Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-10-27

Of the western slope. Why he should
take the roundabout route up the Old
spur and across the mountain. when he
might have gone on the train to Little
Butte station, and so have saved the
added distance and the hard climb was
question which JudsOn answered briefly
for some reason of his own HallOck did
not wish to be seen going openly to the
Wire-Silver headquarters. Hence. the
drop from the train at Silver switch and
the long tramp up the gulch and over
the ridge.
! Forecasting it thus Judson lost no time
on the summit of mysterious disappear
ances. Choosing the shortest path he
| could find which promised to lead him
down to the mining hamlet at the foot
of the notwithstanding slope. he set
his feet in it and went stumbling down
| the steep declvity, bringing up, finally,
on little bench just above the mine
| workings. Here he stopped to get his
breath and his bearings. From his halting
place the mine headquarters building lay
| just below him. at the right of the tunnel
| entrance to the mine 1t was long log
building of one story. with warehouse
doors in the nearer gable. and lighted
windows to mark the location of the
offices at the opposite end.
Making a detOur to dodge the electric
lighted tunnel mouth JudsOn carefully
| accommodated the office end of the head
quarters building. There was door,
with steps giving upon the down-hill side.
which were blank to the eye by reason
of the drawn-dOwn shades. Two persons.
at least. were in the lighted room; Jud-
son could hear their voices, but the thick
log walls muffied the sounds to an indis
tinct murmur. On the mountaineering
side of the building. which in
shadow. the ex-engineer searched pains
takingly for some open chink or Granny
between the logs. but there was no ave-
nue. of observation either for the eye or
the he had made his
mind to risk the moonlight on the other
side of the headquarters, a sound like
the moving of chairs on a bare floor
made him dodge quickly behind the bole
of great mountain pine which had been
left standing at the back of the building
The huge tree was directly opposite one
of the windows. and when Judson looked
again the figure of a man sitting in a
chair was sharply silhouetted on the
drawn window shade.
Judson stared rubbed his eyes and
stared again. IL had never occurred TO
/ him before that the face of a man,
! viewed III blank profile, could differ so
! stlikingly from the same face as seen eye
! to eye. That the man whose shadow
was projected upon the window shade
was Rankin HallOc<. he could not doubt.
/ The bearded chin. the puffy lips. the
! prominent nose, We're all faithfully out
| lined in the exaggerated shadowgraph.
! But the hat was worn AT an unfamiliar
angie, and there was something i'll the
J erect, DulklnS nPufe il,at was sun more
! unfamiliar. Judson backed away and
| stared again. mutteTinG to himself. If
| ne had not traced HallocS almost To the
| door of Flemisters quarters. there might
| have been room for the thin edge of the
doubt wedge. The unfamiliar pose ana
| the rakish tilt of the soft hat We're not
among the chief clerks remembered
| chara cteristics: but making due allow
| ance for the distortion of the magniiied
| facial outline, the profile was Hallocks s.
! Having definitely settled for himself the
! question of identity, JIdson renewed his
| search for some eaVesdropping point of
| vantage. Risking the moonlight. he twice
made the circuit of the occupied end of
| the building. There was line of light
showing under the ill-iitting door. and
| with the top step of the down-hill flight
! for a perching place one might lay an
ear TO the crack and overhear. But door
and steps We're sharply struck out in the
| moonlight. and they faced the mining
hamlet, where the men of the day shift
We're still stirring.
| Judson knew the temper Of the Timan-
yoni miners. To be seen crouching on
the boss's doorstep would be to take the
the first loiterer Of the day shift who
happened to look his way. Diminishing the
risky expedient, he made a third circuit
from mOon-glare to shadow, this time
upon hands and knees. To the lowly
come the rewards of humility. Framed
level upon stout log pillars on the down
hill side. the headquarters warehouse and
office sheltered a space beneath its floor