Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1915-06-24

without thought of luncheon, we made
a descent of the steep bank until
we reached the rocky bed Of the
stream. Undaunted, she went on,
springing from stone to stone and
steadying herself with her stick. If
we could only discover the body of the
dead woman, then the rest would be
clear, she declared. She would openly
denounce the assassin.
The sun had set, and the sky above
showed the crimson of the distant
a~fterglow, warning us that it was time
we began to think Of how to make our
exit. We were passing around a sharp
bend in the glen where the powders
we're so thickly moss grown that our
feet fell noiselessly, when l thought
l heard a voice, and raising my hand
we both halted suddenly.
Someone is there" l whispered
quickly. Behind that rock" She
nodded in the affirmative, for she, too,
had heard the voice.
We listened, but the sound vas not
repeated. That someone was On the
other side of the rock l knew, for in
a tree in the vicinity a thrush was hop
ping from twig to twig, sounding its
alarm-cry and Directing to being dis
turbed.
Therefore we crept silently forward
together to ascertain who were the in
truders. The only manner, however,
in which to get a view beyond the
huge rock that, having fallen cross the
stream centuries ago, had diverted its
channel, was to Chamber up it's messy
sides to the summit. This we did "a
gerly and breathlessly, without betray-
ing our presence by the utterance of
a single word and laying ourselves fiat
as we came to its summit.
Then together we peered over, just,
however, in time to see two dark fig
Tres of men disappearing into the
thicket on the opposite side of the
glen.
who are they, I wonder?" I asked.
DO you recognize them?
mo. They are entire strangers to
me-" was her answer. "But they seem
fairly well dressed. Perhaps two
sportsmen from some shooting party
in the neighborhood. They've lost
their way most probably"
But l don't think they carried guns
l said. "One of them had something
over his shoulder"
Wasn't it a gun? thought i
was"
mo, he wasn't carrying it like he'C
carry a gun. 1t was short-ant
seemed more like a spade"
"a spade!" she gasped quickly il
a low voice.
At the moment my eye caught sigh
of a portion of the ground below u
at the base Of the rock which had ev
IDENTIFY been recently disturbed.
ut is a spade the man is carrying!
l cried excitedly. Look down there
They've just been burying something!
Her quick eyes followed the diret
; ton l indicated, and she answered
! Il really believe they have conceale
something!"
5 Then when we had allowed the me
: to get beyond hearing, we both slippe
9 down to the other side of the bowlde
i and there discovered many signs the
} the earth had been hurriedly exc
waited and only just replaced.
T Quicker than it takes to describe th
T exciting incident which followed, "
{ broke down the branch Of a tree ar
l. with it commenced moving the fresh.
disturbed earth, which was still so
@ and easily removed.
Muriel found a dead branch in IL
It vicinity, and both of us set to VOL
l with a will, eager to ascertain VIII
n was hidden there. That somethil
re had certainly been concealed was,
a. us, quite evident, but what it real
IT was we could not surmise.
Digging with a piece of wood W
ID hard and laborious work and it W
a long time before we removed su
y. cient earth to make a hole of any sii
lg But Muriel exerted all her energy, a
of both of us worked on in logged silen
" full of wonder and anticipation. w
IT. a spade we should have soon been al
ne to investigate, but the earth havi
in : apparently been stamped down hs
prior to the last covering being ]
"a upon 1t, our progress was very 81
as and difficult.
all At last, a quarter of an hour or
ed, after we had commenced, Mur
a standing in the hole and having {
her stake deeply into the ground, s
de- denly cried:
as Look! Look, Mr.. Gregg! VIII.
lid whatever is that?"
gh bent forward as she indicated,
'ch my eyes met an object SO unexpec
The that l vas held dumb and motionl,
The amazing enigma was sui
nd complete!
Mt | and It opens q field of %possibilitie,