Grand Forks herald. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1916-1955, 1920-06-10
ed faces of Louie solomon's three

IOWcLS.
Grim as the three Fates. they stalk
ed toward him. Two Of them kept
him covered, while the third plucked
the revolver from his pocket and
dropped it into his own. After that
touched his face: lifted a hand; laid
1t across his breast. He picked up
the red mask, and snarled around at
the others. The others growled;
swore: and the Pearlhunter faucied
the revolvers pointed at him a little
straighter, a little more .vindtctively.
1t was not the first time these three
had faced the Red Mask. He had
long been their particular, nightmare.
him with his mask off, and with
empty hands.
The one kneeling by the body
seemed to be the leader. He felt
carefully inside the pocket where the
pearl had been pinned; searched the
other pockets; felt carefully over the
clothing. He rose after the frultless
search and faced the Pearlhunter.
Where ISIS it,"
The Pearlhunter shook his head.
With a snarled word of Yiddish,
doubtless a curse. and a flourish Of
his clenched hand that came uncom-
fortably close to the young mans
the Jew began to search him:
pockets; hens; waist-band; socks:
even his hat band, ears and hair. OF
course the search again proved fruit
less. The Jew drew his revolver,
cooked it. and thrust it into the
Pearlhunter's face.
where ISIS it?"
The bearded lips were drawn so
tense that the yellow teeth were bare.
The Pearlhunter knew the yellow
teeth meant exactly what they SEEM
ed to mean. Louie Solomon's three
~guardsmen had a reputation along
the Wabash. For an instant the wild
notion seized him to spring upon the
fellow. try to disarm him. ana take
his chances in the struggle that would
follow. But that would fix his guilt,
and 80 confident of his ability to
rrove it, when the time came, that he
dismissed the impulse. His great
danger lay in the fact that the in
furiated Jews might kill him before it
came to proof. The reward for the
Red Mask was the anne whether
dead or alive. Still, his death would
not bring them any nearer nnding the
pearl. He pinned his hope there, and
The Jew jammed the revolver
against his temple. The cold rim Of
the muzzle almost cut the skin.
Where iss it,"
Nothing less than death burned in
the bloodshot eyes. Another shake
of the head wouldn't do. The Jew
wanted an answer, and he meant to
have it.
I'm not the Red Mask. L didn't
know where the Blue Moon H."
The answer was not convincing.
Nothing he could have said just then
would have been. Whether the Jew
believed it, or any part of It, his face
gave no sign. He backed away two
steps and leveIed his revolver full at
the P~earlhunter's breast, like 4 man
about to pistol another and deliber-
ately planning to make a clean job Of
was what he was about to do. And
who along the whole stretch Of the
Wabash but would have said he did
a righteous deed? And the reward
for the Red Mask would u~nquestion-
ably have been his.
h instant came when the Pearl
hunter believed the grtmy finger WAS
about to press the trigger and he was
almost in the act Of diving beneath
10 one of the others and said some
thing in Yiddiah.
The man spoken. "a darted away
through the bushes toward the boat
landing. The Pearihunter breathed
again.
The man soon reappsared, carry
ing q piece of rope. One at . time,
he took the Pearlhunter's hands.
drew them behind his back. and
bound then securely together. Even
then, so great was their dread OF the
man he was unnnaA IN hA that one
Of them constantly held 4 gun on
him.
After that they made another very
careful search for thu pearl szann1n-
ing again the Pearlhuntss's clothins.
the clothes Of their dead master. the
.!round. even lifting up the rocks "
about and looking under them.
The three henchmen appeared TO
bemoan the loss OF the Jewel more
man on guard took ! fendish pleas
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