第29章
Then when I saw the Gypsy girl I was sure that what we 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 my belief and the wisp of brown hair clutched in his fingers added still further proof."Within the room the bear was now straining at his collar and growling ferociously at the strangers.Giova crossed the room, scolding him and at the same time attempting 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 them as aught but enemies.
It was a breathless Willie who broke into his mother's kitchen wide eyed and gasping from the effects of ex-citement and a long, hard run.
"Fer lan' sakes!" exclaimed Mrs.Case."Whatever in the world ails you?""I got 'em; I got 'em!" cried Willie, dashing for the telephone.
"Fer lan' sakes! I should think you did hev 'em," re-torted his mother as she trailed after him in the direc-tion of the front hall."'N' whatever you got, you got 'em bad.Now you stop right where you air 'n' tell me what-ever you got.'Taint likely its measles, fer you've hed them three times, 'n' whoopin' cough ain't 'them,' it's 'it,'
'n'--." Mrs.Case paused and gasped--horrified."Fer lan'
sakes, Willie Case, you come right out o' this house this minute ef you got anything in your head." She made a grab for Willie's arm; but the boy dodged and reached the telephone.
"Shucks!" he cried."I ain't got nothin' in my head,"nor did either sense the unconscious humor of the state-ment."What I got is a gang o' thieves an' murderers, an'
I'm callin' up thet big city deetectiff to come arter 'em."Mrs.Case sank into a chair, prostrated by the weight of her emotions, while Willie took down the receiver af-ter ringing the bell to attract central.Finally he ob-tained his connection, which was with Jonas Prim's bank where detective Burton was making his headquarters.
Here he learned that Burton had not returned; but fi-nally gave his message reluctantly to Jonas Prim after exacting a promise from that gentleman that he would be personally responsible for the payment of the reward.
What Willie Case told Jonas Prim had the latter in a machine, with half a dozen deputy sheriffs and speed-ing southward from Oakdale inside of ten minutes.
A short distance out from town they met detective Burton with his two prisoners.After a hurried consulta-tion Dopey Charlie and The General were unloaded and started on the remainder of their journey afoot un-der guard of two of the deputies, while Burton's com-panions turned and followed the other car, Burton tak-ing a seat beside Prim.
"He said that he could take us right to where Abigail is," Mr.Prim was explaining to Burton, "and that this Oskaloosa Kid is with her, and another man and a for-eign looking girl.He told a wild story about seeing them burying a dead man in the woods back of Squibbs' place.I don't know how 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 that my daugh-ter is wilfully consorting with such men.She always has been full of life and spirit; but she's got a clean mind, and her little escapades have always been en-tirely harmless--at worst some sort of boyish prank.Isimply won't believe it until I see it with my own eyes.
If she's with them she's being held by force."Burton made no reply.He was not a man to jump to conclusions.His success was largely due to the fact that he assumed nothing; but merely ran down each clew quickly yet painstakingly until he had a foundation of fact upon which to operate.His theory was that the simplest way is always the best way and so he never be-fogged the main issue with any elaborate system of de-ductive reasoning based 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 employed now to find Abigail Prim.Each of the sev-eral crimes committed the previous night might or might not prove a clew to her whereabouts; but each must be run down in the process of elimination before Burton could feel safe in abandoning it.
Already he had solved one of them to his satisfac-tion; and Dopey Charlie and The General were, all un-known to themselves, on the way to the gallows for the murder of Old John Baggs.When Burton had found them simulating sleep behind the bushes beside the road his observant eyes had noticed something that resem-bled a hurried cache.The excuse of a lost note book had taken him back to investigate and to find the loot of the Baggs's crime wrapped in a bloody rag and hastily buried in a shallow hole.
When Burton and Jonas Prim arrived at the Case farm they were met by a new Willie.A puffed and important young man swaggered before them as he retold his tale and led them through 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 detec-tive.
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.
No evidence of life indicated their presence had been noted, and Burton came to the very door of the cabin unchallenged.The others saw him pause an instant upon the threshold and then pass in.They closed be-hind him.Three minutes later he emerged, shaking his head.
"There is no one here," he announced.
Willie Case was crestfallen."But they must be," he pleaded."They must be.I saw 'em here just a leetle while back."Burton turned and eyed the boy sternly.Willie quailed."I seen 'em," he cried."Hones' I seen 'em.They was here just a few minutes ago.Here's where they bur-rit the dead man," and he pointed to the little mound of earth near the center of the clearing.