Show now Q PRODIGAL JUDGE VAUGHAN aly a A SYNOPSIS tens at t the tile opening of the etory story to 1 tb 7 library of an old worn out the 14 in jar tation knos known an a the barsce place to to 15 ld id and if its the airy art in nd 11 that of tho owner owners the la is the subject of dial by crenshaw renshaw A Lu business siness man a estban att known aa as Di beulen and dob bob sta farmer when U davne syne card mysterious child of the 01 om 14 mall hia his appearance tells how he adopted th the boy y na PAY al affa but buit the he wel ferris ba 8 the thil barony bardt deny the eap ath y to keep k AP imal y a ariena of tile RP the bar vitious about trouble st cw ratch hill wien wl en han lvin I 1 ed by dave raes cap aernt yancy nc overtakes yes ni a thra shirli secures taney appears before squire boy with costi for and IS sa betty bla aror a friend of penises 1 haa has an encounter with capi cap few murrell who forces DT his on and Is rescued by carrington ity y sets tt out for her tennessee home arinton takes the sam same e yancy 4 disappear with on dr trill arh CHAPTER VI continued la in the tavern the three men man were ung murrell with tue the idea that he nore more yancy came under the in enc of sons corn COM whisky tho the aier jer his hl speculation would be mr yancy on his part believed sit ut if it murrell went to bed reason 11 drunk he would sloop bleep late and to him the opportunity he coveted ot the tile tavern unobserved at of day when ahen yo tet got to feelen like leep sleep mf bos boss maer he says I 1 hoir v yol yo to yo chamber it wae was ilot sons ione boy eph yes you can show me my chainer hannibal aid said eph efured secured a tin candlestick candle stick euck with half burnt candle in it and led tho the ay into the passage back of tho the bar they ney mounted it flight of stairs and used down a narrow ball hall this rought them to the back of the i ull jiming ding and eph pushed open the ioor on his right thi Ms beans yo chamber he aid dand and preceding his companion into 0 the room placed the candio candle on a bair the noon was rising and hannibal rent eat to the open window and glanced at ul for a moment he considered the W ht not unaffected by its beauty tn turning from the window he doted his bundle and rifle to the ot of the bed where tho the would be rot ut of his way kicked ott off his trousers i lew out the candle and lay down Y tancy W had barome more and more winced as the evening passed that bnell was bent on getting him k and suspicion mounted darkly hu his brain have a drink with me ried cried a on way to drunker laughter the captains dropped out and I 1 T its about time fo these here festivities to come to an end im waking some or of going to bed my alf t yancy he ile kept his eyes axed hed on murrell he ile realized that it if the e latter litter could prevent it he was yot it to leave the bar he never shirt shift ie 4 his glance from 4 burrells Ur 1 face V the captains eyes back their challenge lenge as he r ayt A abis his right hand under his coat coal bair w play i 1 dont know who you aun but I 1 know what you want bald the light ln tn hla his tra fra hk eray gray deepening murrell laughed and took forward 0 d tep step at the e same mo luent ent snatched up a heavy 1 b from the back of the bar and it yancy ca a murderous mar rde derous rouB blow A 1416 hua startled cry eced escaped the er he struck 4 ho out wildly burche c ed d toward murrell r rey who 3 knife thol ider lder and drove it u into his the ioor loor yancy y dropped heavily to lb but long 1011 tile boy glera kle he ever never he awoke with a st start and d CORfu ans Eed sense of things it deatly de was very late after probably long le t lade blob P but where waa was his milk d back on 00 his 8 pillow pent intent listening s A chilling terror aped that him hago fast and would id not let there mounted to his brain qa was his uncle bob aboy th he 1 8 com ome I 1 to bed idl ifft e tales ui memories or th tefol 1 I lonely of in T foully dealt with ln in hi I 1 mind taverns flashed through k fab za 10 coment slid os from the bed and for it every ent stood cold and shaking Bh aking e 8 enle on the alert with trl idd cantlo 11 he got inen M hie tru to ogain n paused used ara 4 his to alwen since t tny least baat movement ov might ck via ltd next ext he secured curel Be his VU ready for flight 1 encumbered by hla belonging belongings but with no mind to sacrifice them be he stopped old upon tho the ched and made bis his way down the slant of the roof root to the eaves ho tossed bis his bundle to the ground and going down on bis his knees lowered his rifle letting the muzzle fall lightly against the side aide of tho the shed as 28 it left his hand then he isy hut flat on bis his stomach and feet first wriggled out into space when bo he could no longer preserve serve his balance be he cave gave himself a shove away from the eaves and dropped clear of the tile building As an he recovered himself he was sur sure e he heard a door open and close and threw himself prone on the ground grounds where the black shadow cast by the tavern hid bid him at the same moment two dark figures came from rubout a corner of the building he lie could just distinguish that they car ried some heavy burden between them and that they staggered as they moved they passed out of sight and breathless and palsied hannibal crept about a corner of the tavern ho lie must bo be sure presently he beard heard a distant sound a splash surely it was a splash A little later the men came up the lane to disappear in the direction of the ho tavern hannibal peered after them his very terrors while they wrenched and tortured him gave him a do desperate sPerate kind of courage As the gloom hid bid the two men he started forward again ho he reached the end of the cornfield climbed a fence and und entered a deadening of timber in the long wet grass he found where the tuen dien had dragged their burden he reached down and swept his band hand to and fro once twice the third time his little palm came away red and discolored there was the first palts au premonition of dawn damn in the sky and as he lie hurried on the light grew grow aad the black trunks of trees detached detach rd themselves from froin the white mist that filled the woods and which the dawn made visible there was light enough for him to see that he was following the trail left by the men he emerged upon the bank of the elk river white like the with its ghostly night sweat the dull beat of the childs heart quickened is as hi gazed out on the swift current cu arent that was hurrying on with its dreadful secret then the full comprehension of his loss lose seemed to overwhelm him and he was utterly desolate soba sobs shook him and bo tie dropped on tin his knees boiling fast to iho the block stock of hia his rlue undo uncle nob nut uncle hob bob come MO bacal cant you come back 1 l be walled w n miserably presently bo he sta stag 9 to hie his reel feet As A ho glanced about ho he almost at hie his feet a dugout dug out mado made from rom a single poplar OK it was secured to an overhang ing branch by a length of or n wild grapevine grape vine with one last fearful look on off across the deadening in the diorec lion or of ahn lavirn be tie crept down to the waters edge and etl entered toed the anoe in a moment be he had it freo free from its it lashing and rind the rude cratt craft wag was bumping along the bank in spite of hia his beat efforts a with the paddle then a favoring current caught it and swept it out toward the center of the tream stream CHAPTER vil on the river betty stood under a dripping urn um brella in the midst of a downpour juat just arrived by the four horse coach that piled plied regularly between washington and georgetown she had found the long board platform beside the canal crowded with her f fellow ell ow passengers suddenly she became aware of P tall familiar figure incy ing through the crowd it was bruce carrington at the same moment ila h saw her and with a casual air that quite deceived her approached youre leaving tonight he asked yes it miserable the way it rains and why are they so alow slow why I 1 dont bont they hurry with that beatt its in the last list lock now ex planned carrington and ud gathering up bettys band hand luggage lugg luggage aFe he helped her aboard by the time the they bad reached wheeling oling betty had quite parted with whatever superficial prejudice she sho might have bad had concerning river fiver man men this particular cular one was vi dently a very nice river man an fae reception eption to his kind he lie mede choice of the fer lir ou whick which she afie continue her journey and thoughtfully chose the naiad a slow boat 1 I a thing to offer her this Is plain madness of mine mino he kept telling himself and then the expression of bis his face would become grim and determined no more of the river for him hed get bold hold of some land and go to raising cotton that was the way money was made slow as the naiad was the days passed much too swiftly for him when memphis was reached their friendly intercourse would como come to an end there would be her brother of whom she had occasionally croken he would be pretty certain to have the ideas of his class the days like any other days dwin died the end of it all was close at hand another twenty four lour hours and carrington reflected there would c y be good by to say we will mill reach now madrid tonight he told her they thor were watching the river under a flood of yellow moonlight Carr carrington lugton with his back against a stanchion watched discontented IT 1 E L L 4 sound A splash dutant presently he he bead Is i duji tu ji be mighty gad glad to have tbt till over with misi atlas malroy he said at length with a comprehensive weep swoop toward the river yes shant your and eho she opened her eyes questioningly no bald said carrington with a it short laugh drawing a chair oar bore hers and bitting sitting down betty in surprise gave him a quick look still then an quickly garced away from what she encountered in his eyes A an she bo looked suddenly ud deoly pale palo points of light appo appeared arod on a distant headland 1 I in that new madrid oh ob Is it mr carrington she he cried eagerly 1 I reckon reckon so but he be did tilt not alter big his position lon but youre not looking ll 1 yes I 1 am sm im looking at you 1 think me crazy mien miss malroy presumptuous and all that but I 1 wish memphis could be wiped off 00 the map and that we could go on like this for everi everl you talk soi so 0 o I 1 am nothing to you yes you are youre everything to me ald said carrington doggedly you shall love me she waa was powerless in IV hie his embrace bho she felt his hill breath on her cheek check then bd b kissed hen h er suddenly hie his arms fell at hie we side bla his face waa was white 1 I 1 WM was a brute to do that deity betty forgive rael I 1 I 1 am sorry no I 1 cant be sorry I 1 they were cre alongside the new mad rid wharf now and a cor certain young man who had been impatiently watch ing the naiads lights ever since they became visible crossed the gang plank with a bound netty betty why in the name namo of rood noss did you ever choose thie this aubr tub sali sald the newcomer new comer charley Char layl I 1 stepped back this must ho se the brother who bad had come up the river from memphis to meet her but b her brother bro name wa was tonal ho lie looked va this stranger this charley over with a hostile eye 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 s alt all that day hannibal wae was haunted by the memory of 0 what he lad beard board and seen at sons tavern more than this ther ewas hie his terrible sense of loss and the grief he could not master marking the course of the road westward he clung to the woods where bis his movements were as stealthy ote althy aa as the very tery shadows themselves presently as he stumbled forward he came to a small clearing in the center of which tood a log dwelling the place seemed deserted tilted back in a chair by the door of this bouse house a man was sleeping the hoot boot of an owl from a nearby near by oak touted him ho he yawned and stretched himself thru thrusting sUng out his fat tat legs and extending his great arms then becoming aware of that path as he slept and nw stood be fore him in the uncertain light he fell to rubbing his eyes with the small figure which bad had stolen up the knuckles of bis his lump plump hands who are oua ou be he demanded im hannibal wayno wayne hazard said the boy the man quitted bis his chair well i am glad to know you hannibal wayne hazard I 1 am 1 cum price judge slocum price sometime major general of militia and ex member of congress con greys to mention a few of those honors my fellow follow countrymen have thrust upon me he made a sweeping gesture with his two hands outspread and bowed ponderously the boy boj saw a man of sixty whoso ano gross and battered visage told its ov ovit story there was a sparse white frost about his earu and bis his eyes pale bauo d prominent looked out from under beefing beet beef brows he wore a shabby plum colored coa coat t and tight drab breeches about bis his fat neck was a black stock you dont belong in these parts do you asked the judge when he bad had completed bis his scrutiny no air 1 answered the boy he glanced off down the road where lights were visible among the t wees ees what town Is that which Is a lie lle but J am neither sufficiently drunk nor sufficiently sober to rope with the aca your question offers have you so much as fifty cents about you and the judges eyes burrowed nur rowed to a silt slit above their folds of puffy flesh hannibal keeping him hi glanco glance fixed on the mans face felt back a step 1 I cant let you go it you are penniless I 1 cant do that cried the judge with sudden vehemence you shall be my guest for the thu night a pack of eci evoil at t the tavern he lowered bla his voice 1 I know em for plucked met he rested a fat band on the boys shoulder and drew him gently but firmly into the shanty with flint and steel he made a light and presently a candle was sputtering in ble his hands ho he fitted it into the neck of a tall bottle and as the light flared up the boy glanced about him the interior wae was mean enough with its rough walls dirt floor and black cavernous caver noun fireplace A shakedown bed in n one corner of the room vas was tastefully screened from frem the pub lie gaze by a tattered quilt 70 BE CONTINUED CONTINUE DI |