"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.
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