The Elk Mountain pilot., 1917-10-04

village when the train was heard, and
the same instinct that had taken him
to the platform now caused him to wait
for the passengers.
Sebastian and Leontine, descending
from their carriage, were amazed to
see Ravengar waiting for them. Leon
tine looked on him with fear; Sebas-
tian with frantic terror.
"Welcome to Whites Village" said
Ravengar. raising his hat.
"What are you doing here?" demand
ed Sebastian uneasily.
Seeking my fOrtune-the same as
yourself, my dear Navarro" Ravengar
answered.
Before Sebastian could think of a
reply his eyes lit on Louis Lamb, who,
standing behind post, watched the
party with dour grimace. He stag
gered an instant; then, associating the
presence of the two men with some
conspiracy, he blazed into anger. He
strobe toward Louie.
"How do you dol" he said curtly,
offering him his hand.
Louie's eyes blaZed. IT don't know
you, l tell you," he shouted. II never
saw you in my life before-none of
you"
AS Sebastian stood staring at him
helplessly, One Lamp Louie slouched
off in the direction of his shack; and,
realizing that he had left it for nearly
an hour he broke into IL terrified amble.
Sebastian, looking back, saw Raven
gar helping Leontine into the carriage.
|
Once within his shack, Louie rushed
to the place where he hid his gold and
pulled up the board. He breathed a
sigh of relief. 1t was untouched.
| But the memory of the two strangers
who had greeted him terrified him.
He stared out of his little window.
The sweat dripped from his face. In
his arms he hugged the loaded shot
gun. md he fancied that he saw an
enemy beneath each bush, and in every
quivering shadow.
| AS he crossed the floor his sharp
ears seemed to tell him that somebody
was near. He almost thought he
| heard n sound within the shack. He
clutched his shotgun tighter and peered
about him. But nobody was there.
Then suddenly, out of the shadows
of the far corner of the room, two lu
minous eyes and two dead-white hands
seemed to materialize themselves.
Louie's eyes widened. He stared at the
fiery eyes which fixed themselves on
his.
The eyes burned themselves into his
brain. Louie began to stiffen like Il
cataleptic.
And in his half-dead brain the fol-
lowing words were registered:
write out the statement you have
to make concerning your forgery, on
behalf of Sebastian Navarro, which
sent Jerry Carson to the penitentiary
for a murder which he never commit
ted"
Louie's hand went out automatically
toward n pencil and pad of paper
upon the pine table in the shack. Louie
had not placed them there. They We're
there now. and 1t did not surprise him.
because he was living upon a plane
where nothing is surprising.
II wish to confess my part in the
forgery which ruined Jerry Carson"
wrote Louie's hand, in obedience to his
docile, subconsciOus mind. Louis him
self sat rigidly Mt the table, motionless
and stih, except for the plant right
forearm and fingers. Or perhaps Ii
was the real Louie who wrote, and only
the shell, with its history of crime and
weakness, that sat stiff In the chair.
The door of the shack opened. Sc
bastian appeared. But Louie sat stiff
,,1D
formed the words with the pencil.
Sebastian, driven to desperation by
Ravengar's appearance and Louie's
strange behavior, had resolved to have
1t out with his partner that night.
Peering over Louie's shoulder, to his
horror Sebastian saw the complete con-
fession of the crime.
$50 that's your game, is it?" he de-
manded through his teeth. II guessed
something was wrong. You pitiful fool,
why didn't you come to me? Who's
backing you? Don't you know that if
that gets out it will mean punishment
to you as well as to me?"
Louie stared into the mans face
wonderingly. He had gone to sleep. as
he thought, and now had awakened in
the clutches of this stranger.
"Who are you?" he snarled, lodging
out of Sebastian's grasp. what do
you want? My gold, that's what you
| want!"
| With n spring he had reached the
loaded shotgun, and he clasped 1t in
his arms as n child clutches n doll.
Sebastian leaped forward and tried
to snatch the gun out of his hands.