The Denison review. [volume] (Denison, Iowa) 1867-current, 1903-12-30

When a strange night bird cried out
he did Not move or touch his gun and
ne 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 suuarely
/ upon the figure 10. In a moment he
was upon his feet ripping the half-rot-
ten cloth sign from its 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 in tacks with his
heavy pocket-knife. The sound of the
hammering was like the laundering
] of stamp-mill to him, and yet his
ears caught that cautious sound in the
chemise He dropped his knife and
drove in the rest of the lacks 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 ne had heard was
not made by rabbit or by toad.
Something good deal larger than
either had moved in the brush within
100 feet of him. He was on his own
ground now, but somehow he was more
nervous than before. Tensely he
waited. At last it came again, just as
he knew it would. Something or some
body was moving slowly toward tho
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 pistol
across his knee and gripped tightly.
Josiah bent forward The sound was
most like that which 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 desperado, coming to see
whether 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
law 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 a
book The hellish eyes were growing
into the size of full moons, and they
seemed to be coming, coming.
Silence, awful, ominous; then pis-
tol shot rang out. Two screams sue
ceeded almost on the instant. One
shrill cry from Josiah, who had fired
the other from the spot where the
4 eyes had vanished, and the brush
! cracked as with heavy body plunged
/ back into it.
When, just as daylight was chas-.
ing away the last shadow, Pete Bar
clay stepped from the trail into the
clearing where he had left his part
/ ner, the spectacle which met him
! caused him to stop and utter char
i acteristic exclamation. In q heap upon
! the ground by the tree was Josiah
His face was white and drawn almost
7 past recognition. His eyes were
bleared and teary. In both hands his
pistol was clutched, and it was held
ready for instant use. Barclay moved
up to him and gently wrenched away
the weapon. What in the name of all
the ghosts has happened to you, Jo?"
! he asked, with tenderness of which
no one would have suspected him.
"Over there" whispered Josiah,
pointing.
whats over there, the ghosts?"
"The half-breed," piped Josiah
Lord Gawd, l had to kill him" He
sank his head upon his knees.
] Pete Barclay went over to where the
brush was beaten down, and peered
into the thicket. There, lifeless, lay
gaunt. ugly form. Josiah had shot
the panther squarely between the now
I half-closed eyes.-San Francisco Argo-
naut
| What Was Lacking
In the smoking compartment of the
! Montreal express the other day two
| British tourists wera talking with