"At night he's drunk; an' while thar's gents as sees Burke as late,
mebby it's two hours after the last walse at the dance-hall, thar's
nobody who ups an' imparts how Burke gets plugged. All Wolfville
knows is that at first-drink time in the mornin', thar this Burke is
plumb petered that a-way.
"An' the worst feature shorely is that the bullet goes in his back,
which makes it murder plain. Thar ain't a moccasin track to he'p
tell who drops this yere Burke. Nacrerally, everybody's deeply taken
to know who does it; for if thar's a party in camp who's out to
shoot when your back's turned, findin' of him an' hangin' him can't
be too pop'lar an' needful as a play. But, as I remarks, we're
baffled, an' up ag'inst it absoloote. No one has the least notion
who gets this yere Burke. It's money as is the object of the murder,
for Burke's war-bags don't disclose not a single centouse when the
committee goes through 'em prior to the obsequies.
"It's two days the camp is talkin' over who does this crime, when
Texas Thompson begins to shed a beam of light. This last was
onlooked for, an' tharfore all the more interestin'.
"Texas Thompson is a jedge of whiskey sech as any gent might tie to.
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