Show the house ov t n e chiree ganders by BACHELLER IRVING C Cm might by into 9 STI 14 SYNOPSIS nagged and starving a ia boy y 0 of 1 11 about b ou sixt eon Is ia bearl befriended ended h by a camp par party life ho has tied fled fro rom kis his brutal tather I 1 pat bat Hor Ifor ryBon ryson tho boy alia shad 4 li Js sent abent to canton w with it a letter to colonel 0 0 nel DI alake ake T the he co colonel 0 1 I his hl wife and their dau daughter mar nuth ar are impressed bk by the bof boys manner nr lie coen to w work 0 r in the village of amity dam am pd and neets meets a youth of his sat aa e dony ar and d bumpy brown tinker dinue r considered dere d d drunkard dunkar d because becaas of his perlo pari odio dlo lapses from strict dobri sobriety 0 ty bat al Morry bryson aon comes determined to take his non aon back to his own dissolute life iko ia lift in 1 overawed over awed by colonel blake tits the district attorney and hla his father pauses pat sea out of chads shads life ike A girl you young and pretty r e tty comes to Il rowna N shack Z inquiring fl n g for ham shad applies himself diligently to h hid is n neglected education love for 0 r cluth blake I takes a itron strong g hold on his heart in an attack made anad on the perry family oscar oacar perry the father and his daughter mrs doolittle wife of cyrus doolittle prominent citi citizen citizens are shot and earl bously wounded circumstantial evidence olto to td numpy dro brown wn as a the sall ant nt 11 HB la arres arrested t ed CHAPTER V continued a 8 when cyrus doolittle came to my shop about five on november tenth I 1 was chatting with a man who had bad been telling about the scandalous talk of the old tinker after mr doo lay down I 1 locked the shop and went ent upstairs to my room and got me a bite to eat then I 1 ht a lamp nn an lay down on a bed an read some story papers I 1 have a telephone so when mr air doolittle woke up and asked me to let him out of the shop about halt half past eight I 1 know of the shooting I 1 told him then that hed better look out for the tinker or hed be done up I 1 was at Doo doolittles littles the day that cyrus put him off his place the old man acted dreadful vicious the doctors and other witnesses were sworn motive was waa proved to the satisfaction of the judge the tinker stood by the statements he had made on the night of the murder tho the rubbers were put in evidence shad and the sherlia testified as to the finding of the cartridges and th the a revolver the district attorney presented hla his theory it was conclusive the only dissenters in the courtroom were the boys bony and shad old lumpy bumpy brown was held tor for the grand jury which promptly prompt ll indicted him tor for murder in the arst degree ithe the unwed limped out of court with tha the sheriff and anu llila lits deputy the district attorney stood receiving the congratulations of friends when shad and bony approached colonel blake greeted thorn them 1 I know it looks bad but I 1 dont think hes has guilty said shad what are your reasons ile iio to la not mean enough was shads chads answer its the same old reason that litts hos been pleaded since cain killed abel the colonel laughed 1 I dont complain com complain because a boys boya heart la Is better than hla his head it ought to be come over to tho the house and spend the night with us id like to but I 1 must get back tonight could we go and see bumpy a few minutes certainly ill go with you bumpy was glad to see them ile he smiled reaching through the bars and shaki nir their hands bands cheerfully as lie he had been wont to do in browns cove we wa wanted you to know that youve got at least two friends said shad blind FrI friends endal I 1 I 1 used to have more friends than you could shake a stick at in eyre all gone but you an the woman I 1 miss her dreadful 1 I guess you aint scared ll 11 tats from bony Scar scared edl I 1 by bumpy exclaimed A mau man who line has shook hands handa with death as often as I 1 have aint apt to be nervous 11 assuming that you tire are innocent have you any theory about the crime colonel blake asked 11 well AVell afir I 1 have an idee but I 1 may be wrong I 1 can be mean but I 1 aint a coln to say that a man done murder less leas I 1 know what im about it aint manners bumpy reached through the bars and shook their hands were going to find the guilty man ian said shad boys I 1 like you by I 1 do dol I 1 bumpy exclaimed but you stick to your jobs im nigh the end 0 the road anyhow that ended the interview it wag supper time colonel blake went with the boys boya to the railroad station the boys rode to ashield Ashue ld got their suppers at a restaurant and walked home homa they ther were talking of the events of the day bony said it looks awful bad for bumpy do ye suppose he could have gone an done it in it a kind of crazy fit no I 1 dont ile iio Is not that kind of a marl man 11 socias seems as if he care much whether they hang bang him or not bony added maybe hell fool em cm yet that ov oll man la Is smart I 1 shad spent the night with bony the people were almost unanimous I 1 in the that bumpy brown wits was guilty of the murder even those who lind ind little knowledge of the damn in ins evit evidence lence in spite of their fa rn ltv hii N every of it the r their friend their voices were the only ones that had a word to say in favor of the eus ans pecked man they were openly criticized for being the friends of a murderer it was nearing nine of a chilly no november night the usual band of murder gossipers gossl pers had left tho the store of ephraem smithers lie ile and ami his bla young clerk were getting ready to close suddenly bony squares entered lie ile had been running and was waa breathing hard shad was in the front end of the store stacking blacking some gorna tools bony was excited he whispered to his young friend illy by lie he exclaimed quoting the favorite oath of old bumpy bomay brown ive run a mile farald id be too late ive learnt a lot ol 01 0 things nie an ive got to have a talk with you ask ol oil fur face it if you can come coma and stay all night with me always hony bony had been wont to speak of the bearded bers as aa old fur face shad knew that the request was full of danger but he felt that he ha must hear bear what bony had to say even if it involved his dismissal lie he asked for permission to spend tho the night with his friend mr smithers ers turned upon him with a vexed look ile he never got angry do you want to lose your job he be queried in a tender tone no sir shad answered 1 I am not so happy here as I 1 was but I 1 F to I 1 v r A man who has ha shook hands with death as aa often as I 1 have aint apt to be nervous Ner vout id hate to lose the job and your your friendship sir you and mrs smithers have been good to me 1 I guess wed better settle up tomorrow said the man theres a lot of talk about you an bony but I 1 anything against you I 1 wish you well shad went with bony to hta his little garret room im glad youve quit ras rasslyn slin with spit spittoons nn an molasses jugs and kerosene cans said bald bony IVO ive got six dollars saved up ilow much have you sot grit twenty two dollars dollar sl 1 shad answered proudly well just hang on to it an make mahe it go as tw fur na as we can weve got a jot job to do for ol 01 bumpy brown some one Is bryin to saddle this murder on him an ho he aint no more guilty than you an t r banot ba be not a bitt bit I 1 ive been down to ashfield an ive got some news first read that lie ile took from tits his pocket a poster which he had bad torn from a telegraph pole in ashield Ashue ld it said REWARD I 1 1 I will pay 1000 for the conviction 0 of the criminal who wounded my wife and killed her father CYRUS maybe we can make it a lot 0 money lony bony went on if wo we do well go shucks ill tell ye whytt aint bumpy brown you remember that man you see down the road that got over tho the fence an went behind cotys barn that must a been about five minutes after seven you thoughts thought but be sure that he wore a broad brimmed hat forty minutes later jack labarge met a man two miles down the road la in the d dark lle lie h had ad a 1 broad r 0 a d brim brimmed m ed bat oark ahill on ne ile wa waa s w walela alk t n 1 1 like 1 S sam a m hilll towards ashfield lie limped like ilka bumpy brown it was vas BO dark jack se see a hla his face away down just juat above t the h a ro road a d that goes into th the 0 village glenry lockwood comin home in a hay wagon met a man a broad brimmed hat bat no he was walkin fast ile he had hla his hat tilted sideways so henry see hla his face ace the moon was out then this man limp theres a funny thing about it tie ile limp henry Is sure 0 that it was within halt half a mile of ashfield an most two mile below bumpas on the other side 0 the river henry says it was a little after eight it they say that the bensons Benson ml hired girl passed the same man almost in the edge a 0 the village a little later but I 1 have time to look her up today do ye see how it all jibes the time an aft the broad brimmed h hat at an the fast walkin walk ln who was wa this man with the broad brimmed hat bat who left here right after the murder an dodged you because you had bad a lantern an went oft off the road why did he hide his head behind his hat brim when henry Lock lockwood parsed him I 1 say bay that was tho the murderer shad was thrilled by the news that bony gave in a moment they heard some one coming up the stairs then a rap at the door bony opened it doctor gorse a tall thin smooth shaved gray haired kindly man stood bedora them these two boys had interested the tha doctor because they needed friendship and good counsel the doctor had ought them out ile he had been like a wise father to shad he had told hla his friends that these boys had good stuff in them lie he came now and put his hand band on shads chads head and gave it a friendly shake sly my young friend I 1 heard beard you ou were here he said 1 I came over to tell you not to worry come coma out all right iia had called to see mrs smithers ill with sick headache and had learned ot of shads chads dismissal were going to see if we can get bumpy brown out ot of tits his trouble sat said 1 I shad some one la trying to put this murder on him bony repeated to the doctor his bin suspicion of the man with the broad brimmed hat and the circumstances on which it was founded im inclined to think you aro ara right tho the doctor began it la Is a curious case I 1 think that tho the official coffle have been misled by strong probabilities bili ties now in the case casa of an amateur crude bungling criminal probabilities bili ties may lead to the truth but when you are dealing with an able offender it is an axiom ot of the best procedure that you must distrust whatever Is probable it will lead you yon stray astray I 1 think that I 1 know the case casa of the district attorney it would seem to be strong enough to hang bumpy brown unless the doctor paused they waited but he sat looking downward gravely and said bald no more what are we to do shad asked ill tell telf you what I 1 would do I 1 would follow that broad brimmed hat bat down the road tor tomorrow morning if it was worn by the tha criminal ha be pro probably b a hid bid the colored handkerchief and perhaps the hat somewhere tome where on or neur near the road look in every hole bole and under every culvert examine the deaca corners and the crevices in the tha stone etona walls go and find that hired girl at the bensons what kind of a man basit who passed her in the tha road that night did le be limpl ilow how wan he be dressed did he wear a broad brimmed hat bat supposing we found ta tho handkerchief shad baked asked take it to tae tai district attorney with all the information you have boon been able to gather you know colonel blake I 1 have beard that he has the tha revolver and the bullets discharged in committing the crime it if this Is true tell him that you would like to know where the revolver came from vo doubt it came from some store in this part of the country who bought it and when the good man left them TO BB CONTINUED |