Show I 1 the house 1 louse of 0 the tn three ree kJ anders Gars dera I 1 by IRVING BACHELLER copyright by t BLe beller tam s servi Br le 1 CHAPTER XIII continued 24 in de desperation i on you mode made a plan 0 on 12 the tenth ot of november you drove to griggsby you arrived in ashfield soon after noon and put your horses in the stable ot of the westminster hotel about four thirty that afternoon you yon came to this shop you ton told your stepson that you were III and wished to lie down he took you into the little littie office built against the side bide of the shop hop in the rear where there was a desk and a lounge you told royce to let iet you sleep and not to call you then you closed the door and locked it A loaded revolver and some shells to fit it lay on the desk you had bad often seen it lying there you yon put royces rubbers in your coat pocket to disguise your tracks you knew that bumpy brown wore a pair of the same size you took the revolver you yon put on royces overalls at five twenty or thereabouts royce had closed the shop and gone upstairs where he lay reading a paper you put the revolver in your pocket opened the window and climbed through it you crossed the bridge going west w er t with a package under deuyour your arm walking fast the package contained a broad brimmed hat bat which you had borrowed from algyre A man I 1 know saw you you wore a cap on your head you carried in your pocket the rubbers the revolver and cartridges a light colored slouch bat ha and a colored handkerchief you hurried up the road I 1 in u the darkness you left the broad brimmed hat bat at some point not far from the tha bridge in amity dam you reached your home about seven you covered your face with the handkerchief you put on the light colored floach hat and the rubbers you rapped at the door your son opened it you had expected that your wife would be standing bea before 0 re you yon it was her habit to open the door she was the one you had come to kill you were facing not her but your son you had to see it through now you turn torn back you entered limping like bumpy brown the boy fleeing before you you begen to shoot you wounded your wife you came close to her your Y ur weapon we pon was pointed at her face you you did not shoot then you were still pulling on the trigger you did not know that you had to release the trigger to cock the weapon therefore your wife escaped you had bad to kill idu her father to get away now the rats rate began to gnaw they smelled blood you fled in the darkness you yon put on the broad brimmed hat bat you were seen at different points on the road hurrying through the darkness you tucked the handkerchief and slouched hat into a wall hole opposite browns cove you met the crook algyre he had bad helped bellied to make the plan ile he took the revolver and cartridge fromi from your hands he be c crossed ros r ed the river and planted them on bumpy brown lie he was to get a thousand dollars for helping you ile he got only halt of it because you were afraid to draw so BO much money oney out of the bank at that time I 1 have almyrea Alg Algy yrea res confess confession f on in my pocket you went on you hid the broad brimmed hat in fix a hollow stump and covered it with rotten wood you put a cap 0 on a your head you reached the ashfield bridge about eight thirty you threw the rubbers and overalls into the west channel you entered the open window of royces office you unlocked the door and called hi him m ile he let you out but of the front froat entrance you crossed the east channel on your way to the hotel A little beyond the bridge a man told you of the crime which had been committed at your house you hurried to the stable and got your horses you told different men around you that bumpy brown must have hava done the shooting that you had put him oft off your place once and that he had bad sworn to get even you drove rapidly up the roal road now when you got home you did not drop the reins and run to find your stricken wife as an honest man would have done you went straight to the stable to see that the colts were properly cared for that one circumstance kasilke wa was sIlke like a millstone tied to your neck it set a man thinking in your village and his thinking has helped me to surround you with a chain of evidence that no power can break when you saw your danger you tried to kill this boy and destroy certain links in his possession you tailed failed and your failure pushed you yoa a mile nearer hell bell you were getting close to the red gates thie the deep laid cunning plot against bumpy brown crumbled you lived in a growing blistering heat beat in that house of mourning with your good wife and son whose faith in you von must have been like a crown of thorns but the worst was to come here was the girl who must have been nearer to you than all else elm node home and son eon and wife and honor and good repute were as chaff compared to her she was in sore trouble yet you dared not lift a hand to help her my G d I 1 what mat it a thumbscrew that must have been I 1 doolittle was trembling hla his mouth wa was s open ile he covered hla his face with bla bis hands bands dumb with remorse and astonishment he was an abject and wretched figure my story Is near its ita end the colonel went on when the girl was at betsy sp enlows with her child you yon went by night to comfort and reassure her when you were with her in the spruce thicket a witness of mine heard you say to her that you would kill anyone who came between you and her and that you yon would take her to australia these words came in a hoarse whig per from the lips of the tha murderer its a lie ile boit no it that instant retook we took it a photograph of you yon and the girl here it Is do you want to see it itt the query was scarcely spoken when doolittle pitched forward out of 0 hla his chair he lay sprawled face downward on the floor a limp quivering helpless shrunken tb mass of ruined manhood CHAPTER XIV shads appeal to a higher court doolittle recovered from his hl fainting fit he did not confess as aa the colonel hoped te be would do the sheriff took him to the county jail that day colonel blake and shad went to the hotel botel for dinner and waited tor for the evening train As they were sitting together in their room the colonel said tomorrow la Is christmas bumpy brown end and your friend bony are coining down to spend the day with us ua 0 0 falb they embraced and kissed each other do you realize how hoar old bumpy hoa has been growing lies iles a whale of a man the colonel lighted his cigar and smoked a moment in the silence shad wondered what was behind the words 0 of f his chief these are the facts blake began bumpy had learned that doolittle a married manas man was as making love to his daughter ue he warned her against him then he be warned his daughters seducer and probably in rather hot language doolittle pushed him oft off his place bumpy may in his anger have sworn to get even after that whenever he was la in his cups he be dd d d a cy doolittle when he was waa indicted tor for murder and his life was wag in peril he must have suspected the truth that doolittle had tried to get rid of his wife so that lie could have carrie cut old bumpy held his peace why not kot even to save his life would he bring discredit on hla his daughter to him death was better than shame I 1 doubt it if in all the records of human action we may find a nobler sense of chivalry it la is curious that this shabby old tinker often about the countryside try side should now have us as all sitting humbly at hla his feet of course he wanted the girl to marry royce now royce la Is an honest but rather stupid fellow a good deal of a dunce I 1 wo would uld say I 1 dont wonder that the girl have him Doolittle and algyre made a tool of him in coneway one way and ar another iother notably in buying the ru rubbers abers in building up the of the guilty man and in misleading the detectives tec tt tives ives I 1 have hav enever never thought that his brain could create the mystery we have had to solve 11 that christmas day at colonel blakes blakee house bouse was wag never forgotten by those who hada bad a part la in it there the reward of five thousand dollars was distributed tri buted according to the plan of shad and his chief to bumpy brown the income on two thousand five hundred dollars dollar alfor for alfe ufe to bony a sum sufficient tor for one years board and schooling to shad a certificate of deposit for ifor the balance bumpy cooked the oysters and the turkey and by request prepared the mashed potatoes with unlimited allow 4 1 ances of cream and butter theotho then the tho cook was wag called to the table Us he said xo io air by im too seared geared an nervous to take a place placa la in ithe front ranks besides im liable to bust out a bryin any minute youve been so good to me im goin to keep close to the cellar door so BO I 1 can retreat if I 1 have to I 1 suppose ill get used to abeln rich an happy but have to give me a little ume time 11 bony said that miss had Im meller ellered cd up a good deal that she abe was not so anxious ta keep him from being ruined bumpy was finally induced to come and drink his bis coffee with them colonel blake arose and with characteristic humor reviewed the tha career of shad morrison Mor ryson ile he told of the adventures at center pond and morristown and introduced him as an expert detective he was curious to see what the boy would say eay it was then that sheridan morrison Mor ryson made the little speech now quoted from his memoirs colonel and mrs blake the little things I 1 have done are partly due to your faith in a homeless lad and to your interest in his welfare tor for all that I 1 thank you I 1 must also thank bony for his help and friendship I 1 donot do not forget the friendship tho the kindness and the good heart of mr brown I 1 may know handsomer men but I 1 shall never know a better man there la in ono one chose whoso name you know to whom I 1 am more indebted than to all others that Is a debt which I 1 can only pay which I 1 shall gladly pay with my ufa life and my devotion it if I 1 am allowed t to 0 do so eo I 1 hope that I 1 am not breaking the rules of the court in saying buying this much I 1 tear fear that I 1 am like a beo bee that has been forbidden to trespass in a flowery meadow tho the colonel laughed then he turned to mrs blake and said mother this boy Is not like other boys of his age hes really quite a man if he ha and ruth want to be engaged I 1 suppose that we may an well tako take down the trespass sign bees cant read anyhow the gentle lady answered with a smile they would better part it if they have to before they are married than after they are shad went to ruths side they embraced and kissed each other A gale of merry laughter had arisen in the ra midst of it colonel and mrs blake and dumpy bumpy and dony bony came and embraced the happy youngsters again a scrap from the memoirs yes it was unusual I 1 say only that it was good tor for us we were in the same school and college until we were twenty two our love filled tut the years with happiness and inspiration and mutual understanding we helped each other we knew each other we had bad learned the gentle art of keeping step we were in no danger of falling out when we were married the day after our graduation a trouble that comes too often of slight acquaintance bumpy brown came with hla his parrot end and a handsome gift of money robert royce and his wife carrie and bony then an able law clerk and betsy and doctor gorse and mr and mrs smithers were at tho the wedding wo we were a famous pair and people came cama from far and wide to greet us for twenty five years we have lived and wrought together time has been kind to us there la in still gold in her hair and the glow of the cornflower corn flower in her eyes and the tint of roses in her cheeks I 1 well I 1 am still a lover have we not seen enough of the peril of straying to keep us in the straight way ET TUB END 3 0 |