Lincoln County times. (Jerome, Idaho) 1911-1919, 1913-06-19

picion, illogical conjecture, based on
nothing beyond his distrust OF Ware.
In the end he sprang from the saddle,
and leading his horse into the woods,
tied II to sapling.
hurried investigation told him
that five men had ridden in and out OF
that path. OF the five. all coming
from the south. four had turned
south again, but the fifth man-Ware,
In other words-had gone north. He
weighed the possible significance OF
| these facts.
Il am only wasting time!" he con- |
fessed reluctantly, and was on the |
point of turning away. when, on the |
very edge OF the road and just where !
the dust yielded to the hard clay OF
the path, his glance lighted on the
print OF a small and daintily shod
foot. The throbbing OF his heart
quickened curiously.
Betty" The word leaped from his
lips.
That small foot had left but the
one impress. There were other ~sgns,
however, that claimed his attention;
namely, the footprints OF Slosson
and his men; and be made the in
evitable discovery that these tracks
were all confined to the one spot
They began suddenly and as sudden
! ly ceased, yet there was no mystery
about these; he had the marks OF the
wheels to help him to sure conclu-
: sion A carriage had turned just
| here, several men had alighted; they
J had with them a child, or a woman
Either they had re-entered the car
t riage and driven back as they had
come. or they had gone toward the
, river He felt the soul within him
turn sick.
He stole along the path; the terror
l OF the river was ever in his thoughts,
and the specter of his fear seemed to
q fit before him and lure him on. Pres
d emily he caught his first glimpse OF
e the bayou and his legs shook under
K him; but the path wound deeper still
into what appeared to be an I'M
y touched solitude, wound on between
= the crowding tree forms. little back
s from the shore, with an intervening
tangle OF vines and bushes. He
scanned this closely as he hurried
forward, scarcely conscious that he
was searching for some trampled
space at the waters edge; but the
verdant wall preserved its unbroken
continuity. and twenty minutes later
he came within sight of Hicks clear
ing and the keel boat, where it rested
against the bank.
A little farther on he found the
spot where Slosson had launched the
skiff the night before. The keel of hi:
boat had cut deep into the slippery
clay; more than this. the impress o.
the small shoe was repeated here, anc
Just beside il was the print of child's
bare foot
He no longer doubted that Betty
and Hannibal had been taken acros:
the bayou to the cabin. and he raI
back up the path the distance OF |
mile and plunged into the woods OF
his right. his purpose being to pas
around the head of the expanse o
sluggish water to a point from which
he could later approach the cabin.
But the cabin proved to be bette
defended than he had foreseen: an
as he advanced, the difficulties OF tn
task he had set himself became a
most insurmountable: yet sustaine
as he was by his imperative need h
tore his way through the labyrinth G
trailing vines. or fioundered acros
| acre-wide patches OF green slime an
black mud, which at each step threa
ened to engulf him in their treachel
Gus depths. until at the end OF a
hour he gained the southern side c
the clearing and a firmer footin
within the shelter of the woods.
Here he paused and took stock c
his surroundings. The two or thre
, buildings MIR. Hicks had erected stoo
midway of the clearing and were yer
modest improvements adapted to thei
owners somewhat fiippant pursuit {
agriculture. While Darlington wa
still staring about him, the cabin doc
swung open and woman steppe
he forth 1t was the girl Bess. She wer
ng to a corner OF the building and calle
'ok loudly:
he Joe, Oh. joe"
mt Darlington glanced in the directio
of the keel boat and an instant late
as saw Slosson Chamber over its sid
tn. The tavern-keeper crossed to the ca
md in. where he was met by Bess. WI
his placed in his hands what seemed
BOD be wooden bowl. With this
slouched off TO one of the outbuil
ings, which he entered. Ten or 4
teen minutes slipped by. then he can
from the shed and after securing Il
door. returned to the cabin. He WI
ON again met by Bess. who relieved hi
his OF the bowl: they exchanged fe
the words and Slosson walked away al
his afterward disappeared over the si'
the OF the keel boat.
ort- This much was clear to the ke
his tuckian: food had been taken to SOL
had one In the shed-to Betty and 4
ard boy,-more likely to George.
ed; CTo BE CoNTNUED)