The morning Astorian. [volume] (Astoria, Oregon) 1899-1930, 1905-07-02

"rhey aru notw she cried. very much
Agitatsd. They did II II was tho
white Caps. We saw them. Helen
and l."
Ths judge got upon bis feet with an
oath. lie had not sworn for years un-
Ill that morning. whats thisr' hs
said sharply.
Il ought to have told you before, but
we were 10 frightened. and-and you
went or In such q rush after Mr.. Wiley
was hare. never dreamed erybody
woutdn't know II was the Crossroads;
that they would think OF any one else.
And I looked for the scarecrow as soon
a. it was light. and II was away OF
from WHARF NO saw them and wasn't
blown down at all; and Helen saw
them In the Geld besides: saw all Of
them"--
lie interrupted her. what do you
meant Try to tell me about Il quietly.
child" He laid his hand on her shout
der.
She told him breathlessly what she
and Helen had seen. and be grew more
and more visibly perturbcd and un'
easy. biting his cigar TO pieces and
Kroaming at intervals. When she had
finished hs took q few quick turns
about ths room. with bis hands thrust
deep in bis coat pockets, and then,
charging her TO repeat tho story b no
one, left the house and. forgetting hia
fatigue. rapidly crossed the nelds TO
the point where the bizarre figures OF
the night had shown themselves 10 the
two girls at the window.
The soft ground had been trampled
By many feet. The boot prints pointed
10 the northeast. lie traced them back
ward TO the southwest through the
field and saw where they had come
| from near the road. going northeast;
then. returning. he climbed the fence
and followed them northward through
the next Geld. From there the next ield
to the north. lying beyond the road that
was continuation Of Main street,
stretched 10 the railroad embankment
The track, ruggedly defined In tram.
pied loan and muddy furrow. bent 10
q direction which indicated that its
terminus might be the switch whore
| the empty cars had stood last night
waiting for the o'clock freight. Though
the fields had been trampled In many
places by the searching parties, he felt
sure OF the direction taken by the
Crossroads men. and be perceived that
the scarchers had mistaken the tracks
he followed for those OF earlier parties
In the hunt. On the embankment he
saw number OF men walking west
aud examining the ground on each side
aud long line OF people following
them out from town. He stopped. He
held the fate OF Six Crossroads In bis
hand, and he knew II.
The men on the embankment were
stalking slowly. bending far over, their
eyes fixed on the ground. Suddenly
one OF them stood erect and tossed his
arms In the air and shouted loudly
Other men ran TO him, and another far
down the track repeated the shout and
the gesture to another far In his rear
This man took II up and shouted and
waved to a fourth man. and 20 they
passed the signal back TO town. There
came almost Immediately three long
loud whistles from a mill near the sta
ton. and the embankment grew black
with people pouring out from town
while the searchers came running from
the fields aud woods and underbrush
on both sides OF the railway.
Briscoe began to walk on toward the
embankment.
Tho track lay level and straight, moi
dlmmlng In the middle distances. the
rails conveFging to points both north
west and southeast In the clean washed
air like examples of perspective in q
child's drawing book. About seventy
miles to the west and north lay Rouen
In the same direction, nearly SIX miles
from where the signal was given, the
track was crossed by a road leading
directly south to six Crossroads.
The embankment had been newly
ballasted with sand. What had beer
discovered was broad brown stain lr
the sand on the south slope near the
top. There we're smaller stains above
and below, none beyond II to left Of
right, and there were many deep foot
prints In the sand. Men were exam
lining the place excitedly, talking and
gesticulaung. 1t was 1ge Willett'
who had found II. His horse wal
tethered to a fence near BY at the emo
Of a lane through a cornneld. Jared
Wiley, the deputy sheriff. was talking
to group near the stain, explaining
"You see, them two must have
knowed about the o'clock freight ant
that II was to stop here to take on thu
empty lumber cars. | don't know how
they knowed II. but they did. II wa'
this way: When they got out the win
dow they beat through the storn
straight for this side track. AT thu
same time Mr.. HAIRLESS leaves Bris
GOES, goln' west. It begins to rain
He cuts across to the railroad TO hav'
sure footin' and strikin' for tn
deepo for shelter-near place as any
except Brlscoe's, where he's said goo(
night already, and prob'ly don't wisl