Show jalie house of the three by arving BACHELLER i 3 twill M 0 J o 1111 am continued 24 m you made a plan you drove arrived in ashfield nd put borses he westminster ho faor thirty that afternoon ils shop you told your a were and wished g took you into the lit against the side of the ar here there was a W rou told royce to not to call you acter too and cosed the door and locked revolver and some shells shiell ded desk you had y alay on the calit lyli you put ba aers in your coat pocket to 7 TOUT tracks tou knew that S brow afore a pair of the same ars oil roa took the revolver you put overalls at five twenty or yc on a ts Royce had closed the shop ia where he lay reid re id edt iha yon pa the ln rass abet opened afie window and it you crossed the alth a un is to to ats nn walking fast the pack broad hat ce E a aa jn iliad borrowed from algyre lai 31 know saw you you wore a you carried in ulith the robbers the volver a n ci it colored handkerchief W ll aled ed tp the road ln the sa ioa left the broad brimmed la fallt 1 it ta dot far from the 1 inte rin anty dam you reache n tobe about seven lou covered t to atif ift the handkerchief you ton atte light colored slouch hat and you rapped at the door itan lt you bad hijii w would be standing 7 aci t was er ad 1 open I 1 CM wt she was the ode you had reasa you were facing not her joir BOD you had to see it i now you coulden couldn t turn back y catered limping like bumpy n the boy before you g py agan to shoot you wounded j i rife ion came close to her A t was pointed at her face i daiil not shoot then you were p the you did hm stat you had to release the v to cock the weapon therefore iiii alfe PC you had to kill ither to get away ct diw the rats began to gnaw they led blood you fled in the dark s lou pat on the broad brimmed etc oa vere seen at dt points adap roa horry lne through the a deess you tucked the chandker i ud slouched hat into a wall a i opposite browns cove you met a iia algyre he had helped to toh ft eplan he took the revolver utridge ct ridge from your hands ne the river and planted them on wr brown he waa to get a thou dollars for helping you he got sr t because you were afraid ma hir 0 o mach money out of the i it that time I 1 have argyres Algy res t aslon la pocket 1 l am arent on you hid the broad soi asal hat in a hollow stump and T I 1 it with rotten wood you put w head you reached the iw add bridge about eight thirty IW the rubbers and overalls W tt ewest channel you entered tl window of koyce s office the door and called him W kayon ont of the front entrance ia the east channel on your Ks to the hotel A little beyond the w j a man toll you of the crime f teen committed at your nil st you hurried to the stable and W mr horses you told different ad yon that bumpy stavn a tote done the shooting that 1 um off I jal conr pa oace 5 at he had sworn to get even elji ove rapidly up the road 1 r ahen you sot home you did e reins and run to find t awa te as an honest roan r you t straight fp stable to see that the colts F tta tt 1 red for that one 6 tha WM alke a ellstone tied rs set a man thinking age and his thinking has cf 10 surround tur round yoa alth a h t ence that no pa can ahm be yoa saw your danger to kuitula boy and destroy T la ahls possession yon unshed a er hell you were getting e deep laid n piot against bumpy brown a er owIng blistering i K 1110 of mourning with X ri B lle and son whose faith in atit ave n alke a crown of Ee deih ih worst was to coma i ta wl who t hav been 1 tt act an all else nome and ter and honor and ea rei 1 calaff pared to her th ia trouble ya you dared VatS byg dl t that must have 14 os a cabling nis mouth binm e covered his face ent alth remorse alli he waa n abject and my story Is near its end the colonel went on when the girl was at betsy Spen lowa with her child went by night to comfort and reassure you her when you were with her in the spruce thicket a witness of mine heard yon say to her that you would ull anyone who came between you and her and that you would australia take her to these words came in a hoarse whig per from the lips of the murderer its a lie no it isn t that instant we tool a photograph of you and here it Is do aou want to see it the query was scarcely spoken when doollittle pitched forward out of his chair he lay sprawled face down ward on the floor a limp quivering helpless shrunken mass of ruined man hood CHAPTER XIV chads shads appeal to a higher court doollittle recovered from his fainting fit he did not confess as the colonel hoped he would do the sheriff took him to the county jail that day colonel blake and shad went to the hotel for dinner and waited for the evening train As they were sitting together in their room the colonel said tomorrow 13 christmas bumpy brown and your friend bony are corn ing down to spend the day with us they embraced and kissed each other do you realize how old bumpy has been growing he a a whale of a man the colonel lighted his cigar and smoked a moment in the silence shad wondered what was behind the words of his chief these are the facts blake began bumpy had learned that doollittle a married man was making love to his daughter he warned her against him then be warned his daughters seducer and probably in rather hot language doollittle pushed him off his place bumpy may in his anger have sworn to get even after that whenever he was in hla cups he d d cy doollittle when he was indicted for murder and his life was in peril be must have suspected the truth that doollittle bad tried to get rid of his wife so that he could have carrie but old bumpy held his peace why not even to save bis life would he bring discredit on hla daughter to him death was better than shame I 1 doubt if in all the records of human action we may find a nobler bense of chivalry it Is curious that this shabby old tinker often about the countryside try side should now have us all sitting humbly at his feet of course he wanted the girl to marry royce now boyce Is an honest but rather stupid fellow a good deal of a dunce I 1 would say I 1 dont wonder that the girl have him doollittle and algyre made a tool of him in one way and another notably in buying the rubbers in building up the alibi of the guilty man and in misleading the detectives tec tives I 1 have never thought that his brain could create the mystery we have bad to solve that christmas day at colonel waa deter gotten by those who had a part in it the re thousand dollars was dlf brown the come on t wo thousand five hundred dollars for to bony a sum sufficient for one rears board and schooling arshad rs had a ite of deposit for the balance bumpy cooked the oysters and the turkey and by request prepared the mashed potatoes with allowances of cream and butter then the cook was called to the table he bald no sir by im too scared an nervous to take a place in the front ranks besides im liable to bust out a caryln any minute youve been so good to me im golno to keep close to the cellar door so I 1 can retreat if I 1 have to I 1 suppose get used to abeln rich an happy bat have to give me a little time bony said that miss bad mellerud mell ered up a good deal that she was not so anxious to keep him from being mined bumpy was finally induced to come and drink his coffee with them colonel blake arose and with characteristic humor reviewed the career of ahad morrison Mor ryson he told of the ad ventures at center pond and morris town and introduced him as an expert detective he wag curious to see what the boy would say it was then that sheridan morrison Mor ryson boade the little speech now quoted from his memoirs colonel and mrs blake the attle things I 1 have done are partly due to your faith in a homeless lad and to your interest in his welfare for all that I 1 thank you I 1 must also thank bony for his help and friendship I 1 do not forget the friendship tho kindness and the good heart of mr drown I 1 may know handsomer men but I 1 shall know a better man there Is one whose name you know to whom I 1 am more indebted than to all others that Is a debt which I 1 can only pay which I 1 shall gladly pay with my life and my devotion if I 1 am allowed to do so I 1 hope that I 1 am not breaking the rules of the court in saying this much I 1 fear that I 1 am like a bee that has been forbidden to trespass in a flowery meadow the colonel laughed then he turned to mrs blake and said moth er this boy Is not like other boys of his age hes really quite a man it he and ruth want to be engaged I 1 suppose that ve may as well take down the trespass sign acea cant read anyhow the gentle lady answered with a smile they would better part if they have to before they are married than after they are shad went to ruths side they cm braced and lessed each other A gale of merry laughter had arisen in the midst of it colonel and mrs blake and bumpy and bony came and embraced the happy youngsters again a scrap from the memoirs yes it was unusual I 1 say only that it was good for us we were in the same school nd college until we were twenty two our love filled the years with happiness and inspiration and mutual understanding we helped each other we knew each other we bad learned the gentle art of keeping step we were in no danger of falling out when we were married the day after our graduation a trouble that corner too often of alight acquaintance bumpy brown came with his parrot and a handsome gift of money kobert royce and his wife carrie and bony then an able law clerk and betsy and doctor gorse and mr and mrs smathers were at the wed ding we were a famous pair and people came from tar and wide to greet us for twenty five years we have lived and wrought together time has been kind to us there Is still gold in her baar and the glow of the corn flower in her eyes and the tint of roses in her cheeks I 1 well I 1 am still a lover have we not seen enough of the peril of straying to keep us in the straight way END |