The citizen. [volume] (Berea, Ky.) 1899-1958, 1912-07-11

/
ther Of liars! Every man on that
gang Is strong aud hithy, paid all he
earns and treated with the courtesy OF
Q gentleman. As for the boss living
like n prince. he shares fare with you
every day OF your lives"
wessner was not born diplomat.
but he saw he was on the wrong tack,
and he tried another.
"Freckles. old fellow" he said. "if
you let me give you pointer ! can
put you on 10 making a cool Eve hun
dred without stepping out Of your
tracks"
Freckles drew back.
"You needn't be afraid Of speaking
up" he said. There isn't q soul in
the Lmberlost save the birds and the
] beasts unless some Of your sorts come
along and's crowding the privileges OF
the legal tinints."
"None OF my friends along" said
wessner Nobody knew | came but
! Black il mean a friend Of mine. II
you want to hear sense and act with
reason he can see you later. but II amt
| necessary. We can make all the plans
needed. The tricks so dead small and
easy"
"Must be II you have the engineering
Of It," said Freckles. But he heard
with sigh Of relief that they were
alone.
wessner was impervious. "You just
bet II is! Why, only think. Freckles.
slavin' away at a measly little $50 a
month. and here Is chance to clear
$500 in dayl You surely won't be
the fool to miss I'll"
"And how was you proposing for
me to stale it," inquired Freckles.
"Or am I just TO find II laying In me
path about the liner
THAT'S II. Freckles." clustered the
Dutchman, you're Just to find 1t.
You needn't know a thing. You name
q morning when you will walk up the
west side Of the swamp and then turn
round and walk back down the same
side again and the money Is yours.
Couldn't anything be easier than that.
could it,"
"Depinds entirely on the man." said
Freckles. The lit Of a lark hanging
above the swale beside them was not
sweeter than the sweetness Of his
voice. ''To some II would seem to
come aisy as breathing. and to some
wringin' the last drop Of their hearts
blood couldn't force thim!. I'm not
the man that goes into a scheme like
that with the blindfold over me eyes.
for. you see, II names to break trust
with the boss. and I've served him
faithful as knew. You'll have to be
making the thing very clear to me
understanding"
~It's SO dead easy" repeated wess-
ner. ut makes me tired OF the sim
pleness Of It. You see. there's a few
trees in the swamp that's real gold
mines. There's three especial. Two
are back In, but ones square on the
line. Why. your pottering old Scotch
fool of q boss nailed the wire to It
with his own hands, He never no
ticed where the bark had been peeled
nor saw what It was. II you will stay
on this side of the trail Just one day
we can have IL cut. loaded and ready
to drive out at night. Next morning
you can find 1t, report and be the
busiest man In the search for US. We
know where to fx 1t all safe and easy.
Then Mclean has bet up with a
couple Of the gang that there can't be
a raw stump found In the Limberlost.
There's plenty Of witnesses to swear
to II. and I know three that will.
There's a cool thousand. and this tree
Is worth all of that raw. Say. It's
gold mine. tell you. and just $500 of
It is yours. There's no danger on
earth to you. for you've got Mclean
that bamboozled you could sell out the
whole swamp and he'd never mistrust
you. What do you sayT'
Freckles' soul was satisfied. rs
that alp he asked.
mo, 1t amt" said wessner. IF
you want to brace up and be man
and go into the thing for keeps you
can make FIVE times that In week.
My friend knows a dozen others we
could get out in a few days, and all
you'd have to do would be to keep out
OF sight. Then you could take your
money and skip some night and begin
life like a gentleman somewhere else.
What do you think about itf'
Freckles purred like q kitten.
"'Twould be a rare joke on the boss"
he said. ''to be staalin' from him the
very thing he's trusted me to guard
and be getting me wages all winter
throwed In free. And you're making
the pay awful high. Me to be getting
five hundred for such a simple little
thing as that. You're trating me most
royal indade! It's away beyond all
I'd be expecting. Sivinteen cints would
be a big price for that Job. IL must
be looked into thorough. Just you wait
here until l do a minutes turn In the
swamp. and then I'll be eschorting you
out to the clearing and giving you the
answer" q
Freckles lifted the overhanging
bushes and hurried back TO the case.
He unslung the specimen box and laid
II inside with his Ratchet and revolver.
He slipped the key in his pocket and
went back to Wessner.
snow for the answer" he said.