Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1903-12-26


still. Suddenly the brush cracked
slightly. Josiah found when all was
silent again that he had unconsciously
risen to his feet and was supporting
himself with one hand against the tree
while in the other he gripped his re-
yolver. 1t was only a rabbit moving
in the chemise, of course. He restored
the weapon to it's place and sank down
again After a time a sound III the
brush off to the other side set him a
culver again, but he convinced himself
that only a toad could make such
wee noise, though it had sounded loud
enough at first. When a strange night
bird cried out he did not move or
touch his gun, and he told himself that
he had banished his silly fears. The
night was cold, but somehow he did
not feel the chill.
During the last half-hour before mid
night, Josiah held his watch on his
palm, and with his fingers followed the
long hand as it mounted the dial. Any
body would know that if the half
breed Henry Flatfoot were coming to
prevent his location notice from being
torn down, he would not have waited
until so late to come.
Josiah could feel his palm perspiring
beneath the cold case of the watch
when at last both hands were squarely
upon the figure twelve. In moment
he was upon his feet ripping the half
rotten cloth sign from it's place upon
the tree. The new piece of cloth q
foot square he spread against the
trunk, whether right side or wrong
side to the bark he neither knew nor
thought, and began to drive tacks with
his heavy pocket-knife. The sound Of
the hammering was like the thunder
ing Of a stamp-mill to him, and yet his
ears caught that cautious sound in the
chemise. He dropped his knife and
drove the rest of the tacks with the
sheer strength of his callous fingers.
Then he dropped to the ground upon
his knees and waited.
The quiet was absolute. Yet Josiah
knew that the sound he had heard was
not made by a rabbit or by toad.
Something a good deal larger than
either had moved in the brush within
q hundred feet of him. He was on
his own ground now, but somehow he
was more nervous than before. Tense
" he waited. At last it came again,
lust as he knew it would. Something
OF somebody was moving slowly to-
ward the little clearing, in the midst
of which was the tree beneath which
he crouched. Two steps, three steps,
the thing would stop, wait in silence,
and then come on. With his long pis-
tol across his knees and gripped tight
ly, Josiah bent forward. Yhe sound
was most like that which a man would
make in crawling. Only one man on
earth could have any reason to ap-
proach that lonely spot by stealth at
that hour Of the night, and that man
would be Henry Flatfoot, the half
breed desperate, coming to see wheth
er the notice by virtue Of which he
had held this mining claim had been
disturbed The sounds were repeated,
and again ceased. Another sound
broke the hush: Henry Flatfoot, the
lawr is now on my side; you'd better
go back-so help you Gawd"
There was light commotion in the
chemise. Perhaps the unseen had
needed the warning, and was now re-
treating. But in another ten seconds
the steps came on again.
Upon the strained gaze of Josiah
there burst two balls as of yellow fire.
They dazzled him even as his senses
told him what they must be. Such
eyes as those burning out Of the dark
ness there into his own, Josiah God
bolt had never dreamed existed, and
he knew negro superstitions like
book. The hellish eyes were growing
into the size of full moons, and they
Silence, awful, ominous; then pis-
tol shot rang out. Two screams sue
ceeded almost on the instant. One
shrill cry was from Josiah, who had
fired, the other from the spot where the
eyes had vanished, and the brush
CTdCklOu Will q AOdfJ OOOy
back into it.
When, just as daylight was chasing
away the last shadow, Pete Barclay
stepped from the trail into the clearing
where he had left his partner, the spec
tacle which met him caused him to stop
and utter a characteristic exclamation.
In heap upon the ground by the tree
was Josiah. His face was white and
drawn almost past recognition. His
eyes were bleared and teary. In both
hands his pistol was clutched, and it
was held ready for instant use. Bar
clay moved up to him and gently
wrenched away the weapon. what
in the name of all the ghosts has hap
pened to you, Jo?" he asked, with a
of which no one would have
him.
"Over there" whispered Josiah,
pointing.
"What's over there. the ghosts?"