Show I 1 the house home of the T three ganders by IRVING BACHELLER copyright by trying irving Ba bacheller chelley service Ser Tice r CHAPTER I 1 I 1 the fugitive and the pocket eye that dam on the Rae Rac quette so in creased the prosperity and size of the email small settlements on either shore of the river that a bridge became necessary it was built the two comma communities gitles separated epa rated by flowing water had long been at war with each other the bridge drew them together into one village their petty jealousies van dished it was unregenerate colonel the miller and local ilean boss who gave the new place its truthful and euphonious name he called it amity dam thus visiting on its inhabitants a certain curious pen alty for the sins of their fathers they were soon known as amity dam long after that the little village w vias as the home of a far famed mystery out of which came a murderer convicted in the face of unexampled difficulties difficult les and against the testimony of three eyewitnesses eye witnesses it was moreover for a time the home of a number of remark able characters related to the mystery one of them was the boy shad morry ton son whose courage and shrewd tion served the state and put him on the road to fortune shad was discovered on a bright june day in 1890 1896 he ile lay asleep on a bed of moss under a group of pine trees two fishermen who had come ashore for luncheon found him no body knew exactly when he was born a matter of slight importance shad s life began the day he was dis covered it Is likely that he had been eating and drinking a little more than sixteen years the fishermen came upon him sud denly he ile lay sprawled on his back with an ancient long lie loading shotgun at his side he was a pale thin lad in ragged clothing both big toes protruded from holes in his boots the fishermen aroused him he ile eat bat up and rubbed his eyes and stared in confusion at the strangers looking down at him the odor of fry ing bacon bacom came to his nostrils kindly faces were before him 1 I guess I 1 must be dead he wills they saw to the heart of the boy when he asked from the lifting cloud of his slumber Is god here one of the men put his hand on the boys shoulder and gave him a gentle shake as he said wake up young man you re still dreaming you re not dead yet come lunch Is most ready still it was a tact fact that the old shad morrison Mor ryson known to a few people in the forest township of blair was dead that the water at his feet was in the river jordan moreover it would seem that god was vas really there well I 1 kind 0 expected to be dead when I 1 woke up said the boy as he arose if I 1 aln aint t I 1 im in glad of it I 1 want to vve I 1 what a pitiful look of drooping discouragement coura gement and supplication was aas in the figure of the lad as he arobel arose what the matter are ye lost one of the strangers asked run away from home what s your name and where do you uvel live don t dast tell ye are you hungry aint ain t had bothin to eat for days but one pa an a chip snuck I 1 well you re in luck I 1 here s sand and bacon and eggs and fish the fish are frying As he spoke the fisherman was un doing floing packages of food from the pack basket the boy trembled with eagerness as he saw it his face quivered oh mister can I 1 have a sandwich now he asked you bet take two the boy devoured them he ile ate like a hungry dog just returned from the chase ul 1 I feel better already said the boy ill go an wash I 1 im in dirty I 1 aint aln t fit to eat with nobody not even my self he ile hurriedly undressed on the river bank the fishermen observed that the back of his shirt was slashed and bloody the skin of his back ridged real red and swollen I 1 Y arck G d boy I 1 what has happened ta fiur back one of the men in it ed boes oes it look bad the boy asked bad I 1 I 1 should think that some one had used it for a chopping block well they did my dad gits mad awful easy when he s drunk he ain aln t always so mean I 1 guess I 1 im in mean myself I 1 don t take no interest in the work what s the use it dont do no good he got home an fetched me bishin when I 1 should a been heeln pot aters shad swam around a moment came out of the water dressed himself hur friedly and sat eat down with his new friends they were afraid he w would eat too much and compelled him to stop before his appetite was appeased I 1 want to ady ay ye for what I 1 et eald the boy how can you pay us tor for all that food 41 I 1 guess I 1 can ran pay ye I 1 ve got five dollars I 1 earned it out it was hid bid in the clock I 1 stole it when I 1 run away we don t want your money but we rather I 1 be ke your company I 1 ain t got bothin else but a top an some brass wheels that come out of an old clock an four lead bullets an three fish houks stuck in a cork an a glass eye that my uncle give me the day he died shad took the trinkets out of his trousers pocket as he spoke with a fond look at them the men laughed saying I 1 no we only want to get better acquainted with you you must cometo come to our camp with us perhaps we can help you that night he went nent with the fisher men to their camp at high falls three days later the party moved to lost jost lake where they put up in the log cabin camp of the famous guide philo scott familiarly known as polde now one of these sportsmen was slim and a bit undersized he gave the boy a respectable suit of clothes and shoes and stockings Ings a cap a flannel shirt with collar attached and a necktie all these fitted fairly well shad came out of the camp in which his benefactor was lodging a new hu man being his face clean his hair trimmed and combed and brushed those who saw him were astonished shad was well put up as they used to say in the north country in spite ot of his leanness and lankness he was wat now good to look on the shapely out lines of his head and face were pleas aren IF s 1 I guess I 1 must be dead he whispered ing the expression of his face was cheerful he was like a scrawny ill fed colt of a promising size and pat tern the boy took the glass eye from his pocket and held it in the light of the lamp and looked at it my uncle was an awful good man said shad he ile told me that this eye would help me to remember that god Is a batchin of me it its s a smart ol 01 eye it can see a long ways ahead an it can tell when good luck Is comin conlin bhide scott blew his whistle supper was ready the old guide came in with a platter of fried bacon and a plate of griddle cakes steaming hot mr scott this Is a boy we found asleep on the shore of the river said one of the fishermen he was about starved the old guide shook the boys boy s hand and asked be yon you bat Morry sons boy run away shad was frightened by this inex pecked query his face changed color he ile shook his head and stammered if if I 1 was 1 I 1 id d be shamed to tell ye his boy has stole some money an run away the guide went on I 1 was over to Wana keny today an bat was there he s run on the tracks 0 the boy an Is search se archin ln the woods be comin through here in the mornin then one of the fishermen let go as follows we dont don t know whom this boy belongs to it if it s bat morrison Mor ryson I 1 want to tell you that bat can cant t have him any more I 1 id d as soon trust a boy in a cage with a tiger bat morrison Mor ryson Is a tough ol 01 wild cat of a man said sali the guide had a good an broke her heart died years ago he hes s drunk half the time don t git into no fight with him he ile bites like a dog he ile d just as soon take an ear off ye as not I 1 know how to handle that kind of a cur said the sport a big pow erful man don t worry after supper these gentlemen took the boy to their s beeping camp one of them cut off a piece of an old moth eaten buffalo robe that lay on the floor he trimmed and shaped it neat ly with a pair of scissors soon he took the measure of shad shads s upper lip I 1 im in making a mustache for you the man said some liquid glue was applied to the skin side of the mustache mastache boon soon it was fast to shad s up it made a sur change in the look of the lad nobody would know you said one of the men its put ten years on sour head we have a plan for you remember you re a man now you will get a good rest tonight and a good breakfast in the morning then you 11 take the trail to bog lake my camp Is there III give you a note to the guide in charge he will show you y on across country to the railroad if you should meet your father he know you were going to stake yo 1 with twenty dollars take a train going west for some point beyond the woods you 11 get a job somewhere I 1 hope you 11 make your fortune here Is my card write me now and then and let me know how you re getting along the card bore the name and address of the stee steel magnate edmund 0 converse 17 wall street N Y shad pu pw the tile money and card in his trousers pocket with great care carl im much oble eged he said I 1 im m kind 0 squirt to have so much money hope I 1 don dont t git robbed don t it to anybody or let anybody know that you youve ve got it keep your small money in one pocket an your big money in the other and don t have much to say to strangers the boys boy s heart was full and these friendly interested men encouraged him to open it they were interrupted by bhide scott who entered closing the door behind him he spoke in a whisper bat morrison Mor ryson Is over to the cook house just come in with a lantern from dead creek floe I 1 mr converse turned to the boy and said tou you sit right over there out of the light and don dont t say a word whatever happens you needa t be scared seared I 1 in going to take tale care of you turning to the guide he added I 1 I 1 want to hire your camp tor for twenty four hours III give you a dollar an hour for that period I 1 want to be the boss here for just twenty four hours what has morrison Mor ryson got to say he ile wants to spend the night here tell him youve rented the camp an he hell 11 have to see me I 1 shall I 1 bring him here bring him here bit say nothing about the boythe guide vanished returning pres antly with bat morrison Mor ryson a hairy powerful cyclops of the foothills his one eye was red his face flushed he had been drinking but was not drunk what do you want converse asked bluntly I 1 I 1 im m lookin for my boy shad who run away an is somewhere in this part 0 the thet woods converse stopped him why did he run away aray you make hm happy at home I 1 tried to no you didn dian t I 1 know all about you you abused his mother when she died you married a strumpet who abuses your children you go off oft and get drunk and spend about all you can earn while shad plants and hoes the potatoes and corn you come home and get mad and beat him until his back bleeds I 1 saw the lad he was a mile or so below high falls on the river bank I 1 saw his wounds too D n you bat morrison Mor ryson you care for nothing but that greedy dirty hogs belly of youral yours 1 bat morrison Mor ryson sat leaning forward on his elbows looking at the man who thus addressed him his brow deeply furrowed his attitude was that of a great cat ready to spring he ile knew that he was in the presence of his master no one had ever talked to him like that no one had ever dared to he rose from his chair with a seri ous look on his face he ile turned to the old guide saying give me a bite to eat an go to bed I 1 not here said converse not on your life this Is my camp I 1 dont don t want you anywhere near me you pike off and take your chances just as the boy has done there s a camp at high falls that s fifteen mile from here an it looks like rain the ruffian muttered good I 1 I 1 wish it was twenty and that it would rain hard enough to wash your dirty soul for once in your life you re going to do gome some work TO BB BE CONTINUED |