The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1910-10-23
By
James Oliver Curwood

I cuncenlucnt must remain undiscovercd
! - least thia seemed an assured tact lt
| Captain Plum.
| In tic .ccurity ~ his position III beg1I
/ Jo whistle softly nc beat the bowl o,
| his pipe ON his boot heel 10 "mpiN IL %,
| ashes Then ho drew long barr'leo
revolver from under coai mat ne nae
| thrown aside. and examined II carefully
To see that The powder and ball were II
solid and that none "f The caps was miss
ing From the same place I've brought
forth IA belt buckled IL round his WAIST
showed tho revolver into It's bolster anc
dragging the coat 10 him, ished OUT q
letter from an inside pocket i; was a
dirty much worn letter Perhaps he had
read II score of time He read IL again
now, and then. rcfiling his pipe, settled
back against the rock that formed n rcsl
for his shoulders and turned his eyes III
the direction ot the soop.
Tlr last rim OF the sun had fallen be-
low the Michigan wilderness and in the
rapidlv ncrca9ng gloom ihe sloop was
becoming inbiEtinsuishabe Captain Plum
looked al his watch lie must sun wait
II little longer before setting out upon
,l" adventure that had brought hin, to
this isolated spot He rested his head
against the rock. and thought iIc had
been thinking for hours. Back in The
thickct hr heard the proving oi some
animal. There came the sleepy rnirp OF
n bird and tho rustling of tired wings
settling FOR the night. \ strange sun j.
ness lowered ABOUT him, and with ii
was chilling. loneliness shat made HIM
homcsick. IT was a new and unpleasant
sensation Ia Captain Plum. He could
not remember Just when he had expert
enccd il before: tha, is ii he dated the
present from two weeks ago tonight.
II was then that The letter had been
handed tn him in Chicago. and 1t mad
been a weight upon his soul and prick
30 his conscience ever since, once or
twice n" had made up his mind f" DC
stroy IT, bat each time he had rc2entCd
~ the last moment In sudden rennI :
sion at his weakness he pulled himself
together crumplcd the dirty missiNc int"
a ball. and flung it out upon the white
rim of beach.
movement in the dense wall of verdurc
behind him. Noisrlessly The tanSlc OF
vines separated and head thrust itself
on; in time to sec the bit of paper fall
head shot back as swiftly and as silently
rs a s"rpcnts Perhaps Captain Plum
heard the gloatinS chuckc that followed
the movement. If so he thought IL only
some night bird in the brush.
''iIejsh-ho" hc exclaimed with some
return of his old cheer. '''t's about time
we We're starting fie Jumped to his
feet and began brushing the sand from
walked out upon the rim OF beach and
stretched himself until his arm bones
cracked.
Again the hidden head shot forth from
its concealmcrt. sudden turn and
Captain Plum would certainly have been
startled. For il was a weird object, this
spying head: ,s face dead white against
the dense green OF the vcrdure. with
shocks OF long white hair hanging down
on each side. framing between them a
pair OF eyes that cleaned from cavernous
sockets. like black glowing beads There
was unmistakablc fear. a tense anxiety
walked toward the paper. but when he
paused and stretched himself. the sole
of his boot care!essly tr2mpling the dis
carded letter, the head disappeared
blrdlikc cbuckle from the gloom OF the
thicket,
Captain Plum now put on his coat,
buttoned it close TO conceal tho weapons
in his belt. and walked along the mar
row water-run that crept like white
ribbon between the lake and the island
wilderness. No sooner had he disap-
peared than the bushes and vines behind
wormed his way through them, For an
instant he paused. listening for return
ing footsteps. and then with startling
agility darted TO the beach and seized
the crumpied letter.
The person who for the ggester part
OF the afternoon had been spying upon
Captain Plum from the security OF The
thicket was 10 all appearances a very
small and very old man. though there
was something about him that seemed
10 belle first guess at his age. His
face was emaciated his hair was white
and hung In struggling masses on his
shoulders; his hooked nose bore appar-
entity the infallible stamp of extreme age,
Yet there was q strange and uncanny
strength and quickness In his move
lnents. There was no stoop 10 his shoul-
ders. His head was set squarcly. His
eyes were as keen as steel 1t would
have been impossible TO have told
whether he Was nfty or seventy. Eagerly
he smooLhcd out the abused misSive and
evidently succeeded. evon in the failing
light in decipherng much of il. Tor the
clinmer OF smile flashed over his thin
features as ne thrust the paper into his
pocket.
Without a moments hesitation he set
out on the trail OF CAPTAIN Plum. A
quarter Of a mile. down the path he over
took the object of hi spursuit.
AN, how DO YOU DO sir?" he greet
ed as The younger man turned about
upon hearing his approach. IA mighty Y
fast p9re. :ou'rc setting for an old man
sir He broke into n laugh that was
held out hand. We've been expecting
you, but-not in this way, I hope there's
nothing wrongo'
Captain Plum had accepted the prof
iered hand It's GOODNESS and the singular
appearance of the old man who iao come
like an apparition chilled him. In q
moment. however. IL occurred to him that
AS far as he know there was no one
ON Bcavcr Island who was expecting him
To the best ol his knowledge he was a
tool for being There. His crew aboa rd
the sloop had agreed upon that point
win extreme NcheGcnCe. and. 10 n man
had attempted TO dissuade him from the
mad project upon which nc was launch.
n