Vietnam or Thailand ? Vote for the TOP Country of the Week !
Updated: August 12, 2024
Justice Higginbotham, without raising his eyes from his message said, gently: "No, Charley, no reply." Turing to the rest of the group he said, still gently: "My message is just the word 'fourteen, that's all, just 'fourteen. The other messages are probably but you'd better look yourselves." He walked about the group and gave each of his ten associates one of the envelopes.
"Will you make affidavit," demanded he, in the tone of a country justice taking an examination, "that old Squire Higginbotham of Kimballton was murdered in his orchard the night before last, and found hanging on his great pear-tree yesterday morning?" "I tell the story as I heard it, mister," answered Dominicus, dropping his half-burnt cigar; "I don't say that I saw the thing done.
He sat opposite Bernard Higginbotham at a heavy Sunday dinner over Higginbotham's Cash Store, and it was all he could do to restrain himself from shouting out: "It was work performed! And now you feed me, when then you let me starve, forbade me your house, and damned me because I wouldn't get a job. And the work was already done, all done.
Before he had more than outlined the facts, Higginbotham jumped up: "Dr. Jebb, you have alluded to a rumour. I call it a shameful fabrication, with no basis in fact. I have made a thorough investigation and am prepared, with two reliable witnesses, to prove that Mr. Hartigan went to the Bylow cabin to prevent a disgraceful spree, as he did once before.
He had scurried around and nosed out Martin's family history, and procured a photograph of Higginbotham's Cash Store with Bernard Higginbotham himself standing out in front.
Higginbotham's grammar, Higginbotham's colloquialisms, Higginbotham's mental quirks and processes, were apparent throughout. Martin saw in every line, not the fine Italian hand, but the coarse grocer's fist, of his brother-in-law. But why? he vainly questioned. What injury had he done Bernard Higginbotham? The thing was so unreasonable, so wanton. There was no explaining it.
"Is there any reason why we cannot do this at once?" "No," said Justice Higginbotham slowly, "there is not. But we are waiting to hear from the only one of our members unaccounted for, Wrigley."
He was sending and receiving telegrams, without for one moment relaxing his vigilance of the Higginbotham camp and its ten old men. The evening of the day after the receipt of the last telegram, McCall in the hope of drawing the old man out said: "My vacation ends next week, Professor. When I get back to New York I may be able to speed up things in the matter of the Schurman murder.
Not a prairie dog sat up and shook its tail in time to its voice, but Jim's humour suggested resemblances to some one that they knew; this one looked like Baxter, the fat parson of the Congregationalists; "that little one's name is likely Higginbotham; see how Hannah makes him skip around.
She nodded, then added, "He still has some money." "When is he goin' to sea again?" "When his pay-day's spent, I guess," she answered. "He was over to San Francisco yesterday looking for a ship. But he's got money, yet, an' he's particular about the kind of ship he signs for." "It's not for a deck-swab like him to put on airs," Mr. Higginbotham snorted. "Particular! Him!"
Word Of The Day
Others Looking