The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1920-08-04

the easement? At first blush it looked
like melodrama, cheap at that-the
frock coat; fancy vest; soft steps; the
stealthy arm. But no; that wouldn't
do. The man was not that>k The
Wabash country knew pretty wen
what the Red Mask was and what he
was not. There was a dash of the
dramatic IN him, of the spectacular, a
voluptuous taste for the picturesque;
but,-well, a man that could hold the
law at the point of a six-gun for half
life time had other stuff in him than
that.
No, he wanted to hide that bit of
cloth right there. But why? The
Pearlhunter raked his brain for the
answer. Why? He must have been
ignorant that the other was hidden
behind the chink, or why should he
have taken such pains to hide this
one? He was probably ignorant of
the fact that he had dropped the other
one in the cabin that night: possibly
did not know where he had lost IL. 1t
was even conceivable that the loss of
IL may have occasioned him no small
anxiety. If he did not know that he
had dropped the other mask in the
cabin he probably was unaware that
the Pearlhunter knew him. The young
man sat still long time over that
thought.
That he could with such apparent
readiness supply himself with another
mask after the first was lost suggested
A nearby rendezvous. or a confeder-
ate. But that was unlike himzto have
a confederate. He was known to work
alone. And his horse-he would not
likely allow himself to get far from IT,
He wouldn't dare ride it into the
village. Rocket, the famous thorough
bred of the Red Mask. was well known.
And a horse can not be easily dis
guised.
But always, no matter where his
thoughts strayed. Ike man lost IN
the woods and travelling in a circle ne
invariably came back to the starting
question: Why did he hide
the mask in the cabin? One thing was
certain. He didn't hide it without
purpose. -,
He seemed to feel some intangible.
force for evil forming
about him-like spider webs across tire
face: delicately effective; hideousiy
efficient. A kind of dread crept out OF
the silence and the solitude and grip
ned his spirit. Danger; death-the
Red Mask iuggled with them as king /
;uggles empires. Why didn't he araw
there in the saloon; why didn't he
draw at the fence. There was death /
in his eyes.
THE scene in the cabin that first eve
ming crossed his mind, when by chance
he had learned the secret OF the man
IDENTITY: a secret shared by no one
Else In the Flatwoods; a secret Re
dared not reveal for want Of proof.
He had often though of it Tonight
preshened il IN his mind compellingly;
he strange actions of his mother her
1aring scorn; how she had sprung
rom her chair and beat the intruder
,ff with the imperious dignity OF her
yves. Her story, the one all too brief
word that had reached him out OF the
sealed past, come to him again. Long
md long he sat with his head bowed
,ver the table
Dawn at the east window surprised
lin. He stepped to the cabin door.
rhe square Of moonlight upon the
1oor was pale and sickly. Great
hats of bronze thrust up out of he
asst and dimmed the stars. mist
ay along the river like cloud that
,ad fallen from the sky and loved the
warm earth so well hat it refused TO
eturn.
He stood in the door and watched
he world awake-his world; the only
World he knew A half sleep twitter
ere and there among the trees;
roak down by he waters edge;
quawk over in the bayou; and on the
igher ground a trill now and then OF
istilled witchery-he knew them all
very voice A crow wallowed along
/ the purple Light and rasped the 81
.nce with his raucous call He was
by another from somewhere
cross in the bottoms. The woods
fled its thousand voices; a multi
lde shouting. as at the coming OF