The Idaho Springs siftings-news., 1919-10-17

ton for the nights sleep.
1t was decided that the girl should
take the inner room of the house,
John the second and Morgan the out
side room. The Spider was to sleep
with the men in the auxiliary shacks.
This arranged and all being tired from
the strenuous day just passed. they
bade each other good night and re-
tired. There being no bed or bunk In
Johns room, he spread n blanket upon
| the floor, and bringing saddle for a
pillow, stretched himself for the night.
| Twenty minutes later he was sleeping
peacefully.
The hour of midnight came and 81
lence bcooded close over the camp.
The door of Morgan's room quietly
opened and the plotter crept out, to be
| joineu n moment later by Spider and.
the mine boss, otherwise the fake
| Doctor" Fream. Passing to the back
of the house they disclosed the en-
trance to a deep cellar which ran i'm
mediately under the middle cOmpart-
| ment of the house wherein John was
deep in slumber, and into this hole
| they disappeared.
II arranged it this afternoon before
you came" whispered Bellas as they
were safely underground. "She works
as slick as grease and without
sound" Lighting a lantern he led the
way to the cellar on the sides of which
were revealed two wheels with ropes
wound about them and which led to a
simple lowering and hoisting arrange
ment connected with the ceiling above.
which also composed the floor of the
sleeping mans room. The Spider TAX
ing hold of one of these wheels and
Morgan the other. they began letting
them slowly unwind AS they did SO
the floor upon which John lay sank
foot by foot into the cellar until it
came to rest on the. earthen floor. So
slow and silent had been the process
that the weary slumberer had not
awakened
With a spring the three were upon
him. Caught asleep and covered by
his blanket he was half stif1ed and
bound before he was fairly awake, and
before he could gain his breath a gag
was placed in his mouth and a sack
drawn over his head. Then laying him
aside, the floor was hoisted back into
place and securely propped from be-
low, leaving no sign that 1t had ever
been tampered with which could be
observed by anyone who should now
enter the room above
By the first morning light Ethel
awoke. Hastily dressing herself for
the day. she went to the door of Davis
room and knocked. There was no re-
sponse and she repeated her tapping,
louder this time. There still being no
answ :, and feeling assured that he
already had arisen and gone out, she
opened the door a little way and
peeped In. The room was empty. AS
she turned away she encountered Nor
gan, just arisen, yawning sleepily and
in the act of going to the basin outside
for his morning wash. She accosted
him.
where is JohnT'
Haven't seen him yet, Miss Ethel.
In fact just this minute rolled out.
II he isn't in his room you'll find him
somewhere around camp" But when
breakfast had been eaten and still no
Davis, all admitted that it had begun
to look queer. An examination of his
room revealing nothing. Morgan sug-
gested that he probably had seen a
deer and was stalking 1t in the hills.
Anyway, we have got to get these
men on their way and start them at
work, so we will go along. leaving the
boss and one Of his men to wait for
him. That is all we can do just now"
Ethel, secretly protesting, was COM
PEELED to admit that it would be folly
for the whole party to remain behind
and await the return Of one man.
Leaving the pair named by Morgan to
linger about the place until the van
1shed one came back from his hunt,
the remainder of the party continued
its way into the mountains and toward
the mine. That Rainface had disap-
peared worried Ethel but little. She
knew the Indian and his strange, silent
ways, and felt suresthat he would re-
turn unerringly home whenever the
mood came upon him.
AS the departing party wended its
way out of sight around a bend in the
trail the boss and his helper got upon
their feet.
wen wander around for while.
then slowly follow the bunch and
catch up with them tonight at the
mine. We can tell them that we wait
ed all day and no signs of him, and let
them do what they like" announced
Fream. Mounting their horses they
went riding leisurely away.
In the cellar, John had once more
managed to free himself by means of
the secret knife which he carried CON
cealed in his waistband. This done,
he emerged from the pit, and a mo-
ment's inspection showing him that
the party had left, he took a foot trail
that led in the direction of the mine.
A mile further on he came TO house
where he raped attthe door A woman