The Owosso times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1897-1926, 1914-06-19

tents.
Then there was order. and squad.
were made up and details given, ant
she saw a gun suddenly spring int
sight on her fathers hip.
In ten minutes the honor camp wa.
out on the hillsides starting the frs
man hunt. for this was the first tim,
a man had broken his parole.
The girl ran at her fathers side
1.-THE and strong In her short skirt an(
trim mountain boots. silent, listenin,
to the buzz of comment and specula
ton.
Like bloodhounds the squads wen
first to the wash below the high archet
culvert which carried off the mos
threatening Of the big mountains rush
ing rivulets in the rains. Here lay his
tools. but of himself or the way ht
had gone there was no sign.
Skipped" said her father disdain
fully, land him a 'trusty'-the first
man to play the internal fool, for it'll
mean long addition to his term wher
he's caught And he'll be caught. Now
We'll spread out from here"
But here the girl pushed through and
stood just over the long crack in the
slanting rock. She leaned forward O
bit, as if she wished her ringing young
voice to carry downward.
You're wrong, dad!" she cried
strongly. II tell you you're wrong
The mans been a hunter-a fisher
He's the putteed, gaunteted. tailored
khaki kind. and the pull of the hills
and woods has been too strong. He's
gone for time. but he'll come back
The freedom and the wild have walked
the old longings in him. and he's flung
out to the woods, but he'll come back
l know, for my rifle and my steel fly
rod are gone"
Rosie" said her father gravely,
you've never been q fool before. Go
on back to your mother"
Obediently, having fallen contentedly
silent. she went, and the squads spread
up and down the great watershed in
grim and orderly fashion.
When the midnight stars stood over
head there was tiny, whispering
sound at the culvert, and man came
crawling cautiously out of it, having
merely raised the mat of dropping
ferns that concealed the mouth Of as
fine natural underground cavern that
gave at the upper end as one might
need for such purpose as his.
Now he Strengthened cautiously and
listened Far up on the ridge he could
hear occasional scattered shouts where
his fellows searched for him. He
smiled grimly.
His dark eyes were full of fire and
grim determination, and the excite
ment of great hazard marked his clean
lined face. He was starting for free
dom. But the first careful step ap-
palled him by its consequence. He
put his foot on something that rolled
and sent him rafting down the wash
while the object of the disaster slid
with him.
With his heart stopped still he put
out his hands and felt of it. 1t was
a steel fishing rod. its joints tied to-
gether. Dangling from it he found,
as his fingers slipped along it, reel
full of line and fly book.
1t had been placed directly across
the culvert's mouth.
With his face study in the dark
ness he crept slowly back, reaching
with his sensitive hands along the
rocky bed. They came upon the cold
metal of gun-a neat. light rifle.
Lord" he said under his breath
Then he sat back up on his heels. mo-
tionless in the darkness.
The men came struggling back at
dawn for food. ate. talked. compared
notes and went out again. All day
they hunted the hills and the gorges.
slept bit by turns and returned to the
search.
Mcconnell was grim and angry. He
hated to send word to the authorities
until he had satisfied himself that he
could do nothing himself.
The girl watched slyly from her gray
eyes and said nothing. though she was
as tense as drawn string.
The next morning they were bag
gard bunch that clustered around the
long tables in the cook shack. and Nc
Connel stood at the telephone calling
for the valley town. He was sending
for help.
The voices of the men were hushed
for his benefit. and there was only the
clatter of knives against heavy plates.
Suddenly there was an exclamation.
the rasp of chair pushed back on the.
rough floor. and a man sprang up with
a tragic finger pointed to window
that commanded the road.
"Heavens!' he cried shrilly. There
he comes!'
In one hand he carried the lengths
Of a steel rod and string Of trout
fresh from the cool shadows of the
spray dashed rocks. In the other he
bore light hunting rife. while on his
back. properly slung with the trick of
the true hunter, its slender feet tied on
his breast and its weight on his Shout
1ers. there rode young spike buck.
"Good morning." he smiled. by
George. I'm hungry
Mcconnell walked up to him, and for
l long moment the two men looked
each other between the eyes with
ylances sharp as steel Then:
"Wash up," said the former shortly.