The Aberdeen weekly. [volume] (Aberdeen, Miss.) 1878-1933, 1920-11-19
CHAPTER VI-continued.

A form blotted the moonlight upon
the floor with living splotch Of shad-
ow. An arm came in at the door; a
hand fIImbled behind the easement
| That was ALL No face appeared. A
moment or two, and the arm disap-
peared; the splotch of shadow slid off
| the square of moonlight; the soft foot
falls slipped away around the east end
of the cabin and muffled into silence.
Very softly the Pearlhunter rose to
his feet. The light outside was far
too bright to risk venturing forth. 1t
would have betrayed him instantly.
He glanced around the cabin. The
moon had passed by the east window.
so that it was in the shadow He
stole across the floor and peeped out
through a broken pane.
A man was picking his way up the
bluff. He seemed in no great hurry
nor In the least disturbed. At the top
of the bluff he stopped and looked
back. In his brief instant of pause be-
fore striding away into the woods the
moon picked him out clear as day. It
was the Man-in-the- FaDcy-Vest
There was no more sleep for the
Pearlhunter. He left the window.
went to the cabin door and felt behind
the easement where the hand had
CROPPED. His fingers came in contact
with tiny bundle wedged between
the logs and the door frame He drew
it forth and unrolled 1t I'm the moon
light, deeming 1t imprudent TO light
the candle. Even before the moon
beams fell upon the thing he knew by
a certain disqUieting premOnition what
II would prove to be-a red mask.
He felt along the wall to the chink
above the table and poked his fingers
between it and the logs. where he had
concealed the packet the evening they
moved into the cabin. 1t was still
there He drew it forth and compared
it with the other They were almost
identical. and of a pattern WIN the
one he had seen that afternoon at the
three gabled cabin.
He sat down by the table and
dropped his chin in his palm What
did it mean? What must it mean
this last one? He knew the meaning
of the first-dropped by chance He
had a very plausible surmise as TO the
story of the other. the one with the
knife thrust through it at the three
gabled cabin. But this one-this last
one?
The man wanted to hide that hi, or
cloth right there. But why? The Pearl /,
hunter raked his brain for the answer /
Why? He must have been .gnorani
that the other was hidden behind the 4
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 cab
in that night; possibly did not know
where he had lost it. 1t was even CON
that the loss of it may have
occasioned him no small anxiety. IT
he did not know that he had dropped
the other mask in the cabin, he prob
ably was unaware that the PearIhunt- (
er knew him. The young man sat sill
a 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, undoubtedly
in the FlatwoodS-a rem
iezvous. or a confederate. But that
crate. He was known to work sIone.
And his h0rse-he would not likely al
ow himself to get far from it. He
wouldn't dare ride il into the village.
Rocket the famous thoroughbred of
he Red Mask. was well known. And .
horse can not be easily disguised.
But always. no matter where his
bought strayed. ike a man lost In
he woods and travelling in a circle. he
invariably came back to the starting
'0int-the question: Why did he hide .
he mask IN the cabin2 One thing was
ertnin. He didn't hide it without a |
purpose.
He seemed % feel some intangible.
ndednabIe free for evil forming |
bn1t him-like spider webs across The