Part 11 (1/2)
”Down to the Squibbs' place,” and Willie jerked a dirty thumb toward the east
”Not now,” said Burton; ”we just ca, for there is still a fire in the kitchen range Does anyone live there?”
”I should say not,” said Willie eht,” interjected Jeb ”Thet's what they do say, an' this here Oskaloosie Kid said they heered things las' night an' seed a dead man on the floor, didn't he M'randy?” M'randy nodded her head
”But I don't take no stock in what Willie's ben tellin' ye,” she continued, ”'n' ef his paw don't lick hiood an' tired o' talkin' thet one liar 'round a place wuz all I could stand,” and she cast a lance at her husband
”Honest, Maw, I ain't a-lyin',” insisted Willie ”Wot do you suppose he give me this fer, if it wasn't to keep me from talkin',” and the boy drew a crumpled one dollar bill from his pocket It orth the dollar to escape a thrashi+ng
”He give you thet?” asked his mother Willie nodded assent
”'N' thet ain't all he had neither,” he said ”Beside all them bills he showed s thet I don't know jest what you call 'em; but they looked like they was made outen the inside o' clam shells only they was all round like marbles”
Detective Burton raised his eyebrows ”Miss Prim's pearl necklace,” he commented to the man at his side The other nodded ”Don't punish your son, Mrs Case,” he said to the woreat deal that will help us in locating the man ant Of course I a Miss Pried me for that purpose; but I think the arrest of the perpetrators of any of last night's cri lady, as it is alone conclusion that there is a connection between her disappearance and some of the occurrences which have so excited Oakdale I do not mean that she was a party to any criminal act; but it is more than possible that she was abducted by the same men who later co open-mouthed upon his words, while his companions wondered at the loquaciousness of this ordinarily close- to win the confidence of the boy on the chance that even now he had not told all that he knew; but Willie had told all
Finding, after a few lean no additional information the detective returned to his car and drove west toward Millsville on the assuitives would seek escape by the railway running through that village Only thus could he account for their turning off the uarded all the way to Payson; while the Millsville road was still open
No sooner had he departed than Willie Case disappeared, nor did he answer at noon to the repeated ringing of the big, farm dinner bell
Half way between the Case far the road, two figures scale a fence and disappear behind the fringing blackberry bushes which grew in tangled profusion on either side When they came abreast of the spot he ordered the driver to stop; but though he scanned the open field carefully he saw no sign of living thing
”There are twobehind those bushes,” he said to his companions in a lohisper ”One of you walk ahead about fifty yards and the other go back the sa over I'll cliet away froun If they o after 'em You can shoot if they don't stop when you tell 'e the road, and when Burton saw them turn in and start to climb the fence he vaulted over the panel directly opposite the car He had scarcely alighted upon the other side when his eyes fell upon the disreputable figures of two tra audibly Burton grinned
”You two sure can go to sleep in a hurry,” he said One of the men opened his eyes and sat up When he saho it was that stood over hiuy lie down fer a minute in de bushes widout bein' pinched?”
he asked The other man now sat up and viewed the newcomer, while from either side Burton's companions closed in on the three
”Wot's de noise?” inquired the second tra from one to another of the intruders ”We ain't done nothin'”
”Of course not, Charlie,” Burton assured hiaily ”Who would ever suspect that you or The General would do anything; but soht and I want to take you back there and have a nice, long talk with you Put your hands up!”
”We--”
”Put 'erinalled to his co more formidable than knives, dope, and a needle were found upon them
”Say,” drawled Dopey Charlie ”We knoe knows; but hones' to gae didn't have nothin' to do wid it We knows the guy that pulled it off--we spent las' night wid him an' his pal an' a skoit He creasedand exposed to view the bloody scratch of The Oskaloosa Kid's bullet ”On de level, Burton, ern't in on it Dis guy was at dat Squibbs' place e pulls in dere outen de rain He has a pocket full o' kale an' sparklers an' tings, and he goes fer to shoot et away”
”Who was he?” asked Burton