Show h house Cof of theT the three anders SYNOPSIS ragged hae sed and starving a boy of 0 a bout about sixt sixteen e on la Is found in ta th 0 woo woods d b by y a cam camping ping party having fled from his a brutal father oat morrison Mor ryson red fed and in an clean n clothes clothes the 1 8 b boy 1 0 y 1 shad 1 1 sheridan h 6 r lg Is vent gent to C canton n t with 1 t 1 1 letter t t to colonel blake the colonel cc 1 anol his hl wire eife and their young daughter ruth are impressed by the boys manner he to goes to work in amity da dam and bacor becomes es fri friendly endly with a kouth youth of f his hl age aee bony and bumpy brown rown tinker v village alago character nat bat morrison Mor ryson determined to take his ton son back t to hla 11 is own dissolute life I 1 ts overawed over awed by colonel colon i blake the district attorney and his father pa passes paes es out of shad life f A girl and pretty re t c comes rn es io to browns brown shark inquiring fr n for him shad s applies pa les himself dau diligently I 1 ant t to 0 his neglected e cad education love tor for nuth kuth alaka taken a strong hold on his heart in an attack made on the perry family oscar perry the father Is fatally hot and his bin daughter wire mrs wife of cyrus cyru doolittle prominent citizen seriously wounded und circumstantial evidence points to bumpy brown as an the assailant ile ha 1 Is arrested the he friendship between shad and ruth I 1 blake kindles kindle s into love colonel 0 n 6 blake alak e arranges f tor 0 r the youth t to t take ak up tho the study of law under his guidance new evidence points to robrt robart nobart art royce its as the possible murderer of perry bumpy brown Is released on an ball bail CHAPTER VII continued 14 11 1 1 I 1 do everything just as the woman used to he said eald 1 I know it pleases her bumpy and shad sat down in the lamplight by th the e table the room was waa warm and cozy they began to talk of the great theme of the countryside bumpy said 1 I aint goin to ask no questions but I 1 cant help won derin what now new idee the district attorney has got in his mind tie ile had evidence enough to hang bang me why he go ahead ive lived about long enough lie to Is on an honest man he could maybe satisfy the people by hanging you but he has got to satisfy himself 1 I believe it ile he to Is an honest man I 1 wonder what tree hla his mind has lit on shad was quick to answer 1 I dont know but I 1 wonder what tree your mind has lit on I 1 amnot am not here to be a spy I 1 am your friend bumpy held out his hand put ler er therel there 1 he said im certain no man ever had a better friend A silence followed shad broke it by saying some one must have put those cartridges in your jacket some one threw that revolver into the river here in front of your house bumpy arose from his chair and got a drink of water coming back to his chair he said it makes me mad I 1 could raise h 1 I but im in a fix where I 1 got to keep still an pin im a coln to im lillta to die without a whimper but I 1 wont talk dont ask me no questions an dont tell what ive said theres a god in heaven hell have to settle this matter there was a moment of silence in which they heard only the whistling of the wind and the ticking of the clock shad had brought books with him to read and study among them was dickens delightful story of great expectations lie he proposed that he read it aloud go ahead said bumpy be like old times the woman used to read to me every night the boy began reading and the evening passed in a kind of magic spoil spell the clock struck eleven shad put down the book bumpy let down a platform hinged upon the wall with folding legs lega on its outer corners on this he put a small mattress and made a bed tor for the boy he made up the loungo lounge for himself covered the birds cage with a shawl shaw laid some hardwood sticks on the fire bolted the door find and put outtie lights soon they were both asleep in the morning they left a warm fire in the stove to keep dick comfortable for table and walked to amity dam ibi 1 I guess id be more to home but I 1 might as well know first ax ai last what the people think 0 drown brown bumpy said eald as they started they found aw the little village a chilly atmosphere in no way related to the weather the children on their way to school followed them toward the store whispering and staring curiously at the old man A little snow now mow melting had fallen in the night two small email boys across the street began to jeer and pelt him with snowballs shad and bumpy mounted the steps in front of smithers store and entered mr Smi there stood behind the desk at the end of the west counter ile iia shook hands with the boy saying shad rin fm glad to see you but id rather you bring this man here why not shad asked iles hes been released leased ra I 1 think that the district attorney has concluded that he guilty that may be said bald the mild mr smithers in a gentle tone 1 I dont want to argue with you we have our own opinions here we who live near the scene of the murder ought to know something about it we who have been working on the case ought to know something about it shad answered but I 1 see that this is 13 no place tor for mr brown to be la in it if let him sit down cellar a little while till this crowd of boys and girls have gone to school IU ill take him away all right take mr brown down to the cellar said sm Srol in s ladylike tone as he wrung his hands bands there was is a note of irony in the words mr brown ile he added nhep you go please take him out by the hatchway there was a n stern look in bum bumpas pys face when shad led him down the by IRVING BACHELLER Copy copyright richt by irvine bachellor Dac bellor avice dusty stairs to tilt fit by the kerosene tank in the gloomy cellar its putty bad aint it said bald the old man as aa he wiped his eyes and blew his dose nose with his bla red handkerchief them children are a kind of a weather vane G d dt I 1 I 1 guess theres nobody that loves children as aa I 1 do its bad but dont worry theres a god in I 1 heaven I 1 eaven the boy answered ill come for you soon ile he returned to the store and bought hla his provisions and hurried up to bliss Sp enlows they sat down together in the parlor ile he told her of bumpas relea release seand and of what had happened on the street and in smithers store its an outrage sho she declared you dont think hea guilty do you 1 I know lie he guilty poor maul man everybody here will have it that hea bes guilty except doctor gorse and me we have our own he was wa a good story teller taller the boys liked him ideas what will bumpy brown browm do I 1 have always been sorry for him in spite of his being such a drunkard lie ile drink any more so bony says and im dread dreadful ful glad to hear you say it ile he cant earn a living theres such a feeling around here theres almost nobody that would have him in the house poor crea creature 1 perhaps I 1 could get him into the home tor for the friendless 11 it will not be necessary necea aary blell be ba cared tor for we shall know the truth before long and these fools will all be ashamed of themselves 1 I wish that I 1 had time to tell you of the wonderful work th that t the home ome for the friendless la Is doing did you hear that clydla denson benson had asked me ma to be chairman of the infant committee mit tee yes tes I 1 forgot to congratulate you its a wicked world said miss bliss Sp enlow 1 I never dreamed how perfectly dreadful it was until I 1 got into this work 11 shad smiled lie ile began to suspect that the great miss bliss clydla benson had had a somewhat humor humorous oui motive in mak making ng the appointment 1 I want you to go an take that poor old man out of that horrid cellar and bring him here said bliss Sp enlow ril ill go over and tell doctor gorse that be here soon he wants to see YOU yon the beloved doctor was at the little boarding house when shad returned with bumpy the doctor greeted them with the grave dignified and gentle courtesy for which he was famous ile ha turned to miss and said 11 1 I would like to talk privately with young mr morrison llor Mor ryson perhaps you will take brown into the dining room and close the door for a few minutes when he and shad were alone the doctor said the district attorney la Is not yet in the central centra current cui rent of the eln gular stream of events which has hag engaged his attention there Is one episode of which ha may not have learned on the fifth of november it a stranger arrived in ashfield ile he was a brawny man about six feet tall with a freckled face and large and prominent ears he registered at the westminster hotel as donald algyre from winchester springs ontario when he arrived he wore a broad brimmed hat later he wore a scotch cap that has it a parted crown and ribbons at the base ilk like those worn much in rural canada 11 he seemed to have no business lie ile had money lie ile sl spent pent it freely in the bar rooms lie ile drunk drank with all their cheerful tho the horsemen the sports the roustabouts roust lie ile had traveled much lie he had been a cowboy in tho the wild west ile he was a good story stora toller taller the boys liked LIM him some one discovered that he carried a big revolver in lila his hip pocket he went into tho the woods for a hunt bunt with royce there royce tells tella of seeing him throw a silver quarter in the air and shoot a hole bole in it with his revolver before it came down do W n now in the early evening of the tenth of november he was seen in a canoe on the river roger wingate a patient of mine and his young son passed near him in a boat the time was a quarter of seven or nearly that it was rather dark the boy had hla hill fathers dark lantern lie ile opened it suddenly and flung its light on the stranger here was unmistakably the man known as algyre wingate had bad mot met him ue ile spoke saoko but got no answer now the point at which they met was waa nearly opposite browns cove wingate agate thought nothing of the incident it seemed to have no relation to the murder shad was quick to say that man have got to Doo doolittles littles house by seven it would have been impossible no suspicion of that ever entered the mind of my patient ile he had forgotten the matter until the excitement of yesterday in ashfield bad begun to spread what excitement shad asked oh you have not heard of it no I 1 left canton early and was with bumpy at his shack all yesterday and got here less than an hour ago well a while back bach I 1 had written to a classmate of mine at mcgill university ver sity who Is in practice at winchester springs ontario I 1 had framed a theory and I 1 wanted to learn what he knew about donald algara ile he answered promptly no in man an of the name nama and description I 1 had given was known in that village or in the country surrounding it the genial stranger had vanished from our neighboring village I 1 was mystified detectives from chicago arrived in ashfield on the noon train yesterday they were looking tor for the man described in this document he drew from hla his pocket a small poster containing a halftone half tone photograph and the following announcement reward of j for information which will lead to the arrest ot of the famous bandit and bank robber reuben smith alias john obrien a alias percival val roberts alias and lately donald algyre of whom this Is a photograph no ile la Is about six feet tall he has large bony hands and rather broad shoulders ills his face la Is freckled his hair red his ears large larga and prominent when last seen ho he was dressed in a dark darb and rather shabby suit lie ile wore a canadian scotch cap address communications to the police of your own town or to allan pinkerton chicago nL it will be remembered that shad and bony had bad seen the man so eo well described in the poster sitting with royee royce anderson and others at the westminster hotel in the evening of the day of their successful hunt for the hats and the handkerchief the boy rend read the words of mr pinkerton with deep interest A thought flashed in upon him ile ha asked do you know when this man was last seen in ashfield Asb field the doctor answered it to Is well known that his last appearance there was about seven in the evening of december 1 A telegram had been delivered to him that evening lie he paid his bill royce nto ate supper with him in a long ulster and yarn mittens mattena he ha went out of the front door of the hotel with his two bags the bellboy offered to help him but he said no thank you yon the door cloned and ha be was gone ile he had vanished it would seem that no one got a glimpse of him after that it Is fj supposed aup posed that somewhere near a wagon was waiting for lim him 1 I think that I 1 saw his hand and arm that night said bald shad ile he told the doctor of the singular event in colonel blakes office on the night of december L 1 this Is interesting said the doctor gravely but who was the woman in the tha buggy shad asked TO BM BB |