"And he was right. A dozen fellows started up at his call, but
Scoville was not among them. He had been out for two hours; which
the carter having heard, he looked down, but said nothing except
'Come along, boys! I'll drive you to the turn of the bridge.'

"But just as they were starting Scoville appeared. He was hatless
and dishevelled and reeled heavily with liquor. He also tried to
smile, which made the carter lean quickly down and with very
little ceremony drag him up into the cart. So with Scoville
amongst them they rode quickly back to the bridge, the landlord
coughing, the men all grimly silent.

"In crossing the bridge he made more than one effort to escape,
but the men were determined, and when they finally stooped over
the man lying in Dark Hollow, he was in their midst and was forced
to stoop also.

"One flash of the lantern told the dismal tale. The man was not
only dead, but murdered. His forehead had been battered in with a
knotted stick; all his pockets hung out empty; and from the
general disorder of his dress it was evident that his watch had
been torn away by a ruthless hand. But the face they failed to
recognise till some people, running down from the upper town where
the alarm had by this time spread, sent up the shout of 'It's Mr.
Etheridge! Judge Ostrander's great friend. Let some one run and
notify the judge.'

"But the fact was settled long before the judge came upon the
scene, and another fact too. In beating the bushes, they had