Show 1 olt I 1 A FELONS LOVE BY HENRY W CHAPTER VI continued after some further conversation the man luke luk ceased to take any further notice of the young man beyond an occasional glance as it if he be trying to remember re where he be had seen his face before baynes very shortly arter after warda got up mw went oft off home to his bis but As one of the men had informed luke mr hall happened to bo be short of hands just then and upon applying to him tho the next morning he got taken on things went on for some time very much as usual there were cattle br brandl andings ngi breaking in of horses and sunday kangaroo hunts indulging in a drunken bout at sullivan a the dush bush inn a few miles oft off the latter diver glon being much to mr halls hall a inconvenience veni ence and disgust sullivans lightning rum was wag not on guaranteed to make men drunk but it had the peculiar effect after a few days steady drinking of sending them raving mad this was no not t to be ivon wondered dered at CB as mr hall frequently told ills his men on the station for the chief components were spirits of alne brown sugar anil ani tobacco A noticeable alteration had taken place in tom claynes demeanor since the arrival of robert luko luke upon the tation ile he seemed to have relapsed bed into his old moody minner which lie ho had bad apparently gut got rid of as aa he had become used to the place ile he was now never in the mens hut but longer than was absolutely necessary for tile the performance of his duties and he shut himself up more than ever away from them all how precious fond of that rinita sus of his he must be bald luke one la night it a queer no one a ever had a sight of her haan t no one for certain ever been her not an I 1 knows on returned one of his bis mates what does it matt matter s r to you if you see her or not she a an invalid what she Is anil and he a 9 a good mate and provides good grub all round 1 III I II 11 try and get a look at her and chance the ducks retorted gob bob luke what right has she to go and shut herself up upa it puzzles my brains where I 1 have seen that chap daynes before 11 after this luke was constantly co prying about in the endeavor to get a peep into daynes baynes hut one night he succeeded in creeping close u up p to it without disturbing the inmates there was waa however no possible means of peeping la in so luke lay down in tho the shadow behind the chimney and listened he could not catch a single word it if the inmates of the hut were ore talking they must have been doing so in very low tones ny by and by however the door opened and in the stream of light that came from within luko luke beheld a woman walk out into the open air A shawl partly concealed her features as she went down the little garden path to the gate then she stopped atoned tor for some ten minutes with her back towards the watcher looking out into the night I 1 shall iball see gee her letter better when she Is coming back thought luke but at that moment the lamp inside the hut was extinguished and ha be coi could 1 id see nothing buol moie e than the phad ow bwy y form or of the woman oman A as she turned round ant an re reentered entered the dwelling drelling robert luke felt baffled and ills his curiosity became keener than ever when he ha reached the hut in which ho he slept dept he found it empty tile the men were ore hlll still haggling baggling over their greasy cards at euchre in the kitchen sitting down by the plank table upon which stood the slush shish lamp a tin full of sheep a tat fat with it a rag for a vi wick ick luke pulled out an old pocketbook and drew flon it a worn find and dirty paper unfold ing ng it he read the bending I 1 one thousand pounds reward the rest of the printed matter which he reid through carefully contained the description of edward bartlett Dart lett and anne dodson well it aln t them at any rate he grumbled as he rep replaced lived the paper in its ita cover mm min with fair rom complexion plex gray eyes 1 chit won t do baynes has dark eyes Is iq quite middling hull hall might inight de but eyes eye no it sin aln t him I 1 saw them both in boint whon hill was As tried tied I 1 have lie be cried spring springing pig to his hie fw feet and bil nging his flat 1st down don with a brub upon the tible where I 1 saw the face like his it was wag anne dodson at s supposing ho he Is a brother of anne dodson a and has baa her here in hiding biding it VII baynes nn ynes said mr ir hill one morning as aa he waa out tor for the run 1 I want i ant you to go ilon doni n to cuilli an a this afternoon you know the public house w lure valre the conch coach stopped when you came up I 1 he drais draa a are up from town tonn and we are so short of a num bor ber of things that I 1 am sending some pack horses to meet them so BO you cin load up tip with ith whatever vou on think we most require the th bullocks bullot kg fire are so igo done up that I 1 hear bear they will ill not be able to come any farther for the next three days nery ery provoking it Is tp to be sure I 1 a woo wo ippo o all the men will A ill get drunk there alloi however ever it can cant t be helped how flow am I 1 to go sir air asked daynes I 1 on loot foot oh no mr hall laughing 1 I hear you are lather ahmid 0 of mounting a horse horm but I 1 hao hane left my more maro vinegar up tip in the anid aid she Is quite nuitt so you yon need not lie be alarmed one ot of the men will sad lie ile her cpr for 3 ou on it if you don t know how to bet about it tom baynes set out after the men a dinner was bere sern berel CI l amidst roars of laughter and much ahalt aff from the station hands what never been on a horse before toni tom cried child one get along irth is ath 3 ou oil I 1 hold tight on to her mane that ni way air now then oft off you got go stick to her mate ito ho ho hot hoi and spanking the old ni mire ire on the flank with hi hh 3 hand he started lier her off in tile tho cioper direction mr hall stopped at the kitchen upon hla his return in the evening and called ono one of the iren out to take ills his horse has blonea come back et he raked naked no sir air the man replied 1 I dont see how ho he could get back hack tonight they will have to unload a good par part 1 of two draa to got get at the things ho he wants 11 true ah ab well there a not much fear of hla his getting on the drink one reason why I 1 sent biml if you had gone charlie he be added to the man 1 I don t suppose I 1 should bile seen you back tor for a mouth month I 1 very likely sir that Is it if once I 1 tasted replied charlie most curious way it la Is with me if I 1 don t taste I 1 dont want it once I 1 ve had a blip theres therea no stopping stepping of me I 1 must go right away aay to the end of my cheque well take my advice and never taste again charlie said his master as he walked oft off la in the direction of the house while this conversation took place robert luke was waa standing close by I 1 and shortly afterwards atter warda he walked over to the store where everything the men required could be purchased from boots boota and ana shirts to patent pills good cod evening luke said the storekeeper and how bow a the world using you want some tobacco or what we shall have a 0 heap of new things up in a day or two when the drays arrive no thank you cepil replied luke 1 I envelope just came over to beg ar an envelope and a sheet ot of paper mhd alid mall bag Is made up tonight A it I 1 yes in halt half an hout hour writing to your girt girl luke asked the man as he be throw over the required articles put it short and sweet no I 1 am not writing to my girl replied luke only to a brother leaning on the counter in a quiet corner ot of the store robert luke a set t to work C rk and wrote the following letter care of charles nall hall esq Rad mount station barrier ranges N S wales wale is may 18 dear bill corne come out at once never mind the public leave your wife to look after it I 1 am on the right track I 1 serve five years in the metropolitan police for nothing when I 1 landed I 1 made my way up country I 1 stay long in sydney as I 1 thought it was nias the tha wrong place to look for them you know I 1 felt certain that they had bad made tor for australia because in Bart bartletta bartletts letts evidence he swore you had bad talked ot of going there and you assured me afterwards that it was him film as was ans always talking of it well after working my way from station to station I 1 arrived here the first night I 1 entered the kitchen I 1 was startled by the resemblance ot of the cook a man called iki annes nes to tho the girl anne dolson who mho gave evidence at your trial and who Is now wanted anted lie he bears beara suh a strong likeness to her that I 1 am sure he be a relation loa what Is more he Is lately out from home and there Is a mystery about his wife who nho Is constantly a shut hut up tip in a hut here my belief Is that baynes is anno anne dodsons Dod sons brother and is keeping her here in hiding until he can clear her off elsewhere I 1 mean to see her tonight whether or no baines Is away fetching some stores and won t be home until morning so ro now a my e I 1 I 1 will let ou know by next nett mall mail how flow I 1 succeed but dont wait tor for letters come out bere well hive have that thousand pounds yett yet you can swear to them as aou ou lived in tho the same service I 1 cannot be certain as I 1 only caught a glimpse ot of them in the court but I 1 fancy I 1 should know the man bartlett artlett Il anens anywhere bore I 1 will remain here or in tile the neighborhood until bour our arrival lour ow affectionate brother RODERT ROBERT LUKE varysburg burg N Y the envelope was aas addressed to sir williami luke illare hare and hounds I 1 Is lington london and haling read the letter carefully through lutie luke sealed scaled it up and dropped it into the mailbag mail bag lie he retired to rest that night at the same time as aa the other men who slept in his hut tha th last man inan dowses the glim shouted one fellow as aa he ha rolled himself up in his bis blanket thata that a me replied robert luke as aa he took off hla his boots then having extinguished the light with hla his finger and ana thumb ho b threw down dow up on his bunk Hou Hour rafter lafter hour passed and the tb steady stentorian tent orlan breathing ot of hla his companions told him that toy tey all slept he raised himself gently to a sitting posture and in doing so BO be made the wooden bunk creak Us ile listened for some borne seconds no the gradually bi men were ere undisturbed reached the floor holding hla his brestin I 1 leal eat the slightest noise on his bis para should awaken one of his companioni companion then he felt hh way in his geO feet softly to the loor which was waa secured by a common latch lie ile mt stringed ringed to olen oin the booi without a soun bouhl I 1 and v when lien oli taide he lot let tile the latch fall slowly into its alae with alth tile the string attached to it from without ile he paused and lisL listened ened but they all slept on the moon was as nearly nt at th alint ter and the shadows aiom the ranges liy ily bidad find dark upon the lower ground beneath defend belond the ho cly cay of a night hauk or owl the whir of a bat or the cloaking of flogs figgs in the stagnant tools near the creek was aas not a sound to be headd luke walked along in the of daynes baynes hut which malc b lying in the R shadow hadow of the ill hill have hae icen d difficult for one not knowing om ing the locality to discover but bei t luke knew ills his way vay well nell in a few minutes ml mites he stood outside the door there ans no sign of life to be seen within ile he tried tile the hindle and found tint thit the door was locked then he be crept round to the window which was nas and had bad colise en use c calico nailed across in lieu of gl gliss aghsa iss after peering about foi some minutes he be detected a speck of light shining dimly through an inner curtain probably Pro bibly ethcie was i i moth alloth hole in tile the blanket which had been hung inside to pie ent the light from being seen from without rhe keyhole nna e every cry chink seemed stopped how easily lie he billit slit silt the callea calico across w with jtb nil his mille knife and effect an ent entrance rancel hut but then suppose suppo e its big sur bur albes were to piove giove wrong rong what nhat ex cuse could he make for thus disturb ing the woman la in the middle ot of the night luke a feirt beat fast it seemed to him as if lie ho in were ere on the very brink of making some borne disco discovery cry and et was to be balked he stood still and thought a while then it occurred to him thit th it he might knock pi pretend ebend he v was as III and ask aak tot toi brandy the men on the station had none he knew yes there could be no harm in that he knocked on the he panels of the door but no answer ansier came ho knocked again and spoke mrs baynes would you kindly give in me e a drop of brandy it if vou have such a thing I 1 am sorry to trouble you at this time of night but I 1 am not very well I 1 am luke gob dob luke still not a woid came in reply ile II 11 called out again more loudly mrs baynes d de 3 e hear mrs airs daynes day growing bolder he be determined to try the strength of the door placing his shoulder against it be turned the handle slid and leaned upon it with his whole weight eight suddenly the door gave way nay and he was pred precipitated p stated into the room recovering himself it was yet several seconds before he could distinguish any objects around him the sudden transition from the darkness without to the glare of a lamp had dazzled his eyes when he recovered from the first confusing con effects of the light he sa saw a sight that bent him staggering back aga against inist the wall and for a moment deprived him of tile the power of speech ile he was bewildered and coull not find breath to say the which were upon his lips A sound of hoi boises se a hoofs approaching the hut made him suddenly look round and then he knew no more A fearful crash upon his skull deprived him of h his Is senses and he fell heavily to 0 the floor to bo be |