The Argosy, March 1907 — page 184: what you’re looking at

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

756 kind in the bushes, here. It’s right on the way from Fielding’s to your house. Fuller started to go there, and he was bent on a fight, so if your son went across this way at that time it’s likely they met and had it out. I don’t say that I’m blaming your son. Mebbe he had to defend himself; but if that’s the case, he ought to tell us about it.” ‘I see, and Iithink we can settle your ‘doubts at once. This happened two nights ago, didn’t it?.” “That was when Fuller was seen last, going straight toward your house.” “Very well; so far as we know, he never got there, and what became of him is as much a mystery to us as it is to you. Now, as to my son: On that evening we had visitors from the city. Dinner was at six, and was finished at half. past seven or thereabouts. After dinner the men smoked on the lawn till dark. _Then we all went indoors and made up whist-tables, playing till about midnight. My son was with us all the time, a fact that we can establish by a dozen witnesses at least. That settles it, doesn’t it?” ese _ guess it does, the constable admitted, ‘so fur as your son is con- cerned ; but what the mischief became of Tom Fuller? That’s what we want to know.” “And we cannot tell you, but I will do what I can to help you find him. My horses and carriages are at your service for any search you want to make, and I will give one thousand dollars to any- body who can bring’ us proof that he is alive.” “That certainly shows you're in earn- est, Mr. Manning.” “Tf there is any doubt about that, here is my son. You can arrest him now and lock him up if you still think he has any knowledge of the matter.” Constable Hawkins had no desire to lock up Frank Manning under the cir- cumstances, and apparently all his neighbors were of one mind in acquitting the young man of ugly suspicion. The next afternoon Mr. Manning’s offer of a thousand dollars’ reward for proof of Tom Fuller’s existence was made widely public in the form of a poster stuck to fences, barns, and all other available advertising space in the 9 THE ARGOSY. - bedtime and then got at Frank? vicinity of Cranville, eand it was not until two days more had passed that some bright mind set afloat a theory that Frank’s alibi did not amount to so much “as it seemed to at first. ‘“Who said the fight took place early in the evening?’’ was asked. “ Why shouldn’t it be that Tom got to the Manning house and saw that Frank was busy with visitors—women-folks, you know—ard that he waited around till And why shouldn’t they agree to go back a piece, where there couldn’t be any inter- ruption, and haye it out? And where would they go if they did that? “They couldn’t go out to sea, and if they went along the beach in either di- rection they would always be near houses. So there was really only one way they could go—back into the coun- try—and a mile would be far enough for anybody, even if they fought with pistols, which it ain’t likely more’n one of ‘em had a pistol.” That was the way the argument ran when it was full grown. ‘To those who credited it, the offer of a reward was looked upon as a large bluff, though there were plenty who believed in the sincerity of Manning Senior. And the reward naturally stimulated the most extraordinary examination the neighbor- hood had endured since the time the first settlers hunted for arable enough for garden patches. But when a full week had passed and Fuller’s whereabouts or fate was as lit- tle known as at first it seemed to those who had wasted valuable hours in vain hunting that something further ought to be done by the constituted authority—to wit, the constable. It was time now for drastic measures. No more blinking at the situation. Frank Manning would have to prove that he had been in his father’s house all through the night in question or there would always be those who would © believe that he had made away with the factory-hand. Not only was thistput up to Hawkins as a public duty, but it was conveyed less directly to young Manning himself. It became decidedly uncomfortable for him to venture into the village or go anywhere that the outspoken villagers Gomichooks.co spots big _ m