Los Angeles herald., 1892-08-20
THE SHADOW.

'"They are s'picuous looking crowd,
and set them down as United States
officers"
"Jes' my Judgment; and l reckon the
boys had better be put on the lookout"
"Co-rect. Tell them to meet down to
Lingo's and I'll be long later. I jes
wanter see if everything is all right at
the Horse Shoe."'
'Hadn'tyou better take one O. the boys
long with You? YOU
"Bahl do you think Burk Brandon
has lost the mettle of this good right
arm? No; I'll go to the Horse Shoe
alone, an I'll come back, too, in spite of
'em hounds of the law"
He was a tall, ,burly framed man,
with coarse features and grizzly locks,
his ungainly form clad in gray suit of
coarse material. ~
His companion, though smaller in
stature, was evidently man of his own
stamp.
They were known as farmers by the
few settlers of that thinly populated
country, though had the truth been
known they, with half dozen others,
followed the more hazardous and un~
lawful vocation of smuggling.
The appearance of several strange
men in that vicinity had naturally
enough aroused their fears. 1t had been
less than year since some officers had
suddenly appeared searching for the
.smugglers supposed to be lurking in
Il, vat locality. Though they had sue
Gee, Sed in throwing the officials off their
track then it would be more difficult to
do it aarain.
Anxio, Is each to go his way, the pre-
cious twal a separated, the younger has
tening to W arm their associates of the
impending danger, while the other bent
his steps toward the hiding place cf
their oontrabanG> goods.
$50 the hounds think to smell me
outp' muttered the smuggler chief as he
followed his way. "Well, mebbe they
will, but more'n likely they'll find that
old Burk Brandon has keener scent
than they!r and he smiled grimly, while
q latent fire shone in his small gray
eyes.
1t was already nightfall when he
reached by boat that part Of the lakes
shore overlooked by granite cliffs OF
considerable height, but the moon had
risen, SO the smuggler was enabled to
Ipursue his course without difficulty.
{ Winding his way amid the powders
4 Ssaf hemmed in his path, and then wad-
in y through shallow pool of water, ne
fin. 1ly came upon spot where the cliff
over. hanging the water in a semicircle
forme, q small cove which could not be
seen nm Til fairly reached.
A mar, Vw shelf about midway on the
side Of the <precipitous ascent offered a
foothold. a. I'd along this Brandon En-
hesitatingly threaded his course.
When reac. hing the toe Of this shoe
sbaned retreat Nhe gained an opening in
the rocky wall where the curious path
Entering withinA the dark recess he
LIGHTED a lantern ard began to examine
the place, which WIS in truth nearly
filed with such articles as he and his
,confederates had concealed there, hop-
ing to dispose of them at their leisure.
"Poor foolsl" he muttered, ''to think
that shall run the risk of staying in
these parts longer. Enough OF these
,yaluables to make melindependent and
il am off this very nighti Ha! hal some
cof this old wine will clear my head for
THE work before me-"
Speaking thus to himself, with an oc-
.csssiosaal potation of the liquor, he passed
per, Sans half an hour in collecting the
treas, yres he wished to take away with
him Then, with farewell look at the
balance sf their plunder, he turned to
retrace his Ncourse.
Reacb;no sthe moslth of the cavern he
fonnd that the moon had risen above
the line of tb, Aehff SO that its mellow
light fell full upon Horseshoe cove, e.
lighting the pl. @s 10 aimos0 inaoas
brilliancy.
Distinguishing th, Might. he was about
- u sta1a 81 .sm5 oI H. o =, ~ky pathway when
be he star sta1.ted back With Nlow cry.
Upon the opposite wa " =. 'no 49,, So 10 30
had discovered the shad WY ,;e.aa no Sa ~
a man with one hand sAA 'N S--N
pointed toward him. -. =. hoa
At first he thought the ~ - aa na
drunk had bewildered his 49, ,a;na+;"., r
that the image was but a halt aa~o;.
He rubbed his eyes and look, " ~s co., o.,
to find it still there, and after I ~
minutes he was forced to believ, '
sight.
"Hal sect" he chuckled, "tis 30 po
one on the cliff and his shadow falls {
the rock there. Perhaps tits one Of the
officers lookin for me! But his shadow
has betrayed him. I'll wait till he is
gone before I venture out"
On account of a projecting rock he
could not see the pathway from his COW
ert, and he dared not leave the cave lest
he should be discovered and fired upon
by his foes. Had he been armed with
other than a knife he would have felt
less uneasy. AS it was he lay quiet
waiting for the danger to pass.
The time wore tediously away while
his gaze was riveted on the shadowy
form until his eyes became blurred and
his limbs benumbed
To his wonder the figure continued
motionless, though once or twice he
auried tlers N3s q a'iehs Increment
Several iines he ws npon tiie p3ins