life of him he couldn't raise his</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">eyes above the dazzling wealth clutched in the fingers</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">of those two small, slim hands.<span> </span>From one dangled a</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">pearl necklace which alone might have ransomed, if</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">not a king, at least a lesser member of a royal family,</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">while diamonds, rubies, sapphires, and emeralds scintil-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">lated in the flaring light of the fire.<span> </span>Nor was the fistful of</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">currency in the other hand to be sneezed at.<span> </span>There were</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">greenbacks, it is true; but there were also yellowbacks</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">with the reddish gold of large denominations.<span> </span>The Sky</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">Pilot sighed a sigh that was more than
half gasp.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"Can't yuh take a kid?" he inquired.<span> </span>"I knew youse</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">all along.<span> </span>Yuh can't fool an old bird like The Sky Pilot</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">--eh, boys?" and he turned to his comrades for confirma-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">tion.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"He's The Oskaloosa Kid," exclaimed one of the com-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">pany.<span> </span>"I'd know 'im anywheres."</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"Pull up and set down," invited another.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">The boy stuffed his loot back into his pockets and</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">came closer to the fire.<span> </span>Its warmth felt most comfort-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">able, for the Spring night was growing chill.<span> </span>He looked</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">about him at the motley company, some half-spruce in</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">clothing that suggested a Kuppenmarx label and a not</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">too far association with a tailor's goose, others in rags,</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">all but one unshaven and all more or less dirty--for</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">the open road is close to Nature, which is principally</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">dirt.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"Shake hands with Dopey Charlie," said The Sky Pi-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">lot, whose age and corpulency appeared to stamp him</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">with the hall mark of authority.<span> </span>The youth did as he</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">was bid, smiling into the sullen, chalk-white
face and</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">taking the clammy hand extended toward him.<span> </span>Was it a</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">shudder that passed through the lithe, young figure or</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">was it merely a subconscious recognition of the final pass-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">ing of the bodily cold before the glowing warmth of the</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">blaze? "And Soup Face," continued The Sky Pilot.<span> </span>A</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">battered wreck half rose and extended a pudgy hand.<span> </span></span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">Red whiskers, matted in little tangled wisps which sug-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">gested the dried ingredients of an infinite procession</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">of semi-liquid refreshments, rioted promiscuously over a</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">scarlet countenance.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"Pleased to meetcha," sprayed Soup Face.<span> </span>It was a</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">strained smile which twisted the rather too perfect</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">mouth of The Oskaloosa Kid, an appellation which we</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">must, perforce, accept since the youth did not deny it.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">Columbus Blackie, The General, and Dirty Eddie</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">were formally presented.<span> </span>As Dirty Eddie was, physi-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">cally, the cleanest member of the band the youth won-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">dered how he had come by his sobriquet--that is, he</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">wondered until he heard Dirty Eddie speak, after which</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">he was no longer
in doubt.<span> </span>The Oskaloosa Kid, self-con-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">fessed 'tramp' and burglar, flushed at the lurid obscenity</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">of Dirty Eddie's remarks.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"Sit down, bo," invited Soup Face.<span> </span>"I guess you're a</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">regular all right.<span> </span>Here, have a snifter?" and he pulled</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">a flask from his side pocket, holding it toward The Os-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">kaloosa Kid.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"Thank you, but;--er--I'm on the wagon, you know,"</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">declined the youth.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"Have a smoke?" suggested Columbus Blackie.<span> </span>"Here's</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">the makin's."</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">The change in the attitude of the men toward him</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">pleased The Oskaloosa Kid immensely.<span> </span>They were treat-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">ing him as one of them, and after the lonely walk through</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">the dark and desolate farm lands human companionship</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">of any kind was to him as the proverbial straw to the</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">man who rocked the boat once too often.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">Dopey Charlie and The General, alone of all the</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">company, waxed not enthusiastic over the advent of</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">The Oskaloosa Kid and his priceless loot.<span> </span>These two sat</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">scowling and whispering in the back-ground.<span> </span>"Dat's a</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">wrong
guy," muttered the former to the latter.<span> </span>"He's a</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">stool pigeon or one of dese amatoor mugs."</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"It's the pullin' of that punk graft that got my goat,"</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">replied The General.<span> </span>"I never seen a punk yet that didn't</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">try to make you think he was a wise guy an' dis stiff</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">don't belong enough even to pull a spiel that would fool</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">a old ladies' sewin' circle.<span> </span>I don't see wot The Sky Pi-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">lot's cozyin' up to him fer."</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"You don't?" scoffed Dopey Charlie.<span> </span>"Didn't you lamp</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">de oyster harness? To say nothin' of de mitful of rocks</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">and kale."</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"That 'ud be all right, too," replied the other, "if we</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">could put the guy to sleep; but The Sky Pilot won't</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">never stand for croakin' nobody.<span> </span>He's too scared of his</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">neck.<span> </span>We'll look like a bunch o' wise ones, won't we?</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">lettin' a stranger sit in now--after last night.<span> </span>Hell!" he</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">suddenly exploded.<span> </span>"Don't you know that you an' me</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">stand to swing if any of de bunch gets gabby in front</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">of dis phoney punk?"</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">The
two sat silent for a while, The General puffing on</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">a short briar, Dopey Charlie inhaling deep draughts</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">from a cigarette, and both glaring through narrowed lids</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">at the boy warming himself beside the fire where the</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">others were attempting to draw him out the while they</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">strove desperately but unavailingly to keep their eyes</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">from the two bulging sidepockets of their guest's coat.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">Soup Face, who had been assiduously communing</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">with a pint flask, leaned close to Columbus Blackie, plac-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">ing his whiskers within an inch or so of the other's nose</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">as was his habit when addressing another, and whis-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">pered, relative to the pearl necklace: "Not a cent less</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">'n fifty thou, bo!"</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"Fertheluvomike!" ejaculated Blackie, drawing back</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">and wiping a palm quickly across his lips.<span> </span>"Get a plum-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">ber first if you want to kiss me--you leak."</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"He thinks you need a shower bath," said Dirty Ed-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">die, laughing.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"The trouble with Soup Face," explained The Sky Pi-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">lot, "is that he's got a idea
he's a human atomizer an'</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">that the rest of us has colds."</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"Well, I don't want no atomizer loaded with rot-gut</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">and garlic shot in my mug," growled Blackie.<span> </span>"What</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">Soup Face needs is to be learned ettyket, an' if he</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">comes that on me again I'm goin' to push his mush</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">through the back of his bean."</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">An ugly light came into the blear eyes of Soup Face.<span> </span></span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">Once again he leaned close to Columbus Blackie.<span> </span></span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"Not a cent less 'n fifty thou, you tinhorn!" he bellowed,</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">belligerent and sprayful.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">Blackie leaped to his feet, with an oath--a frightful,</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">hideous oath--and as he rose he swung a heavy fist to</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">Soup Face's purple nose.<span> </span>The latter rolled over back-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">ward; but was upon his feet again much quicker than one</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">would have expected in so gross a bulk, and as he came</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">to his feet a knife flashed in his hand.<span> </span>With a sound that</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">was more bestial than human he ran toward Blackie;</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">but there was another there who had anticipated his in-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">tentions.<span> </span>As the blow was struck The Sky Pilot had</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">risen; and now
he sprang forward, for all his age and</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">bulk as nimble as a cat, and seized Soup Face by the</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">wrist.<span> </span>A quick wrench brought a howl of pain to the</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">would-be assassin, and the knife fell to the floor.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"You gotta cut that if you travel with this bunch,"</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">said The Sky Pilot in a voice that was new to The Os-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">kaloosa Kid; and you, too, Blackie," he continued.<span> </span>"The</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">rough stuff don't go with me, see?" He hurled Soup</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">Face to the floor and resumed his seat by the fire.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">The youth was astonished at the physical strength of</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">this old man, seemingly so softened by dissipation; but it</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">showed him the source of The Sky Pilot's authority and</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">its scope, for Columbus Blackie and Soup Face quitted</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">their quarrel immediately.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">Dirty Eddie rose, yawned and stretched.<span> </span>"Me fer</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">the hay," he announced, and lay down again with his</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">feet toward the fire.<span> </span>Some of the others followed his</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">example.<span> </span>"You'll find some hay in the loft there," said</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">The Sky Pilot to The Oskaloosa Kid.<span> </span>"Bring it down an'</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">make your bed here by me, there's plenty room."</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">A half hour later all were stretched out upon the hard</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">dirt floor upon improvised beds of rotted hay; but not</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">all slept.<span> </span>The Oskaloosa Kid, though tired, found him-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">self wider awake than he ever before had been.<span> </span>Appar-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">ently sleep could never again come to those heavy eyes.<span> </span></span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">There passed before his mental vision a panorama of</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">the events of the night.<span> </span>He smiled as he inaudibly voiced</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">the name they had given him, the right to which he had</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">not seen fit to deny.<span> </span>"The Oskaloosa Kid." The boy</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">smiled again as be felt the 'swag' hard and lumpy in</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">his pockets.<span> </span>It had given him prestige here that he could</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">not have gained by any other means; but he mistook</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">the nature of the interest which his display of stolen</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">wealth had aroused.<span> </span>He thought that the men now</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">looked upon him as a fellow criminal to be accepted into</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">the fraternity through achievement; whereas they suf-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">fered him to remain solely in the hope of transferring</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">his loot to their own pockets.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">It is
true that he puzzled them.<span> </span>Even The Sky Pilot,</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">the most astute and intelligent of them all, was at a loss</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">to fathom The Oskaloosa Kid.<span> </span>Innocence and unsophisti-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">cation flaunted their banners in almost every act and</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">speech of The Oskaloosa Kid.<span> </span>The youth reminded him</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">in some ways of members of a Sunday school which had</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">flourished in the dim vistas of his past when, as an or-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">dained minister of the Gospel, he had earned the so-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">briquet which now identified him.<span> </span>But the concrete</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">evidence of the valuable loot comported not with The</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">Sky Pilot's idea of a Sunday school boy's lark.<span> </span>The young</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">fellow was, unquestionably, a thief; but that he had ever</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">before consorted with thieves his speech and manners</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">belied.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"He's got me," murmured The Sky Pilot; "but he's got</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">the stuff on him, too; and all I want is to get it off of</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">him without a painful operation.<span> </span>Tomorrow'll do," and</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">he shifted his position and fell asleep.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">Dopey Charlie and The General did not, however,</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">follow the example of their chief.<span> </span>They remained very</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">wide awake, a little apart from the others, where their</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">low whispers could not be overheard.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"You better do it," urged The General, in a soft, in-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">sinuating voice.<span> </span>"You're pretty slick with the toad stab-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">ber, an' any way one more or less won't count."</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"We can go to Sout' America on dat stuff an' live</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">like gents," muttered Dopey Charlie.<span> </span>"I'm goin' to cut</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">out de Hop an' buy a farm an' a ottymobeel and--"</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"Come out of it," admonished The General.<span> </span>"If we're</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">lucky we'll get as far as Cincinnati, get a stew on and</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">get pinched.<span> </span>Den one of us'll hang an' de other get stir</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">fer life."</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">The General was a weasel faced person of almost</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">any age between thirty-five and sixty.<span> </span>Sometimes he</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">could have passed for a hundred and ten.<span> </span>He had won</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">his military title as a boy in the famous march of Coxey's</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">army on Washington, or, rather, the title had been con-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">ferred upon him in later years as a merited reward of</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">service.<span> </span>The General, profiting by the precepts of his</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">erstwhile companions in arms, had never soiled his mil-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">itary escutcheon by labor, nor had he ever risen to the</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">higher planes of criminality.<span> </span>Rather as a mediocre pick-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">pocket and a timorous confidence man had he eked out</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">a meager existence, amply punctuated by seasons</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">of straight bumming and intervals spent as the guest of</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">various inhospitably hospitable states.<span> </span>Now, for the first</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">time in his life, The General faced the possibility of a</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">serious charge; and his terror made him what he never</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">before had been, a dangerous criminal.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"You're a cheerful guy," commented Dopey Charlie;</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"but you may be right at dat.<span> </span>Dey can't hang a guy any</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">higher fer two 'an they can fer one an' dat's no pipe;</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">so wots de use.<span> </span>Wait till I take a shot--it'll be easier,"</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">and he drew a small, worn case from an inside pocket,</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">bared his arm to the elbow and injected enough mor-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">phine to have killed a dozen normal men.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">From a pile of mouldy hay across the barn the youth,</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">heavy eyed but sleepless, watched the two through half</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">closed lids.<span> </span>A qualm of disgust sent a sudden shudder</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">through his slight frame.<span> </span>For the first time he almost re-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">gretted having embarked upon a life of crime.<span> </span>He had</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">seen that the two men were conversing together earn-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">estly, though he could overhear nothing they said, and</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">that he had been the subject of their nocturnal colloquy,</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">for several times a glance or a nod in his direction as-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">sured him of this.<span> </span>And so he lay watching them--not</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">that he was afraid, he kept reassuring himself, but</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">through curiosity.<span> </span>Why should he be afraid? Was it not</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">a well known truth that there was honor among thieves?</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">But the longer he watched the heavier grew his lids.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">Several times they closed to be dragged open again only</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">by painful effort.<span> </span>Finally came a time that they remained</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">closed and the young chest rose and fell in the regular</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">breathing of slumber.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">The two ragged, rat-hearted creatures rose silently</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">and picked their way, half-crouched, among the sleepers</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">sprawled between them and The Oskaloosa Kid.<span> </span>In the</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">hand of Dopey
Charlie gleamed a bit of shiny steel and</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">in his heart were fear and greed.<span> </span>The fear was engend-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">ered by the belief that the youth might be an amateur</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">detective.<span> </span>Dopey Charlie had had one experience of</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">such and he knew that it was easily possible for them to</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">blunder upon evidence which the most experienced of</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">operatives might pass over unnoticed, and the loot bulg-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">ing pockets furnished a sufficient greed motive in them-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">selves.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">Beside the boy kneeled the man with the knife.<span> </span>He</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">did not raise his hand and strike a sudden, haphazard</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">blow.<span> </span>Instead he placed the point carefully, though</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">lightly, above the victim's heart, and then, suddenly, bore</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">his weight upon the blade.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">Abigail Prim always had been a thorn in the flesh of her</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">stepmother--a well-meaning, unimaginative, ambitious,</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">and rather common woman.<span> </span>Coming into the Prim home</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">as housekeeper shortly after the death of Abigail's</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">mother, the second Mrs. Prim had from the first looked</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">upon Abigail principally as an obstacle to be overcome.<span> </span></span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">She had tried to 'do right
by her'; but she had never</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">given the child what a child most needs and most</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">craves--love and understanding.<span> </span>Not loving Abigail, the</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">housekeeper could, naturally, not give her love; and as</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">for understanding her one might as reasonably have ex-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">pected an adding machine to understand higher mathe-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">matics.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">Jonas Prim loved his daughter.<span> </span>There was nothing,</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">within reason, that money could buy which he would</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">not have given her for the asking; but Jonas Prim's love,</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">as his life, was expressed in dollar signs, while the love</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">which Abigail craved is better expressed by any other</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">means at the command of man.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">Being misunderstood and, to all outward appearances</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">of sentiment and affection, unloved had not in any way</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">embittered Abigail's remarkably joyous temperament.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">made up for it in some measure by getting all the fun</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">and excitement out of life which she could discover</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">therein, or invent through the medium of her own re-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">sourceful imagination.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">But recently the first real sorrow had been thrust into</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">her young life since the
half-forgotten mother had been</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">taken from her.<span> </span>The second Mrs. Prim had decided that</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">it was her 'duty' to see that Abigail, having finished</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">school and college, was properly married.<span> </span>As a match-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">maker the second Mrs. Prim was as a Texas steer in a</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">ten cent store.<span> </span>It was nothing to her that Abigail did</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">not wish to marry anyone, or that the man of Mrs.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">Prim's choice, had he been the sole surviving male in</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">the Universe, would have still been as far from Abigail's</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">choice as though he had been an inhabitant of one of</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">Orion's most distant planets.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">As a matter of fact Abigail Prim detested Samuel</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">Benham because he represented to her everything in</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">life which she shrank from--age, avoirdupois, infirmity,</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">baldness, stupidity, and matrimony.<span> </span>He was a prosaic</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">old bachelor who had amassed a fortune by the simple</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">means of inheriting three farms upon which an indus-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">trial city subsequently had been built.<span> </span>Necessity rather</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">than foresight had compelled him to hold on to his prop-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">erty; and six weeks of typhoid, arriving and departing,</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">had
saved him from selling out at a low figure.<span> </span>The first</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">time he found himself able to be out and attend to busi-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">ness he likewise found himself a wealthy man, and ever</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">since he had been growing wealthier without personal</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">effort.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">All of which is to render evident just how impossible a</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">matrimonial proposition was Samuel Benham to a bright,</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">a beautiful, a gay, an imaginative, young, and a witty</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">girl such as Abigail Prim, who cared less for money than</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">for almost any other desirable thing in the world.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">Nagged, scolded, reproached, pestered, threatened,</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">Abigail had at last given a seeming assent to her step-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">mother's ambition; and had forthwith been packed off</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">on a two weeks visit to the sister of the bride-groom</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">elect.<span> </span>After which Mr. Benham was to visit Oakdale as</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">a guest of the Prims, and at a dinner for which cards al-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">ready had been issued--so sure was Mrs. Jonas Prim of</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">her position of dictator of the Prim menage--the engage-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">ment was to be announced.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">It was some time after dinner on the night of Abigail's</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">departure
that Mrs. Prim, following a habit achieved by</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">years of housekeeping, set forth upon her rounds to see</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">that doors and windows were properly secured for the</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">night.<span> </span>A French window and its screen opening upon</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">the verandah from the library she found open.<span> </span>"The</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">house will be full of mosquitoes!" she ejaculated men-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">tally as she closed them both with a bang and made them</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">fast.<span> </span>"I should just like to know who left them open.<span> </span></span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">Upon my word, I don't know what would become of</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">this place if it wasn't for me.<span> </span>Of all the shiftlessness!"</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">and she turned and flounced upstairs.<span> </span>In Abigail's room</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">she flashed on the center dome light from force of habit,</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">although she knew that the room had been left in proper</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">condition after the girl's departure earlier in the day.<span> </span></span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">The first thing amiss that her eagle eye noted was the</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">candlestick lying on the floor beside the dressing table.<span> </span></span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">As she stooped to pick it up she saw the open drawer</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">from which the small automatic had been removed, and</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">then, suspicions, suddenly aroused, as
suddenly became</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">fear; and Mrs. Prim almost dove across the room to the</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">hidden wall safe.<span> </span>A moment's investigation revealed the</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">startling fact that the safe was unlocked and practically</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">empty.<span> </span>It was then that Mrs. Jonas Prim screamed.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">Her scream brought Jonas and several servants upon</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">the scene.<span> </span>A careful inspection of the room disclosed the</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">fact that while much of value had been ignored the bur-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">glar had taken the easily concealed contents of the wall</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">safe which represented fully ninety percentum of the</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">value of the personal property in Abigail Prim's apart-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">ments.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">Mrs. Prim scowled suspiciously upon the servants.<span> </span></span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">Who else, indeed, could have possessed the intimate</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">knowledge which the thief had displayed.<span> </span>Mrs. Prim</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">saw it all.<span> </span>The open library window had been but a</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">clever blind to hide the fact that the thief had worked</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">from the inside and was now doubtless in the house at</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">that very moment.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"Jonas," she directed, "call the police at once, and see</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">that no one, absolutely no one, leaves this
house until</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">they have been here and made a full investigation."</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"Shucks, Pudgy!" exclaimed Mr. Prim.<span> </span>"You don't think</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">the thief is waiting around here for the police, do you?"</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"I think that if you get the police here at once, Jonas,</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">we shall find both the thief and the loot under our very</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">roof," she replied, not without asperity.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"You don't mean--" he hesitated.<span> </span>"Why, Pudgy, you</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">don't mean you suspect one of the servants?"</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"Who else could have known?" asked Mrs. Prim.<span> </span>The</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">servants present looked uncomfortable and cast sheep-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">ish eyes of suspicion at one another.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"It's all tommy rot!" ejaculated Mr. Prim; "but I'll call</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">the police, because I got to report the theft.<span> </span>It's some</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">slick outsider, that's who it is," and he started down</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">stairs toward the telephone.<span> </span>Before he reached it the bell</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">rang, and when he had hung up the receiver after the</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">conversation the theft seemed a trivial matter.<span> </span>In fact</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">he had almost forgotten
it, for the message had been</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">from the local telegraph office relaying a wire they had</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">just received from Mr. Samuel Benham.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"I say, Pudgy," he cried, as he took the steps two at</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">a time for the second floor, "here's a wire from Benham</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">saying Gail didn't come on that train and asking when</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">he's to expect her."</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"Impossible!" ejaculated Mrs. Prim.<span> </span>"I certainly saw</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">her aboard the train myself.<span> </span>Impossible!"</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">Jonas Prim was a man of action.<span> </span>Within half an hour</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">he had set in motion such wheels as money and influence</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">may cause to revolve in search of some clew to the</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">whereabouts of the missing Abigail, and at the same</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">time had reported the theft of jewels and money from</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">his home; but in doing this he had learned that other</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">happenings no less remarkable in their way had taken</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">place in Oakdale that very night.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">The following morning all Oakdale was thrilled as its</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">fascinated eves devoured the front page of Oakdale's or-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">dinarily dull daily.<span> </span>Never had Oakdale experienced a</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">plethora
of home-grown thrills; but it came as near to</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">it that morning, doubtless, as it ever had or ever will.<span> </span></span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">Not since the cashier of The Merchants and Farmers</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">Bank committed suicide three years past had Oakdale</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">been so wrought up, and now that historic and classical</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">event paled into insignificance in the glaring brilliancy</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">of a series of crimes and mysteries of a single night such</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">as not even the most sanguine of Oakdale's thrill lovers</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">could have hoped for.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">There was, first, the mysterious disappearance of Abi-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">gail Prim, the only daughter of Oakdale's wealthiest cit-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">izen; there was the equally mysterious robbery of the</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">Prim home.<span> </span>Either one of these would have been suffi-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">cient to have set Oakdale's multitudinous tongues wag-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">ging for days; but they were not all.<span> </span>Old John Baggs, the</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">city's best known miser, had suffered a murderous as-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">sault in his little cottage upon the outskirts of town,</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">and was even now lying at the point of death in The</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">Samaritan Hospital.<span> </span>That robbery had been the motive</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">was amply indicated by the
topsy-turvy condition of the</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">contents of the three rooms which Baggs called home.<span> </span></span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">As the victim still was unconscious no details of the</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">crime were obtainable.<span> </span>Yet even this atrocious deed had</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">been capped by one yet more hideous.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">Reginald Paynter had for years been looked upon</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">half askance and yet with a certain secret pride by Oak-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">dale.<span> </span>He was her sole bon vivant in the true sense of</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">the word, whatever that may be.<span> </span>He was always spoken</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">of in the columns of The Oakdale Tribune as 'that well</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">known man-about-town,' or 'one of Oakdale's most prom-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">inent clubmen.' Reginald Paynter had been, if not the</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">only, at all events the best dressed man in town.<span> </span>His</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">clothes were made in New York.<span> </span>This in itself had been</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">sufficient to have set him apart from all the other males</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">of Oakdale.<span> </span>He was widely travelled, had an indepen-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">dent fortune, and was far from unhandsome.<span> </span>For years</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">he had been the hope and despair of every Oakdale</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">mother with marriageable daughters.<span> </span>The Oakdale</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">fathers, however, had not been so keen about Reginald.<span> </span></span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">Men usually know more about the morals of men than</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">do women.<span> </span>There were those who, if pressed, would</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">have conceded that Reginald had no morals.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">But what place has an obituary in a truthful tale of</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">adventure and mystery! Reginald Paynter was dead.<span> </span>His</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">body had been found beside the road just outside the</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">city limits at midnight by a party of automobilists re-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">turning from a fishing trip.<span> </span>The skull was crushed back</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">of the left ear.<span> </span>The position of the body as well as the</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">marks in the road beside it indicated that the man had</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">been hurled from a rapidly moving automobile.<span> </span>The fact</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">that his pockets had been rifled led to the assumption</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">that he had been killed and robbed before being dumped</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">upon the road.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">Now there were those in Oakdale, and they were</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">many, who endeavored to connect in some way these</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">several events of horror, mystery, and crime.<span> </span>In the first</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">place it seemed quite evident that the robbery at the</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">Prim home, the assault upon Old Baggs, and the mur-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">der of Paynter had been the work of the same man; but</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">how
could such a series of frightful happenings be in any</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">way connected with the disappearance of Abigail Prim?</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">Of course there were many who knew that Abigail and</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">Reginald were old friends; and that the former had, on</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">frequent occasions, ridden abroad in Reginald's French</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">roadster, that he had escorted her to parties and been,</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">at various times, a caller at her home; but no less had</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">been true of a dozen other perfectly respectable young</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">ladies of Oakdale.<span> </span>Possibly it was only Abigail's added</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">misfortune to have disappeared upon the eve of the</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">night of Reginald's murder.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">But later in the day when word came from a nearby</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">town that Reginald had been seen in a strange touring</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">car with two unknown men and a girl, the gossips com-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">menced to wag their heads.<span> </span>It was mentioned, casually</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">of course, that this town was a few stations along the</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">very road upon which Abigail had departed the previous</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">afternoon for that destination which she had not reached.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">It was likewise remarked that Reginald, the two strange</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">men and the GIRL had been first
noticed after the time of</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">arrival of the Oakdale train! What more was needed?</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">Absolutely nothing more.<span> </span>The tongues ceased wagging</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">in order that they might turn hand-springs.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">Find Abigail Prim, whispered some, and the mystery</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">will be solved.<span> </span>There were others charitable enough to</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">assume that Abigail had been kidnapped by the same</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">men who had murdered Paynter and wrought the other</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">lesser deeds of crime in peaceful Oakdale.<span> </span>The Oakdale</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">Tribune got out an extra that afternoon giving a resume</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">of such evidence as had appeared in the regular edition</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">and hinting at all the numerous possibilities suggested</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">by such matter as had come to hand since.<span> </span>Even fear</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">of old Jonas Prim and his millions had not been enough</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">to entirely squelch the newspaper instinct of the Trib-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">une's editor.<span> </span>Never before had he had such an oppor-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">tunity and he made the best of it, even repeating the</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">vague surmises which had linked the name of Abigail</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">to the murder of Reginald Paynter.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">Jonas Prim was too busy and too worried to pay any</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">attention to the
Tribune or its editor.<span> </span>He already had</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">the best operative that the best detective agency in the</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">nearest metropolis could furnish.<span> </span>The man had come to</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">Oakdale, learned all that was to be learned there, and</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">forthwith departed.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">This, then, will be about all concerning Oakdale for</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">the present.<span> </span>We must leave her to bury her own dead.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">The sudden pressure of the knife point against the</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">breast of the Oskaloosa Kid awakened the youth with</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">a startling suddenness which brought him to his feet be-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">fore a second vicious thrust reached him.<span> </span>For a time he</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">did not realize how close he had been to death or that</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">he had been saved by the chance location of the auto-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">matic pistol in his breast pocket--the very pistol he had</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">taken from the dressing table of Abigail Prim's boudoir.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">The commotion of the attack and escape brought the</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">other sleepers to heavy-eyed wakefulness.<span> </span>They saw</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">Dopey Charlie advancing upon the Kid, a knife in his</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">hand.<span> </span>Behind him slunk The General, urging the other</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">on. The youth was backing toward the doorway.<span> </span>The</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">tableau persisted but for an instant.<span> </span>Then the would-be</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">murderer rushed madly upon his victim, the latter's</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">hand leaped from beneath the breast of his torn coat--</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">there was a flash of flame, a staccato report and Dopey</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">Charlie crumpled to the ground, screaming.<span> </span>In the same</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">instant The Oskaloosa Kid wheeled and vanished into</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">the night.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">It had all happened so quickly that the other members</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">of the gang, awakened from deep slumber, had only</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">time to stumble to their feet before it was over.<span> </span>The</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">Sky Pilot, ignoring the screaming Charlie, thought only</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">of the loot which had vanished with the Oskaloosa Kid.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"Come on! We gotta get him," he cried, as he ran</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">from the barn after the fugitive.<span> </span>The others, all but</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">Dopey Charlie, followed in the wake of their leader.<span> </span></span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">The wounded man, his audience departed, ceased</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">screaming and, sitting up, fell to examining himself.<span> </span>To</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">his surprise he discovered that he was not dead.<span> </span>A fur-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">ther and more minute examination disclosed the addi-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">tional fact that he was not even badly
wounded.<span> </span>The</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">bullet of The Kid had merely creased the flesh over</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">the ribs beneath his right arm.<span> </span>With a grunt that might</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">have been either disgust or relief he stumbled to his</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">feet and joined in the pursuit.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">Down the road toward the south ran The Oskaloosa</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">Kid with all the fleetness of youth spurred on by terror.<span> </span></span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">In five minutes he had so far outdistanced his pursuers</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">that The Sky Pilot leaped to the conclusion that the</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">quarry had left the road to hide in an adjoining field.<span> </span></span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">The resultant halt and search upon either side of the</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">road delayed the chase to a sufficient extent to award</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">the fugitive a mile lead by the time the band resumed</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">the hunt along the main highway.<span> </span>The men were de-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">termined to overhaul the youth not alone because of</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">the loot upon his person but through an abiding suspi-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">cion that he might indeed be what some of them feared</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">he was--an amateur detective--and there were at least</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">two among them who had reason to be especially fear-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">ful of any sort of detective from Oakdale.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">They no longer ran; but
puffed arduously along the</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">smooth road, searching with troubled and angry eyes to</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">right and left and ahead of them as they went.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">The Oskaloosa Kid puffed, too; but he puffed a mile</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">away from the searchers and he walked more rapidly</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">than they, for his muscles were younger and his wind</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">unimpaired by dissipation.<span> </span>For a time he carried the</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">small automatic in his hand; but later, hearing no evi-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">dence of pursuit, he returned it to the pocket in his coat</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">where it had lain when it had saved him from death be-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">neath the blade of the degenerate Charlie.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">For an hour he continued walking rapidly along the</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">winding country road.<span> </span>He was very tired; but he dared</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">not pause to rest.<span> </span>Always behind him he expected the</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">sudden onslaught of the bearded, blear-eyed followers</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">of The Sky Pilot.<span> </span>Terror goaded him to supreme physical</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">effort.<span> </span>Recollection of the screaming man sinking to the</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">earthen floor of the hay barn haunted him.<span> </span>He was a</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">murderer! He had slain a fellow man.<span> </span>He winced and</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">shuddered, increasing his gait until again he almost ran</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">--ran from the ghost pursuing him through the black</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">night in greater terror than he felt for the flesh and</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">blood pursuers upon his heels.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">And Nature drew upon her sinister forces to add to</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">the fear which the youth already felt.<span> </span>Black clouds ob-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">scured the moon blotting out the soft kindliness of the</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">greening fields and transforming the budding branches</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">of the trees to menacing and gloomy arms which ap-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">peared to hover with clawlike talons above the dark and</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">forbidding road.<span> </span>The wind soughed with gloomy and in-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">creasing menace, a sudden light flared across the south-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">ern sky followed by the reverberation of distant thunder.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">Presently a great rain drop was blown against the</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">youth's face; the vividness of the lightning had increased;</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">the rumbling of the thunder had grown to the propor-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">tions of a titanic bombardment; but he dared not pause</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">to seek shelter.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">Another flash of lightning revealed a fork in the road</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">immediately ahead--to the left ran the broad, smooth</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">highway, to the right a dirt road, overarched by
trees,</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">led away into the impenetrable dark.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">The fugitive paused, undecided.<span> </span>Which way should</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">he turn? The better travelled highway seemed less mys-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">terious and awesome, yet would his pursuers not natur-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">ally assume that he had followed it? Then, of course,</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">the right hand road was the road for him.<span> </span>Yet still he</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">hesitated, for the right hand road was black and forbid-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">ding; suggesting the entrance to a pit of unknown hor-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">rors.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">As he stood there with the rain and the wind, the</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">thunder and the lightning, horror of the past and terror</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">of the future his only companions there broke suddenly</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">through the storm the voice of a man just ahead and</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">evidently approaching along the highway.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">The youth turned to flee; but the thought of the men</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">tracking him from that direction brought him to a sud-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">den halt.<span> </span>There was only the road to the right, then,</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">after all.<span> </span>Cautiously he moved toward it, and at the</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">same time the words of the voice came clearly through</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">the night:</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"><span> </span>"'. . . as, swinging heel and toe,</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">'We tramped
the road to Anywhere, the magic road</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"><span> </span>to Anywhere,</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">'The tragic road to Anywhere, such dear, dim years</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"><span> </span>ago.'"</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">The voice seemed reassuring--its quality and the an-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">nunciation of the words bespoke for its owner consider-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">able claim to refinement.<span> </span>The youth had halted again,</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">but he now crouched to one side fearing to reveal his</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">presence because of the bloody crime he thought he had</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">committed; yet how he yearned to throw himself upon</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">the compassion of this fine voiced stranger! How his</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">every fibre cried out for companionship in this night of</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">his greatest terror; but he would have let the invisible</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">minstrel pass had not Fate ordained to light the scene</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">at that particular instant with a prolonged flare of</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">sheet lightning, revealing the two wayfarers to one an-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">other.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">The youth saw a slight though well built man in</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">ragged clothes and disreputable soft hat.<span> </span>The image was</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">photographed upon his brain for life--the honest, laugh-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">ing eyes, the well moulded features harmonizing so well</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">with the voice,
and the impossible garments which</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">marked the man hobo and bum as plainly as though he</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">wore a placard suspended from his neck.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">The stranger halted.<span> </span>Once more darkness enveloped</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">them.<span> </span>"Lovely evening for a stroll," remarked the man.<span> </span></span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"Running out to your country place? Isn't there danger</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">of skidding on these wet roads at night? I told James,</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">just before we started, to be sure to see that the chains</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">were on all around; but he forgot them.<span> </span>James is very</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">trying sometimes.<span> </span>Now he never showed up this evening</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">and I had to start out alone, and he knows perfectly</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">well that I detest driving after dark in the rain."</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">The youth found himself smiling.<span> </span>His fear had sud-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">denly vanished.<span> </span>No one could harbor suspicion of the</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">owner of that cheerful voice.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"I didn't know which road to take," he ventured, in</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">explanation of his presence at the cross road.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"Oh," exclaimed the man, "are there two roads here?</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">I was looking for this fork and came near passing it in</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">the dark.<span> </span>It was
a year ago since I came this way; but I</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">recall a deserted house about a mile up the dirt road.<span> </span>It</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">will shelter us from the inclemencies of the weather."</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"Oh!" cried the youth.<span> </span>"Now I know where I am.<span> </span>In</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">the dark and the storm and after all that has happened</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">to me tonight nothing seemed natural.<span> </span>It was just as</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">though I was in some strange land; but I know now.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">Yes, there is a deserted house a little less than a mile</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">from here; but you wouldn't want to stop there at night.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">They tell some frightful stories about it.<span> </span>It hasn't been</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">occupied for over twenty years--not since the Squibbs</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">were found murdered there--the father, mother three</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">sons, and a daughter.<span> </span>They never discovered the mur-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">derer, and the house has stood vacant and the farm un-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">worked almost continuously since.<span> </span>A couple of men tried<span> </span></span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">working it; but they didn't stay long.<span> </span>A night or so was</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">enough for them and their families.<span> </span>I remember hear-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">ing as a little--er--child stories of the frightful things</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">that happened there in the house where
the Squibbs</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">were murdered--things that happened after dark when</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">the lights were out.<span> </span>Oh, I wouldn't even pass that place</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">on a night<span> </span>like<span> </span>this."</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">The man smiled.<span> </span>"I slept there alone one rainy night</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">about a year ago," he said.<span> </span>"I didn't see or hear any-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">thing unusual.<span> </span>Such stories are ridiculous; and even if</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">there was a little truth in them, noises can't harm you as</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">much as sleeping out in the storm.<span> </span>I'm going to en-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">croach once more upon the ghostly hospitality of the</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">Squibbs.<span> </span>Better come with me."</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">The youth shuddered and drew back.<span> </span>From far be-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">hind came faintly the shout of a man.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"Yes, I'll go," exclaimed the boy.<span> </span>"Let's hurry," and he</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">started off at a half-run toward the dirt road.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">The man followed more slowly.<span> </span>The darkness hid the</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">quizzical expression of his eyes.<span> </span>He, too, had heard the</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">faint shout far to the rear.<span> </span>He recalled the boy's "after</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">all that has happened to me tonight," and he shrewdly</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">guessed that the latter's sudden determination
to brave</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">the horrors of the haunted house was closely connected</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">with the hoarse voice out of the distance.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">When he had finally come abreast of the youth after</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">the latter, his first panic of flight subsided, had reduced</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">his speed, he spoke to him in his kindly tones.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"What was it that happened to you tonight?" he</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">asked.<span> </span>"Is someone following you? You needn't be afraid</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">of me.<span> </span>I'll help you if you've been on the square.<span> </span>If</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">you haven't, you still needn't fear me, for I won't peach</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">on you.<span> </span>What is it? Tell me."</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">The youth was on the point of unburdening his soul</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">to this stranger with the kindly voice and the honest</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">eyes; but a sudden fear stayed his tongue.<span> </span>If he told all</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">it would be necessary to reveal certain details that he</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">could not bring himself to reveal to anyone, and so he</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">commenced with his introduction to the wayfarers in the</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">deserted hay barn.<span> </span>Briefly he told of the attack upon</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">him, of his shooting of Dopey Charlie, of the flight and</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">pursuit.<span> </span>"And now," he said in conclusion, "that you</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">know I'm a murderer I suppose you won't have any</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">more to do with me, unless you turn me over to the</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">authorities to hang." There was almost a sob in his voice,</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">so real was his terror.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">The man threw an arm across his companion's shoul-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">der.<span> </span>"Don't worry, kid," he said.<span> </span>"You're not a murderer</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">even if you did kill Dopey Charlie, which I hope you</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">did.<span> </span>You're a benefactor of the human race.<span> </span>I have known</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">Charles for years.<span> </span>He should have been killed long since.<span> </span></span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">Furthermore, as you shot in self defence no jury would</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">convict you.<span> </span>I fear, however, that you didn't kill him.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">You say you could hear his screams as long as you were</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">within earshot of the barn--dead men don't scream, you</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">know."</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"How did you know my name?" asked the youth.<span> </span></span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"I don't," replied the man.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"But you called me 'Kid' and that's my name--I'm</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">The Oskaloosa Kid."</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">The man was glad that the darkness hid his smile of</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">amusement.<span> </span>He knew The Oskaloosa Kid well, and he</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">knew
him as an ex-pug with a pock marked face, a bul-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">let head, and a tin ear.<span> </span>The flash of lightning had re-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">vealed, upon the contrary, a slender boy with smooth</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">skin, an oval face, and large dark eyes.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"Ah," he said, "so you are The Oskaloosa Kid! I am</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">delighted, sir, to make your acquaintance.<span> </span>Permit me</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">to introduce myself: my name is Bridge.<span> </span>If James were</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">here I should ask him to mix one of his famous cock-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">tails that we might drink to our mutual happiness and</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">the longevity of our friendship."</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"I am glad to know you, Mr. Bridge," said the youth.<span> </span></span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"Oh, I can't tell you how glad I am to know you.<span> </span>I was</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">so lonely and so afraid," and he pressed closer to the</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">older man whose arm still encircled his shoulder, though</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">at first he had been inclined to draw away in some con-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">fusion.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">Talking together the two moved on along the dark</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">road.<span> </span>The storm had settled now into a steady rain</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">with infrequent flashes of lightning and peals of thun-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">der.<span> </span>There had been no further indications of pursuit;</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">but Bridge argued that The Sky Pilot, being wise with</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">the wisdom of the owl and cunning with the cunning of</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">the fox, would doubtless surmise that a fugitive would</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">take to the first road leading away from the main artery,</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">and that even though they heard nothing it would be</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">safe to assume that the gang was still upon the boy's</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">trail.<span> </span>"And it's a bad bunch, too," he continued.<span> </span>"I've</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">known them all for years.<span> </span>The Sky Pilot has the reputa-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">tion of never countenancing a murder; but that is be-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">cause be is a sly one.<span> </span>His gang kills; but when they kill</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">under The Sky Pilot they do it so cleverly that no trace</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">of the crime remains.<span> </span>Their victim disappears--that is</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">all."</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">The boy trembled.<span> </span>"You won't let them get me?" he</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">pleaded, pressing closer to the man.<span> </span>The only response</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">was a pressure of the arm about the shoulders of The</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">Oskaloosa Kid.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">Over a low hill they followed the muddy road and</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">down into a dark and gloomy ravine.<span> </span>In a little open</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">space to the right of the road a flash of
lightning re-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">vealed the outlines of a building a hundred yards from</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">the rickety and decaying fence which bordered the</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">Squibbs' farm and separated it from the road.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"Here we are!" cried Bridge, "and spooks or no spooks</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">we'll find a dry spot in that old ruin.<span> </span>There was a stove</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">there last year and it's doubtless there yet.<span> </span>A good fire</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">to dry our clothes and warm us up will fit us for a bully</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">good sleep, and I'll wager a silk hat that The Oskaloosa</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">Kid is a mighty sleepy kid, eh?"</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">The boy admitted the allegation and the two turned</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">in through the gateway, stepping over the fallen gate</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">and moving through knee high weeds toward the for-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">bidding structure in the distance.<span> </span>A clump of trees sur-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">rounded the house, their shade adding to the almost ut-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">ter blackness of the night.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">The two had reached the verandah when Bridge,</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">turning, saw a brilliant light flaring through the night</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">above the crest of the hill they had just topped in their</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">descent into the ravine, or, to be more explicit, the small</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">valley,
where stood the crumbling house of Squibbs.<span> </span>The</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">purr of a rapidly moving motor rose above the rain, the</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">light rose, fell, swerved to the right and to the left.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"Someone must be in a hurry," commented Bridge.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"I suppose it is James, anxious to find you and ex-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">plain his absence," suggested The Oskaloosa Kid.<span> </span>They</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">both laughed.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"Gad!" cried Bridge, as the car topped the hill and</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">plunged downward toward them, "I'd hate to ride be-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">hind that fellow on a night like this, and over a dirt</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">road at that!"</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">As the car swung onto the straight road before the</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">house a flash of lightning revealed dimly the outlines of</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">a rapidly moving touring car with lowered top.<span> </span>Just as</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">the machine came opposite the Squibbs' gate a woman's</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">scream mingled with the report of a pistol from the ton-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">neau and the watchers upon the verandah saw a dark</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">bulk hurled from the car, which sped on with undimin-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">ished speed, climbed the hill beyond and disappeared</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">from view.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">Bridge started on a run toward
the gateway, followed</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">by the frightened Kid.<span> </span>In the ditch beside the road they</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">found in a dishevelled heap the body of a young woman.<span> </span></span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">The man lifted the still form in his arms.<span> </span>The youth</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">wondered at the great strength of the slight figure.<span> </span>"Let</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">me help you carry her," he volunteered; but Bridge</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">needed no assistance.<span> </span>"Run ahead and open the door for</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">me," he said, as he bore his burden toward the house.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">Forgetful, in the excitement of the moment, of his</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">terror of the horror ridden ruin, The Oskaloosa Kid has-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">tened ahead, mounted the few steps to the verandah,</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">crossed it and pushed open the sagging door.<span> </span>Behind</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">him came Bridge as the youth entered the dark interior.<span> </span></span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">A half dozen steps he took when his foot struck against</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">a soft and yielding mass.<span> </span>Stumbling, he tried to regain</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">his equilibrium only to drop full upon the thing be-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">neath him.<span> </span>One open palm, extended to ease his fall,</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">fell upon the upturned features of a cold and clammy</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">face.<span> </span>With a shriek of horror The Kid leaped to his feet</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">and shrank,
trembling, back.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"What is it? What's the matter?" cried Bridge, with</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">whom The Kid had collided in his precipitate retreat.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"O-o-o!" groaned The Kid, shuddering.<span> </span>"It's dead! It's</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">dead!"</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"What's dead?" demanded Bridge.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"There's a dead man on the floor, right ahead of us,"</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">moaned The Kid.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"You'll find a flash lamp in the right hand pocket of my</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">coat," directed Bridge.<span> </span>"Take it and make a light."</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">With trembling fingers the Kid did as he was bid,</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">and when after much fumbling he found the button a</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">slim shaft of white light, fell downward upon the up-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">turned face of a man cold in death--a little man,</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">strangely garbed, with gold rings in his ears, and long</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">black hair matted in the death sweat of his brow.<span> </span>His</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">eyes were wide and, even in death, terror filled, his fea-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">tures were distorted with fear and horror.<span> </span>His fingers,</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">clenched in the rigidity of death, clutched wisps of</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">dark brown hair.<span> </span>There were no indications of a wound</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">or
other violence upon his body, that either the Kid or</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">Bridge could see, except the dried remains of bloody</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">froth which flecked his lips.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">Bridge still stood holding the quiet form of the girl</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">in his arms, while The Kid, pressed close to the man's</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">side, clutched one arm with a fierce intensity which be-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">spoke at once the nervous terror which filled him and</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">the reliance he placed upon his new found friend.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">To their right, in the faint light of the flash lamp, a</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">narrow stairway was revealed leading to the second</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">story.<span> </span>Straight ahead was a door opening upon the black-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">ness of a rear apartment.<span> </span>Beside the foot of the stair-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">way was another door leading to the cellar steps.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">Bridge nodded toward the rear room.<span> </span>"The stove is</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">in there," he said.<span> </span>"We'd better go on and make a fire.<span> </span></span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">Draw your pistol--whoever did this has probably beat</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">it; but it's just as well to he on the safe side."</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"I'm afraid," said The Oskaloosa Kid.<span> </span>"Let's leave</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">this frightful place.<span> </span>It's just as I told you it was; just as I</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">always heard."</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"We can't leave this woman, my boy," replied Bridge.<span> </span></span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"She isn't dead.<span> </span>We can't leave her, and we can't take</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">her out into the storm in her condition.<span> </span>We must stay.<span> </span></span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">Come! buck up.<span> </span>There's nothing to fear from a dead</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">man, and--"</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">He never finished the sentence.<span> </span>From the depths of</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">the cellar came the sound of a clanking chain.<span> </span>Some-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">thing scratched heavily upon the wooden steps.<span> </span>What-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">ever it was it was evidently ascending, while behind it</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">clanked the heavy links of a dragged chain.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">The Oskaloosa Kid cast a wide eyed glance of terror</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">at Bridge.<span> </span>His lips moved in an attempt to speak; but</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">fear rendered him inarticulate.<span> </span>Slowly, ponderously the</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">THING ascended the dark stairs from the gloom ridden</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">cellar of the deserted ruin.<span> </span>Even Bridge paled a trifle.<span> </span></span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">The man upon the floor appeared to have met an un-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">natural death--the frightful expression frozen upon the</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">dead face might even indicate something verging upon</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">the supernatural.<span> </span>The sound of the THING climbing</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">out of the cellar was indeed uncanny--so uncanny that</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">Bridge discovered himself looking about for some means</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">of escape.<span> </span>His eyes fell upon the stairway leading to the</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">second floor.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"Quick!" he whispered.<span> </span>"Up the stairs! You go first;</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">I'll follow."</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">The Kid needed no second invitation.<span> </span>With a bound</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">he was half way up the rickety staircase; but a glance</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">ahead at the darkness above gave him pause while he</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">waited for Bridge to catch up with him.<span> </span>Coming more</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">slowly with his burden the man followed the boy, while</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">from below the clanking of the chain warned them that</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">the THING was already at the top of the cellar stairs.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"Flash the lamp down there," directed Bridge.<span> </span>"Let's</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">have a look at it, whatever it is."</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">With trembling hands The Oskaloosa Kid directed the</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">lens over the edge of the swaying and rotting bannister,</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">his finger slipped from the lighting button plunging</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">them all into darkness.<span> </span>In his frantic effort to find the</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">button and relight the lamp the
worst occurred--he fum-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">bled the button and the lamp slipped through his fin-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">gers, falling over the bannister to the floor below.<span> </span>In-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">stantly the sound of the dragging chain ceased; but the</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">silence was even more horrible than the noise which had</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">preceded it.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">For a long minute the two at the head of the stairs</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">stood in tense silence listening for a repetition of the</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">gruesome sounds from below.<span> </span>The youth was frankly</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">terrified; he made no effort to conceal the fact; but</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">pressed close to his companion, again clutching his arm</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">tightly.<span> </span>Bridge could feel the trembling of the slight fig-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">ure, the spasmodic gripping of the slender fingers and</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">hear the quick, short, irregular breathing.<span> </span>A sudden im-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">pulse to throw a protecting arm about the boy seized</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">him--an impulse which he could not quite fathom, and</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">one to which he could not respond because of the body</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">of the girl he carried.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">He bent toward the youth.<span> </span>"There are matches in my</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">coat pocket," he whispered, "--the same pocket in which</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">you found the flash lamp.<span>
</span>Strike one and we'll look for a</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">room here where we can lay the girl."</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">The boy fumbled gropingly in search of the matches.<span> </span></span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">It was evident to the man that it was only with the</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">greatest exertion of will power that he controlled his</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">muscles at all; but at last he succeeded in finding and</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">striking one.<span> </span>At the flare of the light there was a sound</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">from below--a scratching sound and the creaking of</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">boards as beneath a heavy body; then came the clank-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">ing of the chain once more, and the bannister against</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">which they leaned shook as though a hand had been</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">laid upon it below them.<span> </span>The youth stifled a shriek and</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">simultaneously the match went out; but not before</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">Bridge had seen in the momentary flare of light a par-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">tially open door at the far end of the hall in which they</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">stood.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">Beneath them the stairs creaked now and the chain</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">thumped slowly from one to another as it was dragged</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">upward toward them.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"Quick!" called Bridge.<span> </span>"Straight down the hall and</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">into the room at the end." The man was puzzled.<span> </span>He</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">could not have been said to have been actually afraid,</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">and yet the terror of the boy was so intense, so real, that</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">it could scarce but have had its suggestive effect upon</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">the other; and, too, there was an uncanny element of</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">the supernatural in what they had seen and heard in</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">the deserted house--the dead man on the floor below, the</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">inexplicable clanking of a chain by some unseen THING</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">from the depth of the cellar upward toward them; and,</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">to heighten the effect of these, there were the grim stor-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">ies of unsolved tragedy and crime.<span> </span>All in all Bridge</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">could not have denied that he was glad of the room at</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">the end of the hall with its suggestion of safety in the</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">door which might be closed against the horrors of the</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">hall and the Stygian gloom below stairs.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">The Oskaloosa Kid was staggering ahead of him,</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">scarce able to hold his body erect upon his shaking</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">knees--his gait seemed pitifully slow to the unarmed</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">man carrying the unconscious girl and listening to the</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">chain dragging ever nearer and nearer behind; but at</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">last they reached
the doorway and passed through it</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">into the room.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"Close the door," directed Bridge as he crossed toward</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">the center of the room to lay his burden upon the floor,</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">but there was no response to his instructions--only a gasp</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">and the sound of a body slumping to the rotting boards.<span> </span></span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">With an exclamation of chagrin the man dropped the</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">girl and swung quickly toward the door.<span> </span>Halfway down</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">the hall he could hear the chain rattling over loose plank-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">ing, the THING, whatever it might be, was close upon</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">them.<span> </span>Bridge slammed-to the door and with a shoulder</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">against it drew a match from his pocket and lighted it.<span> </span></span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">Although his clothing was soggy with rain he knew that</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">his matches would still be dry, for this pocket and its</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">flap he had ingeniously lined with waterproof material</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">from a discarded slicker he had found--years of tramp-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">ing having taught him the discomforts of a fireless camp.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">In the resultant light the man saw with a quick glance</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">a large room furnished with an old walnut bed, dresser,</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">and commode; two lightless
windows opened at the far</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">end toward the road, Bridge assumed; and there was</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">no door other than that against which he leaned.<span> </span>In</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">the last flicker of the match the man scanned the door</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">itself for a lock and, to his relief, discovered a bolt--old</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">and rusty it was, but it still moved in its sleeve.<span> </span>An in-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">stant later it was shot--just as the sound of the dragging</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">chain ceased outside.<span> </span>Near the door was the great bed,</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">and this Bridge dragged before it as an additional bar-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">ricade; then, bearing nothing more from the hallway,</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">he turned his attention to the two unconscious forms up-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">on the floor.<span> </span>Unhesitatingly he went to the boy first</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">though had he questioned himself he could not have told</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">why; for the youth, undoubtedly, had only swooned,</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">while the girl had been the victim of a murderous assault</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">and might even be at the point of death.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">What was the appeal to the man in the pseudo Oska-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">loosa Kid? He had scarce seen the boy's face, yet the</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">terrified figure had aroused within him, strongly, the</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">protective instinct.<span> </span>Doubtless it was the call of youth</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">and weakness which find, always, an answering assur-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">ance in the strength of a strong man.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">As Bridge groped toward the spot where the boy had</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">fallen his eyes, now become accustomed to the dark-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">ness of the room, saw that the youth was sitting up.<span> </span></span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"Well?" he asked.<span> </span>"Feeling better?"</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"Where is it? Oh, God! Where is it?" cried the boy.<span> </span></span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"It will come in here and kill us as it killed that--that--</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">down stairs."</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"It can't get in," Bridge assured him.<span> </span>"I've locked the</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">door and pushed the bed in front of it.<span> </span>Gad! I feel like</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">an old maid looking under the bed for burglars."</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">From the hall came a sudden clanking of the chain</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">accompanied by a loud pounding upon the bare floor.<span> </span></span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">With a scream the youth leaped to his feet and almost</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">threw himself upon Bridge.<span> </span>His arms were about the</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">man's neck, his face buried in his shoulder.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"Oh, don't--don't let it get me!" he cried.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"Brace up, son," Bridge admonished
him.<span> </span>"Didn't I</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">tell you that it can't get in?"</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"How do you know it can't get in?" whimpered the</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">youth.<span> </span>"It's the thing that murdered the man down stairs</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">--it's the thing that murdered the Squibbs--right here in</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">this room.<span> </span>It got in to them--what is to prevent its get-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">ting in to us.<span> </span>What are doors to such a THING?"</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"Come! come! now," Bridge tried to soothe him.<span> </span>"You</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">have a case of nerves.<span> </span>Lie down here on this bed and</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">try to sleep.<span> </span>Nothing shall harm you, and when you</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">wake up it will be morning and you'll laugh at your</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">fears."</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"Lie on THAT bed!" The voice was almost a shriek.<span> </span></span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"That is the bed the Squibbs were murdered in--the</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">old man and his wife.<span> </span>No one would have it, and so it</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">has remained here all these years.<span> </span>I would rather die</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">than touch the thing.<span> </span>Their blood is still upon it."</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"I wish," said Bridge a trifle sternly, "that you would</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">try to control yourself a bit.<span> </span>Hysteria won't help us any.<span> </span></span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">Here we are,
and we've to make the best of it.<span> </span>Besides</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">we must look after this young woman--she may be dy-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">ing, and we haven't done a thing to help her."</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">The boy, evidently shamed, released his hold upon</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">Bridge and moved away.<span> </span>"I am sorry," he said.<span> </span>"I'll</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">try to do better; but, Oh! I was so frightened.<span> </span>You can-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">not imagine how frightened I was."</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"I had imagined," said Bridge, "from what I had</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">heard of him that it would be a rather difficult thing to</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">frighten The Oskaloosa Kid--you have, you know, rather</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">a reputation for fearlessness."</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">The darkness hid the scarlet flush which mantled</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">The Kid's face.<span> </span>There was a moment's silence as Bridge</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">crossed to where the young woman still lay upon the</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">floor where he had deposited her.<span> </span>Then The Kid spoke.<span> </span></span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"I'm sorry," he said, "that I made a fool of myself.<span> </span>You</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">have been so brave, and I have not helped at all.<span> </span>I</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">shall do better now."</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"Good," said Bridge, and stooped to raise the young</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">woman in his arms
and deposit her upon the bed.<span> </span></span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">Then he struck another match and leaned close to ex-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">amine her.<span> </span>The flare of the sulphur illuminated the room</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">and shot two rectangles of light against the outer black-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">ness where the unglazed windows stared vacantly upon</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">the road beyond, bringing to a sudden halt a little com-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">pany of muddy and bedraggled men who slipped, curs-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">ing, along the slimy way.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">Bridge felt the youth close beside him as he bent</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">above the girl upon the bed.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"Is she dead?" the lad whispered.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"No," replied Bridge, "and I doubt if she's badly</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">hurt." His hands ran quickly over her limbs, bending and</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">twisting them gently; be unbuttoned her waist, getting</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">the boy to strike and hold another match while he ex-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">amined the victim for signs of a bullet wound.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"I can't find a scratch on her," be said at last.<span> </span>"She's</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">suffering from shock alone, as far as I can judge.<span> </span>Say,</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">she's pretty, isn't she?"</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">The youth drew himself rather stiffly erect.<span> </span>"Her fea-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">tures
are rather coarse, I think," he replied.<span> </span>There was a</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">peculiar quality to the tone which caused Bridge to turn</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">a quick look at the boy's face, just as the match flick-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">ered and went out.<span> </span>The darkness hid the expression</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">upon Bridge's face, but his conviction that the girl was</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">pretty was unaltered.<span> </span>The light of the match had re-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">vealed an oval face surrounded by dark, dishevelled</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">tresses, red, full lips, and large, dark eyes.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">Further discussion of the young woman was discour-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">aged by a repetition of the clanking of the chain with-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">out.<span> </span>Now it was receding along the hallway toward</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">the stairs and presently, to the infinite relief of The Os-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">kaloosa Kid, the two heard it descending to the lower</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">floor.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"What was it, do you think?" asked the boy, his voice</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">still trembling upon the verge of hysteria.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"I don't know," replied Bridge.<span> </span>"I've never been a be-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">liever in ghosts and I'm not now; but I'll admit that it</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">takes a whole lot of--"</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">He did not finish the sentence for a moan
from the</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">bed diverted his attention to the injured girl, toward</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">whom he now turned.<span> </span>As they listened for a repetition</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">of the sound there came another--that of the creaking of</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">the old bed slats as the girl moved upon the mildewed</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">mattress.<span> </span>Dimly, through the darkness, Bridge saw that</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">the victim of the recent murderous assault was attempt-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">ing to sit up.<span> </span>He moved closer and leaned above her.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"I wouldn't exert myself," he said.<span> </span>"You've just suf-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">fered an accident, and it's better that you remain quiet."</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"Who are you?" asked the girl, a note of suppressed</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">terror in her voice.<span> </span>"You are not--?"</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"I am no one you know," replied Bridge.<span> </span>"My friend</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">and I chanced to be near when you fell from the car--"</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">with that innate refinement which always belied his vo-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">cation and his rags Bridge chose not to embarrass the</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">girl by a too intimate knowledge of the thing which</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">had befallen her, preferring to leave to her own volition</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">the making of any explanation she saw
fit, or of none</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">--"and we carried you in here out of the storm."</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">The girl was silent for a moment.<span> </span>"Where is 'here'?"</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">she asked presently.<span> </span>"They drove so fast and it was so</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">dark that I had no idea where we were, though I know</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">that we left the turnpike."</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"We are at the old Squibbs place," replied the man.<span> </span></span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">He could see that the girl was running one hand gin-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">gerly over her head and face, so that her next question</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">did not surprise him.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"Am I badly wounded?" she asked.<span> </span>"Do you think that</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">I am going to die?" The tremor in her voice was pathetic</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">--it was the voice of a frightened and wondering child.<span> </span></span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">Bridge heard the boy behind him move impulsively for-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">ward and saw him kneel on the bed beside the girl.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"You are not badly hurt," volunteered The Oskaloosa</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">Kid.<span> </span>"Bridge couldn't find a mark on you--the bullet</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">must have missed you."</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"He was holding me over the edge of the car when</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">he fired." The girl's voice reflected
the physical shudder</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">which ran through her frame at the recollection.<span> </span>"Then</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">he threw me out almost simultaneously.<span> </span>I suppose he</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">thought that he could not miss at such close range."</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">For a time she was silent again, sitting stiffly erect.<span> </span></span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">Bridge could feel rather than see wide, tense eyes star-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">ing out through the darkness upon scenes, horrible per-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">haps, that were invisible to him and the Kid.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">Suddenly the girl turned and threw herself face down-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">ward upon the bed.<span> </span>"O, God!" she moaned.<span> </span>"Father!</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">Father! It will kill you--no one will believe me--they</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">will think that I am bad.<span> </span>I didn't do it! I didn't do it!</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">I've been a silly little fool; but I have never been a bad</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">girl--and---and--I had nothing to do with that awful</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">thing that happened tonight."</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">Bridge and the boy realized that she was not talking</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">to them--that for the moment she had lost sight of their</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">presence--she was talking to that father whose heart</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">would be breaking with the breaking of the new day,</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">trying to convince him that
his little girl had done no</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">wrong.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">Again she sat up, and when she spoke there was no</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">tremor in her voice.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"I may die," she said.<span> </span>"I want to die.<span> </span>I do not see how</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">I can go on living after last night; but if I do die I want</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">my father to know that I had nothing to do with it and</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">that they tried to kill me because I wouldn't promise to</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">keep still.<span> </span>It was the little one who murdered him--the</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">one they called 'Jimmie' and 'The Oskaloosa Kid.' The</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">big one drove the car--his name was 'Terry.' After they</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">killed him I tried to jump out--I had been sitting in</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">front with Terry--and then they dragged me over into</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">the tonneau and later--the Oskaloosa Kid tried to kill me</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">too, and threw me out."</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">Bridge heard the boy at his side gulp.<span> </span>The girl went</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">on.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"Tomorrow you will know about the murder--every-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">one will know about it; and I will be missed; and there</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">will be people who saw me in the car with them, for</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">someone must have seen me.<span> </span>Oh, I can't face it! I want</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">to die.<span> </span>I will die! I come of a good family.<span> </span>My father is</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">a prominent man.<span> </span>I can't go back and stand the dis-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">grace and see him suffer, as he will suffer, for I was all</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">he had--his only child.<span> </span>I can't bear to tell you my name</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">--you will know it soon enough--but please find some</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">way to let my father know all that I have told you--I</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">swear that it is the truth--by the memory of my dead</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">mother, I swear it!"</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">Bridge laid a hand upon the girl's shoulder.<span> </span>"If you</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">are telling us the truth," he said, "you have only a silly</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">escapade with strange men upon your conscience.<span> </span>You</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">must not talk of dying now--your duty is to your father.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">If you take your own life it will be a tacit admission of</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">guilt and will only serve to double the burden of sorrow</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">and ignominy which your father is bound to feel when</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">this thing becomes public, as it certainly must if a mur-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">der has been done.<span> </span>The only way in which you can</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">atone for your error is to go back and face the conse-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">quences with him--do not throw it all upon him; that</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">would be cowardly."</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">The girl
did not reply; but that the man's words had</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">impressed her seemed evident.<span> </span>For a while each was</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">occupied with his own thoughts; which were presently</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">disturbed by the sound of footsteps upon the floor be-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">low--the muffled scraping of many feet followed a mo-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">ment later by an exclamation and an oath, the words</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">coming distinctly through the loose and splintered floor-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">ing.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"Pipe the stiff," exclaimed a voice which The Oska-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">loosa Kid recognized immediately as that of Soup Face.<span> </span></span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"The Kid musta croaked him," said another.<span> </span></span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">A laugh followed this evidently witty sally.<span> </span></span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"The guy probably lamped the swag an' died of heart</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">failure," suggested another.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">The men were still laughing when the sound of a</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">clanking chain echoed dismally from the cellar.<span> </span>In-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">stantly silence fell upon the newcomers upon the first</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">floor, followed by a--"Wotinel's that?" Two of the men</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">had approached the staircase and started to ascend it.<span> </span></span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">Slowly the uncanny clanking drew closer to the first</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">floor.<span>
</span>The girl on the bed turned toward Bridge.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"What is it?" she gasped.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"We don't know," replied the man.<span> </span>"It followed us up</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">here, or rather it chased us up; and then went down</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">again just before you regained consciousness.<span> </span>I imagine</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">we shall hear some interesting developments from be-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">low."</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"It's The Sky Pilot and his gang," whispered The Os-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">kaloosa Kid.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"It's The Oskaloosa Kid," came a voice from below.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"But wot was that light upstairs then?" queried an-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">other.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"An' wot croaked this guy here?" asked a third.<span> </span>"It</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">wasn't nothin' nice--did you get the expression on his</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">mug an' the red foam on his lips? I tell youse there's</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">something in this house beside human bein's.<span> </span>I know the</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">joint--its hanted--they's spooks in it.<span> </span>Gawd! there it is</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">now," as the clanking rose to the head of the cellar</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">stairs; and those above heard a sudden rush of foot-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">steps as the men broke for the open air--all but the</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">two upon the stairway.<span> </span>They had remained too long</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">and now, their retreat cut off, they scrambled, cursing</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">and screaming, to the second floor.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">Along the hallway they rushed to the closed door at</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">the end--the door of the room in which the three lis-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">tened breathlessly--hurling themselves against it in vio-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">lent effort to gain admission.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"Who are you and what do you want?" cried Bridge.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"Let us in! Let us in!" screamed two voices.<span> </span>"Fer</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">God's sake let us in.<span> </span>Can't you hear IT? It'll be comin'</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">up here in a minute."</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">The sound of the dragging chain could be heard at in-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">tervals upon the floor below.<span> </span>It seemed to the tense lis-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">teners above to pause beside the dead man as though</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">hovering in gloating exultation above its gruesome prey</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">and then it moved again, this time toward the stairway</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">where they all heard it ascending with a creepy slow-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">ness which wrought more terribly upon tense nerves</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">than would a sudden rush.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"The mills of the Gods grind slowly," quoted Bridge.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"Oh, don't!"
pleaded The Oskaloosa Kid.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"Let us in," screamed the men without.<span> </span>"Fer the luv</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">o' Mike have a heart! Don't leave us out here! IT's</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">comin'! IT's comin'!"</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"Oh, let the poor things in," pleaded the girl on the</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">bed.<span> </span>She was, herself, trembling with terror.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"No funny business, now, if I let you in," commanded</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">Bridge.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"On the square," came the quick and earnest reply.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">The THING had reached the head of the stairs when</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">Bridge dragged the bed aside and drew the bolt.<span> </span>In-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">stantly two figures hurled themselves into the room but</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">turned immediately to help Bridge resecure the door-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">way.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">Just as it had done before, when Bridge and The</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">Oskaloosa Kid had taken refuge there with the girl,</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">the THING moved down the hallway to the closed door.<span> </span></span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">The dragging chain marked each foot of its advance.<span> </span>If it</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">made other sounds they were drowned by the clanking</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">of the links over the time roughened flooring.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">Within the room the five were frozen into utter si-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">lence,
and beyond the door an equal quiet prevailed for</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">a long minute; then a great force made the door creak</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">and a weird scratching sounded high up upon the old</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">fashioned panelling.<span> </span>Bridge heard a smothered gasp</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">from the boy beside him, followed instantly by a flash of</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">flame and the crack of a small caliber automatic; The</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">Oskaloosa Kid had fired through the door.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">Bridge seized the boy's arm and wrenched the weapon</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">from him.<span> </span>"Be careful!" he cried.<span> </span>"You'll hurt someone.<span> </span></span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">You didn't miss the girl much that time--she's on the bed</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">right in front of the door."</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">The Oskaloosa Kid pressed closer to the man as</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">though he sought protection from the unknown men-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">ace without.<span> </span>The girl sprang from the bed and crossed to</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">the opposite side of the room.<span> </span>A flash of lightning illumi-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">nated the chamber for an instant and the roof of the ve-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">randah without.<span> </span>The girl noted the latter and the open</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">window.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"Look!" she cried.<span> </span>"Suppose it went out of another</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">window upon this porch.<span> </span>It could get us so easily that</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">way!"</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"Shut up, you fool!" whispered one of the two new-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">comers.<span> </span>"It might hear you." The girl subsided into si-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">lence.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">There was no sound from the hallway.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"I reckon you croaked IT," suggested the second new-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">comer, hopefully; but, as though the THING without</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">had heard and understood, the clanking of the chain</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">recommenced at once; but now it was retreating along</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">the hallway, and soon they heard it descending the</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">stairs.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">Sighs of relief escaped more than a single pair of lips.<span> </span></span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"IT didn't hear me," whispered the girl.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">Bridge laughed.<span> </span>"We're a nice lot of babies seeing</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">things at night," he scoffed.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"If you're so nervy why don't you go down an' see wot</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">it is?" asked one of the late arrivals.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"I believe I shall," replied Bridge and pulled the bed</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">away from the door.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">Instantly a chorus of protests arose, the girl and The</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">Oskaloosa Kid being most insistent.<span> </span>What was the use?</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">What good could he accomplish?
It might be nothing;</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">yet on the other hand what had brought death so hor-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">ribly to the cold clay on the floor below? At last their</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">pleas prevailed and Bridge replaced the bed before the</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">door.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">For two hours the five sat about the room waiting for</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">daylight.<span> </span>There could be no sleep for any of them.<span> </span>Occa-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">sionally they spoke, usually advancing and refuting sug-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">gestions as to the identity of the nocturnal prowler be-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">low-stairs.<span> </span>The THING seemed to have retreated again</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">to the cellar, leaving the upper floor to the five strangely</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">assorted prisoners and the first floor to the dead man.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">During the brief intervals of conversation the girl re-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">peated snatches of her story and once she mentioned</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">The Oskaloosa Kid as the murderer of the unnamed vic-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">tim.<span> </span>The two men who had come last pricked up their</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">ears at this and Bridge felt the boy's hand just touch his</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">arm as though in mute appeal for belief and protection.<span> </span></span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">The man half smiled.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"We seen The Oskaloosa Kid this evenin'" volun-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">teered one of the newcomers.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"You
did?" exclaimed the girl.<span> </span>"Where?"</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"He'd just pulled off a job in Oakdale an' had his</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">pockets bulgin' wid sparklers an' kale.<span> </span>We was follerin'</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">him an' when we seen your light up here we t'ought it</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">was him."</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">The Oskaloosa Kid shrank closer to Bridge.<span> </span>At last he</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">recognized the voice of the speaker.<span> </span>While he had known</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">that the two were of The Sky Pilot's band he had not</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">been sure of the identity of either; but now it was borne</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">in upon him that at least one of them was the last per-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">son on earth he cared to be cooped up in a small, un-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">lighted room with, and a moment later when one of</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">the two rolled a 'smoke' and lighted it he saw in the</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">flare of the flame the features of both Dopey Charlie</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">and The General.<span> </span>The Oskaloosa Kid gasped once more</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">for the thousandth time that night.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">It had been Dopey Charlie who lighted the cigaret</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">and in the brief illumination his friend The General had</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">grasped the opportunity to scan the features of the</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">other members of the party.<span> </span>Schooled by long years of</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">repression
he betrayed none of the surprise or elation</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">he felt when he recognized the features of The Oska-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">loosa Kid.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">If The General was elated The Oskaloosa Kid was at</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">once relieved and terrified.<span> </span>Relieved by ocular proof</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">that he was not a murderer and terrified by the immedi-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">ate presence of the two who had sought his life.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">His cigaret drawing well Dopey Charlie resumed:</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"This Oskaloosa Kid's a bad actor," he volunteered.<span> </span>"The</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">little shrimp tried to croak me; but he only creased my</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">ribs.<span> </span>I'd like to lay my mits on him.<span> </span>I'll bet there won't</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">be no more Oskaloosa Kid when I get done wit him."</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">The boy drew Bridge's ear down toward his own lips.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"Let's go," he said.<span> </span>"I don't hear anything more down-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">stairs, or maybe we could get out on this roof and slide</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">down the porch pillars."</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">Bridge laid a strong, warm hand on the small, cold</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">one of his new friend.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"Don't worry, Kid," he said.<span> </span>"I'm for you."</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">The two other men turned quickly in the direction of</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">the speaker.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"Is de Kid here?" asked Dopey Charlie.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"He is, my degenerate friend," replied Bridge; "and</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">furthermore he's going to stay here and be perfectly</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">safe.<span> </span>Do you grasp me?"</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"Who are you?" asked The General.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"That is a long story," replied Bridge; "but if you</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">chance to recall Dink and Crumb you may also be able</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">to visualize one Billy Burke and Billy Byrne and his side</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">partner, Bridge.<span> </span>Yes? Well, I am the side partner."</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">Before the yeggman could make reply the girl spoke</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">up quickly.<span> </span>"This man cannot be The Oskaloosa Kid," she</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">said.<span> </span>"It was The Oskaloosa Kid who threw me from the</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">car."</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"How do you know he ain't?" queried The General.<span> </span></span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"Youse was knocked out when these guys picks you up.<span> </span></span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">It's so dark in here you couldn't reco'nize no one.<span> </span>How do</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">you know this here bird ain't The Oskaloosa Kid, eh?"</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"I have heard both these men speak," replied the</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">girl; "their voices
were not those of any men I have</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">known.<span> </span>If one of them is The Oskaloosa Kid then there</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">must be two men called that.<span> </span>Strike a match and you</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">will see that you are mistaken."</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">The General fumbled in an inside pocket for a pack-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">age of matches carefully wrapped against possible dam-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">age by rain.<span> </span>Presently he struck one and held the light</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">in the direction of The Kid's face while he and the</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">girl and Dopey Charlie leaned forward to scrutinize the</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">youth's features.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"It's him all right," said Dopey Charlie.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"You bet it is," seconded The General.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"Why he's only a boy," ejaculated the girl.<span> </span>"The one</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">who threw me from the machine was a man."</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"Well, this one said he was The Oskaloosa Kid," per-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">sisted The General.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"An' he shot me up," growled Dopey Charlie.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"It's too bad he didn't kill you," remarked Bridge</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">pleasantly.<span> </span>"You're a thief and probably a murderer into</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">the bargain--you tried to kill this boy just before he shot</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">you."</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"Well
wots he?" demanded Dopey Charlie.<span> </span>"He's a</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">thief--he said he was--look in his pockets--they're</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">crammed wid swag, an' he's a gun-man, too, or he</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">wouldn't be packin' a gat.<span> </span>I guess he ain't got nothin'</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">on me."</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">The darkness hid the scarlet flush which mounted to</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">the boy's cheeks--so hot that he thought it must surely</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">glow redly through the night.<span> </span>He waited in dumb misery</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">for Bridge to demand the proof of his guilt.<span> </span>Earlier in</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">the evening he had flaunted the evidence of his crime in</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">the faces of the six hobos; but now he suddenly felt a</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">great shame that his new found friend should believe</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">him a housebreaker.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">But Bridge did not ask for any substantiation of Char-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">lie's charges, he merely warned the two yeggmen that</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">they would have to leave the boy alone and in the</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">morning, when the storm had passed and daylight had</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">lessened the unknown danger which lurked below-stairs,</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">betake themselves upon their way.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"And while we're here together in this room you two</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">must sit over near the window," he concluded.<span> </span>"You've</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">tried to kill the boy once tonight; but you're not going</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">to try it again--I'm taking care of him now."</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"You gotta crust, bo," observed Dopey Charlie, bellig-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">erently.<span> </span>"I guess me an' The General'll sit where we</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">damn please, an' youse can take it from me on the side</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">that we're goin' to have ours out of The Kid's haul.<span> </span>If</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">you tink you're goin' to cop the whole cheese you got</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">another tink comin'."</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"You are banking," replied Bridge, "on the well known</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">fact that I never carry a gun; but you fail to perceive,</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">owing to the Stygian gloom which surrounds us, that</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">I have the Kid's automatic in my gun hand and that</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">the business end of it is carefully aiming in your direc-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">tion."</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"Cheese it," The General advised his companion; and</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">the two removed themselves to the opposite side of the</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">apartment, where they whispered, grumblingly, to one</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">another.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">The girl, the boy, and Bridge waited as patiently as</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">they could for the coming of the dawn, talking of the</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">events
of the night and planning against the future.<span> </span></span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">Bridge advised the girl to return at once to her father;</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">but this she resolutely refused to do, admitting with ut-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">most candor that she lacked the courage to face her</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">friends even though her father might still believe in</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">her.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">The youth begged that he might accompany Bridge</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">upon the road, pleading that his mother was dead and</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">that he could not return home after his escapade.<span> </span>And</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">Bridge could not find it in his heart to refuse him, for</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">the man realized that the boyish waif possessed a sub-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">tile attraction, as forceful as it was inexplicable.<span> </span>Not</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">since he had followed the open road in company with</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">Billy Byrne had Bridge met one with whom he might</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">care to 'Pal' before The Kid crossed his path on the</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">dark and storm swept pike south of Oakdale.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">In Byrne, mucker, pugilist, and MAN, Bridge had</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">found a physical and moral counterpart of himself, for</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">the slender Bridge was muscled as a Greek god, while</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">the stocky Byrne, metamorphosed by the fire of a wom-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">an's love, possessed all
the chivalry of the care free</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">tramp whose vagabondage had never succeeded in sub-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">merging the evidences of his cultural birthright.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">In the youth Bridge found an intellectual equal with</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">the added charm of a physical dependent.<span> </span>The man did</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">not attempt to fathom the evident appeal of the other's</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">tacitly acknowledged cowardice; he merely knew that</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">he would not have had the youth otherwise if he could</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">not have changed him.<span> </span>Ordinarily he accepted male</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">cowardice with the resignation of surfeited disgust; but</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">in the case of The Oskaloosa Kid he realized a certain</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">artless charm which but tended to strengthen his lik-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">ing for the youth, so brazen and unaffected was the</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">boy's admission of his terror of both the real and the</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">unreal menaces of this night of horror.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">That the girl also was well bred was quite evident</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">to Bridge, while both the girl and the youth realized the</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">refinement of the strange companion and protector</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">which Fate had ordered for them, while they also saw</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">in one another social counterparts of themselves.<span> </span>Thus,</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">as
the night dragged its slow course, the three came to</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">trust each other more entirely and to speculate upon the</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">strange train of circumstances which had brought them</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">thus remarkably together--the thief, the murderer's ac-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">complice, and the vagabond.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">It was during a period of thoughtful silence when the</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">night was darkest just before the dawn and the rain</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">had settled to a dismal drizzle unrelieved by lightning</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">or by thunder that the five occupants of the room were</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">suddenly startled by a strange pattering sound from</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">the floor below.<span> </span>It was as the questioning fall of a child's</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">feet upon the uncarpeted boards in the room beneath</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">them.<span> </span>Frozen to silent rigidity, the five sat straining ev-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">ery faculty to catch the minutest sound from the black</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">void where the dead man lay, and as they listened there</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">came up to them, mingled with the inexplicable foot-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">steps, the hollow reverberation from the dank cellar--</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">the hideous dragging of the chain behind the nameless</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">horror which had haunted them through the intermin-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">able eons of the ghastly
night.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">Up, up, up it came toward the first floor.<span> </span>The patter-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">ing of the feet ceased.<span> </span>The clanking rose until the five</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">heard the scraping of the chain against the door frame</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">at the head of the cellar stairs.<span> </span>They heard it pass across</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">the floor toward the center of the room and then, loud</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">and piercing, there rang out against the silence of the</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">awful night a woman's shriek.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">Instantly Bridge leaped to his feet.<span> </span>Without a word</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">he tore the bed from before the door.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"What are you doing?" cried the girl in a muffled</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">scream.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"I am going down to that woman," said Bridge, and</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">he drew the bolt, rusty and complaining, from its cor-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">roded seat.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"No!" screamed the girl, and seconding her the youth</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">sprang to his feet and threw his arms about Bridge.<span> </span></span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"Please! Please!" he cried.<span> </span>"Oh, please don't leave me."</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">The girl also ran to the man's side and clutched him</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">by the sleeve.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"Don't go!" she begged.<span> </span>"Oh, for God's sake, don't</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">leave
us here alone!"</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"You heard a woman scream didn't you?" asked</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">Bridge.<span> </span>"Do you suppose I can stay in up here when a</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">woman may be facing death a few feet below me?"</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">For answer the girl but held more tightly to his arm</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">while the youth slipped to the floor and embraced the</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">man's knees in a vicelike hold which he could not break</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">without hurting his detainer.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"Come! Come!" expostulated Bridge.<span> </span>"Let me go."</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"Wait!" begged the girl.<span> </span>"Wait until you know that it is</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">a human voice that screams through this horrible place."</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">The youth only strained his hold tighter about the</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">man's legs.<span> </span>Bridge felt a soft cheek pressed to his knee;</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">and, for some unaccountable reason, the appeal was</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">stronger than the pleading of the girl.<span> </span>Slowly Bridge re-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">alized that he could not leave this defenseless youth</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">alone even though a dozen women might be menaced</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">by the uncanny death below.<span> </span>With a firm hand he shot</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">the bolt.<span> </span>"Leave go of me," he said; "I shan't leave you</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">unless she calls for help in articulate words."</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">The boy rose and, trembling, pressed close to the</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">man who, involuntarily, threw a protecting arm about</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">the slim figure.<span> </span>The girl, too, drew nearer, while the two</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">yeggmen rose and stood in rigid silence by the window.<span> </span></span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">From below came an occasional rattle of the chain, fol-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">lowed after a few minutes by the now familiar clanking</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">as the iron links scraped across the flooring.<span> </span>Mingled</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">with the sound of the chain there rose to them what</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">might have been the slow and ponderous footsteps of a</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">heavy man, dragging painfully across the floor.<span> </span>For a</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">few moments they heard it, and then all was silent.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">For a dozen tense minutes the five listened; but there</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">was no repetition of any sound from below.<span> </span>Suddenly</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">the girl breathed a deep sigh, and the spell of terror was</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">broken.<span> </span>Bridge felt rather than heard the youth sobbing</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">softly against his breast, while across the room The Gen-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">eral gave a quick, nervous laugh which he as immedi-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">ately suppressed as though fearful
unnecessarily of</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">calling attention to their presence.<span> </span>The other vagabond</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">fumbled with his hypodermic needle and the narcotic</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">which would quickly give his fluttering nerves the quiet</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">they craved.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">Bridge, the boy, and the girl shivered together in their</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">soggy clothing upon the edge of the bed, feeling now in</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">the cold dawn the chill discomfort of which the excite-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">ment of the earlier hours of the night had rendered them</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">unconscious.<span> </span>The youth coughed.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"You've caught cold," said Bridge, his tone almost self-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">reproachful, as though he were entirely responsible for</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">the boy's condition.<span> </span>"We're a nice aggregation of molly-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">coddles--five of us sitting half frozen up here with a</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">stove on the floor below, and just because we heard a</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">noise which we couldn't explain and hadn't the nerve to</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">investigate." He rose.<span> </span>"I'm going down, rustle some wood</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">and build a fire in that stove--you two kids have got to</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">dry those clothes of yours and get warmed up or we'll</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">have a couple of hospital cases on our hands."</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">Once
again rose a chorus of pleas and objections.<span> </span>Oh,</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">wouldn't he wait until daylight? See! the dawn was</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">even then commencing to break.<span> </span>They didn't dare go</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">down and they begged him not to leave them up there</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">alone.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">At this Dopey Charlie spoke up.<span> </span>The 'hop' had com-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">menced to assert its dominion over his shattered nervous</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">system instilling within him a new courage and a feel-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">ing of utter well-being.<span> </span>"Go on down," said he to Bridge.<span> </span></span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"The General an' I'll look after the kids--won't we bo?"</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"Sure," assented The General; "we'll take care of 'em."</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"I'll tell you what we'll do," said Bridge; "we'll leave</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">the kids up here and we three'll go down.<span> </span>They won't</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">go, and I wouldn't leave them up here with you two</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">morons on a bet."</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">The General and Dopey Charlie didn't know what</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">a moron was but they felt quite certain from Bridge's</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">tone of voice that a moron was not a nice thing, and</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">anyway no one could have bribed them to descend into</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">the darkness of the lower
floor with the dead man and</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">the grisly THING that prowled through the haunted</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">chambers; so they flatly refused to budge an inch.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">Bridge saw in the gradually lighting sky the near ap-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">proach of full daylight; so he contented himself with</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">making the girl and the youth walk briskly to and fro</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">in the hope that stimulated circulation might at least par-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">tially overcome the menace of the damp clothing and</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">the chill air, and thus they occupied the remaining hour</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">of the night.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">From below came no repetition of the inexplicable</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">noises of that night of terror and at last, with every ob-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">ject plainly discernible in the light of the new day,</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">Bridge would delay no longer; but voiced his final de-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">termination to descend and make a fire in the old kitchen</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">stove.<span> </span>Both the boy and the girl insisted upon accom-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">panying him.<span> </span>For the first time each had an opportunity</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">to study the features of his companions of the night.<span> </span></span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">Bridge found in the girl and the youth two dark eyed,</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">good-looking young people.<span> </span>In the girl's face was, per-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">haps,
just a trace of weakness; but it was not the face</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">of one who consorts habitually with criminals.<span> </span>The man</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">appraised her as a pretty, small-town girl who had been</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">led into a temporary escapade by the monotony of</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">village life, and be would have staked his soul that she</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">was not a bad girl.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">The boy, too, looked anything other than the role he</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">had been playing.<span> </span>Bridge smiled as he looked at the</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">clear eyes, the oval face, and the fine, sensitive mouth</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">and thought of the youth's claim to the crime battered</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">sobriquet of The Oskaloosa Kid.<span> </span>The man wondered if</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">the mystery of the clanking chain would prove as harm-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">lessly infantile as these two whom some accident of hi-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">larious fate had cast in the roles of debauchery and</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">crime.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">Aloud, he said: "I'll go first, and if the spook ma-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">terializes you two can beat it back into the room." And</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">to the two tramps: "Come on, boes, we'll all take a look</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">at the lower floor together, and then we'll get a good fire</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">going in the kitchen and warm up a bit."</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">Down the hall
they went, Bridge leading with the</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">boy and girl close at his heels while the two yeggs</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">brought up the rear.<span> </span>Their footsteps echoed through the</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">deserted house; but brought forth no answering clank-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">ing from the cellar.<span> </span>The stairs creaked beneath the</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">unaccustomed weight of so many bodies as they de-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">scended toward the lower floor.<span> </span>Near the bottom Bridge</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">came to a questioning halt.<span> </span>The front room lay entirely</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">within his range of vision, and as his eyes swept it he</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">gave voice to a short exclamation of surprise.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">The youth and the girl, shivering with cold and ner-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">vous excitement, craned their necks above the man's</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">shoulder.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"O-h-h!" gasped The Oskaloosa Kid.<span> </span>"He's gone," and,</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">sure enough, the dead man had vanished.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">Bridge stepped quickly down the remaining steps,</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">entered the rear room which had served as dining room</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">and kitchen, inspected the two small bedrooms off this</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">room, and the summer kitchen beyond.<span> </span>All were empty;</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">then he turned and re-entering the front room bent his</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">steps toward the
cellar stairs.<span> </span>At the foot of the stair-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">way leading to the second floor lay the flash lamp that</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">the boy had dropped the night before.<span> </span>Bridge stooped,</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">picked it up and examined it.<span> </span>It was uninjured and with</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">it in his hand he continued toward the cellar door.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"Where are you going?" asked The Oskaloosa Kid.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"I'm going to solve the mystery of that infernal clank-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">ing," he replied.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"You are not going down into that dark cellar!" It was</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">an appeal, a question, and a command; and it quivered</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">gaspingly upon the verge of hysteria.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">Bridge turned and looked into the youth's face.<span> </span>The</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">man did not like cowardice and his eyes were stern as</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">he turned them on the lad from whom during the few</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">hours of their acquaintance he had received so many</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">evidences of cowardice; but as the clear brown eyes of</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">the boy met his the man's softened and he shook his</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">head perplexedly.<span> </span>What was there about this slender</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">stripling which so disarmed criticism?</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"Yes," he replied, "I am going
down.<span> </span>I doubt if I</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">shall find anything there; but if I do it is better to come</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">upon it when I am looking for it than to have it come</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">upon us when we are not expecting it.<span> </span>If there is to be</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">any hunting I prefer to be hunter rather than hunted."</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">He wheeled and placed a foot upon the cellar stairs.<span> </span></span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">The youth followed him.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"What are you going to do?" asked the man.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"I am going with you," said the boy.<span> </span>"You think I am</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">a coward because I am afraid; but there is a vast differ-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">ence between cowardice and fear."</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">The man made no reply as he resumed the descent of</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">the stairs, flashing the rays of the lamp ahead of him;</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">but he pondered the boy's words and smiled as he ad-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">mitted mentally that it undoubtedly took more courage</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">to do a thing in the face of fear than to do it if fear were</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">absent.<span> </span>He felt a strange elation that this youth should</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">choose voluntarily to share his danger with him, for in</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">his roaming life Bridge had known few associates for</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">whom he cared.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">The beams
of the little electric lamp, moving from</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">side to side, revealed a small cellar littered with refuse</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">and festooned with cob-webs.<span> </span>At one side tottered the</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">remains of a series of wooden racks upon which pans of</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">milk had doubtless stood to cool in a long gone, happier</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">day.<span> </span>Some of the uprights had rotted away so that a</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">part of the frail structure had collapsed to the earthen</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">floor.<span> </span>A table with one leg missing and a crippled chair</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">constituted the balance of the contents of the cellar</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">and there was no living creature and no chain nor any</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">other visible evidence of the presence which had</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">clanked so lugubriously out of the dark depths during</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">the vanished night.<span> </span>The boy breathed a heartfelt sigh of</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">relief and Bridge laughed, not without a note of relief</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">either.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"You see there is nothing," he said--"nothing except</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">some firewood which we can use to advantage.<span> </span>I regret</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">that James is not here to attend me; but since he is not</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">you and I will have to carry some of this stuff upstairs,"</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">and together they returned
to the floor above, their</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">arms laden with pieces of the dilapidated milk rack.<span> </span>The</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">girl was awaiting them at the head of the stairs while the</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">two tramps whispered together at the opposite side of</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">the room.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">It took Bridge but a moment to have a roaring fire</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">started in the old stove in the kitchen, and as the warmth</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">rolled in comforting waves about them the five felt for</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">the first time in hours something akin to relief and well</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">being.<span> </span>With the physical relaxation which the heat in-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">duced came a like relaxation of their tongues and tem-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">porary forgetfulness of their antagonisms and individual</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">apprehensions.<span> </span>Bridge was the only member of the</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">group whose conscience was entirely free.<span> </span>He was not</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">'wanted' anywhere, he bad no unexpiated crimes to</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">harry his mind, and with the responsibilities of the night</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">removed he fell naturally into his old, carefree manner.<span> </span></span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">He hazarded foolish explanations of the uncanny noises</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">of the night and suggested various theories to account</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">for the presence and the mysterious disappearance of the</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">dead
man.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">The General, on the contrary, seriously maintained</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">that the weird sounds had emanated from the ghost of</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">the murdered man who was, unquestionably, none other</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">than the long dead Squibb returned to haunt his former</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">home, and that the scream had sprung from the ghostly</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">lungs of his slain wife or daughter.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"I wouldn't spend anudder night in this dump," he</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">concluded, "for both them pockets full of swag The</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">Oskaloosa Kid's packin' around."</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">Immediately all eyes turned upon the flushing youth.<span> </span></span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">The girl and Bridge could not prevent their own gazes</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">from wandering to the bulging coat pockets, the owner</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">of which moved uneasily, at last shooting a look of defi-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">ance, not unmixed with pleading, at Bridge.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"He's a bad one," interjected Dopey Charlie, a glint</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">of cunning in his ordinarily glassy eyes.<span> </span>"He flashes a</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">couple o' mitsful of sparklers, chesty-like, and allows as</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">how he's a regular burglar.<span> </span>Then he pulls a gun on me,</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">as wasn't doin' nothin' to him, and 'most croaks me.<span> </span>It's</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">even money that if anyone's been croaked in Oakdale</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">last night they won't have to look far for the guy that</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">done it.<span> </span>Leastwise they won't have to look far if he</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">doesn't come across," and Dopey Charlie looked mean-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">ingly and steadily at the side pockets of The Oskaloosa</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">Kid.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"I think," said Bridge, after a moment of general si-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">lence, "that you two crooks had better beat it.<span> </span>Do you</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">get me?" and he looked from Dopey Charlie to The Gen-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">eral and back again.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"We don't go," said Dopey Charlie, belligerently, "un-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">til we gets half the Kid's swag."</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"You go now," said Bridge, "without anybody's swag,"</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">and he drew the boy's automatic from his side pocket.<span> </span></span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"You go now and you go quick--beat it!"</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">The two rose and shuffled toward the door.<span> </span>"We'll get</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">you, you colledge Lizzy," threatened Dopey Charlie,</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"an' we'll get that phoney punk, too."</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"'And speed the parting guest,'" quoted Bridge, firing</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">a shot
that splintered the floor at the crook's feet.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">When the two hoboes had departed the others huddled</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">again close to the stove until Bridge suggested that he</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">and The Oskaloosa Kid retire to another room while the</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">girl removed and dried her clothing; but she insisted</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">that it was not wet enough to matter since she had been</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">covered by a robe in the automobile until just a moment</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">before she had been hurled out.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"Then, after you are warmed up," said Bridge, "you</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">can step into this other room while the kid and I strip</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">and dry our things, for there's no question but that we</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">are wet enough."</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">At the suggestion the kid started for the door.<span> </span>"Oh,</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">no," he insisted; "it isn't worth while.<span> </span>I am almost dry</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">now, and as soon as we get out on the road I'll be all</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">right.<span> </span>I--I--I like wet clothes," he ended, lamely.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">Bridge looked at him questioningly; but did not urge</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">the matter.<span> </span>"Very well," he said; "you probably know</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">what you like; but as for me, I'm going to pull off every</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">rag
and get good and dry."</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">The girl had already quitted the room and now The</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">Kid turned and followed her.<span> </span>Bridge shook his head.<span> </span></span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"I'll bet the little beggar never was away from his</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">mother before in his life," he mused; "why the mere</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">thought of undressing in front of a strange man made</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">him turn red--and posing as The Oskaloosa Kid! Bless</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">my soul; but he's a humorist--a regular, natural born</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">one."</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">Bridge found that his clothing had dried to some ex-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">tent during the night; so, after a brisk rub, he put on</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">the warmed garments and though some were still a trifle</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">damp he felt infinitely more comfortable than he had for</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">many hours.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">Outside the house he came upon the girl and the</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">youth standing in the sunshine of a bright, new day.<span> </span></span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">They were talking together in a most animated man-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">ner, and as he approached wondering what the two had</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">found of so great common interest he discovered that</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">the discussion hinged upon the relative merits of ham</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">and bacon as a breakfast dish.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"Oh, my heart it
is just achin'," quoted Bridge,</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"><span> </span>"For a little bite of bacon,</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"A hunk of bread, a little mug of brew;</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"><span> </span>"I'm tired of seein' scenery,</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"Just lead me to a beanery</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"><span> </span>"Where there's something more than only air to</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"><span> </span>chew."</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">The two looked up, smiling.<span> </span>"You're a funny kind of</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">tramp, to be quoting poetry," said The Oskaloosa Kid,</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"even if it is Knibbs'."</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"Almost as funny," replied Bridge, "as a burglar who</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">recognizes Knibbs when he hears him."</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">The Oskaloosa Kid flushed.<span> </span>"He wrote for us of the</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">open road," he replied quickly. <span> </span>"I don't know of any</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">other class of men who should enjoy him more."</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"Or any other class that is less familiar with him," re-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">torted Bridge; "but the burning question just now is</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">pots, not poetry--flesh pots.<span> </span>I'm hungry.<span> </span>I could eat a</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">cow."</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">The girl pointed to an adjacent field.<span> </span>"Help yourself,"</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">she said.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"That
happens to be a bull," said Bridge.<span> </span>"I was</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">particular to mention cow, which, in this instance, is</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">proverbially less dangerous than the male, and much</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">better eating.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"'We kept a-rambling all the time.<span> </span>I rustled grub, he</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">rustled rhyme--</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"'Blind baggage, hoof it, ride or climb--we always</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">put it through.'<span> </span>Who's going to rustle the grub?"</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">The girl looked at The Oskaloosa Kid.<span> </span>"You don't</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">seem like a tramp at all, to talk to," she said; "but I</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">suppose you are used to asking for food.<span> </span>I couldn't do it</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">--I should die if I had to."</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">The Oskaloosa Kid looked uncomfortable.<span> </span>"So should</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">--" he commenced, and then suddenly subsided.<span> </span>"Of</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">course I'd just as soon," he said.<span> </span>"You two stay here--I'll</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">be back in a minute."</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">They watched him as be walked down to the road</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">and until he disappeared over the crest of the hill a</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">short distance from the Squibbs' house.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"I like him," said the girl, turning toward Bridge.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"So
do I," replied the man.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"There must be some good in him," she continued,</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"even if he is such a desperate character; but I know</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">he's not The Oskaloosa Kid.<span> </span>Do you really suppose he</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">robbed a house last night and then tried to kill that</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">Dopey person?"</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">Bridge shook his head.<span> </span>"I don't know," he said; "but</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">I am inclined to believe that he is more imaginative</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">than criminal.<span> </span>He certainly shot up the Dopey person;</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">but I doubt if he ever robbed a house."</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">While they waited, The Oskaloosa Kid trudged along</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">the muddy road to the nearest farm house. which lay a</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">full mile beyond the Squibbs' home.<span> </span>As he approached</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">the door a lank, sallow man confronted him with a sus-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">picious eye.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"Good morning," greeted The Oskaloosa Kid.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">The man grunted.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"I want to get something to eat," explained the youth.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">If the boy had hurled a dynamite bomb at him the</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">result could have been no more surprising.<span> </span>The lank,</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">sallow man went up into the air, figuratively.<span> </span>He went</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">up a mile or more, and on the way down he reached his</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">hand inside the kitchen door and brought it forth en-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">veloping the barrel of a shot gun.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"Durn ye!" he cried.<span> </span>"I'll lam ye! Get offen here.<span> </span>I</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">knows ye.<span> </span>Yer one o' that gang o' bums that come here</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">last night, an' now you got the gall to come back beggin'</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">for food, eh? I'll lam ye!" and he raised the gun to his</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">shoulder.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">The Oskaloosa Kid quailed but he held his ground.<span> </span></span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"I wasn't here last night," he cried, "and I'm not begging</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">for food--I want to buy some.<span> </span>I've got plenty of money,"</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">in proof of which assertion he dug into a side pocket</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">and brought forth a large roll of bills.<span> </span>The man lowered</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">his gun.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"Wy didn't ye say so in the first place then?" he</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">growled.<span> </span>"How'd I know you wanted to buy it, eh?</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">Where'd ye come from anyhow, this early in the morn-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">in'? What's yer name, eh? What's yer business, that's</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">what Jeb Case'd like to know, eh?" He snapped his</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">words out with the rapidity of a machine
gun, nor</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">waited for a reply to one query before launching the</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">next.<span> </span>"What do ye want to buy, eh? How much money</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">ye got? Looks suspicious.<span> </span>That's a sight o' money yew got</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">there, eh? Where'dje get it?"</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"It's mine," said The Oskaloosa Kid, "and I want to</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">buy some eggs and milk and ham and bacon and flour</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">and onions and sugar and cream and strawberries and</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">tea and coffee and a frying pan and a little oil stove,</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">if you have one to spare, and--"</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">Jeb Case's jaw dropped and his eyes widened.<span> </span>"You're</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">in the wrong pasture, bub," he remarked feelingly.<span> </span></span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"What yer lookin' fer is Sears, Roebuck & Company."</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">The Oskaloosa Kid flushed up to the tips of his ears.<span> </span></span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"But can't you sell me something?" he begged.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"I might let ye have some milk an' eggs an' butter an'</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">a leetle bacon an' mebby my ol' woman's got a loaf left</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">from her last bakin'; but we ain't been figgerin' on sup-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">plyin' grub fer the United States army ef that's what yew</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">be buyin' fer."</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">A
frowsy, rat-faced woman and a gawky youth of four-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">teen stuck their heads out the doorway at either side of</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">the man.<span> </span>"I ain't got nothin' to sell," snapped the woman;</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">but as she spoke her eyes fell upon the fat bank roll in</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">the youth's hand.<span> </span>"Or, leastwise," she amended, "I ain't</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">got much more'n we need an' the price o' stuff's gone</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">up so lately that I'll hev to ask ye more'n I would of</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">last fall.<span> </span>'Bout what did ye figger on wantin'?"</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"Anything you can spare," said the youth.<span> </span>"There are</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">three of us and we're awful hungry."</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"Where yew stoppin'?" asked the woman.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"We're at the old Squibbs' place," replied The Kid.<span> </span></span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"We got caught by the storm last night and had to put</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">up there."</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"The Squibbs' place!" ejaculated the woman.<span> </span>"Yew</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">didn't stop there over night?"</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"Yes we did," replied the youth.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"See anything funny?" asked Mrs. Case.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"We didn't SEE anything," replied
The Oskaloosa Kid;</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"but we heard things.<span> </span>At least we didn't see what we</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">heard; but we saw a dead man on the floor when we</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">went in and this morning he was gone."</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">The Cases shuddered.<span> </span>"A dead man!" ejaculated Jeb</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">Case.<span> </span>"Yew seen him?"</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">The Kid nodded.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"I never tuk much stock in them stories," said Jeb,</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">with a shake of his head; "but ef you SEEN it! Gosh! Thet</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">beats me.<span> </span>Come on M'randy, les see what we got to</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">spare," and he turned into the kitchen with his wife.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">The lanky boy stepped, out and planting himself in</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">front of The Oskaloosa Kid proceeded to stare at him.<span> </span></span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"Yew seen it?" be asked in awestruck tone.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"Yes," said the Kid in a low voice, and bending close</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">toward the other; "it had bloody froth on its lips!"</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">The Case boy shrank back.<span> </span>"An' what did yew hear?"</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">he asked, a glutton for thrills.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"Something that dragged a chain behind it and came</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">up out of the cellar and tried to get in our room on the</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">second floor," explained the youth.<span> </span>"It almost got us,</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">too," he added, "and it did it all night."</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"Whew," whistled the Case boy.<span> </span>"Gosh!" Then he</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">scratched his head and looked admiringly at the youth.<span> </span></span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"What mought yer name be?" he asked.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"I'm The Oskaloosa Kid," replied the youth, unable to</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">resist the admiration of the other's fond gaze.<span> </span>"Look</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">here!" and he fished a handful of jewelry from one of</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">his side pockets; "this is some of the swag I stole last</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">night when I robbed a house."</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">Case Jr., opened his mouth and eyes so wide that</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">there was little left of his face.<span> </span>"But that's nothing,"</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">bragged The Kid.<span> </span>"I shot a man, too."</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"Last night?" whispered the boy.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"Yep," replied the bad man, tersely.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"Gosh!" said the young Mr. Case, but there was that</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">in his facial expression which brought to The Oskaloosa</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">Kid a sudden regret that he had thus rashly confided in</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">a stranger.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"Say," said The Kid, after a moment's strained silence.<span> </span></span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"Don't tell anyone, will you? If you'll promise I'll give</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">you a dollar," and he hunted through his roll of bills for</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">one of that lowly denomination.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"All right," agreed the Case boy.<span> </span>"I won't say a word</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">--where's the dollar?"</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">The youth drew a bill from his roll and handed it to</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">the other.<span> </span>"If you tell," he whispered, and he bent close</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">toward the other's ear and spoke in a menacing tone;</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"If you tell, I'll kill you!"</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"Gosh!" said Willie Case.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">At this moment Case pere and mere emerged from</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">the kitchen loaded with provender.<span> </span>"Here's enough an'</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">more'n enough, I reckon," said Jeb Case.<span> </span>"We got eggs,</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">butter, bread, bacon, milk, an' a mite o' garden sass."</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"But we ain't goin' to charge you nothin' fer the gar-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">den sass," interjected Mrs. Case.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"That's awfully nice of you," replied The Kid.<span> </span>"How</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">much do I owe
you for the rest of it?"</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"Oh," said Jeb Case, rubbing his chin, eyeing the big</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">roll of bills and wondering just the limit he might</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">raise to, "I reckon 'bout four dollars an' six bits."</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">The Oskaloosa Kid peeled a five dollar bill from his</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">roll and proffered it to the farmer.<span> </span>"I'm ever so much</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">obliged," he said, "and you needn't mind about any</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">change.<span> </span>I thank you so much." With which he took the</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">several packages and pails and turned toward the road.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"Yew gotta return them pails!" shouted Mrs. Case af-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">ter him.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"Oh, of course," replied The Kid.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"Gosh!" exclaimed Mr. Case, feelingly.<span> </span>"I wisht I'd</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">asked six bits more--I mought jest as well o' got it as not.<span> </span></span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">Gosh, eh?"</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"Gosh!" murmured Willie Case, fervently.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">Back down the sticky road plodded The Oskaloosa</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">Kid, his arms heavy and his heart light, for, was he not</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">'bringing home the bacon,' literally as well as figuratively.<span> </span></span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">As he entered the Squibbs'
gateway he saw the girl and</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">Bridge standing upon the verandah waiting his coming,</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">and as he approached them and they caught a nearer</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">view of his great burden of provisions they hailed him</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">with loud acclaim.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"Some artist!" cried the man.<span> </span>"And to think that I</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">doubted your ability to make a successful touch! For-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">give me! You are the ne plus ultra, non est cumquidibus,</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">in hoc signo vinces, only and original kind of hand-out</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">compellers."</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"How in the world did you do it?" asked the girl,</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">rapturously.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"Oh, it's easy when you know how," replied The Oska-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">loosa Kid carelessly, as, with the help of the others, he</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">carried the fruits of his expedition into the kitchen.<span> </span>Here</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">Bridge busied himself about the stove, adding more</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">wood to the fire and scrubbing a portion of the top plate</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">as clean as he could get it with such crude means as he</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">could discover about the place.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">The youth he sent to the nearby brook for water after</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">selecting the least dirty of the several empty tin cans</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">lying
about the floor of the summer kitchen.<span> </span>He warned</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">against the use of the water from the old well and while</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">the boy was away cut a generous portion of the bacon</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">into long, thin strips.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">Shortly after, the water coming to the boil, Bridge</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">lowered three eggs into it, glanced at his watch, greased</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">one of the new cleaned stove lids with a piece of bacon</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">rind and laid out as many strips of bacon as the lid</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">would accommodate.<span> </span>Instantly the room was filled with</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">the delicious odor of frying bacon.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"M-m-m-m!" gloated The Oskaloosa Kid.<span> </span>"I wish I</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">had bo--asked for more.<span> </span>My! but I never smelled any-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">thing so good as that in all my life.<span> </span>Are you going to</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">boil only three eggs? I could eat a dozen."</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"The can'll only hold three at a time," explained</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">Bridge.<span> </span>"We'll have some more boiling while we are</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">eating these." He borrowed his knife from the girl, who</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">was slicing and buttering bread with it, and turned the</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">bacon swiftly and deftly with the point, then he glanced</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">at his watch.<span> </span>"The
three minutes are up," he announced</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">and, with a couple of small, flat sticks saved for the pur-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">pose from the kindling wood, withdrew the eggs one</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">at a time from the can.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"But we have no cups!' exclaimed The Oskaloosa Kid,</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">in sudden despair.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">Bridge laughed.<span> </span>"Knock an end off your egg and the</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">shell will answer in place of a cup.<span> </span>Got a knife?"</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">The Kid didn't.<span> </span>Bridge eyed him quizzically.<span> </span>"You</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">must have done most of your burgling near home," he</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">commented.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"I'm not a burglar!" cried the youth indignantly.<span> </span>Some-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">how it was very different when this nice voiced man</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">called him a burglar from bragging of the fact himself</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">to such as The Sky Pilot's villainous company, or the</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">awestruck, open-mouthed Willie Case whose very ex-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">pression invited heroics.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">Bridge made no reply, but his eyes wandered to<span> </span>the</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">right hand side pocket of the boy's coat.<span> </span>Instantly<span> </span>the</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">latter glanced guiltily downward to flush redly at<span> </span>the</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">sight of several inches of pearl necklace protruding<span> </span>ac-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">cusingly therefrom.<span> </span>The girl, a silent witness of the oc-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">currence, was brought suddenly and painfully to a</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">realization of her present position and recollection of</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">the happenings of the preceding night.<span> </span>For the time she</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">had forgotten that she was alone in the company of a</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">tramp and a burglar--how much worse either might be</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">she could only guess.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">The breakfast, commenced so auspiciously, continued</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">in gloomy silence.<span> </span>At least the girl and The Oskaloosa</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">Kid were silent and gloom steeped.<span> </span>Bridge was thought-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">ful but far from morose.<span> </span>His spirits were unquenchable.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"I am afraid," he said, "that I shall have to replace</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">James.<span> </span>His defection is unforgivable, and he has mis-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">placed the finger-bowls."</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">The youth and the girl forced wan smiles; but neither</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">spoke.<span> </span>Bridge drew a pouch of tobacco and some papers</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">from an inside pocket.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"><span> </span>"'I had the makings and I smoked</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"><span> </span>"'And wondered over different things,</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"><span> </span>"'Thinkin' as how this old world joked</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"><span> </span>"'In
callin' only some men kings</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"><span> </span>"'While I sat there a-blowin' rings.'"</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">He paused to kindle a sliver of wood at the stove.<span> </span></span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"In these parlous times," he spoke as though to himself,</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"one must economize.<span> </span>They are taking a quarter of an</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">ounce out of each five cents worth of chewing, I am told;</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">so doubtless each box must be five or six matches short</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">of full count.<span> </span>Even these papers seem thinner than of</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">yore and they will only sell one book to a customer at</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">that.<span> </span>Indeed Sherman was right."</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">The youth and the girl remained occupied with their</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">own thoughts, and after a moment's silence the vaga-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">bond resumed:</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"><span> </span>"'Me? I was king of anywhere,</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"><span> </span>"'Peggin' away at nothing, hard.<span> </span></span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"><span> </span>"'Havin' no pet, particular care;</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"><span> </span>"'Havin' no trouble, or no pard;</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"><span> </span>"'"Just me," filled up my callin' card.'</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"Say, do you know I've learned to love this Knibbs per-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">son.<span> </span>I used to think of him as a poor attic prune grind-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">ing away
in his New York sky parlor, writing his verse</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">of the things he longed for but had never known; until,</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">one day, I met a fellow between Victorville and Cajon</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">pass who knew His Knibbs, and come to find out this</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">Knibbs is a regular fellow.<span> </span>His attic covers all God's coun-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">try that is out of doors and he knows the road from La</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">Bajada hill to Barstow a darned sight better than he</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">knows Broadway."</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">There was no answering sympathy awakened in either</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">of his listeners--they remained mute.<span> </span>Bridge rose and</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">stretched.<span> </span>He picked up his knife, wiped off the blade,</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">closed it and slipped it into a trousers' pocket.<span> </span>Then he</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">walked toward the door.<span> </span>At the threshold he paused</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">and turned.<span> </span>"'Good-bye girls! I'm through,'" he quoted</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">and passed out into the sunlight.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">Instantly the two within were on their feet and follow-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">ing him.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"Where are you going?" cried The Oskaloosa Kid.<span> </span></span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"You're not going to leave us, are you?"</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"Oh, please don't!" pleaded the girl.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"I don't know,"
said Bridge, solemnly, "whether I'm</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">safe in remaining in your society or not.<span> </span>This Oskaloosa</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">Kid is a bad proposition; and as for you, young lady, I</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">rather imagine that the town constable is looking for you</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">right now."</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">The girl winced.<span> </span>"Please don't," she begged.<span> </span>"I haven't</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">done anything wicked, honestly! But I want to get away</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">so that they can't question me.<span> </span>I was in the car when</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">they killed him; but I had nothing to do with it.<span> </span>It is</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">just because of my father that I don't want them to find</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">me. It would break his heart."</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">As the three stood back of the Squibbs' summer</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">kitchen Fate, in the guise of a rural free delivery carrier</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">and a Ford, passed by the front gate.<span> </span>A mile beyond he</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">stopped at the Case mail box where Jeb and his son</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">Willie were, as usual, waiting his coming, for the rural</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">free delivery man often carries more news than is con-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">tained in his mail sacks.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"Mornin' Jeb," he called, as he swerved his light car</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">from the road and drew up in front of the Case gate.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"Mornin',
Jim!" returned Mr. Case.<span> </span>"Nice rain we had</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">last night.<span> </span>What's the news?"</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"Plenty! Plenty!" exclaimed the carrier.<span> </span>"Lived here</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">nigh onto forty year, man an' boy, an' never seen such</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">work before in all my life."</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"How's that?" questioned the farmer, scenting some-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">thing interesting.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"Ol' man Baggs's murdered last night," announced the</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">carrier, watching eagerly for the effect of his announce-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">ment.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"Gosh!" gasped Willie Case.<span> </span>"Was he shot?" It was</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">almost a scream.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"I dunno," replied Jim.<span> </span>"He's up to the horspital now,</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">an' the doc says he haint one chance in a thousand."</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"Gosh!" exclaimed Mr. Case.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"But thet ain't all," continued Jim.<span> </span>"Reggie Paynter</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">was murdered last night, too; right on the pike south of</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">town.<span> </span>They threw his corpse outen a ottymobile."</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"By gol!" cried Jeb Case; "I hearn them devils go by</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">last night 'bout midnight er after.<span>
</span>'T woke me up.<span> </span>They</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">must o' ben goin' sixty mile an hour.<span> </span>Er say," he stopped</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">to scratch his head.<span> </span>"Mebby it was tramps.<span> </span>They must a</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">ben a score on 'em round here yesterday and las' night</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">an' agin this mornin'.<span> </span>I never seed so dum many bums</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">in my life."</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"An' thet ain't all," went on the carrier, ignoring the</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">others comments.<span> </span>"Oakdale's all tore up.<span> </span>Abbie Prim's</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">disappeared and Jonas Prim's house was robbed jest</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">about the same time Ol' man Baggs 'uz murdered, er</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">most murdered--chances is he's dead by this time any-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">how.<span> </span>Doc said he hadn't no chance."</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"Gosh!" It was a pater-filius duet.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"But thet ain't all," gloated Jim.<span> </span>"Two of the persons in</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">the car with Reggie Paynter were recognized, an' who</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">do you think one of 'em was, eh? Why one of 'em was</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">Abbie Prim an' tother was a slick crook from Toledo er</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">Noo York that's called The Oskaloosie Kid.<span> </span>By gum, I'll</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">bet they get 'em in no time.<span> </span>Why already Jonas Prim's</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">got a regular dee-dectiff down from
Chicago, an' the</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">board o' select-men's offered a re-ward o' fifty dollars fer</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">the arrest an' conviction of the perpetrators of these</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">dastardly crimes!"</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"Gosh!" cried Willie Case.<span> </span>"I know--"; but then he</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">paused.<span> </span>If he told all he knew he saw plainly that either</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">the carrier or his father would profit by it and collect the</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">reward.<span> </span>Fifty dollars!! Willie gasped.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"Well," said Jim, "I gotta be on my way.<span> </span>Here's the</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">Tribune--there ain't nothin' more fer ye.<span> </span>So long! Gid-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">dap!" and he was gone.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"I don' see why he don't carry a whip," mused Jeb</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">Case.<span> </span>"A-gidappin' to that there tin lizzie," he muttered</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">disgustedly, "jes' like it was as good as a hoss.<span> </span>But I</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">mind the time, the fust day he got the dinged thing, he</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">gets out an' tries to lead it by Lem Smith's threshin' ma-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">chine."</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">Jeb Case preferred an audience worthy his mettle;</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">but Willie was better than no one, yet when he turned</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">to note the effect of his remarks on his son, Willie was</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">no
where to be seen. <span> </span>If Jeb had but known it his</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">young hopeless was already in the loft of the hay barn</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">deep in a small, red-covered book entitled: "HOW TO</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">BE A DETECTIVE."</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">Bridge, who had had no intention of deserting his help-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">less companions, appeared at last to yield reluctantly to</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">their pleas.<span> </span>That indefinable something about the youth</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">which appealed strongly to the protective instinct in the</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">man, also assured him that the other's mask of criminal-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">ity was for the most part assumed even though the stor-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">ies of the two yeggmen and the loot bulging pockets</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">argued to the contrary.<span> </span>There was the chance, however,</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">that the boy had really taken the first step upon the</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">road toward a criminal career, and if such were the case</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">Bridge felt morally obligated to protect his new found</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">friend from arrest, secure in the reflection that his own</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">precept and example would do more to lead him back</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">into the path of rectitude than would any police magis-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">trate or penal institute.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">For the girl he felt a deep pity.<span> </span>In the past he had</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">had knowledge of more than one other small-town girl</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">led into wrong doing through the deadly monotony and</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">flagrant hypocrisy of her environment.<span> </span>Himself highly</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">imaginative and keenly sensitive, he realized with what</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">depth of horror the girl anticipated a return to her home</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">and friends after the childish escapade which had cul-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">minated, even through no fault of hers, in criminal</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">tragedy of the most sordid sort.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">As the three held a council of war at the rear of the</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">deserted house they were startled by the loud squeaking</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">of brake bands on the road in front.<span> </span>Bridge ran quickly</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">into the kitchen and through to the front room where he</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">saw three men alighting from a large touring car which</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">had drawn up before the sagging gate.<span> </span>As the foremost</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">man, big and broad shouldered, raised his eyes to the</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">building Bridge smothered an exclamation of surprise</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">and chagrin, nor did he linger to inspect the other mem-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">bers of the party; but turned and ran quickly back to his</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">companions.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"We've got to beat it!" he whispered;
"they've brought</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">Burton himself down here."</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"Who's Burton?" demanded the youth.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"He's the best operative west of New York City,"</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">replied Bridge, as he moved rapidly toward an out-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">house directly in rear of the main building.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">Once behind the small, dilapidated structure which</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">had once probably housed farm implements, Bridge</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">paused and looked about.<span> </span>"They'll search here," he</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">prophesied, and then; "Those woods look good to me."</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">The Squibbs' woods, growing rank in the damp ravine</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">at the bottom of the little valley, ran to within a hun-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">dred feet of the out-building.<span> </span>Dense undergrowth</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">choked the ground to a height of eight or ten feet</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">around the boles of the close set trees.<span> </span>If they could</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">gain the seclusion of that tangled jungle there was little</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">likelihood of their being discovered, provided they were</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">not seen as they passed across the open space between</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">their hiding place and the wood.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"We'd better make a break for it," advised Bridge, and</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">a
moment later the three moved cautiously toward the</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">wood, keeping the out-house between themselves and</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">the farm house.<span> </span>Almost in front of them as they neared</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">the wood they saw a well defined path leading into the</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">thicket.<span> </span>Single-file they entered, to be almost instantly</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">hidden from view, not only from the house but from</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">any other point more than a dozen paces away, for the</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">path was winding, narrow and closely walled by the</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">budding verdure of the new Spring.<span> </span>Birds sang or twit-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">tered about them, the mat of dead leaves oozed spongily</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">beneath their feet, giving forth no sound as they passed,</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">save a faint sucking noise as a foot was lifted from each</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">watery seat.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">Bridge was in the lead, moving steadily forward that</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">they might put as much distance as possible between</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">themselves and the detective should the latter chance to</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">explore the wood.<span> </span>They had advanced a few hundred</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">yards when the path crossed through a small clearing</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">the center of which was destitute of fallen leaves.<span> </span>Here</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">the path was beaten into soft mud and as Bridge
came</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">to it he stopped and bent his gaze incredulously upon</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">the ground.<span> </span>The girl and the youth, halting upon either</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">side, followed the direction of his eyes with theirs.<span> </span>The</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">girl gave a little, involuntary gasp, and the boy grasped</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">Bridge's hand as though fearful of losing him.<span> </span>The man</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">turned a quizzical glance at each of them and smiled,</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">though a bit ruefully.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"It beats me," he said.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"What can it be?" whispered the boy.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"Oh, let's go back," begged the girl.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"And go along to father with Burton?" asked Bridge.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">The girl trembled and shook her head.<span> </span>"I would rather</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">die," she said, firmly.<span> </span>"Come, let's go on."</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">The cause of their perturbation was imprinted deeply</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">in the mud of the pathway--the irregular outlines of an</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">enormous, naked, human foot--a great, uncouth foot that</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">bespoke a monster of another world.<span> </span>While, still more</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">uncanny, in view of what they had heard in the farm</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">house during the previous night, there lay, sometimes</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">partially
obliterated by the footprints of the THING,</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">the impress of a small, bare foot--a woman's or a child's</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">--and over both an irregular scoring that might have</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">been wrought by a dragging chain!</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">In the loft of his father's hay barn Willie Case delved</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">deep into the small red-covered volume, HOW TO BE</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">A DETECTIVE; but though he turned many pages and</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">flitted to and fro from preface to conclusion he met only</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">with disappointment.<span> </span>The pictures of noted bank burg-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">lars and confidence men aided him not one whit, for in</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">none of them could he descry the slightest resemblance</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">to the smooth faced youth of the early morning.<span> </span>In fact,</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">so totally different were the types shown in the little</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">book that Willie was forced to scratch his head and ex-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">claim "Gosh!" many times in an effort to reconcile the</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">appearance of the innocent boy to the hardened, crimi-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">nal faces he found portrayed upon the printed pages.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"But, by gol!" he exclaimed mentally, "he said he was</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">The Oskaloosie Kid, 'n' that he shot a man last night;</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">but
what I'd like to know is how I'm goin' to shadder</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">him from this here book.<span> </span>Here it says: 'If the criminal</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">gets on a street car and then jumps off at the next</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">corner the good detective will know that his man is</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">aware that he is being shadowed, and will stay on the</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">car and telephone his office at the first opportunity.'</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">'N'ere it sez: 'If your man gets into a carriage don't</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">run up an' jump on the back of it; but simply hire an-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">other carriage and follow.' How in hek kin I foller this</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">book?" wailed Willie.<span> </span>"They ain't no street cars 'round</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">here.<span> </span>I ain't never see a street car, 'n'as fer a carriage, I</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">reckon he means bus, they's only one on 'em in Oakdale</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">'n'if they waz forty I'd like to know how in hek I'd hire</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">one when I ain't got no money.<span> </span>I reckon I threw away</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">my four-bits on this book--it don't tell a feller nothin'</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">'bout false whiskers, wigs 'n' the like," and he tossed</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">the book disgustedly into a corner, rose and descended</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">to the barnyard.<span> </span>Here he busied himself about some</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">task that should have been attended
to a week before,</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">and which even now was not destined to be completed</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">that day, since Willie had no more than set himself to it</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">than his attention was distracted by the sudden appear-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">ance of a touring car being brought to a stop in front of</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">the gate.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">Instantly Willie dropped his irksome labor and</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">slouched lazily toward the machine, the occupants of</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">which were descending and heading for the Case front</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">door.<span> </span>Jeb Case met them before they reached the porch</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">and Willie lolled against a pillar listening eagerly to all</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">that was said.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">The most imposing figure among the strangers was</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">the same whom Bridge had seen approaching the</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">Squibbs' house a short time before.<span> </span>It was he who acted</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">as spokesman for the newcomers.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"As you may know," he said, after introducing him-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">self, "a number of crimes were committed in and around</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">Oakdale last night.<span> </span>We are searching for clews to the</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">perpetrators, some of whom must still be in the neigh-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">borhood.<span> </span>Have you seen any strange or suspicious char-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">acters around lately?"</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"I
should say we hed," exclaimed Jeb emphatically.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"I seen the wo'st lookin' gang o' bums come outen my</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">hay barn this mornin' thet I ever seed in my life.<span> </span>They</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">must o' ben upward of a dozen on 'em.<span> </span>They waz makin'</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">fer the house when I steps in an' grabs my ol' shot</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">gun.<span> </span>I hollered at 'em not to come a step nigher 'n' I</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">guess they seed it wa'n't safe monkeyin' with me; so</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">they skidaddled."</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"Which way did they go?" asked Burton.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"Off down the road yonder; but I don't know which</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">way they turned at the crossin's, er ef they kept straight</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">on toward Millsville."</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">Burton asked a number of questions in an effort to</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">fix the identity of some of the gang, warned Jeb to tele-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">phone him at Jonas Prim's if he saw anything further of</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">the strangers, and then retraced his steps toward the</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">car.<span> </span>Not once bad Jeb mentioned the youth who had</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">purchased supplies from him that morning, and the</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">reason was that Jeb had not considered the young man</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">of sufficient importance, having cataloged him mentally</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">as
an unusually early specimen of the summer camper</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">with which he was more or less familiar.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">Willie, on the contrary, realized the importance of</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">their morning customer, yet just how he was to cash in</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">on his knowledge was not yet entirely clear.<span> </span>He was al-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">ready convinced that HOW TO BE A DETECTIVE</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">would help him not at all, and with the natural suspicion</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">of ignorance he feared to divulge his knowledge to the</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">city detective for fear that the latter would find the</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">means to cheat him out of the princely reward offered</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">by the Oakdale village board.<span> </span>He thought of going at</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">once to the Squibbs' house and placing the desperate</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">criminals under arrest; but as fear throttled the idea in</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">its infancy he cast about for some other plan.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">Even as he stood there thinking the great detective</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">and his companions were entering the automobile to</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">drive away.<span> </span>In a moment they would be gone.<span> </span>Were they</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">not, after all, the very men, the only men, in fact, to</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">assist him in his dilemma? At least he could test them</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">out.<span> </span>If necessary he would divide the reward with</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">them! Running toward the road Willie shouted to the</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">departing sleuth.<span> </span>The car, moving slowly forward in low,</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">came again to rest.<span> </span>Willie leaped to the running board.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"If I tell you where the murderer is," he whispered</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">hoarsely, "do I git the $50.00?"</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">Detective Burton was too old a hand to ignore even</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">the most seemingly impossible of aids.<span> </span>He laid a kindly</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">hand on Willie's shoulder.<span> </span>"You bet you do," he replied</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">heartily, "and what's more I'll add another fifty to it.<span> </span></span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">What do you know?"</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"I seen the murderer this mornin'," Willie was gasp-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">ing with excitement and elation.<span> </span>Already the one hun-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">dred dollars was as good as his.<span> </span>One hundred dollars!</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">Willie "Goshed!" mentally even as he told his tale.<span> </span>"He</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">come to our house an' bought some vittles an' stuff.<span> </span>Paw</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">didn't know who he wuz; but when Paw went inside he</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">told me he was The Oskaloosie Kid 'n' thet he robbed a</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">house last night and killed a man, 'n' he had a whole</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">pocket full
o' money, 'n' he said he'd kill me ef I told."</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">Detective Burton could scarce restrain a smile as he</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">listened to this wildly improbable tale, yet his profes-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">sional instinct was too keen to permit him to cast aside</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">as worthless the faintest evidence until he had proven</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">it to be worthless.<span> </span>He stepped from the car again and</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">motioning to Willie to follow him returned to the Case</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">yard where Jeb was already coming toward the gate,</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">having noted the interest which his son was arousing</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">among the occupants of the car.<span> </span>Willie pulled at the</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">detective's sleeve.<span> </span>"Don't tell Paw about the reward,"</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">he begged; "he'll keep it all hisself."</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">Burton reassured the boy with a smile and a nod,</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">and then as he neared Jeb he asked him if a young</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">man had been at his place that morning asking for</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">food.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"Sure," replied Jeb; "but he didn't 'mount to nothin'.<span> </span></span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">One o' these here summer camper pests.<span> </span>He paid fer all</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">he got.<span> </span>Had a roll o' bills 's big as ye fist.<span> </span>Little feller he</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">were, not much older
'n' Willie."</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"Did you know that he told your son that he was The</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">Oskaloosa Kid and that he had robbed a house and</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">killed a man last night?"</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"Huh?" exclaimed Jeb.<span> </span>Then he turned and cast one</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">awful look at Willie--a look large with menace.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"Honest, Paw," pleaded the boy.<span> </span>"I was a-scairt to</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">tell you, 'cause he said he'd kill me ef I told."</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">Jeb scratched his head.<span> </span>"Yew know what you'll get ef</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">you're lyin' to me," he threatened.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"I believe he's telling the truth," said detective Bur-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">ton.<span> </span>"Where is the man now?" he asked Willie.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"Down to the Squibbs' place," and Willie jerked a</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">dirty thumb toward the east.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"Not now," said Burton; "we just came from there;</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">but there has been someone there this morning, for</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">there is still a fire in the kitchen range.<span> </span>Does anyone live</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">there?"</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"I should say not," said Willie emphatically; "the</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">place is haunted."</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"Thet's
right," interjected Jeb.<span> </span>"Thet's what they do</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">say, an' this here Oskaloosie Kid said they heered things</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">las' night an' seed a dead man on the floor, didn't he</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">M'randy?" M'randy nodded her head.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"But I don't take no stock in what Willie's ben tellin'</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">ye," she continued, "'n' ef his paw don't lick him I</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">will.<span> </span>I told him tell I'm good an' tired o' talkin' thet one</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">liar 'round a place wuz all I could stand," and she cast a</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">meaning glance at her husband.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"Honest, Maw, I ain't a-lyin'," insisted Willie.<span> </span>"Wot</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">do you suppose he give me this fer, if it wasn't to keep</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">me from talkin'," and the boy drew a crumpled one dol-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">lar bill from his pocket.<span> </span>It was worth the dollar to escape</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">a thrashing.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"He give you thet?" asked his mother.<span> </span>Willie nodded</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">assent.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"'N' thet ain't all he had neither," he said.<span> </span>"Beside</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">all them bills he showed me a whole pocket full o'</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">jewlry, 'n' he had a string o' things thet I don't know</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">jest what you call 'em;
but they looked like they was</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">made outen the inside o' clam shells only they was all</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">round like marbles."</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">Detective Burton raised his eyebrows.<span> </span>"Miss Prim's</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">pearl necklace," he commented to the man at his side.<span> </span></span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">The other nodded.<span> </span>"Don't punish your son, Mrs. Case,"</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">he said to the woman.<span> </span>"I believe he has discovered a</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">great deal that will help us in locating the man we want.<span> </span></span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">Of course I am interested principally in finding Miss</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">Prim--her father has engaged me for that purpose; but</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">I think the arrest of the perpetrators of any of last</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">night's crimes will put us well along on the trail of the</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">missing young lady, as it is almost a foregone conclusion</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">that there is a connection between her disappearance</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">and some of the occurrences which have so excited</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">Oakdale.<span> </span>I do not mean that she was a party to any</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">criminal act; but it is more than possible that she was ab-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">ducted by the same men who later committed the other</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">crimes."</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">The Cases hung open-mouthed upon his words, while</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">his companions
wondered at the loquaciousness of this</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">ordinarily close-mouthed man, who, as a matter of fact,</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">was but attempting to win the confidence of the boy</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">on the chance that even now he had not told all that</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">he knew; but Willie had told all.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">Finding, after a few minutes further conversation,</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">that he could glean no additional information the de-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">tective returned to his car and drove west toward Mills-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">ville on the assumption that the fugitives would seek</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">escape by the railway running through that village.<span> </span></span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">Only thus could he account for their turning off the</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">main pike.<span> </span>The latter was now well guarded all the</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">way to Payson; while the Millsville road was still open.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">No sooner had he departed than Willie Case disap-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">peared, nor did he answer at noon to the repeated</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">ringing of the big, farm dinner bell.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">Half way between the Case farm and Millsville de-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">tective Burton saw, far ahead along the road, two figures</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">scale a fence and disappear behind the fringing black-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">berry bushes which grew in tangled profusion on either</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">side.<span>
</span>When they came abreast of the spot he ordered</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">the driver to stop; but though he scanned the open field</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">carefully he saw no sign of living thing.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"There are two men hiding behind those bushes," he</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">said to his companions in a low whisper.<span> </span>"One of you</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">walk ahead about fifty yards and the other go back the</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">same distance and then climb the fence.<span> </span>When I see you</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">getting over I'll climb it here. <span> </span>They can't get away from</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">us." To the driver he said: "You have a gun.<span> </span>If they</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">make a break go after 'em.<span> </span>You can shoot if they don't</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">stop when you tell 'em to."</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">The two men walked in opposite directions along the</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">road, and when Burton saw them turn in and start to</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">climb the fence he vaulted over the panel directly op-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">posite the car.<span> </span>He had scarcely alighted upon the other</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">side when his eyes fell upon the disreputable figures of</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">two tramps stretched out upon their backs and snoring</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">audibly.<span> </span>Burton grinned.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"You two sure can go to sleep in a hurry," he said.<span> </span></span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">One of the men opened
his eyes and sat up.<span> </span>When he</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">saw who it was that stood over him he grinned sheep-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">ishly.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"Can't a guy lie down fer a minute in de bushes wid-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">out bein' pinched?" he asked.<span> </span>The other man now sat up</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">and viewed the newcomer, while from either side Bur-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">ton's companions closed in on the three.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"Wot's de noise?" inquired the second tramp, looking</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">from one to another of the intruders.<span> </span>"We ain't done</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">nothin'."</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"Of course not, Charlie," Burton assured him gaily.<span> </span></span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"Who would ever suspect that you or The General</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">would do anything; but somebody did something in</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">Oakdale last night and I want to take you back there</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">and have a nice, long talk with you.<span> </span>Put your hands</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">up!"</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"We--."</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"Put 'em up!" snapped Burton, and when the four</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">grimy fists had been elevated he signalled to his com-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">panions to search the two men.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">Nothing more formidable than knives, dope, and a</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">needle were found upon them.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"Say," drawled Dopey Charlie.<span> </span>"We knows wot we</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">knows; but hones' to gawd we didn't have nothin' to do</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">wid it.<span> </span>We knows the guy that pulled it off--we spent</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">las' night wid him an' his pal an' a skoit.<span> </span>He creased</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">me, here," and Charlie unbuttoned his clothing and ex-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">posed to view the bloody scratch of The Oskaloosa</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">Kid's bullet.<span> </span>"On de level, Burton, we wern't in on it.<span> </span></span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">Dis guy was at dat Squibbs' place wen we pulls in dere</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">outen de rain.<span> </span>He has a pocket full o' kale an' sparklers</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">an' tings, and he goes fer to shoot me up wen I tries</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">to get away."</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"Who was he?" asked Burton.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"He called hisself de Oskaloosa Kid," replied Charlie.<span> </span></span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"A guy called Bridge was wid him.<span> </span>You know him?"</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"I've heard of him; but he's straight," replied Burton.<span> </span></span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"Who was the skirt?"</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"I dunno," said Charlie; "but she was gassin' 'bout her</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">pals croakin' a guy an' trunin' 'im outten a gas wagon,</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">an' dis Oskaloosa Kid he croaks some old guy in Oak-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">dale las' night.<span> </span>Mebby he ain't a bad 'un though!"</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"Where are they now?" asked Burton.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"We got away from 'em at the Squibbs' place this</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">mornin'," said Charlie.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"Well," said Burton, "you boes come along with me.<span> </span></span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">If you ain't done nothing the worst you'll get'll be</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">three squares and a place to sleep for a few days.<span> </span>I</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">want you where I can lay my hands on you when I</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">need a couple of witnesses," and he herded them over</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">the fence and into the machine.<span> </span>As he himself was about</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">to step in he felt suddenly of his breast pocket.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"What's the matter?" asked one of his companions.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"I've lost my note book," replied Burton; "it must</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">have dropped out of my pocket when I jumped the</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">fence.<span> </span>Just wait a minute while I go look for it," and</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">be returned to the fence, vaulted it and disappeared be-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">hind the bushes.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">It was fully five minutes before he returned but when</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">he did there was a look of satisfaction on his face.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"Find it?" asked his principal lieutenant.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"Yep,"
replied Burton.<span> </span>"I wouldn't have lost it for</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">anything."</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">Bridge and his companions had made their way along</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">the wooded path for perhaps a quarter of a mile when</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">the man halted and drew back behind the foliage of a</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">flowering bush.<span> </span>With raised finger he motioned the oth-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">ers to silence and then pointed through the branches</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">ahead.<span> </span>The boy and the girl, tense with excitement,</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">peered past the man into a clearing in which stood a log</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">shack, mud plastered; but it was not the hovel which</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">held their mute attention--it was rather the figure of a</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">girl, bare headed and bare footed, who toiled stub-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">bornly with an old spade at a long, narrow excavation.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">All too suggestive in itself was the shape of the hole</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">the girl was digging; there was no need of the silent</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">proof of its purpose which lay beside her to tell the</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">watchers that she worked alone in the midst of the for-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">est solitude upon a human grave.<span> </span>The thing wrapped</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">in an old quilt lay silently waiting for the making of its</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">last bed.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">And as the three watched her
other eyes watched</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">them and the digging girl--wide, awestruck eyes, filled</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">with a great terror, yet now and again half closing in</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">the shrewd expression of cunning that is a hall mark of</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">crafty ignorance.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">And as they watched, their over-wrought nerves sud-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">denly shuddered to the grewsome clanking of a chain</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">from the dark interior of the hovel.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">The youth, holding tight to Bridge's sleeve, strove to</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">pull him away.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"Let's go back," he whispered in a voice that trembled</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">so that he could scarce control it.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"Yes, please," urged the girl.<span> </span>"Here is another path</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">leading toward the north.<span> </span>We must be close to a road.<span> </span></span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">Let's get away from here."</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">The digger paused and raised her head, listening, as</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">though she had caught the faint, whispered note of hu-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">man voices.<span> </span>She was a black haired girl of nineteen or</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">twenty, dressed in a motley of flowered calico and silk,</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">with strings of gold and silver coins looped around her</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">olive neck.<span> </span>Her bare arms were encircled by bracelets--</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">some cheap
and gaudy, others well wrought from gold</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">and silver.<span> </span>From her ears depended ornaments fash-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">ioned from gold coins.<span> </span>Her whole appearance was bar-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">baric, her occupation cast a sinister haze about her; and</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">yet her eyes seemed fashioned for laughter and her lips</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">for kissing.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">The watchers remained motionless as the girl peered</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">first in one direction and then in another, seeking an ex-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">planation of the sounds which had disturbed her.<span> </span>Her</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">brows were contracted into a scowl of apprehension</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">which remained even after she returned to her labors,</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">and that she was ill at ease was further evidenced by</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">the frequent pauses she made to cast quick glances to-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">ward the dense tanglewood surrounding the clearing.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">At last the grave was dug.<span> </span>The girl climbed out and</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">stood looking down upon the quilt wrapped thing at</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">her feet.<span> </span>For a moment she stood there as silent and</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">motionless as the dead.<span> </span>Only the twittering of birds dis-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">turbed the quiet of the wood.<span> </span>Bridge felt a soft hand</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">slipped into his and slender fingers grip his own, He</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">turned
his eyes to see the boy at his side gazing with</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">wide eyes and trembling lips at the tableau within the</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">clearing.<span> </span>Involuntarily the man's hand closed tightly</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">upon the youth's.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">And as they stood thus the silence was shattered by</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">a loud and human sneeze from the thicket not fifty feet</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">from where they stood.<span> </span>Instantly the girl in the clearing</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">was electrified into action.<span> </span>Like a tigress charging those</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">who stalked her she leaped swiftly across the clearing</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">toward the point from which the disturbance had come.<span> </span></span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">There was an answering commotion in the underbrush</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">as the girl crashed through, a slender knife gleaming in</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">her hand.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">Bridge and his companions heard the sounds of a</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">swift and short pursuit followed by voices, one master-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">ful, the other frightened and whimpering; and a moment</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">afterward the girl reappeared dragging a boy with her</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">--a wide-eyed, terrified, country boy who begged and</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">blubbered to no avail.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">Beside the dead man the girl halted and then turned</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">on her captive.<span> </span>In her right hand she still held the</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">menacing
blade.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"What you do there watching me for?" she demanded.<span> </span></span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"Tell me the truth, or I kill you," and she half raised</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">the knife that he might profit in his decision by this</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">most potent of arguments.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">The boy cowered.<span> </span>"I didn't come fer to watch you,"</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">he whimpered.<span> </span>"I'm lookin' for somebody else.<span> </span>I'm goin'</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">to be a deetectiff, an' I'm shadderin' a murderer; and</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">he gasped and stammered: "But not you.<span> </span>I'm lookin' for</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">another murderer."</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">For the first time the watchers saw a faint smile</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">touch the girl's lips.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"What other murderer?" she asked.<span> </span>"Who has been</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">murdered?"</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"Two an' mebby three in Oakdale last night," said</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">Willie Case more glibly now that a chance for dissemi-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">nating gossip momentarily outweighed his own fears.<span> </span></span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"Reginald Paynter was murdered an' ol' man Baggs an'</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">Abigail Prim's missin'.<span> </span>Like es not she's been murdered</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">too, though they do say as she had a hand in it, bein'</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">seen with Paynter an' The Oskaloosie Kid
jest afore the</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">murder."</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">As the boy's tale reached the ears of the three hidden</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">in the underbrush Bridge glanced quickly at his com-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">panions.<span> </span>He saw the boy's horror-stricken expression fol-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">low the announcement of the name of the murdered</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">Paynter, and he saw the girl flush crimson.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">Without urging, Willie Case proceeded with his story.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">He told of the coming of The Oskaloosa Kid to his</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">father's farm that morning and of seeing some of the</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">loot and hearing the confession of robbery and killing</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">in Oakdale the night before.<span> </span>Bridge looked down at the</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">youth beside him; but the other's face was averted and</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">his eyes upon the ground.<span> </span>Then Willie told of the arrival</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">of the great detective, of the reward that had been of-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">fered and of his decision to win it and become rich</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">and famous in a single stroke.<span> </span>As he reached the end</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">of his narrative he leaned close to the girl, whispering</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">in her ear the while his furtive gaze wandered toward</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">the spot where the three lay concealed.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">Bridge shrugged his shoulders as the palpable
infer-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">ence of that cunning glance was borne in upon him.<span> </span></span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">The boy's voice had risen despite his efforts to hold it to</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">a low whisper for what with the excitement of the ad-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">venture and his terror of the girl with the knife he had</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">little or no control of himself, yet it was evident that he</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">did not realize that practically every word he had</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">spoken had reached the ears of the three in hiding and</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">that his final precaution as he divulged the information</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">to the girl was prompted by an excess of timidity and</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">secretiveness.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">The eyes of the girl widened in surprise and fear</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">as she learned that three watchers lay concealed at</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">the verge of the clearing.<span> </span>She bent a long, searching</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">look in the direction indicated by the boy and then</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">turned her eyes quickly toward the hut as though to</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">summon aid.<span> </span>At the same moment Bridge stepped from</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">hiding into the clearing.<span> </span>His pleasant 'Good morning!'</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">brought the girl around, facing him.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"What you want?" she snapped.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"I want you and this young man," said Bridge, his</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">voice
now suddenly stern.<span> </span>"We have been watching you</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">and followed you from the Squibbs house.<span> </span>We found the</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">dead man there last night;" Bridge nodded toward the</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">quilt enveloped thing upon the ground; "and we sus-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">pect that you had an accomplice." Here he frowned</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">meaningly upon Willie Case.<span> </span>The youth trembled and</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">stammered.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"I never seen her afore," he cried.<span> </span>"I don' know</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">nothin' about it.<span> </span>Honest I don't." But the girl did not</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">quail.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"You get out," she commanded.<span> </span>"You a bad man.<span> </span>Kill,</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">steal.<span> </span>He know; he tell me.<span> </span>You get out or I call Beppo.<span> </span></span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">He keel you.<span> </span>He eat you."</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"Come, come, now, my dear," urged Bridge, "be calm.<span> </span></span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">Let us get at the root of this thing.<span> </span>Your young friend</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">accuses me of being a murderer, does he? And he tells</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">about murders in Oakdale that I have not even heard</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">of. It seems to me that he must have some guilty knowl-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">edge himself of these affairs.<span> </span>Look at him and look at</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">me. Notice his ears, his chin, his forehead, or
rather the</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">places where his chin and forehead should be, and then</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">look once more at me.<span> </span>Which of us might be a murderer</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">and which a detective? I ask you.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"And as for yourself.<span> </span>I find you here in the depths of</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">the wood digging a lonely grave for a human corpse.<span> </span></span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">I ask myself: was this man murdered? but I do not say</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">that he was murdered.<span> </span>I wait for an explanation from</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">you, for you do not look a murderer, though I cannot</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">say as much for your desperate companion."</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">The girl looked straight into Bridge's eyes for a full</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">minute before she replied as though endeavoring to</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">read his inmost soul.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"I do not know this boy," she said.<span> </span>"That is the truth.<span> </span></span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">He was spying on me, and when I found him he told</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">me that you and your companions were thieves and</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">murderers and that you were hiding there watching me.<span> </span></span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">You tell me the truth, all the truth, and I will tell you</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">the truth.<span> </span>I have nothing to fear.<span> </span>If you do not tell me</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">the truth I shall know it.<span> </span>Will you?"</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"I will," replied
Bridge, and then turning toward the</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">brush he called: "Come here!" and presently a boy and a</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">girl, dishevelled and fearful, crawled forth into sight.<span> </span></span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">Willie Case's eyes went wide as they fell upon the</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">Oskaloosa Kid.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">Quickly and simply Bridge told the girl the story of</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">the past night, for he saw that by enlisting her sym-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">pathy he might find an avenue of escape for his com-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">panions, or at least a haven of refuge where they might</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">hide until escape was possible.<span> </span>"And then," he said in</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">conclusion, "when the searchers arrived we followed</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">the foot prints of yourself and the bear until we came</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">upon you digging this grave."</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">Bridge's companions and Willie Case looked their sur-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">prise at his mention of a bear; but the gypsy girl only</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">nodded her head as she had occasionally during his nar-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">rative.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"I believe you," said the girl.<span> </span>"It is not easy to de-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">ceive Giova.<span> </span>Now I tell you.<span> </span>This here," she pointed</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">toward the dead man, "he my father.<span> </span>He bad man.<span> </span></span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">Steal; kill;
drink; fight; but always good to Giova.<span> </span>Good</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">to no one else but Beppo.<span> </span>He afraid Beppo.<span> </span>Even our</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">people drive us out he, my father, so bad man.<span> </span>We wan-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">der 'round country mak leetle money when Beppo</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">dance; mak lot money when HE steal.<span> </span>Two days he no</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">come home.<span> </span>I go las' night look for him.<span> </span>Sometimes he</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">too drunk come home he sleep Squeebs.<span> </span>I go there.<span> </span>I</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">find heem dead.<span> </span>He have fits, six, seven year.<span> </span>He die fit.<span> </span></span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">Beppo stay guard heem.<span> </span>I carry heem home.<span> </span>Giova</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">strong, he no very large man.<span> </span>Beppo come too.<span> </span>I bury</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">heem.<span> </span>No one know we leeve here.<span> </span>Pretty soon I go</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">way with Beppo.<span> </span>Why tell people he dead.<span> </span>Who care?</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">Mak lot trouble for Giova whose heart already ache</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">plenty.<span> </span>No one love heem, only Beppo and Giova.<span> </span>No</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">one love Giova, only Beppo; but some day Beppo he</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">keel Giova now HE is dead, for Beppo vera large, strong</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">bear--fierce bear--ogly bear.<span> </span>Even Giova who love Bep-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">po is afraid Beppo.<span> </span>Beppo devil bear! Beppo got evil</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">eye.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"Well," said Bridge, "I guess, Giova, that you and we</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">are in the
same boat.<span> </span>We haven't any of us done any-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">thing so very bad but it would be embarrassing to</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">have to explain to the police what we have done," here</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">he glanced at The Oskaloosa Kid and the girl standing</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">beside the youth.<span> </span>"Suppose we form a defensive alli-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">ance, eh? We'll help you and you help us.<span> </span>What do you</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">say?"</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"All right," acquiesced Giova; "but what we do with</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">this?" and she jerked her thumb toward Willie Case.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"If he don't behave we'll feed him to Beppo," sug-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">gested Bridge.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">Willie shook in his boots, figuratively speaking, for in</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">reality he shook upon his bare feet.<span> </span>"Lemme go," he</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">wailed, "an' I won't tell nobody nothin'."</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"No," said Bridge, "you don't go until we're safely</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">out of here.<span> </span>I wouldn't trust that vanishing chin of</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">yours as far as I could throw Beppo by the tail."</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"Wait!" exclaimed The Oskaloosa Kid.<span> </span>"I have it!"</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"What have you?" asked Bridge.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"Listen!"
cried the boy excitedly.<span> </span>"This boy has been</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">offered a hundred dollars for information leading to the</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">arrest and conviction of the men who robbed and mur-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">dered in Oakdale last night.<span> </span>I'll give him a hundred</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">dollars if he'll go away and say nothing about us."</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"Look here, son," said Bridge, "every time you open</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">your mouth you put your foot in it.<span> </span>The less you adver-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">tise the fact that you have a hundred dollars the better</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">off you'll be.<span> </span>I don't know how you come by so much</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">wealth; but in view of several things which occurred</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">last night I should not be crazy, were I you, to have to</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">make a true income tax return.<span> </span>Somehow I have faith in</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">you; but I doubt if any minion of the law would be</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">similarly impressed."</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">The Oskaloosa Kid appeared hurt and crestfallen.<span> </span></span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">Giova shot a suspicious glance at him.<span> </span>The other girl in-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">voluntarily drew away.<span> </span>Bridge noted the act and shook</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">his head.<span> </span>"No," he said, "we mustn't judge one another</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">hastily, Miss Prim, and I take it you are Miss
Prim?"</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">The girl made a half gesture of denial, started to speak,</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">hesitated and then resumed.<span> </span>"I would rather not say</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">who I am, please," she said.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"Well," said the man, "let's take one another at face</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">value for a while, without digging too deep into the</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">past; and now for our plans.<span> </span>This wood will be searched;</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">but I don't see how we are to get out of it before dark as</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">the roads are doubtless pretty well patrolled, or at least</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">every farmer is on the lookout for suspicious strangers.<span> </span></span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">So we might as well make the best of it here for the</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">rest of the day.<span> </span>I think we're reasonably safe for the</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">time being--if we keep Willie with us."</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">Willie had been an interested auditor of all that</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">passed between his captors.<span> </span>He was obviously terrified;</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">but his terror did not prevent him from absorbing all</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">that he heard, nor from planning how he might utilize</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">the information.<span> </span>He saw not only one reward but sev-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">eral and a glorious publicity which far transcended the</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">most sanguine of his former dreams.<span>
</span>He saw his picture</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">not only in the Oakdale Tribune but in the newspapers</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">of every city of the country.<span> </span>Assuming a stern and arro-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">gant expression, or rather what he thought to be such,</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">he posed, mentally, for the newspaper cameramen; and</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">such is the power of association of ideas that he was</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">presently strolling nonchalantly before a battery of mo-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">tion picture machines.<span> </span>"Gee!" he murmured, "wont the</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">other fellers be sore! I s'ppose Pinkerton'll send for me</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">'bout the first thing 'n' offer me twenty fi' dollars a week,</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">er mebbie more 'n thet.<span> </span>Gol durn, ef I don't hold out</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">fer thirty! Gee!" Words, thoughts even, failed him.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">As the others planned they rather neglected Willie</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">and when they came to assisting Giova in lowering her</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">father into the grave and covering him over with earth</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">they quite forgot Willie entirely.<span> </span>It was The Oskaloosa</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">Kid who first thought of him.<span> </span>"Where's the boy?" he</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">cried suddenly.<span> </span>The others looked quickly about the</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">clearing, but no Willie was to be seen.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">Bridge shook
his head ruefully.<span> </span>"We'll have to get out</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">of this in a hurry now," he said.<span> </span>"That little defective will</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">have the whole neighborhood on us in an hour."</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"Oh, what can we do?" cried the girl.<span> </span>"They mustn't</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">find us! I should rather die than be found here with--"</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">She stopped abruptly, flushed scarlet as the other three</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">looked at her in silence, and then: "I am sorry," she said.<span> </span></span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"I didn't know what I was saying.<span> </span>I am so frightened.<span> </span></span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">You have all been good to me."</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"I tell you what we do." It was Giova speaking in the</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">masterful voice of one who has perfect confidence in his</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">own powers.<span> </span>"I know fine way out.<span> </span>This wood circle</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">back south through swamp mile, mile an' a half.<span> </span>The</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">road past Squeebs an' Case's go right through it.<span> </span>I know</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">path there I fin' myself.<span> </span>We on'y have to cross road, that</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">only danger.<span> </span>Then we reach leetle stream south of</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">woods, stream wind down through Payson.<span> </span>We all go</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">Gypsies.<span> </span>I got lot clothing in house.<span> </span>We all go Gypsies,</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">an' when we reach Payson we no try hide--jus' come</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">out on street with Beppo.<span> </span>Mak' Beppo dance.<span> </span>No one</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">think we try hide.<span> </span>Then come night we go 'way.<span> </span>Find</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">more wood an' leetle lake other side Payson.<span> </span>I know</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">place.<span> </span>We hide there long time.<span> </span>No one ever fin' us</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">there.<span> </span>We tell two, three, four people in Payson we go</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">Oakdale.<span> </span>They look Oakdale for us if they wan' fin' us.<span> </span></span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">They no think look where we go.<span> </span>See?"</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"Oh, I can't go to Payson," exclaimed the other girl.<span> </span></span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"Someone would be sure to recognize me."</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"You come in house with me," Giova assured her, "I</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">feex you so your own mother no know you.<span> </span>You mens</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">come too.<span> </span>I geeve you what to wear like Gypsy mens. </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">We got lots things.<span> </span>My father, him he steal many things</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">from our people after they drive us out.<span> </span>He go back</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">by nights an' steal."</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">The three followed her toward the little hovel since</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">there seemed no better plan than that which she had</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">offered.<span> </span>Giova and the other girl were in the lead, fol-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">lowed by
Bridge and the boy.<span> </span>The latter turned to the</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">man and placed a hand upon his arm.<span> </span>"Why don't you</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">leave us," he asked.<span> </span>"You have done nothing.<span> </span>No one is</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">looking for you.<span> </span>Why don't you go your way and save</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">yourself from suspicion."</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">Bridge did not reply.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"I believe," the youth went on, "that you are doing</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">it for me; but why I can't guess."</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"Maybe I am," Bridge half acknowledged.<span> </span>"You're a</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">good little kid, but you need someone to look after you.<span> </span></span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">It would be easier though if you'd tell me the truth</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">about yourself, which you certainly haven't up to now."</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"Please don't ask me," begged the boy.<span> </span>"I can't; hon-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">estly I can't."</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"Is it as bad as that?" asked the man.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"Oh, its worse," cried The Oskaloosa Kid.<span> </span>"It's a thou-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">sand times worse.<span> </span>Don't make me tell you, for if I do</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">tell I shall have to leave you, and--and, oh, Bridge, I</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">don't want to leave you--ever!"</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">They had reached the
door of the cabin now and</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">were looking in past the girl who had halted there as</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">Giova entered.<span> </span>Before them was a small room in which</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">a large, vicious looking brown bear was chained.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"Behold our ghost of last night!" exclaimed Bridge.<span> </span></span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"By George! though, I'd as soon have hunted a real</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">ghost in the dark as to have run into this fellow."</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"Did you know last night that it was a bear?" asked</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">the Kid.<span> </span>"You told Giova that you followed the foot-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">prints of herself and her bear; but you had not said any-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">thing about a bear to us."</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"I had an idea last night," explained Bridge, "that</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">the sounds were produced by some animal dragging a</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">chain; but I couldn't prove it and so I said nothing, and</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">then this morning while we were following the trail I</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">made up my mind that it was a bear.<span> </span>There were two</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">facts which argued that such was the case.<span> </span>The first is</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">that I don't believe in ghosts and that even if I did I</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">would not expect a ghost to leave footprints in the mud,</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">and
the other is that I knew that the footprints of a bear</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">are strangely similar to those of the naked feet of man.<span> </span></span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">Then when I saw the Gypsy girl I was sure that what</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">we had heard last night was nothing more nor less than</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">a trained bear.<span> </span>The dress and appearance of the dead</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">man lent themselves to a furtherance of my belief and</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">the wisp of brown hair clutched in his fingers added still</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">further proof."</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">Within the room the bear was now straining at his</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">collar and growling ferociously at the strangers.<span> </span>Giova</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">crossed the room, scolding him and at the same time</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">attempting to assure him that the newcomers were</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">friends; but the wicked expression upon the beast's face</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">gave no indication that he would ever accept them as</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">aught but enemies.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">It was a breathless Willie who broke into his mother's</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">kitchen wide eyed and gasping from the effects of ex-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">citement and a long, hard run.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"Fer lan' sakes!" exclaimed Mrs. Case.<span> </span>"Whatever in</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">the world ails you?"</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"I got 'em; I got 'em!" cried Willie,
dashing for the</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">telephone.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"Fer lan' sakes! I should think you did hev 'em," re-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">torted his mother as she trailed after him in the direc-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">tion of the front hall.<span> </span>"'N' whatever you got, you got 'em</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">bad.<span> </span>Now you stop right where you air 'n' tell me what-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">ever you got.<span> </span>'Taint likely its measles, fer you've hed</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">them three times, 'n' whoopin' cough ain't 'them,' it's 'it,'</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">'n'--." Mrs. Case paused and gasped--horrified.<span> </span>"Fer lan'</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">sakes, Willie Case, you come right out o' this house this</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">minute ef you got anything in your head." She made a</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">grab for Willie's arm; but the boy dodged and reached</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">the telephone.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"Shucks!" he cried.<span> </span>"I ain't got nothin' in my head,"</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">nor did either sense the unconscious humor of the state-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">ment.<span> </span>"What I got is a gang o' thieves an' murderers, an'</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">I'm callin' up thet big city deetectiff to come arter 'em."</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">Mrs. Case sank into a chair, prostrated by the weight</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">of her emotions, while Willie took down the receiver af-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">ter ringing
the bell to attract central.<span> </span>Finally he ob-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">tained his connection, which was with Jonas Prim's bank</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">where detective Burton was making his headquarters.<span> </span></span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">Here he learned that Burton had not returned; but fi-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">nally gave his message reluctantly to Jonas Prim after</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">exacting a promise from that gentleman that he would</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">be personally responsible for the payment of the reward.<span> </span></span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">What Willie Case told Jonas Prim had the latter in a</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">machine, with half a dozen deputy sheriffs and speed-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">ing southward from Oakdale inside of ten minutes.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">A short distance out from town they met detective</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">Burton with his two prisoners.<span> </span>After a hurried consulta-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">tion Dopey Charlie and The General were unloaded</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">and started on the remainder of their journey afoot un-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">der guard of two of the deputies, while Burton's com-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">panions turned and followed the other car, Burton tak-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">ing a seat beside Prim.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"He said that he could take us right to where Abigail</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">is," Mr. Prim was explaining to Burton, "and that this</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">Oskaloosa Kid is with her, and
another man and a for-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">eign looking girl.<span> </span>He told a wild story about seeing</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">them burying a dead man in the woods back of</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">Squibbs' place.<span> </span>I don't know how much to believe, or</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">whether to believe any of it; but we can't afford not</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">to run down every clew.<span> </span>I can't believe that my daugh-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">ter is wilfully consorting with such men.<span> </span>She always</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">has been full of life and spirit; but she's got a clean</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">mind, and her little escapades have always been en-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">tirely harmless--at worst some sort of boyish prank.<span> </span>I</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">simply won't believe it until I see it with my own eyes.<span> </span></span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">If she's with them she's being held by force."</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">Burton made no reply.<span> </span>He was not a man to jump to</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">conclusions.<span> </span>His success was largely due to the fact</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">that he assumed nothing; but merely ran down each</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">clew quickly yet painstakingly until he had a foundation</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">of fact upon which to operate.<span> </span>His theory was that the</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">simplest way is always the best way and so he never be-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">fogged the main issue with any elaborate system of de-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">ductive reasoning based on guesswork.<span> </span>Burton never</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">guessed.<span> </span>He assumed that it was his business to KNOW,</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">nor was he on any case long before he did know.<span> </span>He</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">was employed now to find Abigail Prim.<span> </span>Each of the sev-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">eral crimes committed the previous night might or might</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">not prove a clew to her whereabouts; but each must be</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">run down in the process of elimination before Burton</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">could feel safe in abandoning it.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">Already he had solved one of them to his satisfac-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">tion; and Dopey Charlie and The General were, all un-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">known to themselves, on the way to the gallows for the</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">murder of Old John Baggs.<span> </span>When Burton had found</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">them simulating sleep behind the bushes beside the road</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">his observant eyes had noticed something that resem-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">bled a hurried cache.<span> </span>The excuse of a lost note book had</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">taken him back to investigate and to find the loot of the</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">Baggs's crime wrapped in a bloody rag and hastily</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">buried in a shallow hole.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">When Burton and Jonas Prim arrived at the Case farm</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">they were met by a new Willie.<span> </span>A puffed and important</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">young man swaggered before them as he retold his tale</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">and
led them through the woods toward the spot where</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">they were to bag their prey.<span> </span>The last hundred yards was</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">made on hands and knees; but when the party arrived</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">at the clearing there was no one in sight, only the hovel</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">stood mute and hollow-eyed before them.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"They must be inside," whispered Willie to the detec-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">tive.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">Burton passed a whispered word to his followers.<span> </span></span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">Stealthily they crept through the underbrush until the</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">cabin was surrounded; then, at a signal from their leader</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">they rose and advanced upon the structure.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">No evidence of life indicated their presence had been</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">noted, and Burton came to the very door of the cabin</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">unchallenged.<span> </span>The others saw him pause an instant</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">upon the threshold and then pass in.<span> </span>They closed be-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">hind him.<span> </span>Three minutes later he emerged, shaking his</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">head.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"There is no one here," he announced.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">Willie Case was crestfallen.<span> </span>"But they must be," he</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">pleaded.<span> </span>"They must be.<span> </span>I saw 'em here just a leetle</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">while back."</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">Burton turned and
eyed the boy sternly.<span> </span>Willie</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">quailed.<span> </span>"I seen 'em," he cried.<span> </span>"Hones' I seen 'em.<span> </span>They</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">was here just a few minutes ago.<span> </span>Here's where they bur-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">rit the dead man," and he pointed to the little mound of</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">earth near the center of the clearing.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"We'll see," commented Burton, tersely, and he sent</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">two of his men back to the Case farm for spades.<span> </span>When</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">they returned a few minutes' labor revealed that so</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">much of Willie's story was true, for a quilt wrapped</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">corpse was presently unearthed and lying upon the</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">ground beside its violated grave.<span> </span>Willie's stock rose once</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">more to par.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">In an improvised litter they carried the dead man</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">back to Case's farm where they left him after notifying</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">the coroner by telephone.<span> </span>Half of Burton's men were</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">sent to the north side of the woods and half to the road</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">upon the south of the Squibbs' farm.<span> </span>There they sep-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">arated and formed a thin line of outposts about the</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">entire area north of the road.<span> </span>If the quarry was within</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">it could not escape without being seen.<span> </span>In the mean</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">time Burton telephoned to Oakdale for reinforcements,</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">as it would require fifty men at least to properly beat the</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">tangled underbrush of the wood.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"><span> </span>o<span> </span>o<span> </span>o</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">In a clump of willows beside the little stream which</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">winds through the town of Payson a party of four halted</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">on the outskirts of the town.<span> </span>There were two men, two</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">young women and a huge brown bear.<span> </span>The men and</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">women were, obviously, Gypsies.<span> </span>Their clothing, their</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">head-dress, their barbaric ornamentation proclaimed the</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">fact to whoever might pass; but no one passed.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"I think," said Bridge, "that we will just stay where we</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">are until after dark.<span> </span>We haven't passed or seen a human</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">being since we left the cabin.<span> </span>No one can know that</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">we are here and if we stay here until late tonight we</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">should be able to pass around Payson unseen and reach</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">the wood to the south of town.<span> </span>If we do meet anyone</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">tonight we'll stop them and inquire the way to Oakdale</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">--that'll throw them off the track."</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">The others acquiesced
in his suggestion; but there</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">were queries about food to be answered.<span> </span>It seemed that</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">all were hungry and that the bear was ravenous.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"What does he eat?" Bridge asked of Giova.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"Mos' anything," replied the girl.<span> </span>"He like garbage</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">fine.<span> </span>Often I take him into towns late, ver' late at night</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">an' he eat swill.<span> </span>I do that tonight.<span> </span>Beppo, he got to be</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">fed or he eat Giova.<span> </span>I go feed Beppo, you go get food</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">for us; then we all meet at edge of wood just other side</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">town near old mill."</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">During the remainder of the afternoon and well after</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">dark the party remained hidden in the willows.<span> </span>Then</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">Giova started out with Beppo in search of garbage cans,</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">Bridge bent his steps toward a small store upon the</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">outskirts of town where food could be purchased, The</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">Oskaloosa Kid having donated a ten dollar bill for the</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">stocking of the commissariat, and the youth and the</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">girl made their way around the south end of the town</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">toward the meeting place beside the old mill.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">As Bridge moved through the quiet road
at the out-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">skirts of the little town he let his mind revert to the</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">events of the past twenty four hours and as he pon-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">dered each happening since he met the youth in the</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">dark of the storm the preceding night he asked him-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">self why he had cast his lot with these strangers.<span> </span>In his</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">years of vagabondage Bridge had never crossed that in-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">visible line which separates honest men from thieves and</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">murderers and which, once crossed, may never be re-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">crossed.<span> </span>Chance and necessity had thrown him often</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">among such men and women; but never had he been of</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">them.<span> </span>The police of more than one city knew Bridge--</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">they knew him, though, as a character and not as a</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">criminal.<span> </span>A dozen times he had been arraigned upon</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">suspicion; but as many times had he been released with</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">a clean bill of morals until of late Bridge had become al-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">most immune from arrest.<span> </span>The police who knew him</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">knew that he was straight and they knew, too, that he</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">would give no information against another man.<span> </span>For</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">this they admired him as did the majority of the crim-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">inals with whom
he had come in contact during his</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">rovings.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">The present crisis, however, appeared most unprom-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">ising to Bridge.<span> </span>Grave crimes had been committed in</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">Oakdale, and here was Bridge conniving in the escape</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">of at least two people who might readily be under po-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">lice suspicion.<span> </span>It was difficult for the man to bring him-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">self to believe that either the youth or the girl was in</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">any way actually responsible for either of the murders;</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">yet it appeared that the latter had been present when a</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">murder was committed and now by attempting to elude</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">the police had become an accessory after the fact, since</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">she possessed knowledge of the identity of the actual</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">murderer; while the boy, by his own admission, had</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">committed a burglary.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">Bridge shook his head wearily. <span> </span>Was he not himself</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">an accessory after the fact in the matter of two crimes</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">at least? These new friends, it seemed, were about to</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">topple him into the abyss which he had studiously</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">avoided for so long a time.<span> </span>But why should he permit</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">it? What were they to him?</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">A freight train was
puffing into the siding at the Pay-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">son station.<span> </span>Bridge could hear the complaining brakes</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">a mile away.<span> </span>It would be easy to leave the town and his</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">dangerous companions far behind him; but even as the</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">thought forced its way into his mind another obtruded</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">itself to shoulder aside the first.<span> </span>It was recollection of the</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">boy's words: "Oh, Bridge, I don't want to leave you--</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">ever."</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"I couldn't do it," mused Bridge.<span> </span>"I don't know just</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">why; but I couldn't.<span> </span>That kid has certainly got me.<span> </span>The</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">first thing someone knows I'll be starting a foundlings'</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">home.<span> </span>There is no question but that I am the soft</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">mark, and I wonder why it is--why a kid I never saw</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">before last night has a strangle hold on my heart that I</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">can't shake loose--and don't want to.<span> </span>Now if it was a</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">girl I could understand it." Bridge stopped suddenly in</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">the middle of the road.<span> </span>From his attitude he might have</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">been startled either by a surprising noise or by a surpris-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">ing thought.<span> </span>For a minute he stood motionless; then he</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">shook his head again
and proceeded along his way to-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">ward the little store; evidently if he had heard anything</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">he was assured that it constituted no menace.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">As he entered the store to make his purchases a fox-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">eyed man saw him and stepped quickly behind the</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">huge stove which had not as yet been taken down for</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">the summer.<span> </span>Bridge made his purchases, the volume of</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">which required a large gunny-sack for transportation,</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">and while he was thus occupied the fox-eyed man clung</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">to his coign of vantage, himself unnoticed by the pur-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">chaser.<span> </span>When Bridge departed the other followed him,</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">keeping in the shadow of the trees which bordered the</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">street.<span> </span>Around the edge of town and down a road which</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">led southward the two went until Bridge passed through</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">a broken fence and halted beside an abandoned mill.<span> </span></span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">The watcher saw his quarry set down his burden, seat</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">himself beside it and proceed to roll a cigaret; then he</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">faded away in the darkness and Bridge was alone.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">Five or ten minutes later two slender figures ap-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">peared dimly out of the north.<span> </span>They approached timidly,</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">stopping often and looking first this way and then that</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">and always listening.<span> </span>When they arrived opposite the</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">mill Bridge saw them and gave a low whistle.<span> </span>Immedi-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">ately the two passed through the fence and approached</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">him.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"My!" exclaimed one, "I thought we never would get</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">here; but we didn't see a soul on the road.<span> </span>Where is</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">Giova?"</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"She hadn't come yet," replied Bridge, "and she may</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">not.<span> </span>I don't see how a girl can browse around a town</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">like this with a big bear at night and not be seen, and</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">if she is seen she'll be followed--it would be too much</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">of a treat for the rubes ever to be passed up--and if</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">she's followed she won't come here.<span> </span>At least I hope she</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">won't."</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"What's that?" exclaimed The Oskaloosa Kid.<span> </span>Each</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">stood in silence, listening.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">The girl shuddered.<span> </span>"Even now that I know what it</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">is it makes me creep," she whispered, as the faint clank-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">ing of a distant chain came to their ears.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"We ought to be used to it by this time,
Miss Prim,"</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">said Bridge.<span> </span>"We heard it all last night and a good</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">part of to-day."</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">The girl made no comment upon the use of the name</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">which he had applied to her, and in the darkness he</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">could not see her features, nor did he see the odd ex-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">pression upon the boy's face as he heard the name</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">addressed to her.<span> </span>Was he thinking of the nocturnal</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">raid he so recently had made upon the boudoir of Miss</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">Abigail Prim? Was he pondering the fact that his pock-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">ets bulged to the stolen belongings of that young lady?</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">But whatever was passing in his mind he permitted</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">none of it to pass his lips.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">As the three stood waiting in silence Giova came pres-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">ently among them, the beast Beppo lumbering awk-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">wardly at her side.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"Did he find anything to eat?" asked the man.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"Oh, yes," exclaimed Giova.<span> </span>"He fill up now.<span> </span>That mak</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">him better nature.<span> </span>Beppo not so ugly now."</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"Well, I'm glad of that," said Bridge.<span> </span>"I haven't been</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">looking forward much to his company through the</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">woods
tonight--especially while he was hungry!"</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">Giova laughed a low, musical little laugh.<span> </span>"I don'</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">think he no hurt you anyway," she said.<span> </span>"Now he know</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">you my frien'."</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"I hope you are quite correct in your surmise," re-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">plied Bridge.<span> </span>"But even so I'm not taking any chances."</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"><span> </span>o o o</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">Willie Case had been taken to Payson to testify be-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">fore the coroner's jury investigating the death of Giova's</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">father, and with the dollar which The Oskaloosa Kid</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">had given him in the morning burning in his pocket had</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">proceeded to indulge in an orgy of dissipation the mo-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">ment that he had been freed from the inquest.<span> </span>Ice</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">cream, red pop, peanuts, candy, and soda water may</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">have diminished his appetite but not his pride and self-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">satisfaction as he sat alone and by night for the first</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">time in a public eating place.<span> </span>Willie was now a man of</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">the world, a bon vivant, as he ordered ham and eggs</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">from the pretty waitress of The Elite Restaurant on</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">Broadway; but at
heart he was not happy for never be-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">fore had he realized what a great proportion of his anat-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">omy was made up of hands and feet.<span> </span>As he glanced</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">fearfully at the former, silhouetted against the white of</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">the table cloth, he flushed scarlet, assured as he was that</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">the waitress who had just turned away toward the</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">kitchen with his order was convulsed with laughter</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">and that every other eye in the establishment was glued</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">upon him.<span> </span>To assume an air of nonchalance and thereby</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">impress and disarm his critics Willie reached for a tooth-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">pick in the little glass holder near the center of the ta-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">ble and upset the sugar bowl.<span> </span>Immediately Willie</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">snatched back the offending hand and glared ferociously</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">at the ceiling.<span> </span>He could feel the roots of his hair being</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">consumed in the heat of his skin.<span> </span>A quick side glance</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">that required all his will power to consummate showed</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">him that no one appeared to have noticed his faux pas</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">and Willie was again slowly returning to normal when</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">the proprietor of the restaurant came up from behind</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">and asked him to remove
his hat.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">Never had Willie Case spent so frightful a half hour</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">as that within the brilliant interior of The Elite Restau-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">rant.<span> </span>Twenty-three minutes of this eternity was con-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">sumed in waiting for his order to be served and seven</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">minutes in disposing of the meal and paying his check.<span> </span></span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">Willie's method of eating was in itself a sermon on</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">efficiency--there was no lost motion--no waste of time.<span> </span></span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">He placed his mouth within two inches of his plate</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">after cutting his ham and eggs into pieces of a size that</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">would permit each mouthful to enter without wedging;</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">then he mixed his mashed potatoes in with the result</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">and working his knife and fork alternately with bewild-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">ering rapidity shot a continuous stream of food into his</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">gaping maw.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">In addition to the meat and potatoes there was one</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">vegetable in a side-dish and as dessert four prunes.<span> </span>The</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">meat course gone Willie placed the vegetable dish on</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">the empty plate, seized a spoon in lieu of knife and</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">fork and--presto! the side-dish was empty.<span> </span>Whereupon</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">the prune dish was set in the
empty side-dish--four deft</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">motions and there were no prunes--in the dish.<span> </span>The en-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">tire feat had been accomplished in 6:34 1/2, setting a</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">new world's record for red-headed farmer boys with one</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">splay foot.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">In the remaining twenty five and one half seconds</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">Willie walked what seemed to him a mile from his seat</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">to the cashier's desk and at the last instant bumped into</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">a waitress with a trayful of dishes.<span> </span>Clutched tightly in</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">Willie's hand was thirty five cents and his check with a</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">like amount written upon it.<span> </span>Amid the crash of crockery</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">which followed the collision Willie slammed check and</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">money upon the cashier's desk and fled.<span> </span>Nor did he</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">pause until in the reassuring seclusion of a dark side-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">street.<span> </span>There Willie sank upon the curb alternately cold</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">with fear and hot with shame, weak and panting, and</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">into his heart entered the iron of class hatred, searing</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">it to the core.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">Fortunately for youth it recuperates rapidly from mor-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">tal blows, and so it was that another half hour found</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">Willie wandering up and down Broadway but
at the</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">far end of the street from The Elite Restaurant.<span> </span>A mo-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">tion picture theater arrested his attention; and pres-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">ently, parting with one of his two remaining dimes, he</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">entered.<span> </span>The feature of the bill was a detective melo-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">drama.<span> </span>Nothing in the world could have better suited</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">Willie's psychic needs.<span> </span>It recalled his earlier feats of</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">the day, in which he took pardonable pride, and raised</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">him once again to a self-confidence he had not felt since</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">be entered the ever to be hated Elite Restaurant.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">The show over Willie set forth afoot for home.<span> </span>A</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">long walk lay ahead of him.<span> </span>This in itself was bad</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">enough; but what lay at the end of the long walk was</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">infinitely worse, as Willie's father had warned him to</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">return immediately after the inquest, in time for milk-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">ing, preferably.<span> </span>Before he had gone two blocks from the</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">theater Willie had concocted at least three tales to ac-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">count for his tardiness, either one of which would have</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">done credit to the imaginative powers of a Rider Hag-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">gard or a Jules Verne; but at the end of the
third</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">block he caught a glimpse of something which drove</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">all thoughts of home from his mind and came but</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">barely short of driving his mind out too.<span> </span>He was ap-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">proaching the entrance to an alley.<span> </span>Old trees grew in the</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">parkway at his side.<span> </span>At the street corner a half block</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">away a high flung arc swung gently from its support-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">ing cables, casting a fair light upon the alley's mouth,</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">and just emerging from behind the nearer fence Willie</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">Case saw the huge bulk of a bear.<span> </span>Terrified, Willie</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">jumped behind a tree; and then, fearful lest the animal</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">might have caught sight or scent of him he poked his</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">head cautiously around the side of the bole just in</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">time to see the figure of a girl come out of the alley be-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">hind the bear.<span> </span>Willie recognized her at the first glance--</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">she was the very girl he had seen burying the dead man</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">in the Squibbs woods.<span> </span>Instantly Willie Case was trans-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">formed again into the shrewd and death defying sleuth.<span> </span></span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">At a safe distance he followed the girl and the bear</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">through one alley after another until they came out upon</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">the
road which leads south from Payson.<span> </span>He was across</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">the road when she joined Bridge and his companions.<span> </span></span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">When they turned toward the old mill he followed them,</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">listening close to the rotting clapboards for any chance</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">remark which might indicate their future plans.<span> </span>He</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">heard them debating the wisdom of remaining where</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">they were for the night or moving on to another loca-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">tion which they had evidently decided upon but no</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">clew to which they dropped.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"The objection to remaining here," said Bridge, "is</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">that we can't make a fire to cook by--it would be too</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">plainly visible from the road."</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"But I can no fin' road by dark," explained Giova.<span> </span>"It</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">bad road by day, ver' much worse by night.<span> </span>Beppo no</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">come 'cross swamp by night.<span> </span>No, we got stay here til</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">morning."</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"All right," replied Bridge, "we can eat some of this</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">canned stuff and have our ham and coffee after we</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">reach camp tomorrow morning, eh?"</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"And now that we've gotten through Payson safely,"</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">suggested
The Oskaloosa Kid, "let's change back into</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">our own clothes.<span> </span>This disguise makes me feel too con-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">spicuous."</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">Willie Case had heard enough.<span> </span>His quarry would re-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">main where it was over night, and a moment later Willie</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">was racing toward Payson and a telephone as fast as his</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">legs would carry him.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">In an old brick structure a hundred yards below the</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">mill where the lighting machinery of Payson had been</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">installed before the days of the great central power-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">plant a hundred miles away four men were smoking as</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">they lay stretched upon the floor.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"I tell you I seen him," asserted one of the party.<span> </span>"I</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">follered this Bridge guy from town to the mill.<span> </span>He was</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">got up like a Gyp; but I knew him all right, all right.<span> </span></span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">This scenery of his made me tink there was something</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">phoney doin', or I wouldn't have trailed him, an' its a</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">good ting I done it, fer he hadn't ben there five min-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">utes before along comes The Kid an' a skirt and pretty</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">soon a nudder chicken wid a calf on a string, er mebbie</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">it was a sheep--it
was pretty husky lookin' fer a sheep</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">though.<span> </span>An' I sticks aroun' a minute until I hears this</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">here Bridge guy call the first skirt 'Miss Prim.'"</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">He ceased speaking to note the effect of his words on</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">his hearers.<span> </span>They were electrical.<span> </span>The Sky Pilot sat up</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">straight and slapped his thigh.<span> </span>Soup Face opened his</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">mouth, letting his pipe fall out into his lap, setting fire</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">to his ragged trousers.<span> </span>Dirty Eddie voiced a characteris-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">tic obscenity.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"So you sees," went on Columbus Blackie, "we got a</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">chanct to get both the dame and The Kid.<span> </span>Two of us</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">can take her to Oakdale an' claim the reward her old</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">man's offerin' an' de odder two can frisk de Kid, an'--</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">an'--."</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"An' wot?" queried The Sky Pilot.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"Dere's de swamp handy," suggested Soup Face.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"I was tinkin' of de swamp," said Columbus Blackie.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"Eddie and I will return Miss Prim to her bereaved</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">parents," interrupted The Sky Pilot.<span> </span>"You, Blackie, and</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">Soup Face can arrange matters with
The Oskaloosa Kid.<span> </span></span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">I don't care for details.<span> </span>We will all meet in Toledo as</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">soon as possible and split the swag.<span> </span>We ought to make</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">a cleaning on this job, boes."</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"You split a mout'ful then," said Columbus Blackie.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">They fell to discussing way and means.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"We'd better wait until they're asleep," counseled</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">The Sky Pilot.<span> </span>"Two of us can tackle this Bridge and</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">hand him the k.o. quick.<span> </span>Eddie and Soup Face had</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">better attend to that.<span> </span>Blackie can nab The Kid an' I'll</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">annex Miss Abigail Prim.<span> </span>The lady with the calf we</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">don't want.<span> </span>We'll tell her we're officers of the law an'</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">that she'd better duck with her live stock an' keep her</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">trap shut if she don't want to get mixed up with a mur-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">der trial."</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"><span> </span>o o o</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">Detective Burton was at the county jail in Oakdale</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">administering the third degree to Dopey Charlie and</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">The General when there came a long distance telephone</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">call for him.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"Hello!" said the voice at the other end of the line;</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"I'm
Willie Case, an' I've found Miss Abigail Prim."</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"Again?" queried Burton.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"Really," asserted Willie.<span> </span>"I know where she's goin' to</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">be all night.<span> </span>I heard 'em say so.<span> </span>The Oskaloosie Kid's</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">with her an' annuder guy an' the girl I seen with the</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">dead man in Squibbs' woods an' they got a BEAR!" It</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">was almost a shriek.<span> </span>"You'd better come right away</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">an' bring Mr. Prim.<span> </span>I'll meet you on the ol' Toledo road</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">right south of Payson, an' say, do I get the whole re-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">ward?"</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"You'll get whatever's coming to you, son," replied</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">Burton.<span> </span>"You say there are two men and two women--</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">are you sure that is all?"</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"And the bear," corrected Willie.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"All right, keep quiet and wait for me," cautioned</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">Burton.<span> </span>"You'll know me by the spot light on my car--</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">I'll have it pointed straight up into the air.<span> </span>When you</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">see it coming get into the middle of the road and wave</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">your hands to stop us.<span> </span>Do you understand?"</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"Yes," said
Willie.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"And don't talk to anyone," Burton again cautioned</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">him.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">A few minutes later Burton left Oakdale with his two</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">lieutenants and a couple of the local policemen, the car</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">turning south toward Payson and moving at ever ac-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">celerating speed as it left the town streets behind it and</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">swung smoothly onto the country road.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"><span> </span>o<span> </span>o<span> </span>o</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">It was after midnight when four men cautiously ap-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">proached the old mill.<span> </span>There was no light nor any sign of</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">life within as they crept silently through the doorless</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">doorway.<span> </span>Columbus Blackie was in the lead.<span> </span>He flashed</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">a quick light around the interior revealing four forms</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">stretched upon the floor, deep in slumber.<span> </span>Into the</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">blacker shadows of the far end of the room the man</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">failed to shine his light for the first flash had shown</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">him those whom he sought.<span> </span>Picking out their quarry the</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">intruders made a sudden rush upon the sleepers.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">Bridge awoke to find two men attempting to rain</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">murderous blows upon his head.<span> </span>Wiry, strong and full</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">of the
vigor of a clean life, he pitted against their</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">greater numbers and cowardly attack a defense which</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">was infinitely more strenuous than they had expected.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">Columbus Blackie leaped for The Oskaloosa Kid,</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">while The Sky Pilot seized upon Abigail Prim.<span> </span>No one</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">paid any attention to Giova, nor, with the noise and con-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">fusion, did the intruders note the sudden clanking of a</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">chain from out the black depths of the room's further</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">end, or the splintering of a half decayed studding.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">Soup Face entangling himself about Bridge's legs suc-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">ceeded in throwing the latter to the floor while Dirty</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">Eddie kicked viciously at the prostrate man's head.<span> </span>The</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">Sky Pilot seized Abigail Prim about the waist and</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">dragged her toward the doorway and though the girl</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">fought valiantly to free herself her lesser muscles were</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">unable to cope successfully with those of the man.<span> </span>Co-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">lumbus Blackie found his hands full with The Oskaloosa</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">Kid.<span> </span>Again and again the youth struck him in the face;</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">but the man persisted, beating down the slim hands</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">and striking viciously
at body and head until, at last,</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">the boy, half stunned though still struggling, was</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">dragged from the room.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">Simultaneously a series of frightful growls reverber-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">ated through the deserted mill.<span> </span>A huge body cata-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">pulted into the midst of the fighters.<span> </span>Abigail Prim</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">screamed.<span> </span>"The bear!" she cried.<span> </span>"The bear is loose!"</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">Dirty Eddie was the first to feel the weight of Beppo's</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">wrath.<span> </span>His foot drawn back to implant a vicious kick in</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">Bridge's face he paused at the girl's scream and at the</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">same moment a huge thing reared up before him.<span> </span>Just</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">for an instant he sensed the terrifying presence of some</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">frightful creature, caught the reflected gleam of two</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">savage eyes and felt the hot breath from distended</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">jaws upon his cheek, then Beppo swung a single terrific</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">blow which caught the man upon the side of the head</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">to spin him across the floor and drop him in a crumpled</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">heap against the wall, with a fractured skull.<span> </span>Dirty</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">Eddie was out.<span> </span>Soup Face, giving voice to a scream more</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">bestial than human, rose to his feet
and fled in the oppo-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">site direction.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">Beppo paused and looked about.<span> </span>He discovered</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">Bridge lying upon the floor and sniffed at him.<span> </span>The</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">man lay perfectly quiet.<span> </span>He had heard that often times</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">a bear will not molest a creature which it thinks dead.<span> </span></span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">Be that as it may Beppo chanced at that moment to</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">glance toward the doorway.<span> </span>There, silhouetted against</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">the lesser darkness without, he saw the figures of Co-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">lumbus Blackie and The Oskaloosa Kid and with a</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">growl he charged them.<span> </span>The two were but a few paces</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">outside the doorway when the full weight of the great</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">bear struck Columbus Blackie between the shoulders.<span> </span></span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">Down went the man and as he fell he released his hold</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">upon the youth who immediately turned and ran for the</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">road.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">The momentum of the bear carried him past the body</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">of his intended victim who, frightened but uninjured,</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">scrambled to his feet and dashed toward the rear of the</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">mill in the direction of the woods and distant swamp.<span> </span></span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">Beppo, recovering from his charge, wheeled in time to</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">catch a glimpse of his quarry
after whom he made with</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">all the awkwardness that was his birthright and with</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">the speed of a race horse.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">Columbus Blackie, casting a terrified glance rear-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">ward, saw his Nemesis flashing toward him, and dodged</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">around a large tree.<span> </span>Again Beppo shot past the man</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">while the latter, now shrieking for help, raced madly</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">in a new direction.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">Bridge had arisen and come out of the mill.<span> </span>He called</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">aloud for The Oskaloosa Kid.<span> </span>Giova answered him from</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">a small tree.<span> </span>"Climb!" she cried.<span> </span>"Climb a tree! Ever'one</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">climb a small tree.<span> </span>Beppo he go mad.<span> </span>He keel ever'one.<span> </span></span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">Run! Climb! He keel me.<span> </span>Beppo he got evil-eye."</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">Along the road from the north came a large touring</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">car, swinging from side to side in its speed.<span> </span>Its brilliant</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">headlights illuminated the road far ahead.<span> </span>They picked</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">out The Sky Pilot and Abigail Prim, they found The</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">Oskaloosa Kid climbing a barbed wire fence and then</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">with complaining brakes the car came to a sudden stop.<span> </span></span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">Six men leaped from the machine and rounded up the</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">three they had seen.<span>
</span>Another came running toward</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">them.<span> </span>It was Soup Face, so thoroughly terrified that he</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">would gladly have embraced a policeman in uniform,</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">could the latter have offered him protection.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">A boy accompanied the newcomers.<span> </span>"There he is!" he</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">screamed, pointing at The Oskaloosa Kid.<span> </span>"There he is!</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">And you've got Miss Prim, too, and when do I get the</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">reward?"</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"Shut up!" said one of the men.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"Watch this bunch," said Burton to one of his lieuten-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">ants, "while we go after the rest of them.<span> </span>There are some</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">over by the mill.<span> </span>I can hear them."</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">From the woods came a fearfilled scream mingled</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">with the savage growls of a beast.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"It's the bear," shrilled Willie Case, and ran toward</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">the automobile.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">Bridge ran forward to meet Burton.<span> </span>"Get that girl and</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">the kid into your machine and beat it!" he cried.<span> </span>"There's</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">a bear loose here, a regular devil of a bear.<span> </span>You can't do</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">a thing unless you have rifles.<span> </span>Have you?"</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"Who are you?"
asked the detective.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"He's one of the gang," yelled Willie Case from the</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">fancied security of the tonneau.<span> </span>"Seize him!" He wanted</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">to add: "My men"; but somehow his nerve failed him at</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">the last moment; however he had the satisfaction of</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">thinking it.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">Bridge was placed in the car with Abigail Prim, The</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">Oskaloosa Kid, Soup Face and The Sky Pilot.<span> </span>Burton</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">sent the driver back to assist in guarding them; then he</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">with the remaining three, two of whom were armed</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">with rifles, advanced toward the mill.<span> </span>Beyond it they</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">heard the growling of the bear at a little distance in the</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">wood; but the man no longer made any outcry.<span> </span>From</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">a tree Giova warned them back.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"Come down!" commanded Burton, and sent her</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">back to the car.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">The driver turned his spot light upon the wood be-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">yond the mill and presently there came slowly forward</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">into its rays the lumbering bulk of a large bear.<span> </span>The</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">light bewildered him and he paused, growling.<span> </span>His left</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">shoulder was partially exposed.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"Aim for
his chest, on the left side," whispered Bur-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">ton.<span> </span>The two men raised their rifles.<span> </span>There were two re-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">ports in close succession.<span> </span>Beppo fell forward without a</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">sound and then rolled over on his side.<span> </span>Giova covered</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">her face with her hands and sobbed.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"He ver' bad, ugly bear," she said brokenly; "but he</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">all I have to love."</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">Bridge extended a hand and patted her bowed head.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">In the eyes of The Oskaloosa Kid there glistened some-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">thing perilously similar to tears.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">In the woods back of the mill Burton and his men</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">found the mangled remains of Columbus Blackie, and</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">when they searched the interior of the structure they</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">brought forth the unconscious Dirty Eddie.<span> </span>As the car</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">already was taxed to the limit of its carrying capacity</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">Burton left two of his men to march The Kid and Bridge</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">to the Payson jail, taking the others with him to Oak-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">dale.<span> </span>He was also partially influenced in this decision by</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">the fear that mob violence would be done the principals</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">by Oakdale's outraged citizens.<span> </span>At Payson he stopped</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">long enough at the town jail to arrange for the reception</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">of the two prisoners, to notify the coroner of the death</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">of Columbus Blackie and the whereabouts of his body</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">and to place Dirty Eddie in the hospital.<span> </span>He then tele-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">phoned Jonas Prim that his daughter was safe and would</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">be returned to him in less than an hour.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">By the time Bridge and The Oskaloosa Kid reached</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">Payson the town was in an uproar.<span> </span>A threatening crowd</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">met them a block from the jail; but Burton's men were</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">armed with rifles which they succeeded in convincing</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">the mob they would use if their prisoners were molested.<span> </span></span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">The telephone, however, had carried the word to Oak-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">dale; so that before Burton arrived there a dozen auto-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">mobile loads of indignant citizens were racing south to-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">ward Payson.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">Bridge and The Oskaloosa Kid were hustled into the</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">single cell of the Payson jail.<span> </span>A bench ran along two</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">sides of the room.<span> </span>A single barred window let out upon</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">the yard behind the structure.<span> </span>The floor was littered</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">with papers, and a single electric light
bulb relieved the</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">gloom of the unsavory place.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">The Oskaloosa Kid sank, trembling, upon one of the</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">hard benches.<span> </span>Bridge rolled a cigaret.<span> </span>At his feet lay a</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">copy of that day's Oakdale Tribune.<span> </span>A face looked up</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">from the printed page into his eyes.<span> </span>He stooped and</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">took up the paper.<span> </span>The entire front page was devoted to</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">the various crimes which had turned peaceful Oakdale</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">inside out in the past twenty four hours.<span> </span>There were</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">reproductions of photographs of John Baggs, Reginald</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">Paynter, Abigail Prim, Jonas Prim, and his wife, with a</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">large cut of the Prim mansion, a star marking the bou-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">doir of the missing daughter of the house.<span> </span>As Bridge</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">examined the various pictures an odd expression en-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">tered his eyes--it was a mixture of puzzlement, incredu-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">lity, and relief.<span> </span>Tossing the paper aside he turned to-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">ward The Oskaloosa Kid.<span> </span>They could hear the sullen</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">murmur of the crowd in front of the jail.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"If they get any booze," he said, "they'll take us out</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">of here and string us up.<span> </span>If you've got anything to say</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">that
would tend to convince them that you did not kill</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">Paynter I advise you to call the guard and tell the truth,</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">for if the mob gets us they might hang us first and listen</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">afterward--a mob is not a nice thing.<span> </span>Beppo was an angel</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">of mercy by comparison with one."</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"Could you convince them that you had no part in</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">any of these crimes?" asked the boy.<span> </span>"I know that you</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">didn't; but could you prove it to a mob?"</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"No," said Bridge.<span> </span>"A mob is not open to reason.<span> </span>If</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">they get us I shall hang, unless someone happens to</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">think of the stake."</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">The boy shuddered.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"Will you tell the truth?" asked the man.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"I will go with you," replied the boy, "and take what-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">ever you get."</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"Why?" asked Bridge.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">The youth flushed; but did not reply, for there came</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">from without a sudden augmentation of the murmur-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">ings of the mob.<span> </span>Automobile horns screamed out upon</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">the night.<span> </span>The two heard the chugging of motors, the</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">sound of brakes and the
greetings of new arrivals.<span> </span>The</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">reinforcements had arrived from Oakdale.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">A guard came to the grating of the cell door.<span> </span>"The</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">bunch from Oakdale has come," he said.<span> </span>"If I was you</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">I'd say my prayers.<span> </span>Old man Baggs is dead.<span> </span>No one</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">never had no use for him while he was alive, but the</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">whole county's het up now over his death.<span> </span>They're</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">bound to get you, an' while I didn't count 'em all I</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">seen about a score o' ropes.<span> </span>They mean business."</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">Bridge turned toward the boy.<span> </span>"Tell the truth," he</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">said.<span> </span>"Tell this man."</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">The youth shook his head.<span> </span>"I have killed no one," said</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">he. "That is the truth.<span> </span>Neither have you; but if they</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">are going to murder you they can murder me too, for</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">you stuck to me when you didn't have to; and I am go-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">ing to stick to you, and there is some excuse for me be-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">cause I have a reason--the best reason in the world."</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"What is it?" asked Bridge.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">The Oskaloosa Kid shook his head, and once more he</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">flushed.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"Well,"
said the guard, with a shrug of his shoulders,</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"it's up to you guys.<span> </span>If you want to hang, why hang and</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">be damned.<span> </span>We'll do the best we can 'cause it's our duty</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">to protect you; but I guess at that hangin's too good fer</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">you, an' we ain't a-goin' to get shot keepin' you from get-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">tin' it."</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"Thanks," said Bridge.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">The uproar in front of the jail had risen in volume</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">until it was difficult for those within to make themselves</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">heard without shouting.<span> </span>The Kid sat upon his bench and</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">buried his face in his hands.<span> </span>Bridge rolled another smoke.<span> </span></span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">The sound of a shot came from the front room of the</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">jail, immediately followed by a roar of rage from the</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">mob and a deafening hammering upon the jail door.<span> </span></span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">A moment later this turned to the heavy booming of a</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">battering ram and the splintering of wood.<span> </span>The frail</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">structure quivered beneath the onslaught.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">The prisoners could hear the voices of the guards</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">and the jailer raised in an attempt to reason with the</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">unreasoning mob, and then came a final crash and the</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">stamping
of many feet upon the floor of the outer</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">room.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">Burton's car drew up before the doorway of the Prim</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">home in Oakdale.<span> </span>The great detective alighted and</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">handed down the missing Abigail.<span> </span>Then be directed that</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">the other prisoners be taken to the county jail.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">Jonas Prim and his wife awaited Abigail's return in</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">the spacious living room at the left of the reception</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">hall.<span> </span>The banker was nervous.<span> </span>He paced to and fro the</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">length of the room.<span> </span>Mrs. Prim fanned herself vigorously</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">although the heat was far from excessive.<span> </span>They heard</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">the motor draw up in front of the house; but they did</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">not venture into the reception hall or out upon the</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">porch, though for different reasons.<span> </span>Mrs. Prim because</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">it would not have been PROPER; Jonas because he could</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">not trust himself to meet his daughter, whom he had</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">thought lost, in the presence of a possible crowd which</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">might have accompanied her home.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">They heard the closing of an automobile door and</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">the sound of foot steps coming up the concrete walk.<span> </span></span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">The Prim butler was already waiting at
the doorway</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">with the doors swung wide to receive the prodigal</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">daughter of the house of Prim.<span> </span>A slender figure with</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">bowed head ascended the steps, guided and assisted by</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">the detective.<span> </span>She did not look up at the expectant but-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">ler waiting for the greeting he was sure Abigail would</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">have for him; but passed on into the reception hall.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"Your father and Mrs. Prim are in the living room,"</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">announced the butler, stepping forward to draw aside</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">the heavy hangings.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">The girl, followed by Burton, entered the brightly</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">lighted room.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"I am very glad, Mr. Prim," said the latter, "to be</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">able to return Miss Prim to you so quickly and un-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">harmed."</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">The girl looked up into the face of Jonas Prim.<span> </span>The</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">man voiced an exclamation of surprise and annoyance.<span> </span></span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">Mrs. Prim gasped and sank upon a sofa.<span> </span>The girl stood</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">motionless, her eyes once again bent upon the floor.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"What's the matter?" asked Burton.<span> </span>"What's wrong?"</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"Everything is wrong, Mr. Burton," Jonas Prim's
voice</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">was crisp and cold.<span> </span>"This is not my daughter."</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">Burton looked his surprise and discomfiture.<span> </span>He turned</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">upon the girl.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"What do you mean--" he started; but she interrupted</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">him.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"You are going to ask what I mean by posing as Miss</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">Prim," she said.<span> </span>"I have never said that I was Miss Prim.<span> </span></span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">You took the word of an ignorant little farmer's boy and</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">I did not deny it when I found that you intended bring-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">ing me to Mr. Prim, for I wanted to see him.<span> </span>I wanted</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">to ask him to help me.<span> </span>I have never met him, or his</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">daughter either; but my father and Mr. Prim have been</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">friends for many years.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"I am Hettie Penning," she continued, addressing</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">Jonas Prim.<span> </span>"My father has always admired you and</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">from what he has told me I knew that you would listen</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">to me and do what you could for me.<span> </span>I could not bear</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">to think of going to the jail in Payson, for Payson is my</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">home.<span> </span>Everybody would have known me.<span> </span>It would have</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">killed my father.<span> </span>Then I wanted to come myself and</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">tell you,
after reading the reports and insinuations in the</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">paper, that your daughter was not with Reginald Payn-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">ter when he was killed.<span> </span>She had no knowledge of the</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">crime and as far as I know may not have yet.<span> </span>I have</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">not seen her and do not know where she is; but I was</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">present when Mr. Paynter was killed.<span> </span>I have known him</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">for years and have often driven with him.<span> </span>He stopped</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">me yesterday afternoon on the street in Payson and</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">talked with me.<span> </span>He was sitting in a car in front of the</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">bank.<span> </span>After we had talked a few minutes two men came</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">out of the bank.<span> </span>Mr. Paynter introduced them to me.<span> </span>He</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">said they were driving out into the country to look at a</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">piece of property--a farm somewhere north of Oakdale</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">--and that on the way back they were going to stop at</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">The Crossroads Inn for dinner.<span> </span>He asked me if I</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">wouldn't like to come along--he kind of dared me to,</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">because, as you know, The Crossroads has rather a bad</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">reputation.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"Father had gone to Toledo on business, and very</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">foolishly I took his dare.<span> </span>Everything went all right un-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">til after
we left The Inn, although one of the men--his</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">companion referred to him once or twice as The Oska-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">loosa Kid--attempted to be too familiar with me.<span> </span>Mr.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">Paynter prevented him on each occasion, and they had</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">words over me; but after we left the inn, where they</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">had all drunk a great deal, this man renewed his atten-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">tions and Mr. Paynter struck him.<span> </span>Both of them were</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">drunk.<span> </span>After that it all happened so quickly that I could</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">scarcely follow it.<span> </span>The man called Oskaloosa Kid drew</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">a revolver but did not fire, instead he seized Mr. Paynter</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">by the coat and whirled him around and then he struck</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">him an awful blow behind the ear with the butt of the</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">weapon.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"After that the other two men seemed quite sobered.<span> </span></span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">They discussed what would be the best thing to do and</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">at last decided to throw Mr. Paynter's body out of the</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">machine, for it was quite evident that he was dead.<span> </span>First</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">they rifled his pockets, and joked as they did it, one of</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">them saying that they weren't getting as much as they</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">had planned on; but that a little was better
than noth-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">ing.<span> </span>They took his watch, jewelry, and a large roll of</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">bills.<span> </span>We passed around the east side of Oakdale and</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">came back into the Toledo road.<span> </span>A little way out of town</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">they turned the machine around and ran back for about</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">half a mile; then they turned about a second time.<span> </span>I</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">don't know why they did this.<span> </span>They threw the body out</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">while the machine was moving rapidly; but I was so</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">frightened that I can't say whether it was before or after</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">they turned about the second time.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"In front of the old Squibbs place they shot at me and</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">threw me out; but the bullet missed me.<span> </span>I have not seen</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">them since and do not know where they went.<span> </span>I am</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">ready and willing to aid in their conviction; but, please</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">Mr. Prim, won't you keep me from being sent back to</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">Payson or to jail.<span> </span>I have done nothing criminal and I</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">won't run away."</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"How about the robbery of Miss Prim's room and the</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">murder of Old Man Baggs?" asked Burton.<span> </span>"Did they</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">pull both of those off before they killed Paynter or af-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">ter?"</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"They
had nothing to do with either unless they did</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">them after they threw me out of the car, which must</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">have been long after midnight," replied the girl.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"And the rest of the gang, those that were arrested</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">with you," continued the detective, "how about them?</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">All angels, I suppose."</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"There was only Bridge and the boy they called The</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">Oskaloosa Kid, though he isn't the same one that mur-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">dered poor Mr. Paynter, and the Gypsy girl, Giova,</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">that were with me.<span> </span>The others were tramps who came</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">into the old mill and attacked us while we were asleep.<span> </span></span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">I don't know who they were.<span> </span>The girl could have had</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">nothing to do with any of the crimes.<span> </span>We came upon</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">her this morning burying her father in the woods back</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">of the Squibbs' place.<span> </span>The man died of epilepsy last</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">night.<span> </span>Bridge and the boy were taking refuge from the</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">storm at the Squibbs place when I was thrown from</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">the car.<span> </span>They heard the shot and came to my rescue.<span> </span>I</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">am sure they had nothing to do with--with--" she hesi-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">tated.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"Tell the
truth," commanded Burton.<span> </span>"It will go hard</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">with you if you don't.<span> </span>What made you hesitate? You</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">know something about those two--now out with it."</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"The boy robbed Mr. Prim's home--I saw some of</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">the money and jewelry--but Bridge was not with him.<span> </span></span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">They just happened to meet by accident during the</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">storm and came to the Squibbs place together.<span> </span>They</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">were kind to me, and I hate to tell anything that would</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">get the boy in trouble.<span> </span>That is the reason I hesitated.<span> </span></span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">He seemed such a nice boy! It is hard to believe that</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">he is a criminal, and Bridge was always so considerate.<span> </span></span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">He looks like a tramp; but he talks and acts like a gentle-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">man."</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">The telephone bell rang briskly, and a moment later</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">the butler stepped into the room to say that Mr. Burton</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">was wanted on the wire.<span> </span>He returned to the living</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">room in two or three minutes.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"That clears up some of it," he said as be entered.<span> </span></span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"The sheriff just had a message from the chief at Toledo</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">saying that The Oskaloosa Kid is dying in a hospital</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">there
following an automobile accident.<span> </span>He knew he</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">was done for and sent for the police.<span> </span>When they came he</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">told them he had killed a man by the name of Paynter</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">at Oakdale last night and the chief called up to ask</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">what we knew about it.<span> </span>The Kid confessed to clear his</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">pal who was only slightly injured in the smash-up.<span> </span>His</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">story corroborates Miss Penning's in every detail, he also</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">said that after killing Paynter he had shot a girl witness</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">and thrown her from the car to prevent her squealing."</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">Once again the telephone bell rang, long and insist-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">ently.<span> </span>The butler almost ran into the room.<span> </span>"Payson</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">wants you, sir," he cried to Burton, "in a hurry, sir, it's a</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">matter of life and death, sir!"</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">Burton sprang to the phone.<span> </span>When he left it he only</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">stopped at the doorway of the living room long enough</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">to call in: "A mob has the two prisoners at Payson and</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">are about to lynch them, and, my God, they're innocent.<span> </span></span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">We all know now who killed Paynter and I have known</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">since morning who murdered Baggs, and
it wasn't</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">either of those men; but they've found Miss Prim's jew-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">elry on the fellow called Bridge and they've gone</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">crazy--they say he murdered her and the young one</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">did for Paynter.<span> </span>I'm going to Payson," and dashed from</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">the house.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"Wait," cried Jonas Prim, "I'm going with you," and</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">without waiting to find a hat he ran quickly after the de-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">tective.<span> </span>Once in the car he leaned forward urging the</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">driver to greater speed.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"God in heaven!" he almost cried, "the fools are go-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">ing to kill the only man who can tell me anything about</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">Abigail."</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"><span> </span>o<span> </span>o<span> </span>o</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">With oaths and threats the mob, brainless and heart-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">less, cowardly, bestial, filled with the lust for blood,</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">pushed and jammed into the narrow corridor before</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">the cell door where the two prisoners awaited their</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">fate.<span> </span>The single guard was brushed away.<span> </span>A dozen</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">men wielding three railroad ties battered upon the grat-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">ing of the door, swinging the ties far back and then in</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">unison bringing them
heavily forward against the puny</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">iron.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">Bridge spoke to them once.<span> </span>"What are you going to do</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">with us?" he asked.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"We're goin' to hang you higher 'n' Haman, you</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">damned kidnappers an' murderers," yelled a man in the</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">crowd.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"Why don't you give us a chance?" asked Bridge in an</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">even tone, unaltered by fear or excitement.<span> </span>"You've</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">nothing on us.<span> </span>As a matter of fact we are both inno-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">cent--"</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"Oh, shut your damned mouth," interrupted another</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">of the crowd.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">Bridge shrugged his shoulders and turned toward the</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">youth who stood very white but very straight in a far</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">corner of the cell.<span> </span>The man noticed the bulging pock-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">ets of the ill fitting coat; and, for the first time that</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">night, his heart stood still in the face of fear; but not for</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">himself.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">He crossed to the youth's side and put his arm around</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">the slender figure.<span> </span>"There's no use arguing with them,"</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">he said.<span> </span>"They've made up their minds, or what they</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">think are minds, that we're guilty; but
principally they're</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">out for a sensation.<span> </span>They want to see something die,</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">and we're it.<span> </span>I doubt if anything could stop them now;</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">they'd think we'd cheated them if we suddenly proved</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">beyond doubt that we were innocent."</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">The boy pressed close to the man.<span> </span>"God help me to be</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">brave," he said, "as brave as you are.<span> </span>We'll go together,</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">Bridge, and on the other side you'll learn something</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">that'll surprise you.<span> </span>I believe there is 'another side,'</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">don't you, Bridge?" </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"I've never thought much about it," said Bridge; "but</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">at a time like this I rather hope so--I'd like to come back</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">and haunt this bunch of rat brained rubes."</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">His arm slipped down the other's coat and his hand</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">passed quickly behind the boy from one side to the</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">other; then the door gave and the leaders of the mob</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">were upon them.<span> </span>A gawky farmer seized the boy and</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">struck him cruelly across the mouth.<span> </span>It was Jeb Case.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"You beast!" cried Bridge.<span> </span>"Can't you see that that--</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">that's--only a child?
If I don't live long enough to give</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">you yours here, I'll come back and haunt you to your</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">grave."</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"Eh?" ejaculated Jeb Case; but his sallow face turned</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">white, and after that he was less rough with his prisoner.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">The two were dragged roughly from the jail.<span> </span>The</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">great crowd which had now gathered fought to get a</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">close view of them, to get hold of them, to strike them,</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">to revile them; but the leaders kept the others back lest</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">all be robbed of the treat which they had planned.<span> </span></span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">Through town they haled them and out along the road</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">toward Oakdale.<span> </span>There was some talk of taking them to</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">the scene of Paynter's supposed murder; but wiser heads</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">counselled against it lest the sheriff come with a posse</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">of deputies and spoil their fun.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">Beneath a great tree they halted them, and two ropes</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">were thrown over a stout branch.<span> </span>One of the leaders</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">started to search them; and when he drew his hands out</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">of Bridge's side pockets his eyes went wide, and he</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">gave a cry of elation which drew excited inquiries from</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">all sides.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"By
gum!" he cried, "I reckon we ain't made no mis-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">take here, boys.<span> </span>Look ahere!" and he displayed two</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">handsful of money and jewelry.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"Thet's Abbie Prim's stuff," cried one.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">The boy beside Bridge turned wide eyes upon the</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">man.<span> </span>"Where did you get it?" he cried.<span> </span>"Oh, Bridge,</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">why did you do it? Now they will kill you," and he</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">turned to the crowd.<span> </span>"Oh, please listen to me," he</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">begged.<span> </span>"He didn't steal those things.<span> </span>Nobody stole</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">them.<span> </span>They are mine.<span> </span>They have always belonged to</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">me. He took them out of my pocket at the jail because</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">he thought that I had stolen them and he wanted to</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">take the guilt upon himself; but they were not stolen,</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">I tell you--they are mine! they are mine! they are mine!"</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">Another new expression came into Bridge's eyes as he</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">listened to the boy's words; but he only shook his head.<span> </span></span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">It was too late, and Bridge knew it.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">Men were adjusting ropes about their necks.<span> </span>"Be-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">fore you hang us," said Bridge quietly, "would
you mind</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">explaining just what we're being hanged for--it's sort of</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">comforting to know, you see."</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"Thet's right," spoke up one of the crowd.<span> </span>"Thet's fair.<span> </span></span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">We want to do things fair and square.<span> </span>Tell 'em the</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">charges, an' then ask 'em ef they got anything to say</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">afore they're hung."</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">This appealed to the crowd--the last statements of</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">the doomed men might add another thrill to the eve-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">ning's entertainment.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"Well," said the man who had searched them.<span> </span>"There</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">might o' been some doubts about you before, but they</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">aint none now.<span> </span>You're bein' hung fer abductin' of an'</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">most likely murderin' Miss Abigail Prim."</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">The boy screamed and tried to interrupt; but Jeb</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">Case placed a heavy and soiled hand over his mouth.<span> </span></span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">The spokesman continued.<span> </span>"This slicker admitted he was</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">The Oskaloosa Kid, 'n' thet he robbed a house an' shot a</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">man las' night; 'n' they ain't no tellin' what more he's</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">ben up to.<span> </span>He tole Jeb Case's Willie 'bout it; an' bragged</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">on it, by gum.<span> </span>'Nenny way we know Paynter and Abi-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">gail Prim was last seed with this here Oskaloosa Kid,</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">durn him."</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"Thanks," said Bridge politely, "and now may I make</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">my final statement before going to meet my maker?"</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"Go on," growled the man.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"You won't interrupt me?"</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"Naw, go on."</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"All right! You damn fools have made up your minds</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">to hang us.<span> </span>I doubt if anything I can say to you will</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">alter your determination for the reason that if all the</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">brains in this crowd were collected in one individual he</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">still wouldn't have enough with which to weigh the</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">most obvious evidence intelligently, but I shall present</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">the evidence, and you can tell some intelligent people</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">about it tomorrow.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"In the first place it is impossible that I murdered Abi-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">gail Prim, and in the second place my companion is not</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">The Oskaloosa Kid and was not with Mr. Paynter last</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">night.<span> </span>The reason I could not have murdered Miss Prim</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">is because Miss Prim is not dead.<span> </span>These jewels were not</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">stolen from
Miss Prim, she took them herself from her</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">own home.<span> </span>This boy whom you are about to hang is</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">not a boy at all--it is Miss Prim, herself.<span> </span>I guessed her</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">secret a few minutes ago and was convinced when she</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">cried that the jewels and money were her own.<span> </span>I don't</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">know why she wishes to conceal her identity; but I</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">can't stand by and see her lynched without trying to</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">save her."</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">The crowd scoffed in incredulity.<span> </span>"There are some</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">women here," said Bridge.<span> </span>"Turn her over to them.<span> </span></span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">They'll tell you, at least that she is not a man."</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">Some voices were raised in protest, saying that it</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">was a ruse to escape, while others urged that the women</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">take the youth.<span> </span>Jeb Case stepped toward the subject</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">of dispute.<span> </span>"I'll settle it durned quick," he announced</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">and reached forth to seize the slim figure.<span> </span>With a sud-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">den wrench Bridge tore himself loose from his captors</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">and leaped toward the farmer, his right flew straight</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">out from the shoulder and Jeb Case went down with a</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">broken jaw.<span> </span>Almost simultaneously a car sped around a</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">curve from the north and stopped suddenly in rear of</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">the mob.<span> </span>Two men leaped out and shouldered their</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">way through.<span> </span>One was the detective, Burton; the other</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">was Jonas Prim.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"Where are they?" cried the latter.<span> </span>"God help you if</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">you've killed either of them, for one of them must know</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">what became of Abigail."</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">He pushed his way up until he faced the prisoners.<span> </span></span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">The Oskaloosa Kid gave him a single look of surprise and</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">then sprang toward him with outstretched arms.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"Oh, daddy, daddy!" she cried, "don't let them kill</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">him."</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">The crowd melted away from the immediate vicinity</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">of the prisoners.<span> </span>None seemed anxious to appear in the</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">forefront as a possible leader of a mob that had so</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">nearly lynched the only daughter of Jonas Prim.<span> </span>Bur-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">ton slipped the noose from about the girl's neck and</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">then turned toward her companion.<span> </span>In the light from</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">the automobile lamps the man's face was distinctly visi-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">ble to the detective for the first time that night, and as</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">Burton
looked upon it he stepped back with an ex-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">clamation of surprise.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"You?" he almost shouted.<span> </span>"Gad, man! where have</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">you been? Your father's spent twenty thousand dollars</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">trying to find you."</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">Bridge shook his head.<span> </span>"I'm sorry, Dick," he said,</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"but I'm afraid it's too late.<span> </span>The open road's gotten into</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">my blood, and there's only one thing that--well--" he</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">shook his head and smiled ruefully--"but there ain't a</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">chance." His eyes travelled to the slim figure sitting so</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">straight in the rear seat of Jonas Prim's car.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">Suddenly the little head turned in his direction.<span> </span></span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"Hurry, Bridge," admonished The Oskaloosa Kid, "you're</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">coming home with us."</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">The man stepped toward the car, shaking his head.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"Oh, no, Miss Prim," he said, "I can't do that.<span> </span>Here's</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">your 'swag.'" And he smiled as he passed over her jewels</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">and money.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">Mr. Prim's eyes widened; he looked suspiciously at</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">Bridge.<span> </span>Abigail laughed merrily.<span> </span>"I stole them myself,</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">Dad," she explained, "and then Mr. Bridge took them</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">from me in the jail to make the mob think he had</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">stolen them and not I-- he didn't know then that I was</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">a girl, did you?"</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"It was in the jail that I first guessed; but I didn't</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">quite realize who you were until you said that the jewels</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">were yours--then I knew.<span> </span>The picture in the paper gave</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">me the first inkling that you were a girl, for you looked</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">so much like the one of Miss Prim.<span> </span>Then I commenced to</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">recall little things, until I wondered that I hadn't known</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">from the first that you were a girl; but you made a bully</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">boy!" and they both laughed.<span> </span>"And now good-by, and</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">may God bless you!" His voice trembled ever so little,</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">and he extended his hand.<span> </span>The girl drew back.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"I want you to come with us," she said.<span> </span>"I want Father</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">to know you and to know how you have cared for me.<span> </span></span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">Wont you come--for me?"</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"I couldn't refuse, if you put it that way," replied</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">Bridge; and he climbed into the car.<span>
</span>As the machine</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">started off a boy leaped to the running-board.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"Hey!" he yelled, "where's my reward? I want my re-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">ward.<span> </span>I'm Willie Case."</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"Oh!" exclaimed Bridge.<span> </span>"I gave your reward to your</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">father--maybe he'll split it with you.<span> </span>Go ask him." And</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">the car moved off.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"You see," said Burton, with a wry smile, "how simple</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">is the detective's job.<span> </span>Willie is a natural-born detective.<span> </span></span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">He got everything wrong from A to Izzard, yet if it</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">hadn't been for Willie we might not have cleared up</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">the mystery so soon."</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"It isn't all cleared up yet," said Jonas Prim.<span> </span>"Who</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">murdered Baggs?"</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"Two yeggs known as Dopey Charlie and the Gen-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">eral," replied Burton.<span> </span>"They are in the jail at Oakdale;</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">but they don't know yet that I know they are guilty.<span> </span></span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">They think they are being held merely as suspects in</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">the case of your daughter's disappearance, whereas I</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">have known since morning that they were implicated</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">in the killing of Baggs;
for after I got them in the car</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">I went behind the bushes where we discovered them</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">and dug up everything that was missing from Baggs'</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">house, as nearly as is known--currency, gold and</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">bonds."</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"Good!" exclaimed Mr. Prim.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">On the trip back to Oakdale, Abigail Prim cuddled</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">in the back seat beside her father, told him all that she</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">could think to tell of Bridge and his goodness to her.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"But the man didn't know you were a girl," suggested</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">Mr. Prim.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"There were two other girls with us, both very pretty,"</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">replied Abigail, "and he was as courteous and kindly to</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">them as a man could be to a woman.<span> </span>I don't care any-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">thing about his clothes, Daddy; Bridge is a gentleman</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">born and raised--anyone could tell it after half an hour</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">with him."</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">Bridge sat on the front seat with the driver and one</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">of Burton's men, while Burton, sitting in the back seat</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">next to the girl, could not but overhear her conversa-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">tion.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"You are right," he said.<span> </span>"Bridge, as you call him, is a</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">gentleman.<span> </span>He comes of one of the finest families of Vir-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">ginia and one of the wealthiest.<span> </span>You need have no</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">hesitancy, Mr. Prim, in inviting him into your home."</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">For a while the three sat in silence; and then Jonas</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">Prim turned to his daughter.<span> </span>"Gail," he said, "before we</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">get home I wish you'd tell me why you did this thing.<span> </span></span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">I think you'd rather tell me before we see Mrs. P."</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"It was Sam Benham, Daddy," whispered the girl.<span> </span>"I</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">couldn't marry him.<span> </span>I'd rather die, and so I ran away.<span> </span>I</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">was going to be a tramp; but I had no idea a tramp's</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">existence was so adventurous.<span> </span>You won't make me marry</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">him, Daddy, will you? I wouldn't be happy, Daddy."</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"I should say not, Gail; you can be an old maid all</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">your life if you want to."</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"But I don't want to--I only want to choose my own</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">husband," replied Abigail.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">Mrs. Prim met them all in the living-room.<span> </span>At sight of</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">Abigail in the ill-fitting man's clothing she raised her</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">hands in holy horror;
but she couldn't see Bridge at</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">all, until Burton found an opportunity to draw her to</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">one side and whisper something in her ear, after which</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">she was graciousness personified to the dusky Bridge, in-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">sisting that he spend a fortnight with them to recuper-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">ate.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">Between them, Burton and Jonas Prim fitted Bridge</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">out as he had not been dressed in years, and with the</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">feel of fresh linen and pressed clothing, even if ill fitting,</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">a sensation of comfort and ease pervaded him which the</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">man would not have thought possible from such a source</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">an hour before.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">He smiled ruefully as Burton looked him over.<span> </span>"I ven-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">ture to say," he drawled, "that there are other things in</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">the world besides the open road."</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">Burton smiled.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">It was midnight when the Prims and their guests arose</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">from the table.<span> </span>Hettie Penning was with them, and ev-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">eryone present had been sworn to secrecy about her</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">share in the tragedy of the previous night.<span> </span>On the mor-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">row she would return to Payson and no one there the</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">wiser; but first she
had Burton send to the jail for Giova,</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">who was being held as a witness, and Giova promised</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">to come and work for the Pennings.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">At last Bridge stole a few minutes alone with Abi-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">gail, or, to be more strictly a truthful historian, Abigail</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">outgeneraled the others of the company and drew</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">Bridge out upon the veranda.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"Tell me," demanded the girl, "why you were so kind</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">to me when you thought me a worthless little scamp of a</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">boy who had robbed some one's home."</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"I couldn't have told you a few hours ago," said Bridge.<span> </span></span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"I used to wonder myself why I should feel toward a</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">boy as I felt toward you,--it was inexplicable,--and then</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">when I knew that you were a girl, I understood, for I</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">knew that I loved you and had loved you from the mo-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">ment that we met there in the dark and the rain be-</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">side the Road to Anywhere."</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">"Isn't it wonderful?" murmured the girl, and she had</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">other things in her heart to murmur; but a man's lips</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">smothered hers as Bridge gathered her into his arms and</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">strained her to him.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">End of The Project Gutenberg Etext of The Oakdale Affair</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">PAGE<span> </span>PARA.<span> </span>LINE<span> </span>ORIGINAL<span> </span>CHANGED TO</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> 10<span> </span><span> </span>6<span> </span>emminent<span> </span>eminent</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> 15<span> </span>4<span> </span>2<span> </span>it's warmth<span> </span>its warmth</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> 15<span> </span>5<span> </span>13<span> </span>promisculously<span> </span>promiscuously</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> 16<span> </span>1<span> </span>3<span> </span>appelation<span> </span>appellation</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> 19<span> </span>3<span> </span>it's scope<span> </span>its scope</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> 21 <span> </span>6<span> </span>by with seasons<span> </span>by seasons</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> 25<span> </span>1<span> </span>8<span> </span>Prim manage<span> </span>Prim menage</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> 25<span> </span>2<span> </span>20<span> </span>then, suspicious,<span> </span>then, suspicions,</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> 28<span> </span>12<span> </span>even his<span> </span>even this</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> 34<span> </span>6<span> </span>1<span> </span>it's quality<span> </span>its quality</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> 37<span> </span>3<span> </span>10<span> </span>have any-<span> </span>have any</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> 38<span> </span>4<span> </span>4<span> </span>tin tear.<span> </span>tin ear.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> 39<span> </span>2<span> </span>6<span> </span>Squibbs farm<span> </span>Squibbs' farm</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> 40<span> </span>2<span> </span>2<span> </span>his absence,<span> </span>his absence,"</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> 47<span> </span>5<span> </span>1<span> </span>sudden, clanking<span> </span><span> </span>sudden clanking</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> 47<span> </span>8<span> </span>3<span> </span>its the thing<span> </span>it's the thing</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> 48<span> </span>5<span>
</span>2<span> </span>was moment's<span> </span>was a moment's</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> 59<span> </span>9<span> </span>4<span> </span>bird aint<span> </span>bird ain't</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> 60<span> </span>8<span> </span>3<span> </span>dum misery<span> </span>dumb misery</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> 71<span> </span>2<span> </span>dead Squibbs<span> </span>dead Squibb</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> 74<span> </span>1<span> </span>2<span> </span>tend during<span> </span>tent during</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> 75<span> </span>7<span> </span>3<span> </span>Squibbs house<span> </span>Squibbs' house</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> 76<span> </span>1<span> </span>6<span> </span>Squibbs home.<span> </span>Squibbs' home.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> 76<span> </span>8<span> </span>4<span> </span>business, thats<span> </span>business, that's</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> 78<span> </span>1<span> </span>1<span> </span>Squibbs place<span> </span>Squibbs' place</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> 78<span> </span>2<span> </span>1<span> </span>Squibbs place!"<span> </span>Squibbs' place!"</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> 80<span> </span>6<span> </span>4<span> </span>Squibbs gateway<span> </span>Squibbs' gateway</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> 84<span> </span>6<span> </span>1<span> </span>Squibb's summer<span> </span>Squibbs' summer</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> 85<span> </span>6<span> </span>1<span> </span>thet aint<span> </span>thet ain't</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> 85<span> </span>7<span> </span>5<span> </span>on em<span> </span>on 'em</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> 85<span> </span>8<span> </span>1<span> </span>An' thet aint<span> </span>An' thet ain't</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> 85<span> </span>10<span> </span>1<span> </span>But thet aint<span> </span>But thet ain't</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> 85<span> </span>10<span> </span>3<span> </span>of em<span> </span>of 'em</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> 85<span> </span>10<span> </span>3<span> </span>of em<span> </span>of 'em</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> 86<span> </span>2<span> </span>2<span> </span>there aint<span> </span>there ain't</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> 87<span> </span>5<span> </span>others'
mask<span> </span>other's mask</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> 88<span> </span>6<span> </span>1<span> </span>Squibbs woods<span> </span>Squibbs' woods</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> 91<span> </span>2<span> </span>"They aint<span> </span>"They ain't</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> 91<span> </span><span> </span>3<span> </span>I aint<span> </span>I ain't</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> 91<span> </span>2<span> </span>3<span> </span>Squibbs house<span> </span>Squibbs' house</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> 91<span> </span>6<span> </span>aint got<span> </span>ain't got</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> 92<span> </span>6<span> </span>it wa'nt safe<span> </span>it wa'n't safe</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> 92<span> </span>4<span> </span>10<span> </span>Squibbs house<span> </span>Squibbs' house</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> 94<span> </span>2<span> </span>1<span> </span>to nothin.<span> </span>to nothin'.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> 94<span> </span>8<span> </span>1<span> </span>Squibbs place,"<span> </span>Squibbs' place,"</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> 97<span> </span>4<span> </span>2<span> </span>"We aint<span> </span>"We ain't</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> 98<span> </span>1<span> </span>8<span> </span>Squibbs place<span> </span>Squibbs' place</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> 98<span> </span>3<span> </span>1<span> </span>hiself de<span> </span><span> </span>hisself de</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> 98<span> </span>5<span> </span>4<span> </span>he aint<span> </span>he ain't</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> 98<span> </span>7<span> </span>1<span> </span>Squibbs place<span> </span>Squibbs' place</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> 98<span> </span>8<span> </span>2<span> </span>you aint<span> </span>you ain't</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">107<span> </span>4<span> </span>3<span> </span>wont tell<span> </span>won't tell</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">113<span> </span>3<span> </span>5<span> </span>its measles<span> </span><span> </span>it's measles</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">113<span> </span>3<span> </span>6<span> </span>cough aint<span> </span>cough ain't</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">113<span> </span>3<span> </span>6<span> </span>its 'it,'<span> </span>it's 'it,'</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">113<span> </span>4<span> </span>1<span> </span>I aint<span> </span>I ain't</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">114<span> </span>2<span> </span>6<span> </span>Squibb's place<span> </span>Squibbs' place</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">114<span> </span>2<span> </span>13<span> </span>simply wont<span> </span>simply won't</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">116<span> </span>6<span> </span>3<span> </span>few minutes<span> </span>few minutes'</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">116<span> </span>7<span> </span>5<span> </span>Squibb's farm<span> </span>Squibbs' farm</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">121<span> </span>4<span> </span>she wont<span> </span>she won't</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">121<span> </span>5<span> </span>wont."<span> </span>won't."</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">128<span> </span>7<span> </span>4<span> </span>can knab<span> </span>can nab</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">134<span> </span>2<span> </span>2<span> </span>an upraor.<span> </span>an uproar.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">136<span> </span>8<span> </span>5<span> </span>we aint<span> </span>we ain't</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">139<span> </span>2<span> </span>8<span> </span>had all drank<span> </span>had all drunk</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">141<span> </span>3<span> </span>9<span> </span>Squibb's place.<span> </span>Squibbs' place.</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">146<span> </span><span> </span>1<span> </span>its sort of<span> </span>it's sort of</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">146<span> </span>2<span> </span>3<span> </span>nings entertainment<span> </span>ning's entertainment</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">146<span> </span>4<span> </span>5<span> </span>aint no tellin'<span> </span>ain't no tellin'</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">146<span> </span>7<span> </span>1<span> </span>"You wont<span> </span>"You won't</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">151<span> </span>2<span> </span>4<span> </span>wont make<span> </span>won't make</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">152<span> </span>1<span> </span>2<span> </span>Nettie Penning<span> </span>Hettie Penning</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small">End of The Project Gutenberg Etext
of The Oakdale Affair</span></b>
<b><span style="font-size:small"> </span></b>

