,AfWdD!
OF THE
THREECB
BY IUTE AND VIRGIL D.
COPYOJGur BY A CMiCLUQG St CO. 907
r.cet in iront was rapidly filling.
One would hardly have dared to shoot
then if one had meant to. And he
did not know. He only knew that
64iltry had been in the air for Gor-
fcorOn Unlefcked the 66P Quietly.
good ud all. It was no longer safe to
be within. Gordon was the last one
out. He carried a battered little tea
kettle in his hand. He looked at it In
a whimsical surprise as if he had not
known until then that he had it in his
banti. Obeying a sudden impulse, he
held it out to Louise.
"Please take care of my poor little
dream," he whispered with a strange.
Intent look.
Before she could comprehend the
significance or give answer, the judge
had faced about. He bore the girls
back to the hotel, scolding helplessly
all the way as they scudded with the
jriml. Rut Louise held the little tin
kettle firmljS
: Ivlcn knew of Richard Gordon that
night that he was a marked man. The
secret workings of a secret clan had
him on their proscription list. Some
.one had at last found this unwearied
and doggedly persistent young fellow
in the way. In the way, he was a
menace, -a danger. He must be re
moved from out the way. He could
not be bought from it he should be
warned from it. So now his home
his work room and his rest room, the
first by many hours daily the more in
use, with all its furnishings of bache
lor plainness and utility, that yet had
held a curious charm for some men, j
friends and cronies like Langford
was burning that he might be warned.
Could any one say, "Jesse Black has
done this thing?" Would he not bring
down proof of. guilt by a retaliation
struck too soon? It would seem as if
he were anticipating an unfavorable
verdict. So men reasoned. And even
then they did not arise to stamp out
the evil that had endured and hugged
Itself and spit out corruption in th
cattle country. That was reserved for
another.
They talked of a match thrown
down at the court-house by a tramp,
likely when it was past midnight,
when the fire broke out with the wind
a piercing gale, and when no vagrant
but had long since left such cold com
fort and had slept these many weeks
In sunnier climes. Some argued that
the windows of the court-room might
have been left open and the stove
blown down by the wind tearing
through, or the stove door might have
blown open and remains of the fire
been blown out, or the pipe might
have f3llen down. But it was a little
odd that the same people said Dick
Gordon's office likely caught fire from
flying sparks. Dick's office was two
blocks to westward of the court-house
and it would have been a brave spark
and a lively one that could have made
headway against that northwester.
CHAPTER XIX.
The Escape.
The little county seat awoke in the
raorntn to a stranga sight. The
Ktnrn In i not abated. The wind was.
tni hiov.-ras at blizzard tale- iTfT' Che
nofiiisrwiiSTand line, icy snow was
swirllns so thickly through the cold
air that vision was obstructed. Build
ing were distinguishable enly as shad
ows shov.ir.c; faintly through a heavy
white veil. The thermometer had gone
many decrees below the zero mark. It
was steadily growing celdcr. The cid
er inhabitants said it would surely
break the record the coining night.
An immense fire had been built in
the s'utirtir-reom. Thither Mary and
Louijo repaired. Here they were
joinc I by Dale, Langford and Gordon.
"Yen shcuhl be out at the ranch
looking after your roor cattle, Mr.
Langfcrd." said Mary, smilingly. She
could be light-hearted now since a lit
tle secret had been whispered to her
last night nt a tea rrty where no
tea had been drunk. Langford had
gravitated toward her as naturally
as steel to a magnet. He shrugged his
big shoulders and laughed a little.
"The Scribe will do everything that
can be dene. Honest, now, did you
think this trial could be pulled off
without me?"
"But there can be no trial to-day."
"Why not?"
"Did I dream the court-house burned
last nlsbt""
&
"Then how can you hold court?"
"We have gone back to the time
when church and state were one and
inseparable, and court convenes at 10
o'clock sharp in the meeting-house,"
he said.
Louise was looking white and mis
erable. "You are not contemplating running
away, are you?" asked Gordon. "This
is unusual weather really."
She looked at him with a pitiful
smile.
"I should like to be strong and
brave and enduring and capable like
Mary. You don't believe it, do you?
It's true, though. But I can't. I'm
3'ak and homesick and cold. I ought
tn Vi4va ."nmo. I am not th vi--
You said.1- ' i. - - I
--, juu nuvTT, A goiug
home just as soon as this court Is
over. I mean it."
There was no mistaking that. Gor
don bowed his head. His face was
white. It had come sooner than he
had thought.
All the records of the work yester
day, had been burned. There was noth
ing to do but begin at the beginning
again. It was discouraging, uninter
esting. But it h.ad to be done. Dale
refused positlveiy to adjourn. The
jurymen were all here. So the little
frame church was bargained for. If
the fire-bugs had thought to postpone
events to gain time by last night's
work, they would find themselves very
greatly mistaken. The church was
long and narrow like a country school
house, and rather roomy considering
the size of the town. It had precise
windows also like a country school
house four on the west side, through
which the fine snow was drifting, four
opposite. The storm kept few at
home with the Ciioji of the people ;
iioDi across me hvim. incie wtic
enough staying in the town to fill the
room to its utmost limits. Standing
room was at a premium. The entry
was crowded. Men not able to get in
ploughed back through the cutting
wind and snow only to return present
ly to see if the situation had changed
any during their brief absence. So
all the work of yesterday was gone
over again.
So close was the pack of people that
the fire roaring in the big stove in the
middle of the room was allowed to
sink in smouldering quiet. The heavy
air had been unbearable else. The
snow that had been brought in on
tramping feet lay in little melted
pools on the rough flooring. Men for
got to eat peanuts and women forgot
to chew their gum except one or two
extremely nervous ones whose jaws
moved the faster under the stimulus
of hysteria. Jesse Black was telling
his story.
"Along toward the 1st of last July,
I took a hike out into the Indian coun
try to buy a few head o' cattle. I
trade considerable with the half
breeds around Crow creek and Lower
Brule. They're always for sellin and
if it comes to a show-down never hag
gle much about the lucre it all goes
for snake-juice anyway. Well, I landed
at John Yellow Wolf's shanty along
about noon and found there was oth
ers ahead of me. Yellow Wolf always
was a popular cuss. There was Char
lie Nightbird, Pete Monroe, Jesse Big
Cloud and two or three others whose
mugs I did not happen to be onto.
After our feed, we all strolled out to
the corral. Yellow Wolf said he had
bought a likely little bunch from some
English feller who was skipping the
i country starved out and homesick
and hadn't put 'em on the range yet.
He said J R was the English feller's
! brand. I didn't suspicion no under
hand dealin's. Yellow Wolf's always
treated me white before, so I bar
gained for this here chap and three or
four others and then pulled out for
; home driving the bunch. They fed at
I home for a-epeH-and then I decided to
! put 'em on the .wire.- On -the way I
! fell in "v'Ii Billy Brown here. He
,-Ts"Cead set on havin the lot to fill in
I the chinks of the two car loads he was
; shippin', so I up and lets him have
j 'em. I showed him this here bill-o'-I
sale from Yellow Wolf and made him
; out one from me, and that was all
; there was to it. He rode to Velpen
1 and I turned on my trail."
! It was a straight story, and appar
t ently damaging for the prosecution. It
j corroborated the attestations cf other
i witnesses manyothers. It had a
! plausible ring to it. Two bills of sale
I radiated atmospheric legality. If there
I had been dirty work it must have orig
I inted with that renegade half-breed,
i Yellow Wolf. Ar.3 Yellow Wolf was
j dead. He had died while serving a
! term in the penitentiary for cattle
j rustling. Uncle Sam himself had set
i the seal upon him and now he was
j dead. Th'.3 insinuated charge he
could not answer. The finality cf it
seemed toset its stamp upon the peo
ple gathered there upon the 12 good
men and true, as well as upon others.
Yellow Wolf was dead. George Wil
liston was dead. Their secrets had
died with them. An inscrutable fate
had lowered the veil. Who could
pierce it? One might believe, but who
could know? And the law required
knowledge.
"Is Charlie KightbiTd " present?"
asked Small, casting rather anxious
eyes over the packed, Intent faces.
Charlie Nightbird was not present. At
least he made no sign of coming for
ward. The face of the young counsel
for the state was Immobile during the
brief lime they waited for Charlie
Nightbird whose dark, frozen face
at that moment turned toward the
cold, sparkling sky. and who would
never come, not if they waited for
him till the last dread trump of the
last dread day.
There was some mistake. Counsel
had been misinformed. Nightbird
was an important witness. He had
been reported present. Never mind.
He was probably unavoidably detained
by the storm. They would call Jesse
Big Cloud and others to corroborate
the defendant's statements which
they did, and the story was sustained
in all Its parts, major and minor. Then
the defense rested.
Richard ' Gordon arose from his
chair. His face was white. His lean
jaws were set. His eyes were steel.
He was anything but a lover now, this
man Gordon. Yet the slim little court
reporter with dark circles of home
sickness under her eyes bad never
loved him half so well as at this mo
ment. His voice was clear and de
liberate. "Your honor. I ask Dermisslon of
the court to call a witness in direct j
!:iIIZ7, J, f 8 your 119391- that J
tLe state1 had used all efforts in Its j
power to Main the presence of this j
witness befdre resting Its case, but j
had failed and believed at the time ;
that he could not be Produced. The I
witness la Bow here and X consider !
his testimony of the utmost Impor
tance in this case."
Counsel for the defendant objected
strenuously, but the court granted the
petition. He wanted to hear every
thing that might throw some light on
the dark places in the evidence.
"I call Mr. George Williston," said
Gordon. 1
He paused a moment in n'.B recital.
Faces strained with expectancy de
voured him his every look and word
and action. Mary was very pale, car
ried thus back to the dread realities
of that night in August, and shud
dered, remembering that ghastly gal
loping. Langford could scarce re
strain himself. He wanted to rip out
a blood-curdling Sioux war-whoop on
the spot.
- "Who was this man, Mr. Williston?" f
asked Gordon.
"Jesse Black." ,
Small was on his feet again, gesticu- ,
lating wildly.
"I object! This is all a fabrication, i
put in here to prejudice the minds of '
the jury against this defendant. It is
a pack of lies, and I move that it be .
stricken from the record."
The little lawyer bowed his head to !
the storm and shrugged up his shoul- i
ders. Perhaps he wished that he, or ;
his associates one of the unholy al- I
liance at leastwas where the wicked
cease from troubling, on the far-away
islands of the deep seas, possibly, or j
home on the farm. But his expression
told nothing.
"Gentlemen! gentlemen!" expostu-
lated Judge Dale. "Gentlemen! I in- j
sist. This is all out of order." Only !
one gentleman was out of order, but ;
that was the judge's way. Gordon had j
remained provokingly cool under the j
tirade. j
Again the soft, touch. Small fell ;
into his chair. He poured himself a !
glass of water from the pitcher stand- :
Ing on the attorneys' table and drank !
a little of it nervously. j
"I move," said the little lawyer, i
"that all this touching upon the per- ;
sonal matter of this witness and hav- j
ing to do with his private quarrels be j
stricken out of the evidence as net j
bearing on the case in question." j
All in vain. The judge ruled that it !
did bear on the case, and Williston
picked up the thread of his story. j
"We rode and rode hard it must I
have been hours; daylight was coming
before we stopped. Our horss were
spent. I had no idea where we were.
From the formation of the land, I
judged we were not far from the river.
We were surrounded by bluffs. I can
hardly make you see how clearly this
little retreat had been planned. It
was In a. valley one of n hundred
similar in all essential respects. The
gulch at the bottom of the valley was
heavily wooded with scrub-oak, Cot
tonwood, woodbine and plum trees,
and this tangle of foliage extended for
some distance up the sides cf the
hilla. In the miilst of this under
brush a most excellent screen was
a tiny cabin. In this tiny cabin I
have lived, a closely watched prisoner,
from that day until I escaped."
The defendant stirred a little uneas
ily. Was he thinking cf Nightbird
with the dark, frozen face who had
not answered to his call?
"Black left me soon after. He did
not unbind me, rather bound me the
tighter. There was no one then to
watch me. He deigned to inform me
that he had found it rather inconven
ient to kill me after the relief party
rode up, as then there was no abso
lute surety cf his making a clean get
away, and being caught in the act
would be bound to be unpleasant, very
unpleasant just then, so he had alter
ed his plans a little for the presont.
He gave me no hint either that time,
ncr either of the two time3 I saw him
subsequently, as to what wa3 to be his
ultimate disposal cf me. I could only
suppose that after this trial was well
over in his favor, and fear of indict
ment for arson and murder had blown
.over if blow over it did he would
then quietly put an end to me. Dead
men tell no tales. The shanty In the
gulch did not seem to be much of a
rendezvous for secret meetings. I led
a lonely existence. My jailers were
mostly half-breeds usually Charlie
Nightbird. Two or three times Jake
Sanderson was my guard."
Then from the doorway came a
loud, clear, resonant voice, a joyful
voice, a voice whose tones fairly oozed
rapture.
"Hellity damn! The Three Bars 'a
gettin' busy. Mouse hair!"
Judge Dale started. He glared
angrily in that direction.
"Remove that man!" he ordered,
curtly. He liked Jim, but he could
not brook this crying contempt of
court. Jim was removed. He went
quietly, but shaking his head reproach
fully. "I never would 'a' thought it o' the
jedge," he murmured, disconsolately.
"I never would 'a thought it."
There was a movement in the back
of the room. A man was making his
way out, slipping along, cat-like, try
ing to evade attention. Quietly Gor
don motioned to the sheriff and
slipped a paper into his hand.
"Look sharp," he whispered, his
steady eyes on the shifty ones of the
sheriff. "If you let him get away, just
remember the handwriting on the
wall. It's our turn now."
Presently there was a slight scuffle
by the door and two men quietly left
the Improvised court-room.
"Day before yesterday, in the after
noon," continued Williston, "I man
aged to knock Nightbird down at the
threshold as he was about to enter. I
had secretly worked a cross-beam
from the low, unflniaijed celling. There
wan nothing eise in the" room I might
use for a weapon. They were very
careful. I think I killed him, your
honor and gentlemen of the Jury. I
am not sorry. There was no other
way. But I would rather it had been
the maker, not the tool. By the time
I bad made ray way back to the Lazy
S I was too exhausted to go further;
so I crawled over to my neighbors,
the Whites, and Mother White made
me a shake-down. - I lay there, nearly
dead, until this morning.''
He leaned back wearily.
Black stood up. He "."as not lank
nor lazy n6W, nor shuffling. His body
Was drawn to its full height. In the
instant before the spring, Mary, who
was sitting close to the attorneys'
table, met his glance squarely. She
read there what he was about to do.
Only a moment their eyes held each
other's but it was time enough for a
swift message of understanding, of
utter dislike, and of a determined will
to defeat the man's purpose, to pass
from the accusing brown eyes to the
cruel ones of the defendant.
Quick as a flash Black seized the
chair upon which he had been sitting,
sprang clear of the table and his law
yers, and landed close to Mary's side.
With his chair as a weapon, he meant
to force his way to the nearest win
dow. Mary's dilated. Unhesitatingly
she seized the half-emptied glass on
the table and dashed the contents full
into the prisoner's face. Blinded, he
halted a moment in his mad rush.
Mary's quick maneuver made Lang
ford's opportunity. He grappled with
Black. The crowd went mad with ex
citement. The prisoner still retained his chair.
When Langford grappled with him, he
attempted to bring it down upon the
fair head of his antagonist. Mary
gasped with dread, but Langford
grasped the chair with one muscular
hand, wrested it from the desperado's
hold and threw it to the floor. The
two men locked in a close embrace.
Langford's great strength was more
than sufficient to hold the outlaw until
the dazed officers could do their duty
had he been let alone; but two men,
who had been standing near the door
Tho Game Vas On.
who had net seemed to. be. working st
when the prisoner made his unex
pected leap for liberty, had succeeded
in worming their way through the ex
cited crowd, and now suddenly threw
themselves upon the ranchman, drag
ging him back.
'"Stand aside cr I'll shoot!"
It was a giri's voice, clear ami firm.
Mary had b:en the first to realize that
Black's friends, not Lanvfcrd's haJ
joined in the struggle. She snatched
her revolver from her cowboy belt
she had not been without either since
the L?.zy S was burned and cried out
her challsnge. Glancing quickly from
the gTear.iing barrel to the determined
face cf the young girl, the men let go
tbtir hold of Langford and fell back
precipitately.
You Owe It
to your own
commnnitT
goods from your home mtrcliant ana stana oy
her business men. Yoa can always find the
announcements of representatirc business men
in these coinmns men who will stand back of
every statement and price they make.
Q
end strictly prohibits
the sale of alum
baking powder
So does France
So does Germany
The sale of alum foods
has been made illegal in Washington and the District of Colum
bia, and alum baking powders are everywhere recognized as
injurious. jq p,. yourself against alum,
when ordering baking powder,
and be very sure you get RoyaU'csssfc"
Royal is the only Baking Powder made from Royal Grape
Cream of Tartar. It adds to thcdigestibility and whole-
5
0
someness or the rood.
V
Louisville
From the Courier.
Born to Mr. and Mrs. Wes Taylor
April 22, a girl.
C. W. Spence was down from Have
lock forepart of the week visiting with
his family.
M. L. Williams spent Easter Sunday
at Beatrice with his little daughter who
is there attending school.
. Uncle Henry Lenhoff was down from
Lincoln one day last week visiting old
time friends and looking after his farm
south of town.
During the rain storm Thursday
lightning struck the steeple of the Ger
man Lutheran church west of town but
the damage was slight.
Mr. and Mrs George Fand returned
from Holdrege Friday. Mr. Rand ap
pears much improved in health. They
leave at once for a two weeks visit
with their daughter in South Dakota.
Mr. and Mrs. C. G. Clifford went to
Glenwood, Iowa, Thursday to attend
the funeral of Mrs. Dora ns and her son,
Andrew, both of them having died with
in a few hours of each other at the
home of Ed, Dorans near Lincoln. An
drew Dorans lived in Lotisville a num
ber of years ago and was foreman of
the teamster gang in the old W. H. B.
Stout quarries. The remains were tak
en to Glenwood for interment.
Gentle and Effective.
A well-knowu Manitoba editor writes:
"As an inside worker I find Chamber
lain's Stomach and Liver Tablets in
valuable for the touches of biliousness
natural to sedentary life, their action
being gentle and effective, clearing the
digestive tract and the head." Price,
25 cents. Samples free. F. G. Fricke
& Co.
From tbe Ledger.
Mrs. John Carper, who came in from
Denver last week to attend the funeral
of her father, departed for home Sat
urday. L. J. Hall and wife departed on Tues
day for Petersburg, Neb., to make sev
eral days visit with some of their rela
tives and friends.
Wes Clark was partially disabled a
few days ago by the explosion of a pop
bottle whereby his leg was injured, l.ut
no very serious damage resulted. "
Miss Mary Foster, county superin
tendent, was here Wednesday, having
been over to Avoca to visit ti e s:hooIs
She also visited the Ervin district cast
of here.
Mrs. T. G. Earnum went to L'.nco'n
Monday in rcspson to a message rtat
ing that her sister, Mrs. Emma Wal
lace, was seriously ill and that a ?urg"c
al operation was to be perfcr;ne;!.
George Graves of Murray r.arsad
through here on the Tuesday forenoon
train, bound fcr Earlksvii'e, OI;!horr.a !
to join the league bull tei.r.z vith v;l ich
he is under contract to pi?.y t 'tis.' esson. i
Mrs. Dave Lallue nr.J children dc-;
parted Monday njornir.z iV. their r.c.v ,
home at J'::vjt, Neb., where I.r.e
went some tin.e ngo end engaged ir. I he
blacksmith lusiness. Their nurr'c-rouo :
friends here hops the3' !nay Le pro.cr
ous and happy in their new loca tion.
Reese Dc-laney has piar.s drawn and j
contract let for the erection of a r.e .vi
residence to cost about $2,) on his j
lots east of the school building, and the
work will begin at once. W. B. Ban
ning is the contractor, and Joe ar.d
Emery Bauer are to do the carpenter
work.
. The Ladies of St. John's Church will
give a supper at Coates' Hall on the
I evening of Tuesday, May 19th.
ftx'rS .. . ,Ti)M el
m mi
" I
Nehawka
(From the IN-jflstcr.i
Wesley Mflgney returned from Okla
homa Tuesday evening. He sold one
of his farms to Alph Tucker and has
bought another. Verily Oklahoma 13 a
great place to make money.
Mr. and Mrs. A. L. Fries are the
happy parents of a little son born April
18. If Albert walks a trifle prouder
than usual and wears a large grin
with him, he has joined th smile club..
The Register extends congratulations..
Governor Sheldon accompanied by his
family, private secretary Mr. Dimery
and stenographer, Miss Kaup, came
down Friday evening to clean up a lot
of official business prior to' his depart
ure to the Pacific coast.
Mrs. J. M. Palmer returned home
Fiiday from Oskaloosa, Iowa, where
she has been the past three weeks with
Mrs. D. C. West who 13 in a hospital
there. She reports Mrs. West as get
ting along finely.
L. H. Young and his brother, liobert
shipped a carload of hogs to the South
Omaha market last week that macie a
record for them. They were of s jfVkier.t
importance to call for a ependid w.'ite
up in the Journal-Stockman.
Peter Opp vas in town Tuesday the
first time since he returned from Ex
celsior Springs. He reports that he is
feeling spendid and that he looks for
permanent relief at any rate he looks
better than he has for a year.
Henry and Jacob Wessel have receiv
ed word of the death of their father,
Mathics Wessel, March 22, st Suedau,
Holstein, Germany. Mr. Wessel was
nearly eighty-three years of ago. He
leaves a widow and five children, Jacob
Henry and Marcu3 of this neighbor
hood, and a son and a daughter near
the old home.
V!
mwooci
From trie Lemler-Kclio.
Dr. Neely has made several tripa to
Wabash this week to see Mrs. Van Every,
who is very sick with uraemic poironic.
Mrs. Amanda Bailey, whose health
has been very poor for the past three
months, .is now quite sick at the homo
of her daughter, Mrs. II. L. Grceso::.
Mrs. Wihiam Atchison ha3 so far re
covered from her long siege of typhoid
fever as to be able to ride to town Tues
day. Her many friends are glad to tee
her out again.
Mi?s Efile Wilson has just completed
a neat four-room cottcge on the "Hoi
lenbeck farm," northeast of low? to
take the place of the house th?-t burned
down this winter. Loren Parish will
farm the place this year.
Dr. Munger ha3 ordered an t'llomo
mobiie from Cincinnati, O , a o:;c-s-eattd
runabout, which he expects hero r.o::t
week. When Charley Glr.rp gci. his
touring car home from Washington,
ElmwooJ will have thix-o a-itom.oViles.
Harry WalU's rrlrl i.j a boy. "Grand
pa" Sa;;tonv r- excited when he told
us tho g'-'d news at first that we were
of the ( t.lnion that "he" was a girl,
but Leb;:ar declared yccterda that the
now arrival was a real republican hoy.
John R. I'aird, retired capitalist ar.d
farmer, ras rented the Ben HoiTnian
lots and planted thcrn to potatoes. He
expects to raise potatoes to burn, and
is no w in negotiations with the Missouri
Paciiic to build a switch to his potato
patch in tim2 to take care of the ship
ment of the crop to Southern Texas.
Good Pasturage
Good pasture in plenty, for
horses and cattle. Water in pasture.
Enquire of John Ruthford.