The Oakdale Affair [41]
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 man. 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. I simply 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
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. I simply 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