"I don't know," said Bridge, solemnly, "whether I'm safe in remaining in your society or not.This Oskaloosa Kid is a bad proposition; and as for you, young lady, Irather imagine that the town constable is looking for you right now."The girl winced."Please don't," she begged."I haven't done anything wicked, honestly! But I want to get away so that they can't question me.I was in the car when they killed him; but I had nothing to do with it.It is just because of my father that I don't want them to find me.It would break his heart."As the three stood back of the Squibbs' summer kitchen Fate, in the guise of a rural free delivery carrier and a Ford, passed by the front gate.A mile beyond he stopped at the Case mail box where Jeb and his son Willie were, as usual, waiting his coming, for the rural free delivery man often carries more news than is con-tained in his mail sacks.
"Mornin' Jeb," he called, as he swerved his light car from the road and drew up in front of the Case gate.
"Mornin', Jim!" returned Mr.Case."Nice rain we had last night.What's the news?""Plenty! Plenty!" exclaimed the carrier."Lived here nigh onto forty year, man an' boy, an' never seen such work before in all my life.""How's that?" questioned the farmer, scenting some-thing interesting.
"Ol' man Baggs's murdered last night," announced the carrier, watching eagerly for the effect of his announce-ment.
"Gosh!" gasped Willie Case."Was he shot?" It was almost a scream.
"I dunno," replied Jim."He's up to the horspital now, an' the doc says he haint one chance in a thousand.""Gosh!" exclaimed Mr.Case.
"But thet ain't all," continued Jim."Reggie Paynter was murdered last night, too; right on the pike south of town.They threw his corpse outen a ottymobile.""By gol!" cried Jeb Case; "I hearn them devils go by last night 'bout midnight er after.'T woke me up.They must o' ben goin' sixty mile an hour.Er say," he stopped to scratch his head."Mebby it was tramps.They must a ben a score on 'em round here yesterday and las' night an' agin this mornin'.I never seed so dum many bums in my life.""An' thet ain't all," went on the carrier, ignoring the others comments."Oakdale's all tore up.Abbie Prim's disappeared and Jonas Prim's house was robbed jest about the same time Ol' man Baggs 'uz murdered, er most murdered--chances is he's dead by this time any-how.Doc said he hadn't no chance."
"Gosh!" It was a pater-filius duet.
"But thet ain't all," gloated Jim."Two of the persons in the car with Reggie Paynter were recognized, an' who do you think one of 'em was, eh? Why one of 'em was Abbie Prim an' tother was a slick crook from Toledo er Noo York that's called The Oskaloosie Kid.By gum, I'll bet they get 'em in no time.Why already Jonas Prim's got a regular dee-dectiff down from Chicago, an' the board o' select-men's offered a re-ward o' fifty dollars fer the arrest an' conviction of the perpetrators of these dastardly crimes!""Gosh!" cried Willie Case."I know--"; but then he paused.If he told all he knew he saw plainly that either the carrier or his father would profit by it and collect the reward.Fifty dollars!! Willie gasped.
"Well," said Jim, "I gotta be on my way.Here's the Tribune--there ain't nothin' more fer ye.So long! Gid-dap!" and he was gone.
"I don' see why he don't carry a whip," mused Jeb Case."A-gidappin' to that there tin lizzie," he muttered disgustedly, "jes' like it was as good as a hoss.But Imind the time, the fust day he got the dinged thing, he gets out an' tries to lead it by Lem Smith's threshin' ma-chine."
Jeb Case preferred an audience worthy his mettle;but Willie was better than no one, yet when he turned to note the effect of his remarks on his son, Willie was no where to be seen.If Jeb had but known it his young hopeless was already in the loft of the hay barn deep in a small, red-covered book entitled: "HOW TOBE A DETECTIVE."
Bridge, who had had no intention of deserting his help-less companions, appeared at last to yield reluctantly to their pleas.That indefinable something about the youth which appealed strongly to the protective instinct in the man, also assured him that the other's mask of criminal-ity was for the most part assumed even though the stor-ies of the two yeggmen and the loot bulging pockets argued to the contrary.There was the chance, however, that the boy had really taken the first step upon the road toward a criminal career, and if such were the case Bridge felt morally obligated to protect his new found friend from arrest, secure in the reflection that his own precept and example would do more to lead him back into the path of rectitude than would any police magis-trate or penal institute.
For the girl he felt a deep pity.In the past he had had knowledge of more than one other small-town girl led into wrong doing through the deadly monotony and flagrant hypocrisy of her environment.Himself highly imaginative and keenly sensitive, he realized with what depth of horror the girl anticipated a return to her home and friends after the childish escapade which had cul-minated, even through no fault of hers, in criminal tragedy of the most sordid sort.
As the three held a council of war at the rear of the deserted house they were startled by the loud squeaking of brake bands on the road in front.Bridge ran quickly into the kitchen and through to the front room where he saw three men alighting from a large touring car which had drawn up before the sagging gate.As the foremost man, big and broad shouldered, raised his eyes to the building Bridge smothered an exclamation of surprise and chagrin, nor did he linger to inspect the other mem-bers of the party; but turned and ran quickly back to his companions.
"We've got to beat it!" he whispered; "they've brought Burton himself down here.""Who's Burton?" demanded the youth.
"He's the best operative west of New York City,"replied Bridge, as he moved rapidly toward an out-house directly in rear of the main building.