The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1897-10-06

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"Averil's, near Deer Creek, We'd, 4 & g.
No. l."
Dick read the message, or whatever
it might be, over and over, with very
perplexed look in his face.
"Averill's!" he repeated. 'That
name sounds familiar to me. Let me
see," thoughtfully. 'There's man
by that name living about eight miles
from here, T think. He moved in
lately. Yes, I'm right, I know, for I
heard that Deacon Snyder talked OF
trading horses with him. But what
this has to do with him I can't i'm
agine." He read the words on the
tree over again. "It's rather queer
thing to come across in such place as
this. I've known of folks writing on
trees for the fun of the thing, but 1
never heard of their getting up at
midnight and going four miles into
the woods to do it. It's all riddle
to me. But it's Wayne's writing,
plain enough. His letters on the
blackboard, at singing-school, have
| just the same fourishes to them.
Yes, it's clear to me he wrote that;
but what he wrote it for I can't guess.
I'll see what can be made out of the
puzzle, though, if keeping an eye on
Wayne ii help any. 'Averilrs, We'd
nesdayp. T wonder if that means that
something is going to happen at
Averill's when Wednesday comes?"
He walked around the tree, ex-
amining the ground closely.
He could see no other tracks. Evi-
dently there had been but one person
there.
The track from the tree led away'a
little to the south of the one he had
followed to it.
"I'm going to see what little maneu-
vering will do" said Dick, as he spied
little pine-tree near by. He took his
knife from his pocket and cut away
some of the rough bark on the outside.
As soon as he had reached the inner
bark, pitch began to exude in little,
transparent drops.
He had to wait some time before q
sufficient amount to answer his pur-
pose had accumulated. Then he took
a chip and scraped some of the sticky
stuff off upon it. Taking this to the
cottonwood. he spread it over that part
of the tree below the writing which
would be most likely to in contact with
a mans arm if he were to attempt to
write on the smooth space above.
"There! If I see any pitch on
Wayne's coat-sleeve, I shall be pretty
sure he's been back here, Dick said,
"and, seeing that, I shall know when
to come and see what's been DONE"
For, though he could not give his
reasons for it, he felt sure that the
writing had been placed there for some
one to read and to answer some special
purpose, and that the party for whom
it had been left would understand pre-
cisely what it meant. He meant to
understand what i meant, too, before
he let the matter drop.
He attempted to follow the trail from
the tree. While it ran along the low
land, it was comparatively easy to do
so. But as soon as it came to the
higher land it disappeared. The rank
growth of grass and other forest plants,
the absence of which was noticeable as
the land sloped eastwardly toward the
Big Swamp, with the thick carpet of
last years leaves still unrotted cover
ing the ground, took no impression of
the feet passing over them.
Dick made up his mind to say moth
ing about his discovery to any one.
He would wait and see what happened.
1t was barely possible that Wayne had
written the words on the tree under
the impulse which men often feel to
scribble on whatever surface presents
itself for scribbling on. And then
and this was the idea that took firm
possession of Dicks mind-it might
have been written for purpose, and
doubtless was.
"I'll keep my eyes open, at any
rate" thoughr Dick. s'It may amount
to something. If it don't, there's no
harm done,",