Page 181 (1/1)

In a rear roo that commode under this," she told them "Then climb into the attic, and close the trapdoor They won't never find you there"

Billy pulled the ancient article of furniture beneath the opening, and in another moment the two men were in the stuffy atmosphere of the unventilated loft Beneath the the commode back to its accusto the stair

Presently there ca of a motor without, followed by the voices of men in the house For an hour, half asphyxiated by the closeness of the attic, they waited, and then again they heard the sound of the running engine, di as the machine dreay

Shortly after, Mrs Shorter's voice rose to theone"

When they had descended she led theot a bite to eat ready for you while they was here," she explained "When you've done you ken hide in the barn 'til dark, an' after that I'll have my ol' man take you 'cross to Dodson, that's a junction, an' you'd aughter be able to git away easy enough from there I told 'eone with the two traood at story-tellin' but I reckon I told more stories this arternoon than I ever tole before in all gest one hed red hair, an' the little one was all pock-marked Then they said you prob'ly wasn't the man at all, an' ettin' 'eoin' to look fer you jes' the sahed, a bit nervously though

It was dusk when Mr Shorter returned from Holliday, but after he had heard his wife's story he said that he'd drive "them two byes" all the way to Mexico, if there wasn't any better plan

"Dodson's far enough," Bridge assured hirateful farmer set them down at their destination

An hour later they were speeding south on the Missouri Pacific

Bridge lay back, luxuriously, on the red plush of the smoker seat

"Some class to us, eh, bo?" asked Billy