第30章
"We'll see," commented Burton, tersely, and he sent two of his men back to the Case farm for spades.When they returned a few minutes' labor revealed that so much of Willie's story was true, for a quilt wrapped corpse was presently unearthed and lying upon the ground beside its violated grave.Willie's stock rose once more to par.
In an improvised litter they carried the dead man back to Case's farm where they left him after notifying the coroner by telephone.Half of Burton's men were sent to the north side of the woods and half to the road upon the south of the Squibbs' farm.There they sep-arated and formed a thin line of outposts about the entire area north of the road.If the quarry was within it could not escape without being seen.In the mean time Burton telephoned to Oakdale for reinforcements, as it would require fifty men at least to properly beat the tangled underbrush of the wood.
o o o In a clump of willows beside the little stream which winds through the town of Payson a party of four halted on the outskirts of the town.There were two men, two young women and a huge brown bear.The men and women were, obviously, Gypsies.Their clothing, their head-dress, their barbaric ornamentation proclaimed the fact to whoever might pass; but no one passed.
"I think," said Bridge, "that we will just stay where we are until after dark.We haven't passed or seen a human being since we left the cabin.No one can know that we are here and if we stay here until late to-night we should be able to pass around Payson unseen and reach the wood to the south of town.If we do meet anyone to-night we'll stop them and inquire the way to Oakdale --that'll throw them off the track."The others acquiesced in his suggestion; but there were queries about food to be answered.It seemed that all were hungry and that the bear was ravenous.
"What does he eat?" Bridge asked of Giova.
"Mos' anything," replied the girl."He like garbage fine.Often I take him into towns late, ver' late at night an' he eat swill.I do that to-night.Beppo, he got to be fed or he eat Giova.I go feed Beppo, you go get food for us; then we all meet at edge of wood just other side town near old mill."During the remainder of the afternoon and well after dark the party remained hidden in the willows.Then Giova started out with Beppo in search of garbage cans, Bridge bent his steps toward a small store upon the outskirts of town where food could be purchased, The Oskaloosa Kid having donated a ten dollar bill for the stocking of the commissariat, and the youth and the girl made their way around the south end of the town toward the meeting place beside the old mill.
As Bridge moved through the quiet road at the out-skirts of the little town he let his mind revert to the events of the past twenty four hours and as he pon-dered each happening since he met the youth in the dark of the storm the preceding night he asked him-self why he had cast his lot with these strangers.In his years of vagabondage Bridge had never crossed that in-visible line which separates honest men from thieves and murderers and which, once crossed, may never be re-crossed.Chance and necessity had thrown him often among such men and women; but never had he been of them.The police of more than one city knew Bridge--they knew him, though, as a character and not as a criminal.A dozen times he had been arraigned upon suspicion; but as many times had he been released with a clean bill of morals until of late Bridge had become al-most immune from arrest.The police who knew him knew that he was straight and they knew, too, that he would give no information against another man.For this they admired him as did the majority of the crim-inals with whom he had come in contact during his rovings.
The present crisis, however, appeared most unprom-ising to Bridge.Grave crimes had been committed in Oakdale, and here was Bridge conniving in the escape of at least two people who might readily be under po-lice suspicion.It was difficult for the man to bring him-self to believe that either the youth or the girl was in any way actually responsible for either of the murders;yet it appeared that the latter had been present when a murder was committed and now by attempting to elude the police had become an accessory after the fact, since she possessed knowledge of the identity of the actual murderer; while the boy, by his own admission, had committed a burglary.
Bridge shook his head wearily.Was he not himself an accessory after the fact in the matter of two crimes at least? These new friends, it seemed, were about to topple him into the abyss which he had studiously avoided for so long a time.But why should he permit it? What were they to him?
A freight train was puffing into the siding at the Pay-son station.Bridge could hear the complaining brakes a mile away.It would be easy to leave the town and his dangerous companions far behind him; but even as the thought forced its way into his mind another obtruded itself to shoulder aside the first.It was recollection of the boy's words: "Oh, Bridge, I don't want to leave you--ever."
"I couldn't do it," mused Bridge."I don't know just why; but I couldn't.That kid has certainly got me.The first thing someone knows I'll be starting a foundlings'
home.There is no question but that I am the soft mark, and I wonder why it is--why a kid I never saw before last night has a strangle hold on my heart that Ican't shake loose--and don't want to.Now if it was a girl I could understand it." Bridge stopped suddenly in the middle of the road.From his attitude he might have been startled either by a surprising noise or by a surpris-ing thought.For a minute he stood motionless; then he shook his head again and proceeded along his way to-ward the little store; evidently if he had heard anything he was assured that it constituted no menace.