Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1903-01-29
Stairs Of Sand
BY
ERNEST DE LANCY PIERSON.
Copyright. 1901, by Street L. Smith
CHAPTER Nv.
THE COPPER CYLINDER.

on the country road his spirits re-
vived and he thought that he must
be mistaken in supposing he had just
been face to face with one whose
presence he feared. "Not much
changed after all these years." he
murmured, as he looked to right and
left over the smiling landscape.
"Thank Heaven! it was in the coun-
try and not the city, for, in the lat
Ter case, all traces might have been
lost"
Evidently the beauties of nature
did not appeal to him particularly on
that occasion, though the glories of
summer rested on the land.
He seemed to be in quest of some
thing, and anxious lest he should not
find it.
When at last wood came in sight
his steps quickened and his furrowed
brow became more deeply lined with
anxiety. From right to left he
glanced with his sharp eyes, examin-
ing the tire IS on each side searching
ly and carefully.
''The forest is standing yet, much
as I left it," he muttered to himself.
1T has stood still, looking not bit
older, while I have been aging. Well,
things promise WE'LL for it might have
been laid waste by forest fire, or
cut down and town built on the
site. Matters are not so bad as
might be. You will come out ahead
think, Job, from the appearance OF
things"
He began to walk more slowly now,
and occasionally paused to consider,
rubbing his nose thoughtfully the
while, as he examined the trees and
bushes with the keen interest of a
naturalist. 1t was in one of these
stops that, looking up, he saw some
thing that drew a startled exclama-
ton from his lips. It was a bit of
red flannel fluttering from the limb
of maple.
The sight of such an unimportant
object seemed to worry him greatly,
then he drew near the bushes that
lined the edge Of the road like a
green wall, and, pushing them aside,
plunged into the underground.
81 would just as leave not have
such peo.y lie nosing about" he NUT
tered. "But they know me better
than to interfere with my work"
He forced his way through the thick
est of the underbrush and entered =
little glade in the midst of which
rose the stump of what must have
been great tree.
The man smiled 1T the sight, and,
waving his hand toward it, said:
"Bless we, old fellow, for standing
sentinel so long. Your usefulness
did not cease when you were struck
by lightning"
He passed the tree and went on his
way down one of the aisles Of the
forest which at one time must have
been wagon road, but was now
overrun with grasses. Now and then
he paused to reconnoiter and to look
around.
From time to time he smiled and
nodded his head, as If satisfied that
he was pursuing the right path.
Suddenly, in the midst Of his walk,
without warning, sharp shot rang
out and his hat fell to the ground.
He stopped calmly, picked it up and
examined it carefully. Not bad
shot," examining the holes, which
had evidently been produced by
buckshot. "A little nearer and l
should have had considerable OF a
headache" and, replacing the hat on
his head, without even stopping to
look for his assailant, he continued
on his way, turning neither to right
nor left.
"That must have been the work OF
a greenhorn," he said to himself.
"He must be demonstrated with be-
fore 1 go any further. l might stand
a chance of being potted against
when his aim was truer."
Nothing further happened; the in
visible marksman did not attempt to
repeat his experiment. The little
man had now come to an opening In
the woods. Beyond, 80 his right, his
sharp eyes detected ,nder thread
of smoke drifting up through
the warm air, and j rs in this di-
rection that he now b. his steps.
Entering little glade he saw be-
vond him what seemed to be the
foundations of a house rooted over
with old tarpaulins and bark. 1t
was out of a hole in this roof that
the smoke was drifting, and which
had attracted his attention.
There seemed to be no opening
to this building, but near the front
wall, set in the ground, was square
slab of wood like the covering to a
well.
Without moments hesitation he
lifted this, disclosing a burrowl1ke
hole that evidently communicated
with the interior of the place. Care
fully he climbed down into the hole,
and, passing through dark passage
found himself in a cellarl1ke room
feebly lit and filed with the sitting