The Brookings register. [volume] (Brookings, Brookings County, S.D.) 1903-1971, 1910-04-07
! RUXTON
{ KING
Copyright. 1909. by George
Barr McCutcheon
Copyright, 1909, by Dodd.
Mead q Company
CHAPTER VIII-Continued.

Der solitudes of Ganlook gap and up
to the witch's glen. Here Mr.. Hobbs
baked. He re fused to adventure far
ther than the mouth OF the stony ra-
vine. Truxton approached the howell
alone. without the slightest trep,la-
ton. The goose herd grandson vas
driving a flock of geese across the
green bowl below the cabin. The
American called out to him. and a mo
ment later the youth. considerably eX"
cited. drove his geese up to the door.
While they were vainly h%aranguing
each other the old woman appeared
Uttering shrill ordinations, she hur-
ried down to confront King with blaz-
ing eyes. Her horrid grin of derision
brought a flush to his cheek.
I'll lay you a hundred gavvos that
the kettle and smoke experiment is Il
fake of the worst sort" he announced
"Have ii your own way-have K
your own way she cackled.
Tell you what I'll do-if | can't eX-
pose that trick In ten minutes I'll
make you a present OF a hundred CAV
yos."
She took him up like a fash. a fact
not a little. Her very eagerness au-
cured i'll for his proposition.
With a low. hooking bow the shriv-
eled hag stood aside and motioned
for him to precede her into the howell.
"a hundred gavvos is a fortune not
easily to be won." said the old dame
How can | be sure that you will pay
me if you lose?'
at is in my pocket, madam. If
don't pay, you may instruct your eX-
cellent grandson to cracL me over the
head. He looks as though he'd do 1t
for a good deal less money, III say
that for him."
HE is honest-as honest as his
grandmother" cried the old m
She bestowed "a toothless grin upon
him. Nov, what IS it you want to
do?"
II want to go through that Kitchen,
aust to satisfy myself Of II or two
.hings." King was looking hard at
.he crack in the kitchen door. Sud
denly he started as if shot.
The staring. burning eye was again
looking straight ut him from the jag
ged crack In the door.
"Ill get you this time" he shouted.
crossing the room in two eager leaps.
The door in his violent clutch swung
open with a bang.
The owner of that hooking. phan-
tom eye was gone.
Like q frantic dog. Truxton dashed
about the little kitchen. looking in
the thing he chased. The old woman
was standing in the middle of the
outer room. grinning at him with gen.
uine m~alevolence.
"Ha. ha!" she crooked. You fool.
You fool. Search. Smell him out. All
the good it will do you. Ha. ha!'
by CAD, | will get at the bottom Of
this shouted TruXton, stubborn rage
possessing him. There's some one
here. and | know 1t. I'm not such a
fool as to believe Say! What's that?
The ceiling! BY the eternal. that scrap
ing noise explains it! There's where
the secret trapdoOr is-in the ceiling!
Within arms reach, at that. Watch
me, old woman"
The bag was standing In the kitchen
door now. still %grinning evilly. She
watched the eager young man pound
upon the low ceiling with a three leg
ged stool that he had seized from the
floor.
He was pounding vigorously on the
roughly boarded ceiling when the
sharp voice Of the old woman, raised
III command, caused him to lower the
stool aud turn upon her with cleaning.
triumphant eyes. The look he saw in
her face was sufficient to check his en-
terprise for the moment. He dropped
the stool and started toward her. his
arms extended to catch her swaying
form. The look Of the dying was in
her eyes. She seemed to be crumpling
before him.
He reached her in time. his strong
arms grasping the frail. bent figure as
it sank to the floor. AS he lifted her
bodily from her feet. intent upon car
lying hcA W lhC OpSh Oil, hCA July
fingers sank into his arm with the grip
Of death. and-could he believe his
ears!-a low, hooking laugh came from
her lips.
Down where the pebbly house yard
merged into the messy banks Mr..
Hobbs sat tight, still staring with
gloomy eyes at the dark little hut up
the glen. A quarter Of an hour had
passed since King disappeared through
the doorway. Mr.. Hobbs was getting
nervous.
The shiftless. lanky goose herd came
forth in time and lazily drove his scat.
tered flock OF into the lower glen.
Presently Hobbs caught sight Of a
thin stream Of smoke. rather black
than blue. arising from the little Chin
ney at the rear Of the cabin. His ewes
new very wide open; his heart expert.
enced q sudden throbless moment; his
mind leaped backward to the unex
planned smoke mystery Of the day be-
fore. II was on the end of hia tOnDue