The daily Alaskan., 1920-11-11

The village of Buckeye struggles for a quarter of mile along the river road. The road Is a bigger institution than the town. It formed the prlnCi- pal street. The village lookup, or jail. stood in plain sight short way to the west on the north side of the road.
 The sheriff dismounted, picked up the slit and trampled blouse, threw It aoout the shoulders of his prisoner and united the severed rope end still knotted about his neck. With a nut tered command, he made a slight mo- ton toward the Jail with his revolver. The Pearlhunter. still with bound hands. hls shirt so tattered that 1t left him half-naked from hls waist up, the blood upon his face and body fast stifrening into clots, obeyed the com- mand.
 Inside the lookup the sheriff cut his hands loose, and immediately stepped outside and locked the door, seeming to have no fancy to t0rry after his prisoners hands were free. Turning back to his prisoner he pointed out bis house and told him he would bring over some supper later on.
 The Buckeye lookup was two story, rectangular structure of heavy logs. There were two cells, with a hallway between. on the first floor, and the same arrangement above. The Pearlhunter was the only prisoner, so he had free range of both lower cells. The barred gate opening to the stair leading to the upper floor was heavily padlocked. The door of the Jail faced south-faced tho. river road. Each cell had one window; the window of the one looking east, the window Of the other looking west. These win dows were both rather larger than might have hcen expected Each con talned single sash, with the four bars to each window, set in auger holes in the logs at the top and bot tom. The sash was hinged at the side so as to swing in.
 The PcarlhUuter opened the sash at the west window and swung it back as far as it would go. Through the bars he could lon.; out under the cool, calm trees in the jail yard The river road wound drs'y and dry toward the sundown: wornd Co the first curve and hid itself in the hills; wound on to that sharp turn at tine rim of the deep woods by the low fence. And there the ra.h began, ,he dim slim path worn hy wonderful feet; the path that led Co a girl with eyes like the nldcld sky at the bottom of the spring: eyes thaf trusted" him. that would look for him. What would they br like when he didn't come; when the word reached her that he was the Red Mask? lie thought of that bit of scarlet cloth behind he books, with the knife thrust near an PyehOic, What if he should never have the chance to set himself right-if he should die without tho chance? What would the eyes be like then?
 The thought distressed him well- nigh past b.4a,ng. tlr wiuced as though it had hecn blade that stabbed hil. 'rhc crtu&le of paper in his mitrrrl Hu"sn caught his at'en- ton. l.n trrw 'Nc paper fOrth-thp draft, In ,ne fast failing light he >munfhrd ft out and purrd over the words u"uiu.
 His day. Ills great day! He had watched it slip into a starry world upon the crest of midnight; had watched it uuiur the gates of dawn. And how Ft had driven across the world and out at the gates of sunset. Dead. Gone back into the night,
 He left rhe window: dropped down upon the one broken chair in the cell and buried his face In his hands.