Show at fill A f OLIVIER OCTO 7 fr 0 B ro y 0 4 us assy bj GEORGE BARR BARP mccutcheon N U sr service P VICE it CHAPTER V continued 5 this here job lias has cost upwards ot of already and for a couple of hundred more he could clean up clear to the edge of the mire I 1 used to look upon that boy as a smart young fetter maybe lies hes a whole lot smarter than you think said the ditcher sig oil I 1 dont for a minute think its that said old john bas hastily tily not t for a minute 1 I cant help think ln well turn up that old mans body souie some day it sort of gives elves me the creeps the two big dt ditches ches fed by lateral lines of tile held a straight course across tile the upper tipper end of tile the swamp and drained into blacksnake creek a sluggish little half a mile west of rumley Itu inley roughly estimated three hundred acres were being transformed into what in time was bound to become valuable laud land other oilier was walking slowly back to the house his big head beat his hands bands in his pockets when he observed an automobile approaching over the deeply rutted seldom traveled road lie be recognized the car at once Lan landings sings yellow roadster hello therel there called out lansing hop flop in oliver ive been sent to fetch you over to mr sages lie he had bad a cablegram this mor morning ding and sort of went to pieces piece A cablegram ills his wife Is she dead 1 I should say not ashes salling sailing tor for the states tomorrow and Is comins coming here to live it was true that josephine sage was coming home the beatific minister thrust ile he cablegram into olivers hand as that your you man came bounding up lip the erneda steps ten minutes later sites coming on the baltic Bil lle I 1 hale baie decided to so go to new york to meet her jane will accompany me I 1 wish you would find out for roe me bolher when the baltic Is due to arrive at new york please ilease help me out lad perhaps I 1 should hane hae telegraphed myself sc if or had jane do it but we I 1 wean I 1 er say interrupted oliver with sparkling eyes ill bet youre 20 years younger lhnn iou were yesterday uncle herbert 91 9 1 I 1 bellee I 1 am said mr sage rage squaring his thin shoulders and drawing a deep breath ar mr horace idrac gooch gonch 0 of heretofore a miserly aspirant for aels honors but persistently denied the distinction for which he be was wag inath to pay lind come across at so handsomely and so desperately that tile bosses had foolishly permitted him to be nominated for tile state senite senate tile people did not want blin but that made little or no difference to the party leaders ailers le the people had to take him wh wb ellier they liked him or not mr goodis goehs astonishing contribution to tile campaign fund was not to be passed up merely ine relly because the people approve of him the report that young bolher baxter 0 of rumley Itu roley was being urged to make the race against his uncle caused no uneasiness among adiong tile the bosses it was not until after the young man was nominated and actually in the field that muggings beset them young baxter was popular in the southern lection of the county lie he was a war liero and lie he was an upstanding m figure in a community where tile alie oters were as likely as not to jump the traces tile bosses sent for mr and suggested that it nt be a bad idea for him to withdraw front from the rate raie on account of his fits age or ills his heil health ll or his fits nep nephew liew do you mean to epli me im began horace genuinely anni annizes aniaz zed rd that you think this young whippersnapper whipper snapper of a nephew of mine Is liable to defeat me Noli ody knows what tile people want replied the piously tiou sly now this young baxter iles hes a fine faller ile he tins has a clear record there a thing we can say against him on the other oilier liand hand lie can say a lot it of if nasty things about you mr bir gooch im not saying lie be licked next november but you stand a blainer good chance of it let me tell fell you it this young baxter goes after you yon ANit without hout gloves ive filst been said sir mr gooch 1 olland lau jag forward in bis big chair suppose hUp pose I 1 so go down to and have it talk with oliver what about demanded dornan dod the other sharply 1 I 1 may be adle tile 0 to o ren re reb arn srn n with him no chance paid alit the olber shaking ras ri head gut got it in for boti you I 1 ucal car bir onah git no and beg tiegen gan pacing ine flour floor I 1 I 1 kipro eulth lip be be apo an in front of tile the boss 1 I way any as well come out flit flat footed lind and tell you ive never been satisfied with all these p stories orles t and speculations concerning the disappearance of my brother ln in law a year nw ago its mighty queer that a man like oliver baxter could disappear off of the face of the earth and deter be heard of again most host people believe hes bes alive hiding somewhere but I 1 dont believe it for a minute iles hes dead ile he died that a year ngo ago when lie be had ills last row with ills his son and w hats more to the point I 1 am here to say I 1 dont believe ills his son has bag told all lie knows about the er the matter say what are you trying to get at mr gooch that comes pretty near to being a charge it you can call it what you please all ive got to say Is that im not satisfied and im going to the bottom of this hills busin business esq if its possible to do so two days later inter horace G gooch h stopped his ancient automobile in front of the he baxter baiter block in rumley and inquired of a man in the doorway Is young oliver baxter here the loiterer turned his head lazily squinted searchingly f into the store and then replied that lie he was tell him his big uncle Is out here the citizen dJs disappeared appeared lie was back in a jiffy grinning broadly well demanded sir mr gooch cooch as the a I 1 1 I 1 A 1 1 nobody knows what the people want replied the chairman sen san messenger remained silent what did he say gay the citizen chuckled it aint fit to print said he M mr r gaulli shut oft off lla its engine and settled fettled back la in the sent seat the personification of grim and dogged patience fifteen minutes passed passersby sensing something unusual found an excuse for loitering in front of nearby show windows mr link came cubile out of ills his office and after taking tile one look at the hard faced old man in the automobile hurtled to tile the rear of ills his establishment lish ment A few seconds second later lie returned accompanied by joseph sikes they tool houi up it a position in the doorway at last oliver october appeared hello lello I Uncle Horace was hla his greeting sorry to have kept you walting waiting and ini im in a bit of a hurry too some friends coming coining do down n on no 17 mr ant and mrs sage you remember them no doubt anything in particular you wanted to see me about yes there Is salt said mr magooch gooch fill agh ly 1 I came over here to demand dei nind an apology from you young man a public apology printed over oer your signature lit in tile newspapers I 1 wrote aou ou it 11 very ery plain and dignified letter in which I 1 told you what I 1 thought of the under handed way you acted in regard to those flear dear old ladles ladies mrs bannester and her sister you know knew us as well as 1 I do 10 that it was my intention to restore their property to thein absolutely till tax free and without a single claim against it yon simply in and got aliena or tile me anti and what list lid did you say in reply to my slin plo straightforward letter you said guld you trust me as far us as you could throw a locomotive alth one hand or something like that it if I 1 dont nave have a written and published acknowledgment from roni you that sou ion deliberately seated me that you played me m in an un berhand let hand trick simply tor for poU political purposes ill I 1 ill mke make it so BO blamed hot for you wish never been born grated mr gooch it rests with y yon young man vi whether bether a certain anve investigation ti takes place or not what do you mean py jy investigation demanded oliver his e eyes yes narrowing nare bare just what tire are you von driving at ni his uncle leaned forward and spoke slowly distinctly 1 I there any evidence that your father ever eer left this place at rill all oliver looked hla big uncle straight in the eye for many seconds a curious pallor stealing over his face there Is no evidence to the contrary theres no evidence at nl all sald said gooch either r one way or the other there lias has never been anything like a thorough search for him in the neighborhood of ills his own home I 1 dont believe oliver baxter ever ran away from home I 1 believe hes out there lit in that swamp of yours now you know what I 1 mean by an investigation young man inan and if it Is ever undertaken I 1 want to say my to you it wont be under your direction find and it wont be a half heart ed job and the swamp wont be the only place to be searched there are otil other er places he might be besides the that t swamp 1 I think I 1 get your meaning uncle norrice II said oliver now cool and spit possessed if I 1 agree to withdraw front from the race and perjure myself in the matter of the bannester Rau nester tax scandal you will III drop the investigation and forget corpt all about it een though I 1 may hn have e killed my own father 1 I am not here to argue with you snapped mr gooch his gaze sweeping the ever increasing group of spectators your candidacy has nothing to do with my determination to sift this business to the bottom lie went on suddenly ad realizing that lie ile was now committed to definite action 1 I shall appeal to the proper authorities and nothing you do or say young man can head off the investigation tb eliat a t final I 1 CHAPTER VI A stars homecoming the return of mrs sage after an absence of 23 years was an event far surpassing in interest anything that had transpired in rumley since the strange disappearance of old oliver baxter baiter hundreds of people eager to see the famous josephine judge crowded the station platform Dat form long before the train from chicago was due to arrive they filled the depot windows the they were packed like sardines atop the spare baggage and express trucks they ranged in overflow overl low disorder along the sidewalks on both sides of the street adjacent the train pulled in the crowd tiptoed and gaped craned its thousand necks and then surged to the right above the hissing of steam and the grinding of wheels rose the voice of sammy parr far down the platform keep back everybody I 1 dont crowd lip so close right this way sir mr sige sage how a are e you open up there will you let era em through got my new car over here mr sage lots of room hello jane great honor to have tile pl pleasure ensure of taking sirs mrs sage home bottle in my car right over this way grab those suitcases boy open up plea please seP mr sage paused agonist halt half way a v down the steps of tile the last coach but one lie ile stared openmouthed open mouthed out over the sea of faces his knees seemed about to give way under him his nervous fingers came near nea r relaxing their grip on tile the suitcase handles bandies he be was bewildered stunned in heavens name he gr groaned mine d and then poor man over ilk bli shoulder in helpless distress to the girl behind him oh jane why we wa wait it for the midnight but atut someone had seized the bags and them he was dragged ingloriously to the platform jane camp came next crimson with willi embarrassment slie site hurried down tile steps and waited at the bottom for her mother t to 0 appear As might hive have been expected of one ne so truly theatric josephine delayed her appearance until tile the IS stage t 11 9 a was clear so to speak site she even went so far as a to keep her audience val waiting ting preceded by the Pul pullman lunin porter who up to this time had remained invisible but now appeared as a proud and shining aninion bearing boxes and ra rasps cases wraps and furs she at e lenti length appeared stopping on in the last step to survey with well affected surprise anti and a charming assumption of consternation the crowd that packed tile the platform form now a great many perhaps all of those atho ali made up tip the eager curious crowd expected to behold a young and radiant josephine judge they had seen lier her in tile illustrated sunday sill supplements plen clements jents ts and in the pictorial tim maiga 11 always site she was sprightly and vald and alluring they were vere confronted instead by a tall angular woman kounin of fifty two or fifty three carelessly even sloppily dressed in a slouchy two piece pepper sad and salt tweed walking costume what most of the observers at first took to lie a nd of light brown fur tucked tacked under her right arm arin was discovered to be a beady eyed pekingese pekinese Pe re kinese I 1 TO BB as 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