| Show NORFLEET Mal hunters Own rue i L il o s1 w i WHAT HAS BEEN TOLD Frank a a- no noth th T Texas ranchman goes gods to Dallas on busIness business busI- busI ness trIp He meets an outpost ofa ot of a swindling organIzation and wIthIn wIth wIth- In a short time he Is swindled out of by the old stock exchange game at first is Is too stunned to know Ow what to do but buthIs this hIs mInd clears and he resolves to destroy t the e rIng His wife urges hihi to let the courts avenge his wrongs His anger anger cools and he sets sets abo about i. i the task of traIlIng his men His clues are re very but he finally recalls a a. a little red m memo mo book that tumbled out of the pocket o ot Stetson the lead leader n- n of the gang It dawns on that this was the sucker lIst He rem re- re m that a man named Cathe Cathey of Corpus Christi was was' wason on the list He starts for tor Corpus stopping off at San An An- Antonio tonio He learns here that a man resembling Stetson had r registered at a hotel under the name name ot of J. J Harrison Hardson He visits the station sta- sta tion and while there a little shoplifter shop shop- lifter Is s brought In charged with I the theft of oC a fur fur coat She he jells teus I she sold it to a a aman man in at the st. st Anthony Norfleet finds that J J. J Harrison oc occupied He lets that clue drop for the time and goes to Corpus Christ Christl where he fInds that Cathey has gone to California CHAPTER V. V so H He he li no mo Leastways I him say las las' week weel he was on on his Y yay y t t. or some some- thinS thin Gain to th gold hills hills I reckon By thIs time his mouth had filled again with juice and and he found it hard to speak HiS words vere ere forced out between tight Ups lips I I I thanked hini and left him w whittling comfortably I Since no one knew where Cathey had gone gone I co cori t that a athe the recent storm and flood had do- do him to go gO gOin in search ot of drIer investments I left for the ranch t to look after some busIness there although the little red address book kept worrying nie me nd I sighed d for Cathe Cathey it if he heas was as to fall faU into the hands of the Stetson gang I stopped In Ft Worth on on my yay home and wallowing ing my my pride gave e a a fun full arid and accurate e dc c experiences to the Associated Press I outlined th methods ulI l by the crooks and appealed appeal d to the publIc to help me to apprehend the the I scoundrel I receive and continUe to receive much mall mail parts parts' of oC the Some Soni thought l they they- Y had h found the gang or members of it While they seldom sent in anything anything any any- thing that helped my particular case I felt that their theIl OWn eyes Were vere sharpened and r I know w th that t many crooks wee apprehended and convIcted because of bf the given to my case h newspapers ot of the country deserve much credit for all thIs and for cooperation cooperation co- co operation they gave me all along the line Without them Id I'd have been many times When I reached Plainview ew 1 IntervIewed In- In my bankers It was wasn n necessary to r replenish my funds jf f fI I was to continue my chase I laid the entire affair before beCore them and the they pledged th their lr earnest support The bankers In my home town hate Hale Center were also very loyal in their help and It was the did cooperation of these men ien that enabled me to forget financial worries and concentrate on the task before me I am deeply grateful to every everyone one ot of them It was while dIscussing the many l angles ot of the tangled problem with my mv wife ViCe that I decIded to go to C It happened an unlooked un- un n looked for tor manner Mrs l Norfleet said to me You Y know Frank while you v San an Antonio and Corpus ChrIsti I Iwas was as ot of thIs Spencer a good deal He traveled a consi considerable erable I bit dIdn't he he I saId that hIs tales to me would Indicate that he had had up the dust In sev several ral states When he left lett o r house after atter hIs vIsit I knew more ab abOut ut the geography geography geog- geog raphy ot of the United States than I eVer d d' Ii school I hav have wondered it If he llad had really been In In all the places he told about I reckon he had wife wICe I r Spencer and Stetson as well as the others had shown a remarkable familiarity with l cities and I saw v no reason to doubt his claIms Ive b been en counting up all the states slates he even mentioned she went wenton on and California was the one he neglected to refer to Does that strIke you as funny I I was cleaning my hunting rifle and nd I I stopped to consider her hunch Being with the enthusiasm enthusiasm en- en ot of Californians and all those who have ever vIsited the st state te I could hardly see why the Golden State should have been neglected by these fellows Surely they lad had beer there for or men QC of theIr type or 01 later later- hit Call Call- I fornia Cornia Perhaps they Intentionally avoided mentioning that state Yes it Is funny tunny Isn't it But I dont don't get much out ot of the Idea I I replied after a moments moment's thought Well Vel Frank that would be my crazy notion about where you'd oud 1 most likely find them They rhey figured fig fig- If they never mentioned C California Cali- Cali li- li fornia Cornia it would not stick In our mins u if we ever had occasion occasion- aion to took look for them I thought for a moment and the idea grew grew pon meI me I b believe li ve hit it it manima mamma They never mentioned Cali California Cornia and Ill I'll bet that's where they go goto to enjoy themselves after atter a cleanup That's where they're spendIng our money now now II Iii bet When U they ey left Santone they hiked down to Corpus Corpus Cor- Cor pus pick picked d up Cathey they and and and- took ook him west with them Any clue is better than none t all I didn't waste a cond We threw a few clothes Into a suitcase and withIn tw two hours we had yered v red to town and I was aboard a a train When I was wa safely setU d on the train I rebuked what seemed to b be bemy my o for tor hayIng having l left ft my home and family rIght at Christ Christ- nias mas time on such a wild goose goose chase B But t tIle the Idea gre grew With the me that I was doing the rIght thing With eVery mi e I had th warm fe feeling feeling-a a sort of premonition of f nearer nearer the men I I Iwas was seeking HavIng o no definite destination in mind and no no idea as' as to where my work should begin I droPPed off orf at dusk on on ChrIstmas eve In San Ber nardino Might as well we'll begin at atthe t the bottom of the stat state and work work- up I fri iu d. d The The pretty little valley town nestling at atthe the foot of Arrow Head mountain was was' In holiday dress F Festoons of green draped the doorways doorways door door- ways and windows of the little I stucco homes Wreaths pressed their wIde red ribbon bows vs against the panes of the small shops I tl thought of oC the Uie coz cozy fires and my family b cJ home hom and was depressed depressed de- de pressed py loneliness I 1 fe fet t so lost and alone that I was setting out outon outon on a hopeless mission I was struck by that feeling of panic which wh h has s made a hasty tl decision and ana who wonders it if he regrets It i. I thought ot of the of oC comIng so far simplY simply- because five men men- flad Ead never never mei mentioned California In theIr conversation What reasoning I had been a Jumping at foolish conclusions con con- for PO sound reason at all I felt like ducking for home before beCore ny ne ne fOund foun out what a fOol ol Id I'd been I walked alone through the ilent streets Ou sIde all was Quiet as I passed down an avenue of beautiful Spanish type homes Inside were gay lights arid and happily moving f fig fig- ig- ig ures I sIghed In the rosY glow ot of lights inside the houses I could see i dolls doll doll carriages tiny doll dollhouses dollhouses I houses bright horns that presaged a rIot ot of noise In in the morning abd drums to add to the glad pandemonium rocking horses to be ridden across lIvIng root room ranges where wild animals and whooping Indians lurked beneath davenports and behind portly chairs Figures Figures' moved mO stealthily about arranging the things that would gladden the kiddies kiddies' hearts In the morning One young Joung father caught his better halt half beneath the mistletoe and her soundly They laughed and scuffled silently I S r as as' If afraid faId ot of aking the young offspring I wondered what sort of Christmas Christmas Christ Christ- mas the folks at h w were re planning plan ning They w would uld pr probably b bly fInd something amis about the aid oid place for never before had a Christmas passed with one ot of us away ome What a a. a ord that is What a chord of emotIon It strikes In us when we are such sucha time time time-as' as' as Christmas r The Nations Nation's B Home Yet one man will destroy another mans man's home to humor the whims ot or his household Any one or of the men men I sought might at that moin nt be the center cen- cen ter of just such such-a a li happy group as those I had been watchIng I tried to pIcture some of them that way amid amid wIves and children distributing dis- dis tIng Christmas s cheer cheer- among them But my sense f humor got the better of oC me I could see Spencer and Stetson squeezing down a chimney and makIng a general cleanuP ot of toyS and gifts gitts hastily scooting up p agaIn before the man manof manot ot of the ho house se could stop them and wr ng their thieving necks Figuratively Fig Fig- that s exactly what they lad had done to my children except that it was much more serious than the mere loss of t a few childish to toys s The loss ot of our modest wealth ve had deprived our children of the education and th the start In life lite WhIch had slaved for years to give th them n. n It may may t take ke another gener generation tIon or or two wo Of r poverty and ad work in the N family to b build Ud up what these men men have torn torn- down I vond red what I would do it if I Is s Should come come upon one of my men in the midst ot of a happy family Could I carry out my resolve and tear him away from them themI I disliked disliked dis- dis liked the thought Perhaps the fear that I might have such a decIsion to make caused me to end my rambling walking and thinking In the morning I went immediately imme- imme to th sheriffs sheriff's office I had often heard of Sheriff WalterA Walter Valter A. A Shay but I was not prepared for Cor the kind ot of interest and co coOperation co- co operation he gave gave me and andes especially especially es- es for the surprise I got It If aU all members members' ot of the country's law enforcement machinery were one little whit as consIderate conscientious conscientious con con- and nd willing to cooperate In the adminIstration of their du t tIes es as as' as Walfer A hay Am Americas America's rIcas crIme problem would cease to exist My several years ot of o oj- oj proved conclusively to me that crime only flourIshes flourIshes' w viere ere laW enforcement Is lax or weak Shay was on duty duty- I Introduced myself and stated far whom I was was looking I I have a hunch the gang Im I'm i lookIng for py be In in this state and I I fIgured thIs was wasa wasas a as a place as any to make a start I sal said l. l And sheriff Im I'm dependIng on your h help lp Im I'm green at this business Id Id sure lIk like to help you a lIttle MaYbe I can he drawled and andI I t ugh I caught a twInkle In hIs eyes eyes Of course I dont don't make a i practice of gIvIng every stranger In town a Christmas present b t seeing Its It's you you- and he stopped leaving me wondering He got up and motioned for me to follow Collow hIm I hardly knew how to figure hIm out He Was acting strangely I he was goIng to jug me for the nut I probably seemed to be He led the way to the cells a d dI I followed Ms I heart beat like a against my ribs Look In there Norfleet I pressed my nose nose against the meshed Iron cage and pe peered searchingly through the dim light I I could make out two figures S In cells but could not could not iden- iden them I Continued tomorrow tomorrow S a S J J 7 |
