Show alie arvil A im A aw alp 0 A S W aff of 0 WU W U f ae A fe toupee gander d AM aca e e a by irving irvin copyright by Ina cheller service SYNOPSIS ragged nagged and starving ft A boy of about a sixteen to la befriended by a party lie he hats has tied led from tile hl brutal father or hat bat Mor ryon ryson the th boy shad sheridan h 0 aidan la in sent to carton cariton with f I 1 latter a ater to colonel boloney blake the colonel his ht wife and their dau daughter piter kuth are impressed by tho the boys boya ina manner tiner lie he KOO 0 a to w work or bk in the village of amity un n an and d meets a youth 0 of his age bony n y and brown tinker considered conal dered a drunkard because of hla 1118 part periodic 0 lila lapses from strict tract sobriety hat Mor AlDr ryBon ryson comes determined to take his so son n back to hla his own dissolute life to H Is in overawed over awed by colonel wake N the district at attorney and tits his father out of shads chads life fo A girl young and olad pretty comes comer to browns shack inquiring for him shad apolos him self elf to tit his I 1 neglected 0 o aduca tion lovo love tor for fluth p hanke aks takes a strong hold on his aln henrt heart in nn an attack mada on tho the perry family oscar ciscar perry the father and tits his daughter daught rr nita mrs doo little wife of cyrus byrua doall it pro kroml nent citizen are shot and seriously I 1 wounded circumstantial evidence points to dumpy bumpy drown as aa tile tho assail ant ile he I 1 Is a arrest arrested a d shad loses his job and goes to live with dony tit at MIB Spen enlows lowa the two boys boya seek and find Sp digs lines the murderer find worn cot col onel nail blake Is almost convinced brown is not the murderer CHAPTER V continued 9 theres the greatest ninn man I 1 ever knew said hony iles hes so got BOI burned smart nn an kind ol 01 0 boloing im always a little when lie ho talks to m me e 11 if its possible to love a man I 1 lovo love him shad answered but hony bony never praised so lavishly in tho the morning tho the boys boya oot act out on the road to ashfield they went behind cotys barn and back to tho the highway they searched tile the thickets and cu lverts along that thorough fare they came to a stone wall on the east side eldo of the highway blind took one side of the wall and bony the other they looked into every hole and crevice they had find surveyed a long stretch of wall when cony bony on the side aide toward tile the fields shouted here it lot lal lie ile leaped over the wall with th the colored handkerchief and a small light colored slouch lint hat in tits his hand lie ile held them up before him there were the eye holes in tho handkerchief there was a touch of awe in the excitement of the two boys boya shad looked off at the river title this dont do bumpy any good he remarked ills place Is belo below w here ile he might have hid the hat and the handkerchief and then cut across to the river and got into his boat but he yuu you forgit the man in the broad brimmed hat bat lie ile was vas seen been away below here I 1 know it aint tile best beat place fer these to be hid but we 0 o cant help that facts Is facts the murderer went on down the road I 1 tell ye 11 bony put the hat and handkerchief in hla his coat pocket they went on down the road bony suggested t they thought I 1 had killed oscar perry an they come an took us up an found that hat an hanker chief in my pocket I 1 prove no allerby I 1 was down settin on the oll ol dam all lone stud shudyin yin astronomy an steal stealth ate alln tn a smoke I 1 heard tile the shots I 1 stir cause I 1 thought though t deacon Merl Mert wether was out sho shooting shoot otin ln at a coon in the his chicken yard I 1 come up to the store till I 1 heard tho the women bawlin I 1 prove no allerby lerby nl well it washes my hands I 1 left lef t the daytona daylong at just five InIn minutes Ittes of teven seven by their clock then I 1 guess you better keep these theao things said bald dony bony as ho he passed them to shad they passed the benson mansions man slona on their way into town they were just outside the tha village of ashfield youre better dressed than I 1 be laid aid bony go up an see it if you can find and that hired girl tei te lem cm youre a friend of ov oll bumpy brown the tinker an that youre tryan to help him ill bet they know the oll ol man an his bis bird p shad dreaded the task but did not be hesitate altale such grandeur as loomed before him when he neared the lawns he be had bad never teen seen shad considered what ho he would say to those grand people he decided first to speak of bla bin friends B U 0 converse and col onel blake he went to tho the nearest of the big houses and rang ran the bell at its front door A servant opened it the boy asked for mr air benson ila ho explained that he wished to see him about bumpy brown he was waa shown to the library where sat ant one of the distinguished denson benson brothers shad trembled with awe awa when the wan man arose and asked boy what can I 1 do for you the tone of the mans voice was reassuring shad had learned that a gentleman was welcome anywhere my name Is shad morrison Mor Alor ryson he said bald as he stood bending the visor of his cap in his nervous hands bands 1 I iam am in a friend of E 0 Coro converse sir and of colonel blake goedl I 1 know them both that establishes your standing SI shad i d w was as getting better control of jil alfi br breath ca th he made a new start starl 1 I have been working in the store up at amity dam I 1 know bumpy brown ile ho has haa been arre kited tor for the murder of oscar perry ile he to la not guilty sir air good I 1 id like to agree with you give me your reasons mr benson wax was now deeply inter bated 1 I mot met the guilty man annn in tho the road that night two men saw BOW jilin lie wore a broad brimmed hat flat lie was walking fast on the road to ashfield ile ho lid hid this lint hat an it in tho the stone wall beside the road 11 mr air benson spread out the hand kerchief and carefully examined it when i did you wid und the them in ho he asked today air you must give them to colonel blake im going to until you seo see him dont show them to anyone 8 had was now tit nt tile the point ho he sought 1 I hear your hired girl met the man down in ili the road beyond your gate en to mr bedison smiled ns its he rang a bell on the table near him the but ter ler came ills ilia master spoke I 1 tell tile maid Col colestia estla more to come hero here A cheery faced young irish woman came from tile kitchen she had been visiting down near tho bridge in tile tho edge of tile the vi village linge the evening of the murder she started for home a little after eight it was dark and till she was timid her friend came with her they entered tile the road beyond tile the turn that leads leada to the village A nian man approached pro proa ached chod them in tile darkness ile ho was waa walking fast lie ile passed them on tho the opposite side of tile tho road ile ho was wag tall lie he wore a cup call sho she and her friend both agreed that lie ho wore a clip cap A capt cap I 1 shad blind exclaimed 1 I see ile he was getting near the village ito had the cap in lila ills pocket up the v he passed them on the opposite side of the road road within half a mile ralle were going to find the broadt brimmed hat lie he hid it somewhere mr denson benson laughed youre a good hearted boy and rather levelheaded level headed I 1 wish visit you luck I 1 have not been able to believe that the old tinker was wag guilty shad rejoined dony bony who wits was walting waiting for him on the road within an hour the boys had found the broad brimmed hat it had been crowded into a hollow stump beside the road and was covered with rotten wood elated they hastened into the village well go over to canton and see colonel blake shad proposed they went to the westminster hotel and learned that the next train going west left at six forty thoy th oy decided to telephone and learn if the colonel were at home they learned that he had gone to kildare pond pon d hunting bunting the pond was wag about five miles back in the woods wooda they went to a store shad got some paper and twine and wrapped the hats hat a and handkerchief in a snug pack ago and tied it to hla fits belt im hungry said bald shad lots got get our suppers and walk home and havo have a talk with the doctor when they camo came out of the supper room a number of mon men sat around tho the fireplace they were talking of the murder at amity dam among them were robert royce ellery anderson james evarts a commercial traveler the proprietor of the hotel and a stranger of about thirty rather eliab shabbily dressed the stranger had red hair a freckled face and abnormally large cars in anderson had spoken in of tho the excellent work of the district attorney in promptly solving tho the problem tho the problem aint solved yet said eald bony 1 I happen to know that dint theyra barking up the wrong tree hull I 1 you must bo be a rather smart boy said id the hotel man n no but where theroa theres so ao many that do nil all their work with their tongues tt a fellor feller that uses his brain once in a while kind 0 stands out the game gaina was put up on dumpy bumpy brown lie its was waa a drunken ol oil pup of a man no body supposed that he lind any friends ile iio hated tho the Doo doolittles littles ue ua lived all alone a mile from anybody else it would be hard for him to prove an nl al lorby the man that done tho the put on that limp ho he wore a slouch hat flat in mr air house and a broad brimmed lint hat when lie ho wa waa away with tho the rashness of youth bony told of the different points in tho the road where tho the man with the broad brimmed lint hat had been seen in tho the darkness escaping toward ashfield A mile below amity 1 dam am lie ho had hidden tile the colored handkerchief which had find masked his face and tho the slouch hat in a otono wall half a mlle mile out of lie shoved the broad brimmed lint hat in the hollow of an old stump and put a cop cap on ills his head in the edge of tho the village ho he wits waa wearing the cap tense with interest every one was wan loaning leaning forward in hla his chair gazing nt at the boy tile the landlord was first to nal raking ting how do you know lie he hid the tha handkerchief and the hats hata we found them today where are thoyl weve welve got lem em 90 let us ua have it took look nt at them no sirce sir ce co we aint coln to show em to nobody till wo we see the district attorney lies hes up at kildare pond hunt buntlin lin deer ono one of us Is in coln up there tomorrow to find him they went out of doors and hastened toward the bridge the tavern gossips of ashfield had something new to talk about mr hearts sald bield that lie he thought that the tha boy had told the truth the drummer was also of 0 that opinion iles a notorious young liar ilar said robert boyco there a lazier an more harum chap in thin county in a few minutes lie he and ellery an ans s ders derson on and the stranger arose and put on their overcoats and went over to the kensington barroom whon when tho the boys arrived in amity darthey Dam they saw a light tit in the study windows of the doctor they rang hla his doorbell the doctor gave them a hearty welcome they told him of their success v we have made quite a step toward tho the truth said the doctor shad will go into tho the woods to take these things to colonel blake tomorrow yes sir air was shads chads tins answer 1 I suggest that you leave those things in my care anre said the doctor 1 I want to take them with me shad blind answered 1 I advise against it but you yon atre entitled to have your way it occurs to roe me that hubbards hubbardd Hub bards store has be come a point of some interest there you will remember bumpy bought his hl rubbers I 1 wonder it if somebody had bad learned of the exact shape and size of the rubbers bumpy had bought you know rubbers are rather accommodating mo dating they stretch suggest to the district attorney that ho he go to Hub Hubbard bards fl storo store ani and find out if ho he can who bought rubbers of that size and shape on or before the tenth of november people do not forget bumpas calls be sure to re r member all about the rubbers they sold him the doctor walked with the boys boya to bliss Sp enlows house and left them nt at the door bliss was waa a lady of un on doubted probity ner her notion was waa that the flesh and the devil were con the world the tha wildness of the quiet village of amity dam worried her h er she was an active local worker for tho the home for the friendless in ashfield she served on a committee of the homo home with ono one of the benson slaters bisters the homo and the sayings of miss bliss denson benson was the main topic of her convers conversation atlon alsa was the only lady la in the village who took boarders sho she had bad agreed to take fake shad at four dollars dollar a week tf if he would sleep with bony and promise to be a good bood boy j she rather enjoyed the mothering and correcting and bullying of these two boys she sha was often threatening to send them away but would have wept tt if they had left her she had it a curt curl ous oua interest in their talk and por per versify TO SIB CONTIN CONTINUED |