Out of a Labyrinth

moking his favorite pipe, and seemed quite oblivious to the stir and excitement going on within. When he s

himself an' he'll never go back on it," began Jim, as I

ssuredly, if assistanc

right along in. I

id, in a lower tone. "I want to

himself, nevertheless, on one of Porter's empt

ogether near the middle of the long store, and talking earnestly and a

nted at the possibility of finding the body of little Effie Beale in the possession of the new doctor, and that was enough. Guilty or innocent, Dr. Bethel must

standpoint, it appeared to me not impossible that the doctor had disinterred the body, and I soon realized

words only served to add fuel to the flame; while, chief among the turbulent ones, who urged extreme measures, was Tom Brig

if I wished to see fair play for Dr. Bethel, I turned away

ean to make it hot for Bethel, and he will be one ma

the ashes from his pipe, and rising sl

o co-operate," I replied. "Do you move with the cr

t, boss,"

aph office, that being midway b

I looked in at the window and beckoned to

r. Bethel; your father may be able to c

Harris, in a whispe

tside the office. I ap

rowd, Carnes, and st

odded, and I went o

f five-shooters, and put the weapons in my pockets. T

house, the crowd must pass th

hey hurried past the hotel in groups of twos, threes, and sometimes half a dozen, I noted them man by man. Jim Long was loping silently on by the side of an honest-faced farmer; Car

vance of his father, looking, as I did so, up and down the street. Arch Brookhouse came cantering up on

in his horse. "Stop a moment;

ris looking so

and sitting on his horse, wrote a few words, rest

e said, "but I want this to go at

ed Charlie,

ortly, "I'm going home; I

, having to lean far out because of a ditch between himself and Brookhouse, l

ris could recover his balance, I ha

New O

:-Next week L--

.

ouse as he galloped swiftly past the crowd; past the house of Dr. Bethel, and on up the hill, toward the Brookhouse homestead. I wondered in

, and this he could scarcely hope to find either in the village hotel or the average private boarding houses. He took his meals at the hotel, and shared the office of Dr. Barnar

ained, and some of them, after paying a visit t

ent, I dare say," said Mr. Harri

ees is he found out," yelled Tom Brig

disgust, they burst in the front door and poured into the house, Carnes among the rest. Jim Long drew back

me out and scatter about the grounds, when a horse came thunder

yet some rods away, and he turned

nes, at the same moment throwing open the little gate so forcibly as to ma

ached him and sa

le has been stolen from her grave, and these

and the anger died out of his eyes, and he seemed to compreh

ith a shade of irony. Then he

o on with your search, and when it is over, and you find that you have brought a false charge against me,

omentary consternation. He had put the matter before them in a new light, and each man felt h

tryin' to make us drop the hunt. Boys, we're

, followed by the

heir movements, Dr. Bethel turned again to Mr.

er to our group, and the rest whispered together, a little apar

he lifted his head and seemed about to speak, then, closing h

a simple case of diphtheria. There were no unusual symptoms, nothing in the case to rouse the curiosity of any physician. The Trafton doctors

ill deliberating, and, turning, took his h

t from Briggs' party, their loud vo

es, forgetting self, swarmed in th

art, stop, then suddenly let fall the bridle and stride after the h

up to the view of all, a bright new spade, and an earth-stained pick ax. As we came near