| Show of THE T B 7 V astek 1115 Jr aa 4 an me 1 0 wea d d the P raene ens at SYNOPSIS the opening of the lory story Is to laid wd in n the library of an old worn out known aa as tho the brany barany the place in to be old sold and if its ihl and that of the owners tile me Odin tarda to the subject of discussion by jonathan crenshaw a business man a granger a n ger known am bladen and bob jr tancy a farmer when hannibal wayne hazard r a mysterious child of the old 4 southern family makes hie his appearance anee yancy fancy nils tolls how he adopted tk the agol boy y lr X nathaniel nathanial ferris buy buys the but the tho QuIn tards deny any nowie dge of t the he CA yancy to hemp ep hannibal captain watell birrell a friend of the he Quin tards appears and asks ask questions about the bardy To couble uble at scratch hill when han ilan in 1 md ped by dave blount cap aln stain murrells Kun eills agona tancy yancy overtake overtakes Ulo blount gl ches on him a thrashing and secures the ithe boy yaney a appears pears before squire balaam and lo 10 discharged with coeta costs for aw plaintiff plaintiff betty malroy a friend of abe ch Ver rises haa has an encounter with cap awn 1 murrell who forces hta his attention on tier iper and la in excused by bruce carington dotty hetty beta sets out for her tennessee home isom 11 carrington carr agton taken the amo same stage 1 yan yancy y fiand dd hannibal disappear with murrell on trail hannibal arrive arrives at the home of judge slocum price the judge reco decoff 0 olaes in the boy the grandson grandion of an of old i time friend murrell arrives relve at judges biome cavendish Cavend lali fou family silly on raft rescue yancy who ie in apparently dea price oreaka jail betty and cn arrive at delle belle plain riffe rifle dab loees anine am hartling tart start ling lint things to the judge han I 1 1 abal and betty meet again murrell a ar r sires in belle plain la is for big taken yancy yanc awake wakes from long dream leu elto on urd board the raft judge price joakes as discoveries diaco in looking up and utina charley norton a young canter anter who assists the judie to w 1715 0 assaulted norton informs ca car r flaton axton that betty ha has to marry may film norton li Is mysteriously 21 1 I ot OL aloro uffit on murrells Murr ellB plot ho lie plane plais lof n of negroes nef roea judee judge price wita wit hannibal visits betty and ehe she keep keeva the boy As a a companion in a troll stroll betty atiee wa with th hannibal l they meet be do nicks laughter of at the overseer overa eer who warne warns potty of at dancer and counsels cou her to loava ve belle plain at once betty leirl fid ud 1 acta acts on base advice and on their way ray their carriage la in stopped by eson the tavern keeper and a confederate and atty ty and hannibal are made prisoners che pair are taken to lucks cabin in an almost inaccessible pot and there murrell murroll visits betty an and d reveals hia his part in 11 iab plot and hie his object betty spume spurns t atif proffered love and the interview to by the arrival of ware terrified at possible outcome of the crime judge ilce ce hearing of the abdu abduction cUon plans action acon on the judge taken takes charge of at the tuition tua tion and search missing ones instituted visits the juge judge fluid and allies are dU discovered covered judge price visits colonel pentress fentress where he no meets yancy and cavendish beco becoming enraged price dashee a glass 1 of whisky into the colonels face and a duel la is arranged murrell it la in arrested arrea ted for demro atea ate allne linc and his j iri U abble bursts CHAPTER continued you swear do your parthe bald said thickly he took bis big purse from rom hia his pocket and counted out tte the amount due hicka hicks he named the k total and paused irresolutely dont you want the fire lighted hicks he was familiar with bis zda employers vacillating moods yes answered waro ware nis his lips quivering quI and slowly with shaking fingers lingers he added to the pile of bills in hick flicks hand well take care of 0 yourself your eoK said hicks when the count was complete he thrust the roll or of bills into bis his pocket and moved to tho the door alone again tho the planter irto his chair breathing heavily but bis his terrors swept over him and led left him with a sax ago sense of 0 triumph this passed he sprang up intending to recall hicks and unmake his bargain what had ho he been thinking oc of safety YI tay ay only in flighty before he X reached the door his greed was in the Ascend ascendant aut he ile dropped down on the edge 0 his bed his eyes fixed on th 1 window the sun sank lower brorn from where ho sat ho he saw it through the tipper half halt of the tho sash blood red and livid in a mist of fleecy clouds it was in the tops of the old oaks now which sent their shadows into hia his room again maddened by his terrors he be started and backed toward the door but again his greed tho the one no dominating influence of his life vanquished him he ile watched the sun elak sink he watched the red splendor fade over the river ho he naw the first stars stare appear he told himself that hicka would soon te le gone if the fire not but to bo ba lighted be he must act at ancel once ie stole to the window it was dusk now yet he could distinguish the distant wooded toun darles of the great fields framed by the darkening eky then in tho the silence ho be beard board the thud of hoofs hoots CHAPTER the judo judg name names his HI second price began mahaffy they were stack ack in raleigh in the room tho the judge ailed his office and this was ala AIR first opportunity unity to ease his johnd on the subject of the duel an they had only jut parted from yancy md ond who had bad topped at st one ot of the stores to make certain purchases for the reft not a word solomon it had to coatse I 1 am goans to kill him I 1 hall feel L letter then what if bo he kills you 7 demanded mahaffy harshly the judge shrugged hie his boulders shoulders that ie to a an it roay may be have you forgotten forA otten your grandson 7 voice was still hirsh barsh and rasping 1 I regard my m eating meeting with fentress Fen trees an nothing less than a acred sacred duty to him we know no more than we did thie this morning said mahaffy you are mixing up all sorts of side issues with what should be your real purpose not at all solomon not at all 1 I 1 look upon my grandsons fledy recovery aa as an assured fact feel Fon montrese trese dare not hold him 1 lie knows be he Is rup to earth at last price no solomon no my friend we will not speak of it again you will KO go back to dolle belle plain with yancy and cavendish you must represent me there we have as good as an found hannibal but wo we must be active in miss bliss behalf for us that abts has an important bearing on the future and since I 1 cannot you must be at dello belle plain when carrington arrives with his bin pack of dogs give him lm the advantage of your sound and mature judgment solomon dont let any falso modesty keep you in the background chos going to second snapped maharty Ma Aft hatty haffy the judge was a R picture of indifference it will be quite informal the code ax cry like laughter cr cd aped from Ws lips there you go solomon 90 bomon with four inopportune birthl W hatkin gods name dave have I 1 if 1 hope take grandson grand pon ahall ba I 1 1 1 he lie hall wear yela velvet and a lace collar bad wid ride hie bin pony yet a t by god as a gentleman brandy brandson ion son dl it sounds well price but the money coming from to a SL lawsuit the judge waved thin aside the means will be found 19 solomon our horizon is I 1 lifting 1 can see it lifto dont drag me back from the portal of hope I 1 well drink the tuft stiff that comes across the water waters that from me and what would I 1 be why the he very fate fato I 1 have been tight ing oft off with tooth and nail would overwhelm me id ink sink into unimportance my unparalleled tunoa tunes would degrade me to a level with the common commonest estl no air lr ive ivol never been without hope and ive fallen ive always got up what fentress Fen trees bai has li in based on money he tole stole from me dy by god the day days of his profit taking are at an end endl I 1 am going to strip him and even if it I 1 dont live to enjoy mine my ill warm the cockles of your heart with imported brandy I 1 carry twenty years hunger and thirst under my wee wes coat cont and ill feed and drink like a gentleman yet the judge smacked hie his lips in an ecstacy of enjoyment and dropping down before the table which served him as a desk seized a pon pun its good enough to think about price admitted mahaffy grudgingly ifa its better to do and it anything happens to me nie the papers I 1 am going to leave will tell you how its to be d done one man theres a million of money in eight sight and weve got to get it and spend it and enjoy none of your swinish thrift tor for me but life on a it big scale company and feasting and refined surround surroundings ingal I 1 and you are going to meet pen yen trees in the morning asked Al maholly Ma hotly 1 I suppose theres no way of avoiding that avoiding it almost shouted the judge for what have I 1 been living I 1 shall meet him let lot the consequences consequence a be what they may tonight when I 1 have reduced certain facts to writing I 1 shall join you at rollo plain the strange and melancholy history of my life I 1 shall place in your hands tor for safe keeping in the morning I 1 can bo be driven back to boggs and you will go there without a second T if necessary yes 1 it will be quito quite informal the code is I 1 scarcely applicable ts Is scarcely applicable I 1 merely in tend to remove remone him because be he Is not ut lit to live at sunup sun up I 1 muttered mahaffy maharry 1 I intend to start one day right even if I 1 never live to begin another said the judge a sudden fierce light flashing from hie his eyes 1 I fega that this IP is vie turning point in my ce a reer rear Solo solomon moul he be went on the rhe beginning of great things 1 but I 1 shall take no chances with the future I 1 shall prepare tor for evory pos sible contingency I 1 am going to make you and yancy my grandsons guardians theres a hundred thou sand acres of land bar cabout that must come como to him I 1 shall outline in writing the legal stops to be taken to substantiate hit bib claims also be he inherit largely from me at mj mi death 1 I declare price you are hardly fitted to be at larger why you act aa as if it you were tired of eifel there theres yancy theres Cavend lehl ishill the judge aavo film him an indulgent but superior smile two very worthy men but I 1 to go to bogg boggs attended by a gentleman geat leman or I 1 go there alone I 1 am ware ot of your prejudices Z otherwise I 1 might fask aa thin favor of you mr mahaffy Sl abaffy snorted loudly and turned to the door for yancy and cavendish Caven dlan were now approaching the houie house the latter with a meal back sack lung slung over his boulder shoulder here solomon talie take one 01 ol my pistol pistols urged the judge hastily hae tom toms stammering ammering Bt speech he be was still seeing bla his ghastly face and a he be had come COMO upon him with startling aa dd enness llo bud had chanced lo 10 loo back over his shoulder hati ben hi bt faced about there had been tuo the plant er within a hundred yard yards of aim him presently carrington s glance ceased to follow tho the windings ot of the llo stored stared down at tho the eray gray duet dust ana saw aw the trail loft by bues and hie his you may need it at delle belle plain good by and god blees blase apul you wa bee bass lend to betty batty juet just where he had parted from ware carrington eat ant hie bir horio horse his browe brown knit and hie his eyes turned la in the direction of tho the path he was on hie his way to a plantation below ullard the owner of which bad had recently imported a pack of bloodhound bloodhounds but thi this unexpected encounter with ware had affected him strangely he till still heard party for a moment be he hesitated if the doge dogs were to be used with any bobo of success he be had bad no time tims to spare and this wao was the merest su biclon illogical conjecture based on nothing beyond hta his distrust of ware in the end he prang sprang from the addle saddle and trading his hl hone horse into tho the wood tied it to ft a sapling A hurried investigation told bilm 1 that five men had ridden la in and out ot of that path of tho the five all coming from the so south 2 th four had turned south again but the fifth man mart ware in other words had bad gone north he weighed the possible significance ot of theae these facts 1 I rim only wasting time I 1 he con tossed reluctantly and was wa on the point of turning away when on the very edge of the road and just where the duet dust yielded to the hard clay ot of the pa path t h h his I 1 2 gi glance A nce aig lighted h t 0 d on the print of a small and daintily foot the throbbing of his C fiealt idean quickened curiously betty bettyl I 1 the word leaped from hs hi ups pa that small foot had left but the one impress there were other signs however that claimed his attention namely fhe he boot prints of blosson and his men and he made the in evitable editable discovery that these tracks were all confined to the one spot they began suddenly and as an suddenly ceased yet thero was no mystery about these he had the marks of the wheels to help him to a sure nion vion A carriage had turned just here several men had alighted they had with wit h them a it child or a woman either elthor they had entered reentered re the car ariage and driven back as an they had come or they bad had gone toward th the aig river he felt the soul within axim turn sick he lie stole along the path the terror of the river was wax ever in hie his thoughts and the specter of his fear seemed to flit before him and luro lure him on antly tie he caught bis his first of the bayou and his legs shook under him but the path wound do dumpor apor still into what appeared to be an untouched solitude wound on between the crowding tree forms a little back from tho shore with an intervening tangle of vines and bushes he scanned this closely as he hurried forward scarcely conscious that he was wax searching for some trampled space at the waters edge but the verdant wall preserved lie its unbroken conti continuity nulty and twenty minute minutes later he come came within sight of hicks clearing end ond the keel boat where it rested against the bank A littly farther on he found the spot where had launched the skid skiff the night before the keel of his boat had cut deep into the slippery clay more than this the impress of ot the small alioe was repeated here and just juist belde beside it was wax the print of a childs baro bare foot he no longer doubted that hetty betty and hannibal bad had been taken across the bayou to the cabin and he be ran back up the path the distance of a mile and plunged into the woods on his right bis his purpose being to pass around the sluggish water here he be paused and took stock ot of his surroundings the two or three buildings mr hicks bad had erected stood midway of the clearing and were very modest improvements adapted to their owners somewhat flippant pursuit ot of agriculture while carrington Carri neton was still staring about him the cabin door swung open and a woman stepped forth it was the girl bess she went to a comer cornor of the building and called loudly joel oh ob joe joel carrington glanced in the direction of af the keel boat and an instant later saw clamber over its side the tavern keeper crossed to the oab in where he was met by bess who placed in his hands what seemed to bew DA a wooden bowl with this ike slouched off oft to one of tho ings which ho be entered ten ton or teen minutes slipped by then he be came cam from the shod abed and |
