A TRAP THAT FAILED.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXVIII, Issue 2705, 8 January 1910, Page 2 (Supplement)

A TRAP THAT FAILED.

A party of horsemen Avont speeding along at a steady gallop. They were riding hard, and looked 'neither to right nor left, being t-oo intent on getting forward to notice anything by the Avay. A thin eolumn of smoke in the distance seemed to be their destination, and all their energies were bent on reaching it Avithout delay. Their 100k s were anything but encouraging. From the leader down to the meanest member there did not appear to be a thoroughbred amongst them. Each and all had an air of perverse determination that would haA-e worried any man of aA r erage honesty. Their language as Avell was very plain, and remarkably to the point. It breathed of violence—and breathed deeply of it, too. Til© smoke came from a little house or cabin, and as they drew up beside it the noise and bustle they made brought a slight, girlish figure to the door. The leader, a great mass of burly flesh and muscle, at once dismounted and went toivards her. “Where is Jack Terry?” he demanded, gruffly. The girl started at the name, and was a moment before she regained her self-posses.sion. “Jack Terry?” she repeated, hurriedly. “I don’t know Avliere ho is. Hoav should I?” Her questioner chuckled derisively. “You don’t knoAV Avhere he is, don’t you?” he said, mockingly. “Of course you don’t! How should you? His sweetheart isn’t the likeliest place he’d make for, is it? We know he is here, and A\'e Avant him!” “He is not here,” cried the girl, witty spirit. “He has not been here since > y “Since Avhen?” interrupted the other, quickly. “Since a few hours ago, eh?” “No, Jake Pillans,” said the girl; “he has not been here since Tuesday.” Jake Pillans plainly showed his incredulity, and shoAved it none too pleasantly. \ “Look here, Miss Murray,” he said, “we are not to be trifled with; you know that well enough. We do not Avisli to harm you, but if you are unreasonable—well, you must take the consequences, that’s all. Our business is with Jack Terry, and it is pretty urgent. You say he i s not here. Without in any Avay doubting your word, Ave can easily prove it by searching the house. So please stand aside.” “He i s not here,” she said firmly, “nor has he been here for some days. I am telling you the simple truth, and •with, that you must be content.” Jake Pillans SAVore softly to himself at her plucky audacity; hut not half so strongly as his folkrwers expected, or as some of them actually did. “I am not in the habit of repeating Avarnings,” ho said, his eyes flashing ominously; “and to be defied by -anyone, let alone a puny girl, i s quite against niy principles. If you don’t allow us in quietly/ I fear yqu may be rouhly handled. Your manner tells us, even if Ave did not know before, that;Jack Terry is here. It is therefore useless to try and shield him further. We have proved him false this time, and he shall pay the penalty. For the last time, Avill you stand aside?” “No!” came the emphatic reply. “Not while I can stand, at all!” “Then seize her, boys!” cried Jake, he hitnSclf ■ rushing forward to set the example! . , But on a sudden they all stopped short, r as if pulled up by a single mighty hand. .“Another step fonvard,” she' said, “by any man, and I fire!” Miss Murray was a notorious shot. Every man knew .it well. That ig why I

their impetuosity was quelled so thoroughly. Jake ground his teeth in angry impotence.

Then lie looked quickly away, and pointed excitedly to the end of the building. “See!” lie exclaimed. “There he

is!” Everybody’s attention Avas drawn avay. Darting forward, Jake snatched the reA r olver from Miss Murray’s slackened grasp. - “Merely a ruse!” he said to her, in a gloating tone. “I thought it would

trick you ! ” . Then he brushed past her and dashed into the house, followed by two oxthree of his party. They searched the interior with hasty impatience, eager to come upon their quarry. One loom after another was invaded, the sanctity, of none being respected. Gupboai-ds were thrown open, beds looked under, the most improbable nook s and cornei-s examined, but all to no purpose. It- almost seemed as if they, and not Miss Murray, had been tricked. Then one of them gave a shout, which brought all the others trooping to where ho stood triumphant. A heaA-y oaken chest had at length betrayed its trust and yielded up its halfstifled victim. He was dragged from under a pile of clothing, blinking Avith the strong light —a man getting on in years, grey, unkempt, Avith the fear of death upon him. Jake, however, stood aghast. Ho regarded him silently a moment, dumb with amazement. Then he burst into speech. “By all that’s lucky,” lie cried, as if disbelieving his own eyes, “this isn t Jack Terry at all It i s the villain he helped to escape! Gosh! boys, what a find ! ’ ’ “Boys,” said Jake, “when a man pinches another man’s gold in the settlement and fails to get away, how do you treat him as a rule?” “String him up!” said one, av l l] l an oath. And all the rest heartily agreed. Or, rather, not quite all the rest. There Avas one notable dissentient — Miss Murray. “You cowards!” she cried, forcing her way through them aud standing by the Avretched capti\'e. “How do you know he stole the money? Whose word haA'c you for it? Have you listened to his denials? Have you credited one word of his defence ? No ! And why ? Simply because Jake Pillans chooses to say he is a thief . It is Avord -against Avord; nothing more. Jake Pillan 5 is rich and all-powerful; this man is poor, and so without friends. Why should you believe Jake Pillans more than you believe him?” It- was not necessary for Jake to argue his own case. He had plenty of willing supporters, who all clamored to speak for him. “We have absolute proof of his guilt, Miss Murray,” said one of them, a- fat little squat man, with shifty eyes. “What about the gold found in big hut?” “It Avas my own!” exclaimed the prisoner, vehemently. “It Avas my own —I swear it!” “Mebbe it Avas,” assented the squat man, “while you actually had it; but Avliere did you get it?” “Ask Jake Pillans Avhere I got it,” said the accused. “He knows Aveli enough, because he gave it me!” Uproariou s laughter greeted this statement, in which Jake himself heartily joined. “Is it- likely.he said, “that I should give him the biggest half of all I possessed? Is it likely that I should work all these years and then hand over thousands of dollars to the first beggarly stranger who took a fancy to them? I ask you boys, is it likely?” “No!” they thundered, Avith one accord. “String him up for a thief!” cried

some. “Hang him for a liar!” shouted others. \ All Avere. excited beyond measure. With difficulty they kept their hands off'ithe prisoner. Yet something in Miss ..Murray’s demeanour held them hack. Her Courage and daring awed them, without their knowing exactly what it wa s that did so. “Before you do anything foolish or desperate,” she said, addressing the men collectively, “I have a question to ask and something to tell you. Will you give' me permission to do both?” She gazed at them frankly, appealingly. They Avere all rough men and had many vices. But somcAvhere, deep down in their nature and long hidden away, there still lurked a fading sense of something better—a dwindling spark of honour. And somehow this Aveak, commanding girl reached and awoke it. So they nodded or mumbled a halfashamed assent to her request, and she knew they would keep it. “First, then, as to the question,” she said, quietly. “It is to Jake Pillans.” “Had you ever seen this man before lie came to the settlement ?” Jake returned her steady gaze a moment, then glanced at the. crouching man by her side and round the assembled company. “No,” he said, shortly, “I had never seen him before. The man started up Avith a cry of protest, hut Miss Murray motioned him to be silent. She knew they would hear her to the end when they Avoiikl not tolerate even a Avord from him. “You have made the answer,” she said to' Jake, “that- I expected you would make. Under the circumstances it is not possible, of course, for you to know Pete Aston. So be it, then; you did not know him before he canid to the settlement.

Vi&What I have to tell your companv, ions,” she said, in the same quiet ‘''tones, "is more interesting than the question. It concerns events not of recent date—events that happened many miles from here. Two bankers were in business together, and the business prospered. Profits were large, and both partners became wealthy men. .. "Presently however, money began to disappear; in small amounts at first, and finally in very large ones. Detectives were utterly at a loss with the "'case. Who took the money or'how it - "vanished baffled all. and sundry. 7 Suspicion fell everywhere, but could never be brought home to anyone. "Then news of the huge defalcations began.to leak out, and the public got alarmed. They made a ‘run’ on the bank. The strain ox this, together with the robberies, which, still continued, at last proved fatal. The bank’s credit .and resources became exhausted, and the doors were shut. Of course, the matter caused a great sensation, but .in time this died away, and the affair was forgotten by all except the unfortunate creditors and the two partners. "One of the latter went abroad. The other staved at home, and never rested in his attempts to fathom the mystery. One day his perseverance met with success. A bundle of partly-bw nt papers revealed the whole puzzle to him, and that the thief was none other than his own partner. "Stunned by the discovery, he setout to find him, and eventually did so. There wa s a stormy interview, with fierce denials and threats. But the papers were too clear and conclush e. So the culprit agreed to buy them, together with his partner’s silence, for the amount he had stolen. “After the transaction, however, the thought of losing his ill-gotten gains was too much for him. Besides, might not his partner make further use of his knowledge? Was it not dangerous for one man to know something so damaging about another? "Y\hy not get rid of him, and thus regain the .gold he had been forced to give up! If this could be done in a natural inaii-

tier, who would ever know c!' the in*yi?ner relationship between them? So he lured his partner away to a spot where the penalty tor crime was lynching, and trumped un a charge of ” “It’s; a lie!” broke in Jake, crimson with passion. “A cursed lie from beginning to end ! Do you fancy the

boys will believe such a silly, rambling talc? Ask them and see!” "Why should I?” said Miss Murray. “'lt would only he another ease of word against word, and the hoys, unfortunately, are prejudiced very much In your favor. But if it could be proved that you are one of the characters in the story, -and that Pete Aston liere is tlio other, then perhaps they might alter their views.” “If it could be proved,” sneered Jake, “perhaps they would; but proof Is just wliat is lacking. There can be no proof of something that doe 5 not exist.”

"Perhaps not,” said Miss Murray. “But tlie papers Pete Aston broughtout with him —have you destroyed them all?”

“Destroyed them!” retorted Jake, exultantly. ."Aye, as completely as fire can do so.” Like a flash Miss Murray pounced on big words. • "Then you admit having had them!” she declared, losing all heY calmness. “You hear him, boys—lie is convicting himself. He confesses to burning the papers. But not all of them. Jack Terry found some. That’s why he believed Pete’s story; that’s why he broke the camp’s laws and helped him (to escape; that’s why he got him c 'there; that’s why he has gone for ” But she never finished the sentence. It- ended' in a piercing scream. AVith a fearful oath Jake sprang towards her, something bright flashing in his hand.

Down it sped, with a sickening thud —but not- on her. Pete received it, having hurled himself between them. He staggered back under the blow, hut caught Jake by the throat as he fell, and they rolled over and over on the floor, locked in a deadly embrace. All was uproar and excitement. Shouts and cries and curse. 3 filled the air. In the midst of it all the door opened, and Jack Terry and several armed men rushed in. The two struggling figures were torn apart, though not without an effort; and while Jake was firmly secured by the sheriff and his officers Miss Murray devoted her attention to poor Pete, and tried to stanch the ghastly wound that wa.s intended for her. “Boys,” said Jack Terry, “I can see you have heard all about it by now. I zj know my setting Aston free meant h sudden death if you caught me. Yet '/ tJ what else could I do? You refused to * delay his execution past sunset, and there was no chance to do anything in that short time. So I sent him on here, not finding the papers till afterwards. It was no use bringing them back to you then, as you would simply • have lynched me offhand, without ’r hearing a word. . I therefore posted * away for the sheriff's escort, as the only means of being able to clear Pete and justify myself.” There is no longer a Miss Murray. Not. that she has passed away into the land of shadows, for how could Jack be as happy as he is if such a calamity had happened? Pete, also, is well and strong again, thanks to her careful nursing. More- : : over, every creditor of the' old bank has long been paid an full; so that it might almost be said that Jake did far more good by his untimely death than he had ever done in hi s unscrupulous life.