Show S r N G rl 4 SA N 11 1 1 bora a rl tt or SYNOPSIS the future of the youthful and comely marcia howe la Is a conversational tit bit among housewives of 01 wilton F eligible bachelors and widowers also are I 1 interested ister ested marcias Mar clas married life ha has a been unhappy but she Is lonely at timea and lins his invited her late husbands I 1 niece sylvia hayden II whom she has nev never er seen to visit her A stranger on the verge of exhaustion finds fanda his way to marcias home he has her hide a package containing jewelry ellsha winslow the sheriff sherl lT brings brines news of a jewel robbery nearby the stranger Bt ranger gives elves his name as stanley heath barcla though uneasy Is a unwilling to believe him a thief sylvia by chance discovers the jewels and la Is convinced that heath Is a robber she realizes that marisia must have hidden the jewels deciding to be silent she puts them back in their hiding place marcia realizes that she has altogether too deep deen an interest in her guest but Is powerless to overcome it heath wires alra mr S C heath new york that he Is safe ile he also orders a man named currier to come at once sylvia in her room bedecks bedecki herself with the jewels at marceas Mar claa clas approach she hides them there heath asks barcla to bring him the jewels they are gone cone heath makes light of the loss sylvia restores the jewels to their hiding place ellsha winslow visiting marcia discovers the Je jewels els and has no doubt they are the stolen genis gems and that heath Is the thief saying nothing but replacing the gems he returns to the village CHAPTER VI continued 7 furtively ellsha glanced up tip anil and down tile the empty road and after peering over his shoulder lie dropped his voice to a confidential whisper and hissed cause im coln to make an arrest a bis big arrest ae ie tracked down the thief that lint committed the long island burglary moreover I 1 know tills this very second where the jewels tire are im coln to phone the new york pollee police ive got of their man he be concluded El rl cazers eazers cunning mind worked quickly 1 I dont know lish as id do that he cautioned in the first place you might be mistook in your calculations an not only get yourself into hot lot water but make the town a laughin langh ln stock further more was you wrong you might get sued for de ramin the accusers accuse ds character 1 I aint wrong im right wal even so id move careful urged his companion IM most ost likely ely theres a reward out for this criminal why split it with a hoot of others why dont doat you an me divide it ill help you land your man since youre a bit eleazer Elo azer tearing fearing to offend hesitated a but out of practice bout arrest ln the advice was good ellsha shrewd in his dealings instantly saw the advantage of 0 the plan proposed will debbe atwould be better it if I 1 let too many ignorant city chaps in on a big thing like this he conceded pompously you an rile me know what were about I 1 figger we could handle it sure we could we ci can in put it through gh in first class shape first you must alango your clothes for your sunday ones A black frock coats what you really liter wear then you must pin your sheriffs badge on your chest where show good an plain ee de sure to bring along your handcuffs cause youre oure certain to need em with an experienced criminal such as this hell have a gun un an put up a fight ellsha paled and a tremor twitched his lips that concern you yon none though all have to do will be to bueal up behind him put jour pistol twixt his shoulder blades an shout stick eni em uell up I 1 1 I aint got no pistol I 1 aint fond of firearms fire lire arms in fact I 1 dont knows I 1 ever shot off a revolver in my life wal I 1 have ive shot dozens of skunks you might lend me yours impose I spose se I 1 might it aint though worlden very ell right now its kinder rusty furthermore iw im out of ammunition that wont matter I 1 aint cil cal cu culat latin ln to tire fire it it cut but hate haie to Ells elishea Eli shaa has mounting disapproval changed to consternation turning he faced eleazer say elenzer eleazer he be talt faltered ered depose spose we was to make a deal on this thin thing spose for the time abeln I 1 was to take over your job an you was to take over oer mine spose you did the thear arrest ln you seem to know a sight more bouthot bou bout bow to manage it than I 1 do you put on the badge you yon tell felt the thief to stick em up you put the pistol twist twixt his bis shoulders or wherever you think twill do the tha most good an you snap the handcuffs on him ill see aou ou got ct full c credit for it Mein meanwhile lille it if theres a fire bre or an undertaking under job ill manage ann ango sera cm somehow floater eleazer shook ills head that do losli no way in thy world he object objected we cant go ln offices voted us by the town folks like it was 1 I a common citizen to shoot the criminal id likely he hauled up for murder im willin to stand by aou ou to the extent of coln along an all keepin I 1 you company but you must be the one that bears the brunt of the job you aint told me yet none of the de tails of this business if im botn hlll to help hell you id aughter oughter be jolt told eert ei or thing lID about it who Is the criminal an where Is ile he an all howd you come to get trail track of him alas the questions were the vcr ones ellsha lad hoped to escape answering nevertheless he knew of no nay to evade eade ills his confederates curiosity reluctantly cautiously he poured out ills his story and was rewarded to see the other town ton official gape at him openmouthed open mouthed bless my lily soul lie he reiterated eless my soult soul I 1 who would a 3 drempt it he burst out when lea he could contain himself no ion longer er al I 1 never did like that feller heath I 1 suspected from the first there wa wig something wrong about him Il robly lie he has queer eyes you can always spot a criminal by his eos kinder kidder shifty sarty an fishy I 1 understand human nature tills this heath reller feller now I 1 understand him so then araps you can foretell what lies hes likely to do when I 1 arret arrest him film put in ili ellsha eagerly its better I 1 tell you nt be wise we must do our duty no matter what comes of it elyshas Ells has knees weakened beneath him seems tu to me went on eleazer that stead of here dis discussion cussin tile the calamities of the future better be gettin on to your house youve got of to put on other clot clothes bei the press most likely will want to photograph you then you must hunt up your badge your handcuffs an all your paraphernalia id better cut across the field meantime an oil up my pistol debbe I 1 can Us fix it sost so st go off ill try an find you some cartridges too I 1 would lit want to stand by an see you struck down without your havin some borne slight defense poor as aa itis 11 with this dubious farewell eleazer bustled olt off across the dingle and was lost to sight lett left alone ellsha gloomily pursued ills bis way to ills his own cottage I 1 90 1 of G to ill i ili you peep about this outside may ellen and entering it by the lie side door passed through the back hall ball and upstairs going to the closet he took out his sunday suit shook it and with the air of one making ready his shroud spread it upon the bel bed next lie produced produce a boiled shirt a collar and a black tie it tool took him some time to assemble these infrequently used accessories ile he went downstairs to hunt up his badge and handcuffs these lie kept in the drawer of the tall secretary in the sitting room to his consternation the drawer was empty I 1 and not only was it empty but it had bad been left open as if i a marauder posse possessed ed of sticky hands liandi had heitl hastily abandoned I 1 it unwilling inZ to believe the articles nere rone gone elisha peered feverish ly into every corner the piece of furniture contained rut but beyond a thick illicit coating of dust nothing re added hla his search at length its a last resort lie he reluctantly luct antly shouted for may blay ellen will wal sir air may ellen chos hos been ex tills this secretory secretary of mine some of the things that aughter oughter be in it aint blustered he be my handcuffs an sheriffs sherif fr badge mercy on us you dont tell me a crimes been committed in wll wit ton I 1 I 1 kliess guess its the first tinie time in all tile the towns history wont follis folks be agog stir up the whole community you peep about this outside may ellen ellsha cati can cloned was you to no end or of harm harai might lii ise done the alie criminal you see la 13 still at large al nn we want to trap hira him fore lie he suspects ia were ere after him now bout the badge nn fin handcuffs you see how important I 1 should have em they was uns in the draper an the place pince is up fill an sticky as if some person inho ho liau had no busl busi ness med maddlin dlin had overhauled it IL its that miserable tommy caboon Ca lioun interrupted may ilay illen ills mother left him an winie willie here with me a week ago I 1 finhen she went to sawyer linkla choppin shop piu pin tho the little monkeys must a indoors alion ten I 1 lookin au an took that eliat an the handcuffs im sor ry last I 1 saw of the imps they was out yonder under tile the apple trees spose me e have a look there almost beside himself with avith do an indignation he dared not voice ellsha followed may hay ellen out of doors yes trampled into the sodden ground around lay the badge bade there too liy lay the handcuffs tightly sn snipped ripped together and without NIt hout a trace of it a key to unlock them misha dubiously eyed the mud dy objects well at least thought he everything ever thing was not lost lie ile had bad gained time to wear his badge until a new pin was soldered to it was out of tile the question in addition tile the handcuffs were of no ito use at all un less a key hey could be found to un lock them As lie turned to reenter re enter the house meaner hailed him ive had the devil of 0 a time with this revolver announced he puff putting into the sard aard and jauntily flourishing the weapon then regard ing ills his comrades greenish countenance he remarked abruptly say Nh ats the matter with you elsh elisha told his story wat val it if that aint the ole harry fumed kietzer KI eazer coln to ball us all up theres no use doin this thing if it aint done in 14 bang up style we got to get that badge soldered an them handcuffs unlocked fore ore another move can be made I 1 spose debbe nate harlow over to Cel Bel leport could help us out an go all over town the predicament the wilton sheriff wa was s in no sir ee not it if I 1 know it it the only thing to do Is to motor to sawyer falls an hunt up pete mcgrath lIc Gratti the blacksmith iles hes a wizard with tools I 1 never knew no job to stump slump illin him yet hell know what to do accordingly tile the two tivo wen men set forth on their errand they rode in uncomfortable silence until the white spire of the sawyer falls church appeared and rounding the bend bead of the lie road the car rolled into the town the small shed where the forge stood was close by the railroad tracks and its as lie he pulled up before it ellsha espied through its doorway not only peter mcgrath the blacksmith but also the rotund figure of artie nickerson the saw yer falls station ag gent agent they went in and after the usual greetings misha bilsha stated his errand McGrat ll took the liand handcuffs cuffs and badge to the light and examined them Il humph looks as it if been in some sort ofa of a scrimmage he commented hut but ill start on seal cm straight away I 1 aint busy on noth ln in that cant be ba put aside ellaba and eleazer strolled over to a box and sat down to walt wait illow are you art klisha inquired say you have a nephew or a cousin soc with a pollee police force cennie bennie you mean oil yes lies iles a policeman out in chicago just now dow lies hes laid up in the hospital but lie he aspects to be out again fore long got shot through the arm ami a couple of weeks week sago ago winged by a stray bullet while chasin up a guy that had broke into a store the shrimp hit him luckily lie ile lill kill him ren eon thou thought lit he got off pretty easy elyshas Ells lias has smile faded these fellers at large now dont give a haug who they murder went on the station agent affably a desperate crew as soon L bill 1111 you as not bennie landed his man though tres ires done great work on the force been shot three or four times while on duty taint int a callin I 1 myself would choose but he seems to get a big kick hick out of 0 it rl ellelia Ells islia lia pale to the lips suddenly decided he had heard enough ot of bentile and shifted the subject spose youre still coln round in ID the same old treadmill over at the station art he observed yep same ole rut ive had though a bit more telegraph ln tn to do of late than formerly ngow kaow a wier feller over to wilton named ileath hes sent bent ot off several wires lives la in new york at one cone 0 of t li e alg b 1 a hotels ne rant a wire to h hl 1 s wife e I 1 flar big wife e ile he signed him ir stanley nn an addre ed it to mrs stanley heath you dont say news to me beishi cried artle artie gr stifled sit nt heeln berins he had and created a sensation beamed broadly course I 1 aint permitted to ill dl bulge messages that po go through my iny hands confidential but for that I 1 could tell you so methin that th it would make your eyes pup pop outer their sockets 11 No methIn about ri neath cath So something methin lie said in a tee ram ulisha had an inspiration spose I 1 was to ask you officially lie suggested spose its important for me to know what wis was in that message spose I 1 demanded you tell me in the amme mme of the law rm im ashin you yon as sheriff of the town of wilton oil oh kliots different the wire was just sent to a friend the part that astonished me was I 1 its begin alno ain it ran so methIn like this sate safe on cape with willi my lady shall return with tier later laler what interested me droned dronek artie was ubo lio this lady could be 10 ileath heath apparently Is a married man what business has he in tas gln ili after some wilton woman an her back to new york with igini lie he goes lie ile aint got no business doln it gleazer shouted iles hes a blackguard chats ahat he be Is iut tit dont you worry artie lie aint gow to put no such scurvy trick over on any wilton woman me an Lis lill see to that ilow how much more tin Lerin have you kit got to do on them trinkets is pete the sheriff an me is in a hurry to get home have to give me a good halt half hour more more mean we wont fetch up at wilton til after dark eleazer fretted theres There 8 no use coln up in the air an ralin pete nil all up eleazer Hl eazer ellsha intervened well just have to lie be patient an put off what wh at we was blannin pl annin to do until tomorrow I 1 reckon be a 11 etter time anyway certainly twill do just a as well alf abbe eleazer grumbled still im disappointed wal that belu bela the case spose you an me step over to the drug store while were ha hangin rigin round an do them errands we mentioned ellsha elisha agreed A taint faint hush flush had crept back bach into hla his cheeks and his ebes had regained their light of hope ile he had wrested from fate another twelve helve hours of life and life was sweet CHAPTER VII DAWN AWN was breaking over wil ton when a trim motor car bearing a new york number plate slipped quietly into the village and drew up at the town garage from it stepped a man small and somewhat bent may I 1 leave my car here he inquired of 0 the lad who was sweeping out the bull building ding sure fill her up for me please and you might clean her a bit can you tell me where a mr beath Is staying ileath keathl the chap who ran aground on the crocker cove sand bar lies iles over to the widders |