Evening star., 1915-12-19

doorway. AIN ueilu sure. WISH
was" His voice professed indifference,
only his squirting eyes and broad cheeks
betraying his delight in the exploit.
"What makes you think SOP"
"Well, after banged, spotted them
three young pines out there shaking like
thunder-that's all. AS il maybe some
body was Topping around inside
The dropped canvas made the room
quite dark; but we could see even better
through the loop-holes. Ericsson took the
west side wall. Glendenning remained
outside. The crooks slammed loose a few
times at the curtain, perforating it with
jagged Sits. But we were never in range.
Once l turned in the dark to Eloise
@You've got your father lying low?'
EYES," she whispered. And then.
"Don't think of us--unless | can help"
In one breath Ericsson and l COM
manded: you're not to novel"
A LONG, unbroken pause ensued. For
twenty minutes, not shot, not yell
The beasts were evidently trying some
suspense game. Our fire outside began
to crumble to embers, the yellow light
Enthusiastically to fade down. We simply
must have light--there could be no two
guesses' that. The rats would sneak in
and have the cabin ablaze in a jiffy. With
a secret sign to Eloise, dived under the
door-fap, unmolested, for my turn out
side. The entrance to that outer stock
ade, should say, was formed by having
the two halves of the front wall set at
different angles, overlapping several feet
in the middle. But the opening so made
faced to the west away from the fire.
Grabbing up pieces of my stored wood,
| began to heave them, without exposing
myself too much, over the top of the barri-
cade toward the dying glow. Some landed
in the embers and caught. got the range
after few trys, and managed to start up
the flames again pretty brisk. From the
herders-not a crack to check me! The
minutes ticked on into half-hours. 1t was
stretching
Suddenly brilliant idea hit me.
Taking off my hat, carefully stuck
it out beyond the edge of the stockade
entrance. Not bullet chugged at it
into it. l shifted it about fairly natur-
ally, you know-this way and that. 1
tried to make an interesting mark Re-
sult-absolutely nothing. Showing my
Winchester in front of me, followed on
out into the open with head and shoul-
ders, squirming fiat on my stomach. Soon
even my legs were clear of the stockade.
AS l put good wriggled yards between
myself and the cabin, however, and the
chances of potting by the herders grew
cheerily less, had to think the more of
Ericsson and Glendenning. A handful of
buckshot from the loop-holes would stop
me just as effeetually as slug from
among the trees. My big hope, though,
was the fire. 1t burned strong and high
again now, casting broad light. And
Ericsson and Glendenning, they were the
real gun-fighters- your skittish. pam
icky sort who shot first and looked after
ward. knew could trust them for that.
In fact, everything played straight into
my hands. Ericsson and Glendenning
spotted me from the house-wall, recog-
nized me, came tumbling out hot-foot,
with Eloise at their heels, into the stock
ade. But by that time was safe in the
border shadow of the pines.
"Stay there!" besought them all in a
low voice. For answer, Ericsson made
as if to crawl headlong after me. "Miiss