The enterprise. [volume] (Harlem, Mont.) 1899-1926, 1914-12-17


was all the more powerful because
Sally herself was unconscious Of it.
you've been long in coming. joe
she said. with a sudden smile. "You
were away. of course?"
AYE. just got back fore we started
for here" He looked around. where's
young Dnn?
"l'ye just got him off to sleep on the
bed there" She pointed to deerskiE
curtain in the corner,
"Wlat. They been frightening hm?'
Mrs Rome looked oddly at November,
mo, but II he heard us talking he
might get scared, Tor the man who's
been robbing NE was in this room not
six hours ago, AND Danny saw him.
November raised his eyebrows.
"lluh. That's Gerce!'' he said. Dan
ny's rising three, amt he? He could
cell"
Nothing at all. 1t was after dark,
and the man had his face muflled
Danny said he was real good man
He gave him sugar from the cup
board said Sally.
His hands, what like was his hands?
He gave the sugar.
81 thought of that, but Danny says
he had mitts on. It's Dlore'n three
weeks now since found out the traps
were being meddled with. 1t was done
very cunning. but have my own way
of batting them. and the thief. though
he's a clever woodsman and knows u
heap, never dropped to that. Some
times he'd set 'em and bait 'em like Is
if they We're never touched at all, and
other times he'd just make it appear
as if the animal had got itself out"
"IIe must have left tracks" said Joe.
"Some, yes. Eut he mostly worked
when snow was falling. He's Gun
ming"
Did any one ever see his tracks but
you?"
"Sylvester did"
"How was that:" said Joe. with sud-
den interest.
IL came on Sylvester one evening
when was trailing the robber.'
perhaps Sylvester himself was the
robber''
Mrs Rome shook her head.
at wasn't him, Joe He couldn't a
known / was comm on him. and his
tracks was quite different"
"Well, but tonight? You say the
thief come here tonight? What did he
do that for?'' said Joe. pushing the to-
bacco firmly into his pipe bowl.
He had Il good reason" replied Sal
y, with bitterness. Last Thursday
when was on my way back from put
ting my letter under your door | heard
something rustling through the scrub
ahead of me. 1t might have been Il
lynx. or it might have been a dog, bur
when l come to the trap | saw the
thief had made off that minute, for
he'd been trying to- force open the trap.
and when he heard me he wrenched
hard you bet, but he was bound to-
take care-not to be too rough"
Good fur. you mean?"
"Good?" Sally's face flushed soft
crimson. Good? Why, I've never
seen one to match it. 1t was a black
fox. lying dead there, but still warm,
for it had but just been killed. The
pelt was fair in it's prime. long and
silky and glossy. You can guess, No
venber, what that meant for Danny
and me next winter, that I've been
worrying about lot The whooping
coughs weakened him down bad. and
] thought of the things could get for
him while was skinning out the pelt.
Sally's voice shook, and her eyes filed
with tears. "Oh, Joe. it's hard-hard.
The skin was worth $500 anywhere,
and come home just singing. fixed
it at once and then, being scared-like.
hid it in the cupboard over there be-
hind those old magazines. No one but
Ruby knew that l had got it. l left
Ruby here, but Mrs. Seats had her sew
enth yesterday morning. and Ruby ram
over to help for awhile after she put
Danny to bed The thief must have
been on the watch and seen her go"
"Where's Ruby now?" Joe inquired
"Shes stopping the night. They sent
over to tell me-" replied Sally. well,
to 90 on. had lynx in one of my
traps which got dragged right down by
; Deerhorn pond, so l was more than
special late. Danny began at once to
tell me about the man that came In.
| rushed across and looked in the cup
board. The black fox pelt was gone,
of course"
: "What did Danny say about the
MANI?
"Said he had ON a big hat and a
neckerchief. He didn't speak word !;
gave Danny sugar. as have said. He
+, must "a been here some time, for he's
ransacked the place high and low and
, took nearly every pelt l got this sea-
SON"
, Joe looked up. 'Those pelts mark
ed"
l eyes. My marks on some-seven
! pricks of a needle"
$ you've looked around the house to