The Washburn times. [volume] (Washburn, Wis.) 1896-1976, 1913-01-23

may md IT uSeful.
Taking my little electric lamp he adj
vanced toward the machine again,
flashing the light for second on the
number, and then peering by Its light
into the tonneau, exclaiming as he
Strengthened up: Il thought so"
If it was safe for him to smoke, the
constable and / felt that it was safe
for us, too, to relax our precautions,
and together we had advanced until
we were beside him.
what did you find?" asked, won
dering at his exclamation.
What / expected" he replied en-
jgmatically.
The manner of his answer provoked
me and determined then and there
to have it out with him.
Look here. Davis" | said; 81
brought you into this case and do not
like the way you have acted about it.
| have freely told you everything
have discovered and have aided you
in every way | can. Before go a step
farther on this trip / want to know
more about it,
What is It you wish to know" he
asked. The constable edged nearer
for fear he might miss something OF
our conversation.
First where are We going?"
ITO what is known as the deserted
cottage, about a half mile farther on.
at the edge of this clearing, shack
qat CHI
bermen or quarrymen-which was 1t,
Dodds?"
Built for one and used by tother,
the constable replied. but faint been
used by either, so far as | know, for
a dozen years.
How do you know the missing post
| master is there?"
Traced him."
Howl"
Bicycle tracks," he answered with
a chuckle. you were not the only
person who discovered that Rouser,
when he disappeared, went on bicycle.
In fact, Kent, you are little slow as
a defective. BY the time you had as
certained that much, / ascertained
where the bicycle tracks led to and
had even gone so far as to have Dodds
get warrants for Rouser and his &C.
complete"
81 still DO not see how you got evil
dence enough to get a warrant for
Crandall. Did you find him out here
with the missing postmaster"
Il didn't say I had a warrant for
Crandall," replied the inspector sharp
| ly. did you ever hear Of a John Doe
| warrant"
now?'' asked.
We'll soon find out Come on" he
answered, starting across the clearing
J almost at a dog-trot.
| There were many more questions
wanted to put to him, but there was
no opportunity. and, besides, I doubted
much if he would have answered them
| At first he made little effort to move
| quietly, but after we had gone a
quarter of a mile or more he called
back in whisper, Quietly now"
| We had come to a path which led
us through a short thick growth of un-
derbrush. AS noiselessly as Indians
| following a trail we felt our way along
the silence broken now and then by
| the sound of bough bent back. or a
rustling leaf. Soon the path brought
us out on some rising ground. Not fifty
yards ahead Of us appeared the de
serted cottage.
< ~ xr,I,;e,1rol no51n
SSH" answered Davis. wait
here!"
We stopped there just at the edge
of the underbrush, peering into the
! darkness, straining our eyes to see
and our ears to hear. From the one
window in the side of the one-story
log hut dim light shone, proving that
the place was either occupied or had
been very recently. AS we became
more and more accustomed to the
darkness / could see that there were
| apparently two paths, the one on
which we were standing and another
leading off at about right angle.
AS We looked and listened l heard q
| sharp crack, like the breaking of a
twig that had been stepped on.
| The sound, so far as I could Judge
came from the other path, apparently
hundred feet away from the cottage
turned toward Davis and saw that
he, too. had heard it. He was stand
| ing with his whole body tense, b.
head bent forward a little as if ready
to spring at any instant.
| AS we listened, another sound came
to our ears. At first indistinct, il
| quickly took the rhythm of footsteps
hurrying along the path, a man walk
ing rapidly, / decided The hurryine
footsteps came nearer and nearer. Da
Wis now was crouching like runner
about to make hundred-yard dash
! 1t was only minute of suspense
and yet the effect on my nerves was
| understandable. / wanted to scream
like hysterical girl; wanted to run
| forward or back, it made no differ
ence; I wanted to do something, any
thing-anything but stand there and
wait in the darkness.
| All Of a sudden the form of a man
hurrying along the other path became
visible. He seemed to be carrying
something. Davis took two or three
noiseless steps forward and stopped
abruptly. From the shadows, from
nowhere it seemed. the figure Of an
other man appeared directly in the
path of the oncomer.
Hold on here!" it said, or some
| thing like that.
With a curse the first man dropped
whatever he was carrying and start
ed TO run. The second nan started