Show P PRODIGAL THE JUDGE by aughan cb var 4 WOMB 1 SYNOPSIS tho cne ariene at the opening of the tory story to wd in the library of a an n old worn out MOM plantation known a an the baron n the place te is to be old sold and it its history ih is t cry and that oc at the owner owners the Quin uIn tarde tards in the subject of at discussion discus slon by jonathan 91 crenshaw Crone haw a man bab a tanner known a as aladen and boo tancy a farmer when ila hannibal abal wayne vayne batard lax ard a m child of the old 1 family makes hie his appearance pe arance irl yancy cy tell tells how he adopted the boy na ancel h len lel ferris 1 buy buys the barony but the 8 U inwards u dony deny any knowledge oc at the oy Y yancy to kep keep hannibal annibaL li captain V arrell a friend ot of the quintard uIn tards appear appears and aake asks questions about out the bar ony trouble at scratch hill when llan ilan elbal Is by dave mount blount cap tain murrella Murr elim adirent yancy overtake overtakes Il lount given him a thrashing and secure it the boy yancy a pears before squire lla laam and in discharged with coat costs for it tie plaintiff betty malroy a friend of th he 1 ha has an encounter with cap tal tain n murrell who forcee forces hie his attentions on her ter and in rescued by bruce carrington betty list aieta out for her tennessee horn home carrington CA rr agton takes tha sta 1 arrell yancy and an d hannibal disappear with murrell on their trall hannibal annibal Il arrive arrives at the home of judge slocum price the judge roe recognize OM in the bor boy the grandson gran daon of at an old time ume friend b murrell arrives at judge judges I 1 home cavendish Cavend lah family on raft rescue yancy V ay who Is apparently dead price breake breaks jail betty and carrin Carrl naton ton arrive at belle dalle plain hannibal IlAn albala eilf disca an ome game startling tart ling thing things to the judge han ilan dibal and betty bett meet again murrell arrives in belle plain iian I 1 lx for bis big takes yancy awake awakes from lone long dream t sleep bleep on board the raft judge price dak akes startling discoveries diaco verte in looking up land and titled charley norton a young lanter who assists tho judge Is my mrs piously assaulted norton inform informs car agton that betty has promised to marry angton im norton Is mysteriously hot more light on murrelle plot he ile plan plans uprising ne of negroes judge price with hannibal visits betty and she he keepe keeps the boy as a companion compan lom in a troll stroll betty takes with hannibal they meet bess sticks ack daughter of the overe over eer sr who warn hetty betty of danger and counsel counsels her to leave belle plain at once betty terrified act acts on baits advice and on their way their carriage it topped stopped by bloon blosson tho the tavern keeper and a confederate ana and betty and hannibal are made prisoners tb tho pair are taken to hick cabin in an imbat pot spot and there adur relt rell visita detty betty and reveal raveau bin 1 pact la the plot and hi his object th the plot and his object CHAPTER continued let mo me got go I 1 ebo she panted he lie bin cool laugh of triumph let you go ask me anything but that bettyl have you no reward for or patience euch such as mine A whole a um imer has passed since I 1 saw you first r there was the noisy eliu Ming of feet on tho stain and releasing hetty betty murroll murrell swung about on his heel beet and ana faced the door it wae was pushed open an luch such at a time by a not too confident hand and mr thu thus guardedly presented 11 to the eye gyo of his chief whom be beckoned from crom the room beur fW ell said murrell when they food stood together on the landing just come across to tho the keel reel boata and led the way dowa stairs end and from the house damn you joe you might have waited I 1 observed the outlaw gave him a hardened grin they crossed the clearing and boarded the keel boat which rested against the bank aa As they did so the cabin in the stern enve up a shattered presence tn in me shape of tom ware murroll started stared violently 1 I thought you were hanging out in memphis homr tom bo the said and his bin brow darkened as id inester In lster and forbidding be he stepped closer to the planter ware did not answer at once but looked at murroll out 0 of heavy bloodshot eyes his face pinched and ghastly at last he eald said speaking with visible obort 1 I stayed in bl memphis emphis until ilya eo sc clock lock this mot ming damn your early hours f roared murroll murrell whal what are you doing horer I 1 purpose youve been showing that dead face of yot about the neighborhood why you stay at belle elle plain you keep awaya 1 I been near belle plain I 1 camo here instead how flow am I 1 going 0 to o meet people and answer questions his teeth wore were chattering Is it known missing he Is added hicks raised the alarm the first thing this morning according to the instructions id given him yes gasped were ware he was wan dripping from every pore and the sickly color came and went on his unshaven cheeks murrell dropped a heavy hand on his shoulder you been at belle plain you ou say but has any one seen you on tho the read this morning no one due john cried ware pant fag ng between each word ord there was a it manlel pause und waro ware gain hat are they doing at belle plaint ha ti demanded in a whisper uni litis us curled 1 1 I understand here there ie is talk of sul aidt ho he said good I 1 D cried ware they aro are dragging tho the bayou down below the house it looke looks as though you wore going to reap tho the rewards ro yards of the excellent management you have given her bar estate they have hairs been trying to find you in memphis lemP hs eo so the sooner you show yourself tho the bettor better bo he concluded significantly you aro are sure you have her bar safe john no chanco chance of disco discovery veryl for goda sake get her away lorn heio bole as soon as an you can its an awful risk you runt run I 1 shell be sent down river tonight sold said murroll Car captain talu L agan agan bionson seon who up to this had taken no part in the conversation when mo aro m o you going to cross to side of the bayou soon replied murroll murrell langhei laugh lau ghei cl 1 I know but clean forgot t the he clans business I 1 want to as ask k another question but first I 1 want to say that no one thinks higher or more frequent fro quent of the ladles than just me im genuinely fond of acm lcm cm and ive never lifted my hand cala cm am except tn in kindness mr blosson looked at ware with an exceedingly virtuous virtu ou of countenance lie continued yo orders ore are that tura were to blip out of this a little afore midnight but suppose theres a hitch heres the lady knowing what she knows known and heres bores the boy knowing what be he knows known there can be b no hitch rasped out murrell arrogantly 1 I never knew know a speculation that go wrong and by rights we should have got away last night well whose fault ie is it you demanded murrell in ill A manner it were mine but tho the ark got on a sandbank as we were fetching it in and it took us the whole damn night to get clear well prompted murrell with a sullen frown suppose they get shut of that no tion of theirs that the ladys done drowned herself suppose hey take to wa watching the river or suppose the whole damn bottom drops out of this thia deal what then the lady good looking as she ie Is knows enough to make west tennessee mighty on healthy for some soma of us I 1 say sup pose its a flash in the pan and you have to crowd he rhe r T distance in between you and this part of the world you cant tell me have any use for her tier then paused impressively pres and heres mr ware feeling bad feeling like hell he re fumed him and me we dont want to be left in no trap wi with alth you gone bol only knows where ill send a man to take of or the keel boat I 1 cant risk any ary more of your bungling joe all right but you dont answer my question persisted Sloss cu ca with admirable tenacity of purpose what Is your question joe A lot can happen between this and midnight if it things go wrong with us therell be a blaze at the bead head of the bayou does that satisfy your you and what then murrell hesitated what about the gieir girl insisted dragging him back to the point at issue between them As ft a man I 1 lift my hand narin no good looking woman except like I 1 eald raid unkindness in 0 kindness but she cant be turned loose she knows known too much the word captain you bay ray it he urged he lie made a gesture of appeal to ware look for the light better still look for the man ill send and with this murrell would have turned away but detained him he bot be some fellow who know known the nver aver and it its the light asked the tavern keeper in a baars hoars undertone again be he looked toward ware who dry lipped and ashen was regarding him steadfastly glance met glatch for a brief instant they looked into each others eyes and then the hand had rested on murre Murr sla ls shoulder dor dropped at hie his side aide CHAPTER the judge meets the situation the judges anti mr mahaffy Man Mah atys affy celebration of the formers rehabilitated credit had occupied the shank of th evening the email 11 hours of the night light nod and that purt part of the succeeding euc day described as eoon soon which the southwest in tho the morning and to a the tone stone jug the spoils of in which ware garnered confidential but entirely the highly misleading conversation which the judge had held with mr after hie his return from dollo belle plain loaf lost in weight it might hao bao been observed that ho he and mr hta mahaffy hatry seemed to gain in that nice sense ot of equity which w litch should form the basis 0 of all ali human rotations tat ions probably so extensive a con sump tion of mr Pe gloos corn com whisky had never been accomplished with greater they the honorably split the last glass the judge sighed deeply lie took up the jug and inverted it A drop or so fell languidly into hie his glass try squeezing it price ald said ma haffy huffy the judge shook the jug it lave gave forth an empty sound and he be sighed again he attempted to peer into in to it closing one watery eye aa as he tilted it toward the light 1 I wonder no yankee hae has ever thought to invent a jug with a glass bottom be he observed what whitt for asked Ala mahaffy haffY you astonish me solomon exclaimed the judge coming aa as you dc from that section which invented tho the wooden nutmeg and an eight day clock that hae has been known to run ae as much aa as four or live hours at a stretch I 1 am awnee the yankees are an ingenious people I 1 wonder none of em am ever thought or a jug with a glass bottom so that when a body holds it up to the light he can sea at a glance whether it Is empty or not do you reckon depoo has sufficient confidence to fill tho the jug again tor for us but Maha flys expression indicated no great confidence in 11 Pe Peg loes confidence credit began the judge 1 I I in pro verb ver lally bially shy still it may sometimes be increased like the of the body and the mental faculties by ju niclous use ive always regarded felloe Pe gloos as a cheap mind I 1 hope I 1 have done him an injustice InJun tice he put on oil his hat and tucking the jug under his arm went from the house ten ton or fifteen minute minutes elapsed ma hatty hafty considered this a good sign it 1 bisect take long to say no he reflect ct ed ad another ten or fifteen elapsed mahaffy lost heart then there came a hasty step beyond tho the door it vas was thrown violently open and the judge precipitated himself into the room A your brain la Is car and your legs less 0 O steady mahaffy jerked out an oath and lifting himself off oft nil bin chair stood erect ho lie al enat latched chod up his bin hat bal bluff your pistols into your pock eta and come on price pricel 1 be said and stalked toward tho the door ho lie flitted up the street and take judge puffed and panted in tola his wake they gained the tho edge of the village without speech there ie Is mystery and rascality hero here said tho judge what do you know prace and where did you bear this mahamry shot the question back over his bin shoulder at Pe gloer gloos the belle plain overseer bad had just fetched fei ched the news into town again they were ellout all their energies being ab ube by the hyel cal exertion they were making the road danced before their burning eyes it seemed to be uncoiling itself serpent with hideous undulations two miles out ol 01 the village they came to a roadside adaldo rc spring here they paused for an instant mahaffy scooped up handfuls of the clear water and ancken it greedily the judge dropped on his stomach and aud burled buried Ws face faco in the tiny pool gulping up great thirsty swallows it if anything happens to the child chita the man responsible for it would bet cpr r never been born ill pursue him with undiminished energy from this moment fortel he panted what could happen to him price asked Maha mahaffy fry god know known poor little ladi ladt will you shut cupl cried mahaffy savagely solomoni why do you go bull building ding on that idea why should any one harm him what earthly purpose 1 I tell you solomon we aro are the pivotal point in a vast circle of crime this Is a blow at me this li ii revenge sir air neither more nor lesel least they hey have struck at me through thu bc boy 7 it Is as an plain as day what did the overseer just that they found miss malroy gone from delle belle plain ta ats im morning and the boy with her this Is in like you pricel how un on you know they spent the night at some neigh neighbors boes the nearest neighbor Is five or six miles distant misa miss malro and hannibal anibal wore were seen along about dusk dual in the grounds af at dollo belle plain do you mean to tell me you con consider it likely that they set not out on toot foot at that hour and without a word to any one to AO 0 V ich P I 1 A try squeezing it price bald mahaffy glance bowed showed that be he was laboring under intense excitement solomon I 1 bring shocking news god know known tie the next few hours may roseall ro cried the judge mopping his hi brow miss malroy his die dis appeared from belle plain and ranz alba us af gone with her I 1 where have they gone asked Ms M haffy and his long jaw dropped would to god I 1 bad had an answer ready tor for that question solomon 1 answered the judge with a melan ceoly shake of the nelld ho he gazed don en u his friend with an air of large tolerance 1 I am going to belle plain but you are too drunk bleep it off solomon and join me when willin make a visit vielar inquired the judda but mahaffy did not contend RIX cr thie this point what are you going to do 00 first price have a look over the ero and talk with the slaves where wheres the brother baxa imbt be he at belle plain last night it seem seems he went to hemphi JM berdar 11 they plodded foard in el lence now and again they were paused passed by soma man mau on horseback ho dw ti tin atlon nation was the same ps their owls ow and then at laet last they caught aft t ac 0 delle belle plain in it UK grove of tre troon TO BB BE CONTINUED |