The Prairie Detective: Secret Service Series No. 24 — page 71: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

—S |) ?’ . ‘ : -_ THE PRAIRIE DETECTIVE. _ 69 had been the request of his friend. With a dex- trous wave of his hand he removed the covering, so that the body was exposed to view. Q@uite-a large party of the hunters, attracted by — the voices, had been drawn to the spot, and now stood horror-struck, gazing at the sight presented to them. : | As soon as Hatfield saw the bloody corpse he ut- tered a hoarse cry, and staggered back a step or two, as if he had been struck a heavy blow. The sickly hue of his face was rendered more hideous by a dull gray pallor, and his eyes seemed fairly to start from their sockets. His jaw dropped, his teeth chattered, and his limbs shook beneath his weight. He could not speak, but only gasped for breath. Dan and Ryan did not lose an item in his manifes- tations of guilt, which had become apparent to everybody around. Hatfield made several strong efforts to check the great emotion which shook his frame, and after some moments he so far succeeded as to be able to exclaim, in a kind of gurgling voice: ““T didn’t do it—I didn’t do it!’’ That caused Ryan to laugh, for he saw how com- — pletely entrapped the sneaking scoundrel was. “OQ, ye didn’t, hey? Fire an’ brimstun! who sed ye did? Now look hyar, Mister Dick Hatfield, ye’re a liar, an’ ye know it! This hyar murder was done by your hand. Deny it ef ye kin! When ye waltzed outen this camp las’ night ye was follered. D’ye un- derstan’?—follered. An’ more’n thet, every word ye exchanged with thet cuss, Jack Robinson, was heerd by my pardner an’ me. The proof is too strong agin ye, my boy—fire an’ brimstun, but itis!” During this time Hatfield was recovering himself. He knew in an instant that he was caught, and he “S (Efe) ~ comicboo