The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1908-05-24
Drawings by FRED PEeRAM.
Copyright, 1905, 1906. by Little,
Brown & Co.. Boston.
CHAPTER l.

The boy sat up and rubbed his eyes.
He was stiff, footsore, and little
chilly. There was no man servant ar
ranging his bath and clothes. no pleas
ant smell of coffee-not OF the small
luxuries TO which he was accustomed.
On the contrary, he had slept ali night
upon a bed OF bracken, with no other
covering than the stiff pine needles
from the tall black trees, whose rus
! tling music had lulled him 10 sleep.
He sat up. and remembered suddenly
where he was and how he had come
there. He yawned and was on the
point OF struggling 20 his feet when he
became aware OF certain changed con-
ditions I'm his surroundings. Some in
stinct. OF simple curiosity perhaps, but
Of far-reaching effect, led him 10 crawl
back ipto his hiding place and watch.
Lastsnight, after many hours OF pain
full walking. two things alone had i'm
pressed themselves upon his conscious
ness: the dark illimitable forest and the
double line OF rails, which with the abb
solute straightness of exact science had
stretched behind and in front till the
tree tops i'm the far distance seemed TO
touch, and the rails themselves to van
ish into the black heart of the close
growing pines. For miles he had linped
along the painfully rough track without
seeing the slightest sign of any break
in the woods, or any human being. At
last the desire for sleep had overtaken
him. He was a hardy young English
man. and a night out of doors in the
middle OF June under these OdorOus
pines presented itself merely as 4 not
disagreeable adventure. Five minutes
after the idea had occurred TO him ne
was asleep.
And now in the gray morning he
looked out upon a different scene.
Scarcely a dozen yards from him stood
a single travelling coach of dark green,
.draWn by a heavy engine. AT intervals
vi scarcely twenty PAGES up ana down
the line. as far as he could see, soldiers
were stationed like sentries. They
were looking sharply about in all direc-
tions, and he could ever hear the foot
steps OF others crashing through the
wood. From the train three or four
men in long cloaks had already de-
scended. They were standing in the
track talking together.
The young man behind the bracken
felt himself in somewhat of dilemma.
There was a delightful smell CT fresh
coffee from the waiting coach, and
there seemed TO be not the slightest
reason why he should not emerge from
his hiding place and claim the hospital
ity of these people. He was a quite
harmless person, with proper creden-
tials. and an adequate explanation of
his presence there. On the other hand
the spirit OF adventure natural to his
years strongly prompted him TO remain
where he was and watch. He felt GER
tain that something was going TO hap
pen. Besides. those soldiers had exact
~ the air OF looking for somebody TO
shoot
Whilst he was hesitating, something
did happen. There was a shrill whistle
a puff of white smoke in the distance,
and another train approached from the
opposite direction.
1t drew up within few feet of the
one which was already waiting. AlmOs
Immediately half a dozen men, who
were already standing upon the plat
form of the car. descended. One of
these approached rapidly and saluted
the central figure of those who had
been talking together in the track. Aft
or a few moments conversation these
two. followed by one other man only
who was carrying a writing portfolio.
ascended the platform OF the train
which had arrived first and disappeared
inside.
4 The young man who was watching
these proceedings yawned
No duel, then" he muttered TO him
self 1--WE half a mind 10 go out"
Then ne caught sight of a particularly
fierce-lOoking soldier with his finger al
ready upon the trigger of his gun. and
he decided 10 remain where he was.
In about half an hour the two men
reappeared on the platform of the car.
simultaneously the window Of the car
rlage in which they had been sitting
vas opened. and the third man was
visible, standing before a small table
and arranging some papers. Suddenly
he was called from outside. He thrust
his hat upon the papers, and FASTENED
to obey the summons.
A little gust of breeze from the OPEN
ing and closing of the door detached
one of the sheets OF paper from the re-
sLraining weight of the hat 1t f1uttered
out of the window and lay for a mo-
ment upon the side Of the track. No
one noticed il. and in a second or two
IL fluttered underneath the clump of
bracken behind which the young Eng
lishman was hiding. He thrust out his
hand and calmly secured il.
In less than five minutes the place
vas deserted. Amidst many hasty
farewells. wholly unintelligible TO the
watcher the two groups Of men sep
arated and climbed into their respective
~ <ao oobli aS every one MdS out
OF sight, the Englishman rose with a
little grunJ OF satisfaction and stretched
himself.
He glanced first at the sheet of pa
per, and finding il written in German,
thrust IL into his pocket. Then he COM
menced in anxious search for smoking
materials and eventually produced a
pipe, a crumpled packet of tobacco, and
two matches.
Thank heaven% he exclaimed. light
Ing up. And now for a tramp"
He plodded steadily along the track
for an hour or more. All the time he
was in the heart of the forest. Pleas
ants and rabbits and squirrels contin-
ually crossed in front of him. Once a
train passed. and an excited guard
shouted threats of warnings, TO which
he replied in fluent but Ineffective Eng
fish.
'Johnnies seem TO think I'm tres
passing" he remarked to himself in an
aggrieved tone. Il can't help being on
their beastly line!'
Tall. smooth-faced and fair he
walked with the long step and light
some grace Of the athletic young Eng
ishman OF his day. He was well dressed
I'm tweed clothes. cut by a good tailor