The daily Alaskan., 1920-11-25
CHAPTER XII.
Box Twenty-Three.

In among Lle buS''S '''''N - clif where It looped east enclosing the little pocket of level woods where the cabin stood He saw her stop suddenly. She stood listening a mo- ment; came flying back.
 To the question on his face she an- swered by closing the door and mo- rloning him into the main room and to the window hy the sewing table. A small boy came whiStling up the path.
 It's the grandson of the good old storekeepcr I told you about" she whispered.
 They both laughed as she pushed him toward the curtains. laughed though if irked the man no little to go into hiding at rhe sound of every foot step-in a girls room at that while , she stood guard.
 Ask him about the hunt today" he whispered. And above ali, ask him if he met a man. She nodded and pulled the curtains close. The next moment she had opened the door.
 "Wen. Billy: Glad to see you. Come right in."
 Billy did come in. But Billy wasn't speaking. Through the little gap in the curtain the Prarlhunfer could see him stuEGiug just inside the door Billy was by no means d prepOSSesSing vouncSter-barcfootcd, thin Shinned, very decidedly piScon-tocd. His sharp little face was rlahorarely and pie turc<1uely frrcklrd There were frrckles enough for a big face. and Rflv'S face was small, so small that some of the frecklrS had to stand up edgewayS 10 find ruOm But his eyes, in the midst of their Speckled sur ruundin-S. looked out sharp and bright from under his frazzled straw hat. They were very busy just then in talk ing down. one by one. every feature of the room. from wall to wall. from car pet ro loft io!sts.
 The girl closed the door, put an arms about the slim little mite under thc ragged bat auI lrI him to rhe biz easy clair-thy stricken old mans chair near the middle ut ,Hr room; brought the SmalIrr rocking chair from her sewing table aud ~a' down by him.
 The IitrI. fellow tried to F"an back in the hf@ chair. It waS far too deep. IIr <at mp straight. swinging his feet, and continued his mcJhodicni survey of the room.
 "IIow in 'hr world did you ever find your way. Billy ont here in tho wunGS?"
 The sharp frtl" eyes looked his camT#~'rn uvrr-cuoIIy; a tiny shad" cnurr.lrruar~ly. "I.u' Thar wu~n't nothtn'." His voice ...s thin aa1 .harp like his face; high If'-r the pes rj crown of his rISty har.
 "H.r your gran3"a send you?"
 -"I'n.huh, hruu~ y'u a letter. Graa'pa tends f th' post office now. The or postmaster hnd stroke night h'rorc last. an hafn'' Enuwrd nothn' since. So g-an'pa 'ondS to it."
 IT, unnu.trrd rhe bosom of his wais. drrw out a letter and handed 1t oyc~.
 Air you Rov 23?" "I-ypS-I g7IcsS So." was the startled answer as she took the letter.
 Huh, That's a funny namc-fer girl"
 But she was too busy with the let ter to notice the remark. It was ad- dressed in a very bold and lcgihle hand: Box 9, Buckeye, Ind. The noSrmark she could not'be sure of. It appeared to be ylncennes. but some of the letters were too dull to read with certainty.
 "Is that your r'volverT
 There was not much chance to read Ietters-or do anything else-with a youncster like that in the house.
 "Yes. Have they found that man that escaped from jail last night?'
 "Naw! An I hope they don't. I met that timber huyin' feller on the way down here" He came near the girls chair If they's anybody I hate, II s nm. NTTdn IlN SdES -Ne lehNI nearer. and spoke Iow-"he kills peO- plel Gee, but l wus skeered when I saw him a-COmln' down tn road! He wus awful mad, an a-swearln' to his self. He SiaShed at me with a switch. But I duCked. an cut dirt, an shinned over tn fence. When I looked back he was a-goin' on toward town, an l streaked it through tn woods lickety- split"
 The very information she had been about to venture forth into the woods to acquire.
 How is your grandma today?"
 "Oh, she's well ag'In. She cooks lots of things now. She fried me some SCrew-Cakes yiSterdy."
 He was gone-'lickety-split."
 The girl closed the door, laughing softly and ururd toward the curtains.