Show he ouse of the three A ande rs SYNOPSIS nagged and s starving tarvin c a boy of a bout about sixteen Is found in t tha a woods kodsi b by a camping party p a having aff fled from fro wit hla br brutal ut f father ther bat t Morr rry yso rii fed and in c leem clean clothes the boy shad 1 sheridan ida ni Is gent to i canton a riton with a otter letter I to CI colonel ii B blak the colonel his wife and their young daughter fluth ruth are impressed mpr essed by the boys manner er lie d ROCS oes to work in amity dam and becomes friendly with a youth of his age ge bony and bumpy brown tink link or r village character ba bat t morrison Mor orr ryson avo n determined to take taka his hi son eon b back to hla his own 0 wn dissolute d I 1 ife la Is overawed over awed by colonel blake t th ho district attorney and hla 1119 father passes out of chads shads shad life lif A girl air young 7 0 U n cg and aret pretty c comes om es ia to 13 browns rown s 8 shack h at inquiring anju ring for him shad applies himself dl diligently igent to his hig neglected education love tor for nu huth th blake takes a strong amstrong hold on h his 9 heart in an attack made on the perry family oscar perry the father Is fatally shot and hla his daughter mrs doolittle wife of cyrus Doo dolittle ittle prominent pro t citizen seriously wounded circumstantial evidence points point to bumpy brown as the assail assailant ant he Is arrested rr ested the friendship between shad chad and nd 11 ruth tb blake kindles into love colonel iu blake ink e arranges for the tha youth to take u up p the study of law under his guidance gulda n ca now new evidence points to robrt royce as the possible murderer of perry bumpy brown la Is released on an ball CHAPTER VII continued 14 1 I do everything just aust as the woman used to he said 1 I know it pleases her bumpy and shad sat ant down in the lamplight by the table the room was warm and cozy they began to talk of the great theme of the countryside bumpy said 1 I aint coln to risk ask no ino questions but I 1 cant help won derin what new idee the district attorney has hag got in hla his mind ile he had evidence enough to hang me why he go ahead ive lived about long enough ile he Is an honest man lie he could maybe satisfy the people by hanging you sou but he be has got to satisfy himself 1 I believe it he Is an honest man I 1 wonder what tree his mind has lit on shad was quick to answer 1 I dont know but I 1 wonder what tree your mind has lit on I 1 am not here to be a spy I 1 am tour friend bumpy held out his hand put ler er therel there 1 he said im certain no man ever had a better friend A silence followed shad broke it by saying some one must have put those cartridges in your jacket some one threw that revolver into the river here bere in front of your house bumpy arose from his chair and got a drink of water coming back to hla his chair he said it makes me mad I 1 could raise h 1 but im in a fix where I 1 got to keep still an rm im a coln to Im willin I 1 to die without a whimper but I 1 wont talk dont ask me no questions an dont tell what ive said bald theres a god in heaven hell have to settle this matter there was a moment of silence in which they heard only the whistling of the wind and the ticking of the clock shad had brought books with him to read and study among them was dickens delightful story of great expectations E x he proposed that he be r read ead it aloud go ahead said eald dumpy bumpy be like old times the woman used to read to me every night the boy began reading arid and the evening passed in a kind of magic spell the clock struck eleven shad put down the book bumpy let down a platform hinged upon the wall with folding legs on its outer corners on this he be put a small mattress and made a bed for the boy he made up the lounge for himself covered the birds cage with a shawl laid some hardwood sticks on the fire bolted the door and put out the lights soon they were both asleep in the morning they left a warm fire in the stove stoe sto e to keep dick comfortable for table and walked to amity dam 1 I guess id be more to home but I 1 might as ag well know first as ag last what the people think ol 01 0 brown bumpy said bald as 03 they started they found in the little village a chilly atmosphere in no way related to the weather the children on their way to school followed them toward the store whispering and staring curl curiously at the old man A little snow now melting had fallen in the night two small boys across the street began to jeer and pelt him with snow bills shad and bumpy mounted the steps in front of smithers store and entered mr smithers stood behind the desk at the end of the west counter ile he shook hands with the boy saying shad im glad to see you but id rather you bring this man here why not shad asked hes been released I 1 think that the district attorney has concluded that he guilty that maj may be said the mild mr smithers in a gentle tone 1 I dont want to argue with you we have our own opinions here we who live near the scene of the murder ought to know ow something about it we who have been working on the case ought to know something about it shad answered but I 1 see that this Is no place for mr brown to be in it if let him sit down cellar a little while till this crowd of boys and girls have gone to school ill take ta ke him away all right take mr brown down to the cellar said smithers in f ladylike tone as he be wrung his hands there was a note of irony in the words mr brown ile he added when you go please take him out by the batch hatchway waY there was a stern look in bumpas face when shad led him down the by IRVING bachellier BACHEL LlER R f copyright by irvins 13 Da chell berrice 2 dusty stairs to sit by the kerosene tank in the gloomy cellar its putty bad aint it said tho the old man as he wiped his eyes and blew his nose with his bis red handkerchief them children are a kind of a weather vane 0 d dl I 1 I 1 guess theres nobody that loves children as I 1 do its a bad but dont worry theres a god in heaven the boy answered ill come f for or you soon he returned to the store and bought his provisions and hurried up to miss Sp enlows they sat down together in the parlor ile he told her of release and of what had happened on the street and lu in smithers store its an in outrage she declared you dont think lies hes guilty do you 1 I know he guilty poor man danl I 1 E ever everybody very body here will have it that hes guilty except doctor gorse and roe me we have our own he was a good story teller the tha boys liked him ideas what will bumpy brown do I 1 have always been sorry for him in spite of his being such a drunkard ile he drink any more so bony says and im dreadful glad to hear you say it he cant earn a living theres such a feeling around here theres almost nobody that would have him in the house poor crea creature perhaps I 1 could get him into the home flome for the friendless it will not be necessary hell be cared for we shall know the truth before long and these fools will all bo be ashamed of themselves 1 I wish that I 1 had time to tell you of the wonderful work that the home for the friendless Is doing did you hear that lydia benson had asked me to be chairman of the infant committee mit tee yes I 1 forgot to congratulate you its a wicked world said miss Sp enlow 1 I never dreamed how perfectly dreadful it was until I 1 got into this work shad smiled he began to suspect that the great miss lydia benson had had a somewhat humorous motive in making the appointment 1 I want you to go an take that poor old man out of that horrid cellar and bring him here said miss Sp enlow ill go over and tell doctor gorse that be here soon he wants to see you the beloved doctor was at the little boarding 9 house when shad returned with bumpy the doctor greeted them with the grave dignified and gentle courtesy for which ho he was famous ile he turned to miss and said 1 I would like to talk privately with young mr Moi ryson perhaps you will take brown into the dining room and close the door for a few minutes when he and shad were alone the doctor said the district attorney Is not yet in the central current of tho the singular stream of events which has engaged his attention there Is one episode of which he may not have learned on the fifth of november a stranger arrived in ashfield ile he was a brawny man about six feet tall with a freckled face and large and prominent ears he registered at the westminster hotel as donald algyre e fro from m winchester springs ontario when he arrived he be wore a broad brimmed hat later he wore a scotch cap that has a parted crown and ribbons at the base like those worn touch much in rural canada ile he seemed to 0 have no business lie ha had money he spent it freely in the bar rooms he drank with all their cheerful the horsemen the sports the tha roustabouts roust ua ile had traye traveled led much he had been a cowboy in tho the wild west he was a good stor atory teller the boys liked him some one discovered that he carried a big revolver in hta his hip pocket ile he went into the woods for a hunt with royce there royce tells tella of seeing him throw a silver quarter in the air and shoot a hole in it with his revolver before be f 0 r e it I 1 it came cam e down do W n now in the early evening of the tenth of november lie he was seen in a canoe on the river roger wingate a patient of mine and his young son eon passed near him in a boat the time wits was a quarter of seven or nearly that it was rather dark the boy had his fathers dark lantern Inn tern lie ile opened it suddenly and flung its light on the stranger here aa unmistakably tho man known as aa algyre wingate had net met him lie he spoke but got no answer now the point at which they met was nearly opposite browns cove wingate thought nothing of the incident it seemed to have no relation to the murder shad was quick to say that man have got to Doo doolittles littles house by seven it would have been impossible no suspicion of that ever entered the mind of my patient ile he had for forgotten gotte a the matter until the excitement of ye yesterday 8 la in ashield had begun to spread what excitement shad asked oh you have not heard of it no I 1 left canton early and was with bumpy at his shack aback all yesterday and got here less than an hour ago 11 well a while back I 1 had written to a classmate of mine at mcgall university ver sity who Is in practice at winchester springs ontario I 1 had framed a theory and I 1 wanted to learn what he knew about donald algyre ho he answered promptly no man of tho the namo and description I 1 had given was known in that village or in the country surrounding it the genial stranger had vanished from our neighboring village I 1 was mystified detectives from chicago arrived in ashfield on the noon train yesterday they were looking for the man described in this document he drew from his pocket IL small poster containing a halftone half tone tona photograph and the following announcement m ent reward of tor for information which will lead to the arrest of the famous bandit and bank robber reuben smith alias john obrien a ilas alias percival roberts alias and lately donald algyre of whom this Is a photograph ile he Is about six feet tall lie ile has large bony hands and rather broad shoulders ills his face Is freckled his hair red his ears large and prominent when last seen he was dressed in it a dark and rather shabby suit he wore a canadian scotch cap address communications to the pollee police of your own town or to allan pinkerton Clile agollI it will be remembered that shad and bony had seen the man so well described in the poster sitting with royce anderson and others at the westminster hotel in the evening of the day of their successful hunt for the hats and the handkerchief the boy read the words of mr pinkerton Pinker to with deep interest A thought flashed in upon him ile he asked do you know when tills this man was last seen in ashfield the doctor answered answered d it Is well known that tha his last appearance there was about seven in the evening of december 1 A telegram had been delivered to him that evening ile he paid his bill royce koyce ate supper with him in a long ulster and yarn mittens he went out of the front door of the hotel with his two bags the bellboy offered to help him but he said no thank you the door closed and he was gone he ha had vanished it weald seem that no one ona got a glimpse of him after that it la Is supposed that somewhere near it a wagon was waiting for him 1 I think that I 1 saw his hand and arm that night said shad ile ha told the doctor of the singular event in colonel blakes on the night of december 1 this la Is interesting said the doctor gravely but who was the woman nroman in the tha buggy shad asked TO BM BE CONTINUED |