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Show 7 SERIAL Y 13 STORY THE LITTLJE BROWN JUG ! I AT I I KILDARE MtRrDITH NICHOLSON tllealretlnes Hy AT WALKS Ooprrlthi in bf Tke Bubt Mamil Ooaiaaar. SYNOPSIS. Trmrnas Ardmnr end llanry Main nrtaw.il.l sliiml.t.. iiimn mirls'i" when tha gnverimra ,.f N.irlh ami H..11U1 random are r. Hirlr,l i have quarreled. Itmh elates are In a turmoil nv.-r one Apple. ''. an ...il In with . Illl. al liilliivii.a. (Irlawnld alll-a lilma. If wllh ll.irlp.irn la. h..tn. .In. ml. I. t i.f lh govern, .r i.f H...HI. Carolina, while Ar.liu..ra aapi.ua.a Ihr rauaa t J.rry I 'i. uu-i ll-l.l. naught, r ..r Ilia g..vani..r ir N..rih r.iri.lliiii Th.-a ton hull, a are irvln In till Ilia ah. ..a ..f ll.-Jr fullM-ra, wlill,. Hi.) IiiII.t are mlaa-llig mlaa-llig I'nawiire f rn. Ii ether's ..alll.,ii. Ik.iIi dnaw.,1.1 an.l Ar.ltnute mil to main- tin. c.lh.r .r... Hi.. Ar.lumre nr- a.uili.a a lilac I. .ml i Irlswnld'a n.-ii i ni-liin. ni-liin. A.i.l...ui,i. j..rrv iiaim.rllrl.l .1... -nvra Ilia niiili ni .1 Ira. la l.lin In AMa. ley, her imn riann..r. t.riswnni an.l liur-Imra liur-Imra r.i.h.r.. in, a. . na nf il.- ili..i... nr. iii i ati.l in.-al Arilmori. ami Jerry, una. W..I.I r-fu.... In r snlae lila frl.-n.t. J.rry reveals I ha pr no. ..f A..l...il,i ml Ardnlcy. CHAPTER XV. Contlnutd. "There's a lino of the South Carolina Caro-lina nillltla crawling through the woods toward Itnrroon creek. They insist that Hi a practice skirmish anil that they've come out hero bernuso the landscape la nnturully adopted to their purposes." "It's awfully tilrn of them to like my scenery. You'd bettor nil your bi'at liuin out to meet Col. (illllngwa-tT (illllngwa-tT of tlm North Carolina mill! In. anil ti'M him to mnrch all hla troops Into tho estate by tho north Kntaa. and to bo In a hurry. Toll hliti toll him (lor. Dongnrneld la nnxloua lo have tho staff present In full uniform at a grand tmll lit Ardslcy tonight." Ardmoro rwlu off alono toward Itnc-coon Itnc-coon en-fit to cutch a view of the enemy. How far would Crlswold goT Ardmoro could go fur in (Iris-wold; (Iris-wold; yot he waa puttied to know why Orlswold wna In the field at all. Thoae reduction! carried him far toward to-ward Raccoon creek, and when ha had reached flint tortuoua atream he dls-mounted dls-mounted and tied hla horae, the more freely to examine the frontier. Ily Juinplnic from boulder to boulder he croaaed the turbulent tide and gained the other aide with a aenae of enter-Inn enter-Inn the enemy'a country. "Now," he muttered, "I am In Bouth Carolina." He drew out hla map and held It agalnat a tre the better to atudy It, reassuring himself that hla own property prop-erty Una embraced aetrernl aectlona of the foreit on the south aide of the (tale boundary. "If Or limy ahoota me, It will be on my own land." he aald aloud. He cautiously followed the atream until, aeveral hundred yarda farther on, and overhanging the creek, he came upon the lug cabin In which nig l'aul had reported the preaence of ghoat I'aul'a atory had not Inter-a Inter-a eated him particularly, but now that be waa In the neighborhood be re-solved re-solved to visit the Cabin and learn If possible how ghoata amuae themaelvea by day. He had thrum a revolver Into bla pocket before leaving the house and while he had no Idea that guoata may be ahot, he now made aure that the weapon waa In good order. Aa he at on a log slipping the cylinder through hla flngera ho heard whla-tllng whla-tllng farther along the creek, followed quickly by the anapplng of twigs under un-der a heavy tread, and a moment Inter lull, alender man broke Into view. The atrnnger waa dressed like a countrymun, but ha waa unmlstakubly not of the Ardsluy force of workmen, for these woro a rough aort of uniform. uni-form. Hla hands were thrust carelessly careless-ly Into the side pockets of a gray Jenns coat. They were thrust In deep, so that the coat aiiKged at the porketa. Hla troinera were turned up from a jmlr of roiiKh alioca and he wore a gray flunnel shirt, tho collur of which was gulltlfas of a tie. He was smoolh shaven, and carried In hla month a abort pipe, which he paused to rellnht when about a doiun yards from Ard-more. Ard-more. 'riifiu oi.Jie.litia the llsutcd mutch above Hie plpo bowl for an Instant In-stant to innke aure his tobacco was burning, Arduiore jumped up and covered cov-ered him with the pistol. "I I" K your pardon," wild the master mas-ter of Ardnley, "but you're my prisoner!" pris-oner!" , The atriir.ier shook the Hhiiio out of tho mutch stick carefully mid threw It uwuy before turning toward bis cuptor. , "Young man," lie suld with perfect Belf-possishloii, "don't fool with that gun, It l n j k tit K'J off." Ills drawl was tlmrncteiistle of the '(-Eton; his tone wus ono of amused t'lli-ranee. Arduiore was short of stature, and his kulckcrbotkers, leKKltiKS uud Norfolk Jacket weru not wholly consonuut with the revolver, re-volver, which, however, be leveled I Verr steudily at the stranger's head. ' "tou are an Intruder on my proper ty," said the muster of Ardali y, "and r " " i a. a -. Junlefs I'm mini) mlMsVen you have , been playing ghoat In that csbln. I've heard nbuut you. Your gang has been cutting off my timber about long 'l no mil. and this game of plnylng ghoat to scare my men won't do." 'Slenllng your timber?" And th stranger wns clearly surprised. Ho kticld his pipe In his hand with his inb over the bowl and seemed to a more serious Interest In his eapHjff"' "And now," cn'itinued Ardmoro, "I'm tired of hnvlns this end of the ! cnuntsV run by the Applewelghts, and their nisrepiitnlile f.vag. so I'm going I to lock you up." The atrnnger turned toward the cabin, one corner of which was plainly plain-ly visible, and shrugged his shoulders. "I have nothing to do with the Ap-pleweights, Ap-pleweights, and I assure you I am not a timber thief." "Then you must be tho on who has lifted a few steers out of my herd. 11 makes no difference Just what branch of the business you are engaged In, for we're picking up all tho gang and you've got to come, along with me." The captive showed signs of auger for the first time. His face flushed. and he took a step toward Ard more, who Immediately threw up the revolver revol-ver so that It pointed at tho man's head "Hlop right there! We've got old man Apple weight, so you've lost your leader, and I tell you the Jig's up. We'll have you all In jsll before another an-other 24 hours has passed." "I Judge from the lone of your remarks re-marks that you are Arduiore, the owner own-er of Ardalcy. Am I right " "You are unite right. And you are a member of a disreputable gang of outlnws that has been bringing sliiime upon me state of North Carolina. Now, I want you to mnrch straight ahead of me. Htep lively now!" And Ard more flourlnhcd the pistol menacingly. ".March!" The man hesitated, flung up his bend delluntly, then moved slowly forward. for-ward. "Wo will cross the creek right here," he ordered; "It's a pretty Jump there from Hint boulder tin-re, that wus bully! Now right along there over the log see the trail! Oood!" It was warm and the captive wna perspiring freely. moved along docilely, mill hading thnt he manifested mani-fested no Inclination to bolt. Aril more dropiH-d the revolver to hla aide, but with his finger on the trigger. They soon reached a field where some laborers were at work, and Arduiore Ard-uiore culled them to him for insiruc-Mona. insiruc-Mona. "Hoys, t li i.i Is one of the timber thieves; put him In that corn crib un- "You're My Prlsonsrl" til I come bark for him. The nights are warm; the aky la perfectly clear; and you will kindly ace that he docs not lark for food." Two of the men Jumped forward and Belted Ardmore's prisoner, who now broke forth In a torrent of wrath, struggled vigorously. 'That's right, boys; that's right; easy thero! Now In he goes." A series of corn-cribs fringed tba field, and Into one of theso, from which half the corn had been removed, the prisoner waa thrust sprawling upon the yellow enra, and when he rose and flung himself round, the door of tho eorn-rrih slummed In bis face. He bellowed with rugu now, seeing see-ing Hint his Imprisonment was a serious seri-ous mutter, and thut It seemed likely to be prolonged Indefinitely. "They always told me you were a fool," lie howled, "but 1 didn't know that anything us crazy aa you are was loose In the world." "Thank you. The head of your gang Is much more polite. Ilea sitting on hla case of Chateau lllret In my wine cellar, playing solltalio." "Apiilewelght In your wine cellar!" bawled the captive In ustonislimeut. "Certainly. I wus urruld to lock him In a room with hulh for fear It might give him hydrophobia; but he's perfectly content In the wlno cellar." "What are you going to do with him'" - - "1 haven't decided yet Just what, to do with film, but the scoundrel undoubtedly, un-doubtedly, belongs u South Curollnii, nnd 1 hul,e every Intention of making his own I late puul-Ji hlln." The iT:snu. r leujpy. heavily ngiilimt Ills iiri.fn il, nit- s.uiTd out upon his Jalblvwlia n new, fierce Interest. ; VI ''IJT"U I'vu.nrithlim to do with 'he Avipluwrlghtiil I don t want to re-V"nVmyj re-V"nVmyj Identity to you, you young I giar; ' )vl. I demand my legal rights." - ' i ".My dear sir," retorted Arduiore, Sou hum no legal TlghtM, for the writ of .habeas corpiiH doesn't go hero, ""fin "etu rallier Intelligent for a barn lirnei and timber thief. Oxno now, -il.at la your mime?" l'I'he prisoner gured down upon the ,Werturbable figure of hla cuptor (trough the sluts of Ihe corn crib. Ard-,fa-e returned his gase with hla most blvud and child like air. Many peouh V I hnrl been driven to ths ness Dy Ardmore's appaf"' !,, Tho prisoner realized launch a thunderbolt It p '..t. I turb a self-possession so C"" tranquillity as sweet at (be t afternoon. "Mr. Ardmoro, I d Is I Iks to dol, your nmnilng conduct iie s essarv for me to disclose ny ''Wjja and the man s manner iboVM embarrassment. A "I knew It; 1 knew It;" st) Isliaj. more, folding his nr ' Vr0 lit chest. "You're either th '4l'"h or tho prince of I'etosksi jMj salute you!" t P' "No!" roared tho c Impotently against tho nnor iv csge with his hands. "No! governor of South Carolina!" ' This statement failed, however, produro tho slightest effect on ) Ardmoro, who only smiled sl 1st ti 1 1 J , I smile less Incredulous thnn disdain, "Oh, pshaw; that's nothing." hi plied "I'm the governor of North C Una!" and mounting hla horae gravely lifted hla hat to the prism, and galloped away. While .Mr. Arduiore was Meurli his prisoner In the corn-crib II nays Interesting to return for a moija the haunted log cabin on j 1 creek, the Interior of wharf -li ronghly but romrortahly'furaianst Above were two small aleepltirooii and beside the bed In each stood I suit-case and a hand satchel. Is earl room hung, on convenient hooks, I long, black frix kcoat, a pair of Iron sera of light cloih, and a hroaa-snri black felt hat. Coat, trousers and tim were exactly alike. In the room below ant a man la hu sum sleeves, nts feet on a cheat sun table, blowing rings from a cigar jl presented a picture of the grfttist ease and contentment, as ho occulon I ally stroked bla short brown beard, or threw up his anna and claspca hit hands about his head or caught billf at Ihe amoke rings. On the table lay 1 an army nf playing cards and pofcflr chips. "It's tiMi good to lust forever," tbo lone occupant reflected aloud, stt I Blntx a yawn, nnd he reached out, with rnrclesa Indifference, toward a but die of uewspupors tied together wtta a piece of twine and drew one out and spread It across his knees. Hs yawned again aa though the thought of a world whoso arfuira were BtHtllticfl III nrlnler'a Ink hnai.rf lilm Im mensely; and then tho bold head lines that shouted at III in across half quarter of the sheet cnused htm to gasp, and bis feet struck the bars floor of the cabin resoundingly. He now bent over the paper with the greatest eagerness, muttering as he rend, and Boms of hla niutlerlngs wcro, It must bo confessed, not without with-out l.-ofane embellishment. TVo COWAH1H.Y (lOVKUNOIia 1 MIHSINO ' Scandsi Affecting Two State Executives Execu-tives Is the Applewetght Caso Responsible? Re-sponsible? Humors of Fatal Duel on State Line. Ho read breathlessly tha startling story that followed the head lines, then rose and glanced anxiously at bn watch. j "Am I drunk or msd? I must find Osborne and get out of this." 1 Ho leaped to the open door, ant gated Into the forest from a 1 It t Is platform that commanded all aldea of the cabin. And there, to hla utter amatcment, hs aaw men In khaki j emerging cautiously from the woodi They were unmistakable b,i,iim f tome sort, for an officer waa glvltf sharp commands, and tha line opens! out like fun along tho creek. Tr observer of this maneuver mopped bs head with hla handkerchief aa k watched the alert movements of t'. figures In khaki. Ha waa ao absorbed that ho fuld to hear stealthy steps at the rear of the platform, but he waa now rudely aroused by two uniformed yoiitigattn with S. C. N. O. on their caps, tha sprung upon him and bora him sltb a crash to tho puncheon floor. "You'ro our prlsonor!" shouted ont of them, rising when he found that the prisoner yielded without r insure. in-sure. "What for?" blurted tho captive, sitting up and rubbing hla elbow. "Kor being Hill Applewelght. alias Poleet. (let up, now, and come with us to hcndiiuiirtcrs, or my Inilxucttoaa are to break your hcud." ' "Who In tho devil are you" panted the prisoner. "Well, If It's anything to you. we're the South Carolina nillltla, so you'd better get up ami climb." (TO UK riiNTINtfKD.) |