The magistrate looked the young man over for a full minute. “I am sorry for your sake that this last evidence came in,” he said at length. “Of course, your explanation of the purchase of the revolver may be quite correct, but it is a little hard to believe that a young man like you, who appears to be quite popular in the town”—there was a murmur of approval and a nodding of heads among the young men in the crowd—“I say it is a little hard to believe that anyone is lying in wait for you with murderous intent. In view of this new development and the mystery of the whole matter, I feel that I must let this case go before a judge. You will be required to appear at the fall assizes to answer to the charge of stealing a package said to contain two thousand dollars from the safe of Alfred Gardiner. You should have little difficulty in obtaining bail, and I will be glad to give you what assistance I can in that connection.”
Burton heard the words as though he were already under sentence, but he recognised the spirit of fairness that prompted Mr. Sempter, and he could only say, “Thank you, sir.”
Gardiner had pressed up to the magistrate’s desk. “Let me go bail,” he said. “I will answer for Burton’s appearance at the proper time.”
“It can no doubt be arranged,” answered Mr. Sempter. “In fact, I am so confident that your bail will be accepted that I will take it upon myself to place the young man at liberty at once, on his parole to appear again when required. You promise that, Burton?”
“I do,” the lad answered, and was immediately released from custody.
The first who spoke to him as he was about to leave the building was Billy Haynes, the hardware clerk.
“Gee, Burt, old man, I’m sorry I got you into that mess. That’s what comes of blatting things in a two-by-four burg like this. If I’d kept my trap shut this whole thing would have fallen through. Old man Sempter was just ready to turn you loose with a clean sheet. Of course you know I don’t believe a word of it—that is, that you had anything to do with this affair. Whoever threw that beer bottle knows more about it than any of us. You ain’t sore at me, Burt, are you?”
“No, I’m not sore. On the whole, it seems better that the matter should go before a judge and be settled for ever. If Mr. Sempter had turned me loose, as you say, the robbery would have remained as much a mystery as before, and some people would always have thought me guilty. I can’t see how it is to be accomplished, but I hope and trust that the real facts will come to light before fall.”