The sun. (Jacksonville, Fla.) 1905-1908, 1906-03-03

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the magnificent eyes that had so at
tracted me.
The afternoon passed, and yet we
were not successful. / was faint with
hunger and thirst, yet my companion
did not once complain. Her energy was
marvelous-and yet was she not hunt
ing down criminal? Was she not de-
termined to obtain such evidence as
would enable her to speak the truth
fearless, and with confidence that it
would have the effect of convicting the
guilty one?
Slowly we toiled on up the pictur-
esque little glen for nearly mile and
half Its beauties were extraordinary,
and the silence was unbroken save for
the musical ripple of the water over
the stones. Hidden there in the center
OF that great wood, no one had visited
1T perhaps for years, not even the keep
ers, for no path led there, and by rea-
son of the tangle of briars and bush
it was utterly ungetatable. Indeed, it
had ruined our clothes to search there,
and as we went on with so many wind
lngs and turns we became utterly out
OF our bearings. We knew ourselves to
be in the center of the wood, but that
was all
The sun had set, and the sky above
showed the crimson of the distant after
glow, warning us that it was time we
began to think of how to make our
exit. We were passing around sharp
bend in the glen where the boulders
were so thickly moss-grOwn that our
feet fell noiselessly, when I thought I
heard voice, and raising my hand we
both halted suddenly.
"Someone is there" I whispered
quickly. Behind that rock" She nodd-
ed in the affirmative, for she, too, mad
heard the voice.
We listened, but the sound was not
repeated. That someone was on the other
side of the rock | knew, for in tree
in the vicinity thrush was hopping
from twig to twig, sounding its alarm.
cry and objecting to being disturbed.
Therefore we crept silently forward
together to ascertain who were the in
truders. The only manner, however, in
which to get view beyond the huge
rock that, having fallen across the
stream centuries ago, mad diverted its
channel, was to Chamber up its messy
sides to the summit. This we did eagerly
and breathlessly, without betraying our
presence by the utterance of single
word.
To reach the side of the boulder we
were compelled to walk through the
shallow water, but Muriel, quite UNI
daunted, sprang lithely along at my
side, and with one accord we swarmed
up the steep rock, gripping its slip.
perry face with our hands and LAYING
ourselves fiat as we came TO it's sum.
nit.
Then together we peered over, Just,
however, in time to see two dark fig
ures of men disappearing into the
thicket on the opposite side of the glen.
WHO are they, wonderi" I asked.
"Do you recognize themf''
mo. They are entire strangers to
me-" was her answer. "But they seem
fairly we'll dressed. Perhaps two sports
men from some shooting party in the
neighborhood. They've lost their way
most probably"
"But I don't think they carried guns"
| said. zone of them had something
over his shoulder"
Wasn't it guni thought it was"
"No, he wasn't carrying it like he'd
carry gun. 1t was short-and seemed
more like spade"
"a spade!" she gasjed quickly in a
low voice. "a spade! Are you certain
of thatH"
"No, not at all certain. We only had
an instantaneous glance of them. We
were unfortunately too late to see them
face to face"
"The back of one of the men, the tall
fellow in the brown suit, was broad
and square-the back of someone who