Show r The he e House Hse HouseL r i- i L o of tor the to r Three Ganders By Irving Bacheller Copyright by Irving Bach Iler Service CHAPTER XIII Continued XUI-Continued Continued i 16 16 t I I am In love with your daugh daugh- ter Some time I want to marry her ner If she will have me I 1 want to ask her to wait walt for tor me until I Iam Iam Iam am old enough If It I have done any- any think worth doing It is because I loved her and wanted to win her ad ad- The colonel laughed My Iy boy I Inow know now how hov you yon on feel teel he said Its a terribly serious feeling I can only say now that the court reserves reserves reserves re re- re- re serves Its decision At present let letI letus letus I us confine our thought to the main mainI I f Issue I am weary wenry with much travel I I and ond must have rest Ill I'll go to bed and you go to your lodgings Tomorrow To To- morrow V will be a busy day for Cor both bothof bothof bothof of us I shall get a good team In Inthe Inthe inthe the morning and ond call for tor you at eight Next morning Shad drove Oe to Ashfield Ashfield Ashfield Ash- Ash field with Colonel Blake and the sheriff They stabled their horses The colonel asked askelI Shad to telephone t Doctor Gorse and learn If he be had bad news to report The doctor answered Tell your chief chef that I must see him this r morning and that I will meet hImL him himI himat L I- at ot the Westminster hotel within the Lour hour They waited In the thc hotel o office Bce antil until un un- til the doctor arrived I f Then the colonel the sheriff and the boy proceeded to the shop of ot Robert Hobert Royce The colonel addressed ed him In a serious tone Royce the time has come when I must have a n frank talk with you he be said You will save yourself embarrassment If you lock your door and draw the shades There can enn be no Interruption of these pro prow Royce changed color In a frightened frightened fright fright- ened voIce he Inquired What has hns happened I III may have to arrest you I have evidence enough to make you a lotof lot lotof lotof of trouble If It you lIe He to me you shall suffer for tor It What I want from rom you Is the truth and the whole truth I warn you not to conceal any part of it Dont Don't make a mistake mistake mistake mis mis- take and try to Cool fool me It wont won't work The sheriff had written on a sheet of paper Not ot open this morning He hung it on the outer knob and locked the door Royce as white as the thin cover of snow that lay on the ground outside turned up the lights and drew the window shades What have I done he asked exactly what I want to tow tow w Blake answered You are area Diu lu a critical position I take it that you do not want to be tried for murder or for complicity In murder mur mur- der Murder I I Royce exclaimed edYes ed Yes You cannot prove an nn aUrl Moreover you had a motive as asae rae ae only heir of ot your mother You vere were Intimate with the crook who has made a confession of his r cart Inthe in inthe inthe the killing of ot Oscar Perry tad tod the attempt to put It on Bumpy Brown Royce had risen to his bis feet teet with witha a distressful countenance My G G-d G d sir sin I 1 he exclaimed I Ihne have hate been a fool but I had nothing to do with that crime What can canI I tell you i Blake demanded Tell me all that yon you know about the girl Carrie Brown Drown bats bat's like prodding me with witha a ahot ahot hot Iron he be began But Ill I'll tell you Everything I know Ill I'll tell teU yon you She is a daughter of old Bumpy Dumpy Brown She came on to live with her ber father nearly two years ago I was a friend of the old man He lived In town and was drinking hard those days She couldn't be happy with him and he was In no shape to take care of her I fell fellIn fellIn fellIn In love with that girl Royce stopped He leaned for- for ard his face In his hands When he spoke again his hla voice showed signs of ot emotion I never knew what It meant to tobe tobe tobo be bo in love until I saw her he went wenton on on My liMy uncle gave her a Job In his shop in Malone The work was har hard bard 1 She didn't like It She was not very well I got her a place in the store In South Bolton It was wasa a healthy country She liked it I r went to see her ber once a n week I took I r her out riding Royce paused again Colonel Blake asked Were you engaged to her heri Well I thud had asked her to marry murry me tae She had bad not promised to do It I began to see sec she did lIld not care as much for me as ns I did for tor her I would have hac gone through hell for her ber By and by I 1 learned that she sheIran was Iran keeping company with another man I couldn't find out who it was I was told that she would walk off ocr offIn offIn In the woods alone Sunday evenings evenIngs eve- eve I Dings and meet him I am om sure that I l she was fond Cond of him Mm He didn't love p her as ns much as us I 1 that's did did that's cerr cerf r f in taro tain In Royce took out his handkerchief nd wiped eyes He seduced her the young man went on By Illy and by she was In trouble I b bad d quit going to see her f I Hubbard wrote me mc the truth and I said that something would have to tobe tobe tobe be done The girl had no friends I went up there I couldn't stay away I felt sorry I loved her In spite of all nIl she had done She I wanted to go to n a midwife up In Inthe Inthe inthe the woods She wanted to hide the disgrace as much as possible I Ito to took k here bere there She had a baby and came near dying I stood by her I took Doctor Gorse up there to see sec her He saved her life lite Colonel Blake arose nrose and went to Royces Royce's side and took his hand say- say lay iny Yon You have told the truth like a man You see I know the truth but I wanted to hear it from you I have only one more more question to ask When you missed your revolver revolver revolver ver cartridges and overalls had you no suspicion of ot the thief thle II Algyre g re was In the shop the day of the murder He told me that while I was out on an nn errand that day Bumpy Brown came In and went back hack to the tho office I made up my mind Bumpy had done the stealing I Colonel Blake answered I am satisfied The sheriff was speaking of the admirable attitude of the young toward the unfortunate unfortunate nate girl gri when a n loud rap shook the door Immediately the rap was re re- You may open the door and resume resume resume re re- sume business said Colonel Blake Pardon the Interruption The door swung open revealing Cyrus Doolittle Ask him to come In said Blake Hes uHe's Just the man I want to see Im In a hurry said Doolittle as ashe ashe ashe he entered with a serious look In his bis face The colonel stepped behind him closed the door locked It and put the key In his pocket He turned to the newcomer and said Doolittle if I were you Id I'd be beIn beIn bein In a hurry m myself I think that youve you've been In too much of a Ii hurry all your life lIte The day has come when you must sit down and think it over mer Doolittle had turned pale rm Tm due in GrIggSby In an hour he said looking at his watch His dark eyes were troubled L He stroked his Ws brown b beard arlI You are overdue at the tile county teat Blake answered What do lIo you mean As If H l making a random remark about the weather the colonel answered answered an- an sv ered I III mean that you are going to Jail this Mils morning for the murder of Oscar Oscar Os Os- car Perry There was a little convulsive movement move move- rent ment in the figure of Doolittle In a second his muscles tightened He stood erect A look of indignation ol om a n background of like death-like pallar pallor pal- pal lar lor masked his bs face Me he be demanded What do I I. know about the murder of Oscar Blake ke answered calmly Sit down Doolittle D Dont Don't try to make me believe eve that youve you've lost your mem memo ory oty Why are arc you so excited Pull yourself together and sit down and Doolittle slumped Into a chair He clasped his fingers around one knee kne and sat with his chin upon his bis breast breathing deeply as he looked at Blake The colonel seemed to be touched with a sense of pity He spoke in a gentle tone For uFo years I have been your friend I am still sUlI your friend I know your story from beginning to end I know every detail In it I Iam Iam Iam am not lying to you ou I have the proofs In my possession Some time ago you fell In love with a pretty girl You made her believe that your wife would not live long You gave her money and dressed her handsomely She was young and unwise You won her affection You began to dally with pas pas- sion It is the most dangerous game which honest people eople can play You lost your mental and moral balance bal bal- ance You Yon staggered Old Cyrus DoolIttle fell dead You had seduced seduced seduced se se- the girl You were soon between between between be be- tween the devil and the deep sea Your good Judgment and your sense of honor had halI been burned out of you by the tire of ot lustIn lust lustIn In desperation you made a plan On the tenth of November you drove to Griggsby You arrived In Ashfield Ashfield Ashfield Ash- Ash field soon after noon and put your horses borses in the stable of the Westminster Westminster Westminster West West- minster hotel About thirty four that afternoon you came to this shop You told toM your stepson that you were iii and wished to lie down dO He took you Into the little office built against the side of ot the shop In the rear where there was a desk and a lounge You told toM Royce to let you sleep and not to call you Then you closed the door and locked It A loaded revolver rc and some shells to fit It lay on th the desk You had often otten seen It lying there You I put Royces Royce's rubbers In to your coat pocket to disguise your tracks You I knew that Bumpy Dumpy Brown wore a pair the same size You took the revolver You put on Royces Royce's over over- alls aUs At twenty five-twenty or thereabouts Royce had bad closed the shop and gone upstairs where he hc lay readIng readIng reading read- read Ing a paper You put the thc revolver In yo r pocket opened the window and climbed through It You crossed the bridge going west with a package package package pack pack- age under your arm orm walking fast contained broad- broad The he package a brimmed lint hat which you had halI borrow borrowed borrowed bor bor- row rowed d from Algyre A man I know Inlow saw you You wore a cap on your I head hend You carried In your pocket the rubbers the revolver and cartridges car cur cartridges a light colored slouch hat hatI I and a n colorful handkerchief I You hurried up the road In Inthe Inthe Inthe the darkness You left the broad- broad brimmed bat hat at some point not far from the bridge In Amity Dam You reached your our home about seven You covered your face with the tile chief You put on the light-colored light slouch hat and the rubbers You rapped at nt the door Your son opened It You had bad expected that your wife would be standing before you It was her habit to open the door She was the one you had bad come to kill You were facing not her but your son You had halI to see it through now You couldn't turn back You entered limping like Bumpy Brown the boy fleeing before you You Yon began bean to shoot You wounded your wife wICe You came close to her Your weapon was pointed at nt her face You did not shoot then You were still pulling on the trigger You did not know that you yon had to release the trigger to cock the weapon Therefore your wife escaped You had to kill her father to get away Now v the rats began to gnaw They smelled blood You fled In the darkness You put on the thc broad- broad brimmed hat You were seen at different different different dif dif- dif dif- ferent points on on the road hurrying through the darkness You tucked the handkerchief and slouched hat Into a wall Opposite Browns Brown's cove you met the crook Algyre He had helped to make the plan He took the revolver and cartridge from your hands He De crossed the river and planted them on Bumpy Brown He lIe was to get a thousand dollars for helping you ou He got only half balf of It because you were afraid to draw so much money out of ot the bank at that time I have bave Algyre's confession In my pocket You went on You hid bid the broad broad- brimmed hat In a n hollow stump and covered ered It with rotten wood woolI You put the cap on your head You reached the Ashfield bridge about eight You threw the rubbers and overalls Into lato the west channel You entered the open window of Royces Royce's o office You unlocked the thedoor thedoor thedoor door and called him He let you out of ot the front entrance You crossed the cast east channel on your way to the hotel A little beyond the thc bridge a aman aman aman man told you of the crime which had been committed at your home You hurried to the stable and got your horses Now when you got home you did not drop the reins and run to find your stricken wife as an honest man would have done You went straight to the stable to see that the colts were properly cared for That one one circumstance was like JIke a millstone I tied to your neck It set a man to thinking In your village and his thinking ha has has helped me to surround you with a chain of evidence that no power can break brenk You lived JIved In a growing blisterIng blistering blister- blister I Ing heat In that house of mourning with your good wife and son whose I faith in you must have been like a crown of thorns But the worst was was to come Here was the girl who must i have been nearer to you than all else Home and son and wife and honor and good repute were as chaff compared to her She was In sore trouble yet you d dared red not lift a hand to help her My G G-d G d I 1 What i ia a thumbscrew that must have i been I I 1 iI I i Doolittle was trembling His Bis mouth was open Dumb with remorse and astonishment he was an abject and wretched figure My story is near its end the colonel went on OD When the girl was at Betsy with her herI I child you went by night to comfort comfort comfort com com- fort and reassure her When you were with her in the spruce thicket i ia a witness of mine heard you say sayto sayto I to her that you would kill anyone who came between you and her and that you would take her to Aus Aus- These words came In a hoarse I whisper from the lips Ups of the murderer murderer murderer mur mur- derer Its uIt's a lie He No uNo it isn't That instant we took a photograph of you and the girl Here it Is Do you want to see it i iThe The query was scarcely spoken when Doolittle pitched forward out of his hs chair He lay Iny sprawled face downward on the floor a limp quivering quiverIng quivering ering helpless shrunken mass of ruined manhood I CHAPTER XIV I IShad's II I Shads Shad's Appeal to a Higher Court pv recovered from his JL- JL D DOOLITTLE fainting fit He lie did not confess as the colonel hoped he be would do The sheriff took him to the county Jail that day Colonel Blake and Shad went to the hotel for tor dinner I and waited for the evening train As they were sitting together In their room the colonel said Tomorrow is Christmas Bumpy Bump I Brown and your friend Bony are ore coming down to spend the day with us Do you realize how old Bumpy has been growing Hes He's a n whale of ot a man man manThe 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 be be- gan Bumpy had learned that Doo Doo- little little-a a married man man was was making love lo to his bis daughter He warned her ber against him Then he warned his daughters daughter's seducer and probably probably probably ably In rather hot language Doolittle Doolittle Doo Doo- little pushed him off his place Bumpy may In his anger have sworn to get even After that whenever be he was In his cups he d d-d d d Cy D Doe Doo o- o little When he was Indicted for lor murder |