Show Williams illi ALL Ew Copyright Co by B Ben A Ames C. C wd liams m i 1 b Ben A Ames fl CHAPTER XI Continued XI-Continued Continued 19 10 19 Saladine watching Dart Bart saw that under this accusing fusillade the theman's mans man's face nce congested with n a rising fury This old woman with the tongue ton ue of a n termagant lashed him raw What she said might or might not be true yet et true or false he could not retort with the buffet and am the blow her words deserved He must stand helpless while she flayed him yet his dark k Wl now r CHeeK nun You fetched me some dry groceries rpm Liberty Libert village last night the theold theoM theold old oM woman continued bitterly and listened outside the door and heard me telling Jenny to go get me a lily root from the brook today That's why wh you ou went down brook Bart Dart You never went to fish at all nil I dont don't believe you yon 03 ever er even cven took your rod You went to spy SP on Jenny I And on the way back I low you climbed up UIl through the woods to see If you could get a n sight of Like Likeas LIkens as ns not you'd oud peeked at her before that times limes when the be sunning her her- herself herself herself self like a snake there on the ledge led e. e I II I wouldn't wonder If that was why wh Zeke ele worked you ou over o that time Like LIle as ns not he lie caught you there Anyway Anwa my I guess Is you found her there today and she tormented you ou the way wa she nl al always ways W S 'S did till tIt you OU couldn't stand It and you grabbed her I And she lit you and set her finger nails In your our cheek cheel and at that you went crazy mad and you OU hit lilt her so hard yo broke your our own hand on her face fuce I That's what happened I Im I'm as certain of It as if Id I'd been there and see The scratches on harts Darts cheek cheel were livid but his bis lips twisted In a n derisive grin Then she turned to Sohier There ItIs It ItIs ItIs Is Sheriff she exclaimed In a tone of finality There It Is Is If youve you've got ot enough brains to see But the big man after a moment wagged his head Why I dont don't see as theres there's anything only your guess maam ma'am he protested And Bart Dart stoke spoke through stiff lips yet et easily enough Its all nIl right Sher Slier Sheriff SherIll Ill iff he be said Old women get fool I And he said calmly It couldn't be bethe bethe bethe the way wa she says sas lIe He appealed to Huldy's husband Will you ou know mighty well that Zeke Zele was always alwa's somewhere around Huldy If It this had happened the way Granny says sas Zeke hed he'd have been on my tall In no time at all You know that Will as well as me Will thus Interrogated nodded slow slow- slowly ly I so Bart Bart he admitted But Marm Pierce turned to Bart Dart In In- Hart Dart she said I dunno as I can prove what you OU did to Huldy but Ill I'll make you admit yore a liar I Youva made up this whole tale since sIn e you killed Huldy You never went down brook to fish You never even had your our rod with you You picked It up u p at your house bouse on your way to get ge t Will VIII Bart chuckled patiently Maam I cant can't help yore thinking anything youve you've got a mind but yore wrong a azan as asan can zan an be She cried triumphantly Your rods rod's g outside with a worm on the hook nIl all dried up and shriveled You didn't lisp lish with wIlh a dead worm warm did you your lie Her r lone tone was lot hot with scorn Why sho he h protested a worm worn will dry up mighty fast Her lIeI eyes ees narrowed Yon You told me m e you dug halt bait she challenged He lIe le nodded Certain he said Got your our bait can on aint you she demanded lIe He touched his belt beH In Inan 1 n an nn assenting gesture And she took one step toward him Hand lland it here l I she demanded In a arising arising rising triumph Let me have a n lOOK loo k at It H If It theres there's any fresh dug worms worm s In your our bait can Bart Ill I'll take back bas k every word Ive I've had to say I Saladine turning to look at nt Bart Bar t found his eye ee caught and held by an n n object on the table between them then That heavy gun which Bart hud bud laid lau d beside the lamp tamp a while ago It was still there black and md deadly The fhe lamp was between It and Saladine between heleen It and Marm Pierce But Bu t where Bart Dart stood the butt of ot the gu gun n was VOs not ten Inches from his Isis hand CHAPTER XII There was something ludicrously In Incongruous Ii congruous and by the same saute token toke n the more horrifying In the terms of Harm PIerces PIerce's challenge That tit the e question of or whether a man were guilty of or murder should hinge on whether there were any fresh dug worms In his bait box had something hideous about It and yet et what harm Marm Pierce said sold was Ingeniously true If Bart had In Ins Indeed deed gone down Careys Carey's brook brool this day dayto dI to fish as he asserted then he be must have been supplied with bait If It he had bad no worms then his statement that he Intended to fish was WIS a lie He and his bis other words were doubtless lies as well It If Bart hart had no worms In his bait box then be he lied lief arid and If he be lied fled then he be had bad killed I 1 Thus Thins ply the phrased Itself in Sala Sela dines dine's und nid And his muscles muscle drew taut lIlt for fill ac lC tion Tim Thin silence In III their Mils small mom pl Jile Into a tn f of c. c I Burt Bart stood under their doubting eyes e es his fingers within easy reach of ot the butt of that heavy revolver er on the table Just before him Ills His back was to the wall he could If he lie chose hold bold them at nt his bis mercy Thirty seconds' seconds span spun must answer all Bart Dart did not move till old Marm Pierce repeated In triumphant Insist Insist- Insistence Insistence ence once Lets see Bart Barth I Lets Let's see If f youve you've got any an worms In fn that can cnn at nil II P Then he be was suddenly at nt his ease ea e Ise he ic smiled and shook Iris his head Nary y a worm Granny he said cheerfully She Sire nodded In crisp satisfaction swung un s to Solder There Sheriff she cried crl d Solder Soh looked uncomfortable It It was wasn U In n fact an un uncomfortable position in which w he found himself Bart was practically p confessing to a murder but Bart had a gun under his bis hand I The sheriff stirred uneasily and he gathered the tails tolls of his coat cont over his knees nees as though to rise But Dut Bart said chuckling That dont don't prove anything though I told you jou a while ago when I came carne to pick Huldy up I took tools off oft my m with twit belt with the bale bait can an and anti my gun gun and and left It there thereon on the tile ground Time I got ot back track to fetch it It the halt bait can cnn the cover on It had come open and the worms had all crawled away Marm Pierce fierce whirled on him In baffled fury fur talk yourself out of your our own grave gra Bart l I she cried But you OU wont won't talk yourself out of o f tills this Theres There's a dead worm dried on your hook book on the rod outside the door I guess you want fishing with that nd d it didn't el el up the way It Is l Just sense sence you got through fishing either Its It's wet from rain and slimy but its it's been dead deard on that hook honk for fo r days das Bart nodded Sure it has he as as- assented rented I forgot when you JOU asked me m about that a while ago a o. o But Just b be be- before before fore Huldy screeched I 1 snagged ged rn my hook book h on a log and had to break it Ito off o IT Didn't have any spare hooks books with me me but I found this one In my overalls overall pocket I 1 must have stuck It there they some time and forgot it It had this dead worm on it ft but I tied it Ir on my m line and I was Just setting out to t o scrape the dead worm off with my m i knife when I heard yell I a likely tale l I the old wom worn woman an nn exclaimed In n a deep scorn You Yo mean menn to tell me you'd put a 3 hook with witha r a worm on It In your pocket she sh demanded I guess you'd have to b be drunk to do that Bart hart Bart Dart grinned Well Vell he said mat matter matter matter ter of fact tact I 1 did have quite an edge edg edgon on the last lase time I went fishing It was tva A along toward dark here last Tuesday night Ike Putney come by my place plat after supper and we bad hadd a n few drinks and we lowed to try the trout and ant did But nut half trait the time I didn't know kno whether I was fishing in the brook o on or orIn orIn r In i n the pasture Likely I put the hook goo k In tn that pocket then And he added persuasively Ike hell he'll tell you the same iThe i iThe The old woman womac uttered a sound like me mea a sniff of or scorn Ike Id I'd believe bellev anything of oC him If you ou told me be carried his worms In n his mouth Id I'd It I 1 Barts Bart's eyes e es widened By J 1 be Le exclaimed I mind now Ike had bad his store clothes on and I lent lend him my overalls to wear when we went fishing lIe He put that hook in the pocket of em ern Ill I'll bet a n nickel I Marm Marra Pierce fierce looked at the sheriff almost apologetically In a curious chagrin That might be the truth Sheriff she admitted ruefully Ike Ilse was in here bere Tuesday afternoon to get me to give him something for or an ear cots ache I wrapped up a pinch of or black pepper In some cotton and dipped It ItIn ItIn In sweet ol oil and put It In his ear and andI I told him to go on home and put a bandage round his leis head to keep It warm But nut be lie lowed owed he be wished be lid h had bad bada hadn a drink and he set out our to go over ov r to Barts I mind he be did have on his store clothes Just lute like Bart Hart says There was a reluctant honesty In her tones she faced Bart again But Just the same she Insisted I 1 dont don't swallow the whole hole of or your tell She stood frowning fro with the intensity of or her thoughts searching for some sonic crevice In his bis armor Yoi said a u while ago you ou had bad stopped fish fishIng Ing lag and was on your way home when you heard yell she reminded hint him seizing eli on n a new point But now you yon claim you'd oud Just broke a hook honk off oIT and tied a n new one Due on How flow could could you ou a hook you want wan t fish fishing l sh- sh shIng ing He lIe answered almost mirthfully I stopped to try the deep d lp hole sole there at nt atthe atIce the Ice foot of or the ledge led e lIe He had pan parried led all nil her thrusts so easily that there was a sort of mad madness ness In the little old woman w now She was like fuse u a caged animal coursing to end and fro fm In Its search earch for some sonic avenue of escape Well how come cOllie you to take so long Ion hunting then them feathers I sent you after arter before died and not finding any nil when the hen hn pen was full of or orem em ens 1 she demanded Looks to me year ou 1111 was afraid If I d had them Id I'd get ft to nine ome to and shed she'd tell fill nn n noti your oti lU I was vi was figuring you'd oud ask ash that thai i ry y and und by hy ho he h assented frankly And Ill I'll tell you how bow It was He lle stood at ease now I ser pet out to get Jet you some feathers he declared I didn't put pul any nn stock In It It with wills Huldy as good as dead or maybe mahe dead aready but long longas ton as you wanted era cm I started out to get some sense But nut when I was going oln through h the th shed shied I 1 happened to look ionic out the win wins window dow dot on the hack back side and I see s e some something something thing thins move e over ever In the alders It looked to me like hike a n man I stayed sta d there watching but I didn't see him again lignin so after a u spell I come back in the house bouse You never said nothing about that thIn before Marn Marla Pierce exclaimed Soon as I come In In you Jumped me right ight rf r ht out oi lt t Into faro the barn burn again went with me me he reminded her And when we come back bad with the feathers was dead and Jenny lenny said there was somebody In the Win side the house bouse so I It was probably Win that I hind had see The old woman considered this Maybe If Win WI was wS around here after died she began be an thought thought- thoughtfully thou thoughtfully ht- ht fully but Inen she remembered But Butt It i t want Win that you ou see she pro protested tested quickly He Ile was In to Liberty village c by then I 1 Yell Well whoever It t was Bart said Ina In I n a a conciliating tone They were all silent then a while considering this suggestion su that there had been some man who was not Win r N near iJ ar the house when Huldy died But nut In the end Marm Pierce brushed this matter Impatiently aside Like as not it was a cow you see she decided returning to the attack Or maybe nothing at nt all nil I 1 think that's nil all a J park pack p of lies Hes If you ask 11 I i 1 A y i e- e p. p J I I I Ic c i call Look Out Granny That Thing Will Go Off me And A nd as she spoke she moved uncertainly toward the table But this uncertainty was It appeared pretense for suddenly her hand licked out like a snakes snake's tongue and she caught up the revolver anti and backed away awny holding It In both hands her linger finger on the trigger er She pointed It at Bart and an Hart Bart protested amiably Look 1001 out Granny That thing will wm go 0 off ofT I Its likely to the old woman as as- assured assured assured him She appealed to the sheriff There he be Is Sheriff I she cried You 1011 go ahead and put the handcuffs on him I Ive I've got ot his gun un But nut said ald In a baffled tone Why Wh maam ma'am it looks to me like Carey here tells a pretty straight ht story take tale It all the way wa through Bart Hart chuckled Granny yore a wonder he hl said In do an Ironic mirth Her tier hands had sagged sg ell under the weight of that revolver re until the weapon hung now forgotten by her side Never mind about me she retorted her tone abstracted Im trying to see this straight You come on her up to the ledge letl e. e and maybe grabbed her and she raked your cheek check and that made you mad triad so you banged her In the face and she went back back- backward backward backward ward off ofT the ledge led e I She shook her head staring starin at him She whispered Man Ian I warrant you was scared enough for u a minute then Bold as you be right rl ht now Sheriff what do you altar aim to do she demanded In Irascible shrill shrill tones You going to set there all nil night nl ht This Is your our business not mine Stir your OUr stumps nuts man Sohier rose and turned to face race Bart Hart Bart he said fald I dont don't mean to say sa you ou had anything to do with this But what If you and Will was both to come corne along alon to town and talk tall It over with t th county attorney there His this tone was as though he be urged Bart to humor old farm Marm Pierce thus far and Bart Dart answered agreeably enough h. h Why Its It's foolishness Sheriff he protested But If It'll tU favor you ou Ill I'll Illo go o. o Ill I'll have to stop by hy my place and pull down sonic some hay and anti give the crit crit- hers water They aint been fed to tonight night n I h t. t Shore the big man assented We W can do that lie Ile looked at Saladine Jim say you ou drive e me and nd Bart round there first 1 he proposed Then Ihen we can come bush back buc here and pick up Will Sa In dIne hesitantly hc agreed since there seemed nn no better course Huldy FerrIn was dead and doubtless mur- mur murdered tiered dered but If Bart Hart were guilty then he was an un Incredibly shrewd and crafty man and If he lied then he be was In ins Incredibly In- In credibly apt opt at mendacity Marm alarm Pierce herself appeared a red to be unsatisfied unsatisfied fied fled as us though uneasily conscious that she had failed to prove her case She stood with her hand at her mouth her head hend bent hent and her brow was svgs fur fur- furrowed furrowed |