Show j IJ r Rog SERVICE 6 u Irving y PRECEDING EVENTS Exhausted ral ragged ed and starving at UV n a boy of about sixteen Is found In the tho woods and befriended by a camping party pu He has Ius fled Oed from his brutal father flat Bat Fed and in clean clothes the tho boy who gives s-Ives h his hla name namo as Shad Sheridan Is sent salt on his way to Canton with a letter to Colonel Blake Blahe The Tho colonel his wife wile and their young daughter Ruth are arc Impressed by the boys boya manner Ho He secures a situation in tho the village ga of Amity ty Dam Dun and becomes comel friendly with a ft youth of 01 his age Bony and Bumpy Brown tinker considered considered consid consid- ered by tho the straitlaced as S a ft drunkard because of his periodic lapses from strict sobriety With Bony Shad Is a 1 visitor to tho the picturesque shack which Brown calls home known In tho vicinity as DI the tho Fun Shop Bat comes to Amity Dam Dun to tako take his son con back to his hi own d dissolute life lilt but is overawed wro by Colonel Blake who Is s the district attorney and his father passes out of Shads Shad's life lile White While Shad Is I visiting Bumpy Brown a girl young and pretty comes come In Inquiring Inquiring In In- quiring for Brown Shad applies himself diligently to his neglected education He Ho visits the tho Blakes and love Jove for Ruth takes a It strong hold bold on his bIa heart beart The Tho community com crom- Is convulsed by an attack made on the tho Perry family In which Oscar Perry the tho father his daughter Mrs Doolittle wife of 01 Cyrus Doolittle prominent prominent nent citizen ore arc shot and seriously wounded C Circumstantial evidence points to Bumpy Brown as the tho DS assailant and he be Is arrested Shad is convinced of his friends friend's Inn Innocence ence and t determines to prove It Statements by Cyrus Doolittle and his stepson Robert Royce strengthen the case against Brown Shad loses his job and goes to live with Bony at Miss The two boys find disguises the tho murderer had bad worn Colonel Blake takes on as active interest In the case He is is is- almost convinced Bumpy Brown Is not the murderer and encourages Shad to tj continue his Investigations CHAPTER VI Continued VI-Continued Continued 8 nave Have you been pleased with her Well yes yes pretty pretty well weIl on the whole Ive I've found her honest and good at figures I 1 have ha heard that she Is very handsome and that she dresses well weH Colonel Blake make went on Yes she's as proud as a peacock peacock pea pea- cock and my wife thinks that she dresses too well for or a girl who has nas hasto hasto nasto to work for a living and that she gads around too much Who does docs she gad around with Well mostly Robert Royce I dont don't know v as ns we can complain of that Royce Is a single man and I kind o 0 think hes he's fond of her Do you happen to know old Bumpy Brown the tinker who lives down on the Oh bh everybody e knows him I 1 They think hes he's the tale man who done the shooting down to Doolittles I You will remember that Bumpy bought a pair of or rubbers here a few days before the murder Who sold them to him Miss Do De Long Who bought rubbers of the same size about that time Ive e been thinking about that You Ton know Robert Royce came In Inthe inthe inthe the day after the tinker was here Another man was with Royce I didn't know him They were gog go- go g fag Into the woods The stranger bought a raincoat They went over overto overto overto to the hotel for their dinner Later Royce came back In a hurry He wanted panted arctic overshoes He had hadon hadon hadon on a pair of new rubbers I 1 knew that he had bought em over at the theother theother theother other store He said that they pinched his feet teet I took them off oft The size mark was on the sole It was the exact size and shape of ot the pair that I sold to Bumpy Brown I thought of It when I heard about the rubber tracks of the murderer 1 i f Will you ou describe the man you call caIl the stranger He was a tall taU man with a freckled face and red hair and very big ears ears This ended the conversation with Hubbard I am more than ever er convinced that we have been misled and find that Bumpy Brown Is not In the case said Colonel Blake make as they sat down downto to dinner A little more evidence will make me agree ogree with you was the answer an sorer of ot the judge judg I happen to know that Royce has a motive I Idrew Idrew Idrew drew the will of ot othis bis mother who as ns you know Is Mrs Doolittle She leaves all 1111 her property consider property consider considerable able sum sum to to her son Robert Royce The colonels colonel's face grew serious You Yon will remember from his testimony testimony tes tes- tes at Browns Brown's examination that he has hns no alibi We had better say no more of ot this until the ground under our feet teet Is a little more solid Remember Shad you mustn't know too much Keep still till we have have found our way Shad promised to hold his bis tongue but he be could hardly conceal his elation elation ela ela- tion Uon over the clearing outlook for his C friend the tinker There Is one circumstance that must must give us pause said the Judge The murderer did not seem eera to be eager to kill Mrs Irs Doolittle True he shot at her but entering as he did he had to begin shooting at nt once and ond create a panic He couldn't hesitate then A few v seconds later inter he had his chance to kill Mrs Doolittle Doo Doo- little He Ue stood close In front of ot other her with the revolver pointing at ather ather ather her face tace He De could have killed her herthen herthen herthen then but he didn't shoot lie He struck her She fell and fled out of his way Consider the psychological situa ion on n the colonel began She was his mother Apart from her he could plan her death but face to face lace with the woman who had borne him biD he be weakened He lie would have been glad sad to get out of the house without killing but he Well we shall all be the wiser I In a week the judge remarked as os they arose from the table They hired a team at the livery stable and set out for tor and ond I the county seat They stopped at nt Amity Dam to pick up Shads Shad's clothIng clothIng cloth cloth- Ing then at the home of ot the Judge In Ashfield The The- colonel was urged to spend the night there No thank you he answered Shad and I have got some business to do In the village before we take the evening train to Canton They left their baggage at the hotel and discharged the team They went to Royces shop on the Island Royce was not there On the street a tradesman stopped them with Interesting news While fishing he had found a tan coat and overalls on the river shore below the bridge The colonel went to his store and took possession of them It was undoubtedly the suit worn by bythe bythe bythe the murderer Do uDo you know whom It belongs to the colonel asked No was the answer They say Robert Royce wore a suit like Ilke that that when he worked In his barn They were out on the street when Colonel Blake said to his young friend I Pard we have two hours before train time You know of ot course that clothes are an Important part of ot life on this planet Your YonI grand new suit has been swum In Its pristine pristine pristine pris pris- tine purity has departed The cruel rusticity of ot Amity Dam Is on you yon Come with me and I will complete your emancipation They went to a clothing store Here sir Is a young friend of ot I mine Colonel Blake said to the I genial clerk I wish you yon to deprive de de- him of or this Amity Damned appearance Let us hurl economy to the winds and go to work New clothes shirts collars neckties neckties neck neck- ties underclothing a derby hat bat and anda a n leather suitcase were care carefully tully selected When they left the store the colonel surveyed the boy with admiration It Is a n perfect Job he be said sald Send the bill to me They got new shoes at another store and went to a barber shop There the colonel Insisted that Shad have bave a trimming and n D bath and fresh tresh underclothing When they entered entered en en- the colonels colonel's house about seven thirty seven that evening e Shad was stepping proudly Mrs Blake embraced embraced em em- braced him and said that he was handsomer than ever eYer The girl Ruth shook his handI hand I am to be kind but dignified to you she said with a smile I When I come again I think that I I will wear green glasses the boy answered Why They will give you a kind of ot a n sickly look and make It easy for tor forme forme torme me to behave e. I The colonel and Mrs Blake lau laughed hed betraying a note of aware aware- ness I The girl sat down and began to toI survey the boy She was Impressed I by his bis grandeur He Bethought thought that she was more beautiful than ever and he was right This boy has bas done Important work In the case of or the People against Brown Drown the colonel said to his wife He De and a young friend have ha found the hat bat and handkerchief handkerchief chief that covered the head and face of the murderer He has discovered dIscovered discovered dis dIs- covered other convincing com evidence I am to try to make a n law lawyer er of or him It ought to be he easy This young chap has almost convinced me that his friend Bumpy Brown Is not the man we want He Dc told his wife of Shads Shad's finds and adventures Mrs Blake embraced the tha boy and congratulated him You really are getting alon along she said I The colonel was weary He fie arose presently and suggested to his young oung friend that they go to bed Shad arose and said good night The girl gave ga him a n pleasant smile as ns she answered He lIe thought that he saw a note of ot disappointment In her eyes The girl went with him to the foot toot of the stairs and whispered whispered whis whis- with sweet encouragement In her eyes How v grand you look I IfIe iFie fIe He went upstairs with the colonel who showed him to his room He came downstairs at eight o'clock In the morning and Ruth Huth met him In the hall and looked Into his eyes with a sweet smile as she said How lazy you are arel J I Ive I've been up an hour waiting for you He was happy as he stammered shimmered rather awkwardly If If It If I had known that I would have been up at daylight lIght Ruth blushed saying sayIng- I have hase got to hurry away to school now It was not quite true but It was wasa a part of the tho old strategy She knew that It would pain him to see her go 0 and there was a kind of Joy JoyIn Joyin joyIn In the thought of his bitter and e g So n she sho b 4 left him Before Defore she had gone a fl block she pretended to have forgotten forgot forgot- ten something and came back and shook hands again Shad went with the colonel to his office That day the boy was comfortably comfortably com com- settled In a furnished room His wages were to be twenty live dollars a month He was to get his meals at a small restaurant It was wasa a speculation on the part of ot the generous generous gen gen- erous lawyer like lawyer like that of putting a colt In a n training stable The boy boyI was quick to learn Moreover he I had a s mind of ot his own and agreeable agreeable agree agree- able manners I The country was now at war with Spain A messenger came one day I from the War department to consult consult con con- sult suIt the colonel It was then thata that a r 1 a How Grand You Shad learned that Colonel Blake I was an nn acknowledged authority In devising and reading cipher messages messages mes mes- sages used In war Facts of vital Interest were discovered discovered discovered dis dis- covered regarding the weapon used In n the killing of ot Oscar Perry The brief of ot Colonel Blake e submitted to the Appellate division of ot the Supreme court recites he the testimony of ot Sergt Sergi William E. E Petty of ot New York an expert on revolvers and ammunition who examined the weapon He weighed Its bullets and counted their grooves He said said This revolver was called In Its time the American Bulldog Bulldog Bull Bull- dog Thirty eight It was manufactured manufactured manufactured by the Winchester Repeating Arms company They ceased to tomake tomake tomake make and sell It In The weapon on has this peculiarity When It Is fired the trigger must be released released- the trigger finger must cease to press It before It-before before It Is cocked for another another an an- other discharge While the sergeant examined the bullets Colonel Blake made a note of this illuminating fact tact These cartridges were undoubtedly undoubtedly edly made for Cor the Winchester Colt Colt revolver the sergeant resumed They are thirty-eight thirty caliber long fire central-fire cartridges with n a square base The weight the shape of oC the point the form and faces of the leave no room for doubt Colonel Blake learned that the trade In northern New York bought their supplies of ot Winchester arms and ammunition from a store of ot the tle company In Utica On his return the colonel stopped at this store Its record of sales for tor some years prior to 1890 1630 were still sUlI on file me A bookkeeper was paid to make an on Immediate survey of those records and ascertain to what tradesmen In St St. Lawrence county the American Bulldog revolver had been sold His report was that only one revolver re of ot that type bad had been sold In St. St Lawrence county It had been shipped In to September 1889 with three boxes of ot thirty thirty- eight caliber long fire central cartridge cartridge car car- to fit It to E. E J. J Bonfield n a hardware dealer of the village of Massena A little later Shad went with Colonel Col Col- onel Blake to Massena They learned that Mr Bonfield had sold his stock and gone out of ot business In 1800 1590 His goods had gone to some merchant merchant merchant mer mer- chant In Norwalk Shad and the district attorney drove e to that small smalltown smalltown smalltown town which was five miles from Crom In n the general store run runby runby runby by Cobb and Maxwell they found the tile long Iona resting place of the antiquated anti anU q weapon which had killed Oscar Oscar Oscar Os Os- car Perry Mr Cobb Cobh had bought the II revolver re and Its boxes of cartridges I from Bonfield In 1889 I To whom and when did you yoa sell sel It the colonel asked Mr Cobb answered We sold It cheap to old Bumpy Dumpy Brown the tinker He said that he be was vas getting get getting ting It for tor another man who wanted to shoot some cats This Is Important evidence Why didn't you report it to me was the query of the district attorney Well wen I was In California when Bumpy was arrested I didn't get back hack until a week ago ogo I thought that Id I'd wait walt and see what happ hap Have you any Idea or suspicion as os to the last ast owner of this weapon on No sir but I think that Brown told me the truth As Colonel Blake malee and his young clerk cIerI went to the hotel for supper the former said This Is a n curious case Again It comes up to Bumpy Brown Well We'll know more more of this matter before we wo sleep They returned to Canton by thee the e evening ening train and drove e directly to the Jail Bumpy Dumpy was brought out outto outto outto to the sheriffs sheriff's office to talk with them He lIe put his hands on Shads Shad's shoulders and looked In his eyes and exclaimed My Iy boy I J Dont Don't you lose faith In me Never Shad Shall answered The colo colonel nel spoke This boy had almost convinced me of your Innocence until I learned today that thata a part of your testimony Is false You Yon once owned a revolver Bumpy answered No I didn't I bought a revolver revolver ver one day at Cobb and Maxwells Maxwell's In Norwalk but I bought It for another another another an an- other man I never owned It a min min- ute I took It to Robert Royce that day He said that In around I might see a n chance to buy buya a n good revolver cheap If It 1 I did I Iwas Iwas Iwas |