Part 13 (1/2)
”Is it as bad as that?” asked the man
”Oh, it's worse,” cried The Oskaloosa Kid ”It's a thousand times worse
Don't make me tell you, for if I do tell I shall have to leave you, and--and, oh, Bridge, I don't want to leave you--ever!”
They had reached the door of the cabin now and were looking in past the girl who had halted there as Giova entered Before the brown bear was chained
”Behold our ghost of last night!” exclaih, I'd as soon have hunted a real ghost in the dark as to have run into this fellow”
”Did you know last night that it was a bear?” asked the Kid ”You told Giova that you followed the footprints of herself and her bear; but you had not said anything about a bear to us”
”I had an idea last night,” explained Bridge, ”that the sounds were produced by so a chain; but I couldn't prove it and so I said nothing, and then thisthe trail I made up ued that such was the case The first is that I don't believe in ghosts and that even if I did I would not expect a ghost to leave footprints in the mud, and the other is that I knew that the footprints of a bear are strangely similar to those of the naked feet of irl I was sure that e had heard last night was nothing more nor less than a trained bear The dress and appearance of the dead man lent themselves to a furtherance of ers added still further proof”
Within the roo ferociously at the strangers Giova crossed the roo to assure him that the newcomers were friends; but the wicked expression upon the beast's face gave no indication that he would ever accept theht but enemies
It was a breathless Willie who broke into hisfro, hard run
”Fer lan' sakes!” exclaiot 'e for the telephone
”Fer lan' sakes! I should think you did hev 'em,” retorted his mother as she trailed after hiot, you got 'eht where you air 'n' tell ot 'Taint likely it's h ain't 'theasped--horrified ”Fer lan' sakes, Willie Case, you co in your head”
She ed and reached the telephone
”Shucks!” he cried ”I ain't got nothin' in my head,” nor did either sense the unconscious hu o'
thieves an'city deetectiff to come arter 'eht of her e the bell to attract central Finally he obtained his connection, which ith Jonas Pri his headquarters Here he learned that Burton had not returned; but finally gave hisa proentleman that he would be personally responsible for the payment of the reward What Willie Case told Jonas Prim had the latter in asouthward from Oakdale inside of ten minutes
A short distance out from town they met detective Burton with his two prisoners After a hurried consultation Dopey Charlie and The General were unloaded and started on the reuard of two of the deputies, while Burton's co a seat beside Priail is,” Mr Pri to Burton, ”and that this Oskaloosa Kid is with her, and another irl He told a wild story about seeing the a dead man in the woods back of Squibbs' place I don't kno much to believe, or whether to believe any of it; but we can't afford not to run down every clew I can't believe thatwith such ot a clean mind, and her little escapades have always been entirely harmless--at worst some sort of boyish prank
I simply won't believe it until I see it withheld by force”
Burton made no reply He was not a ely due to the fact that he assu; but ly until he had a foundation of fact upon which to operate His theory was that the sied thebased on guesswork Burton never guessed He assumed that it was his business to KNOW, nor was he on any case long before he did know He was eail Priht ht not prove a clew to her whereabouts; but each must be run down in the process of eli it
Already he had solved one of them to his satisfaction; and Dopey Charlie and The General were, all unknown to theallows for the s When Burton had found the sleep behind the bushes beside the road his observant eyes had noticed so that resembled a hurried cache The excuse of a lost note book had taken his's cri and hastily buried in a shallow hole
When Burton and Jonas Prim arrived at the Case far ered before theh the woods toward the spot where they were to bag their prey The last hundred yards was made on hands and knees; but when the party arrived at the clearing there was no one in sight, only the hovel stood mute and hollow-eyed before them
”They must be inside,” whispered Willie to the detective
Burton passed a whispered word to his followers Stealthily they crept through the underbrush until the cabin was surrounded; then, at a signal from their leader they rose and advanced upon the structure