The daily Alaskan., 1920-11-09

dollars. He said each bold ngure over to himself. Slowly n face grew alive among the words and figures; a face framed in yellow hair; eyes that laughed. They had laughed for him. he had made them laugh. The draft would make them laugh again. And tomorrow she should send for that sur geon.
 The sound O6 grooming came In at the cabin door from the bushes down the hill. The face was gone from the draft. He thrust it back In his pocket and stepped out into the yard. His first thought was that the little Jew, none too Sure-fOOted among the rocks, had stumbled and hurt himself.
 The groan came again. He sprang Into the bushes. The Jew had hurt himself. \ look so wild and terrible the Pearlhunter had never seen upon the face of a man. He had fallen upon his back, with one arm cramped under him. The other arm was free, but he seemed unable to rise. With his free hand he was clawlng desperately at his bosom. and the fingers of the hand were muSSed with blood.
 The Pearlhunter leaped down the hill and bent over him. It was then he saw what the bloody hand was clawlng at-the handle of knife, hilt deep in hls breast. The Pearlhunter raised him. and the other hand came free. It clutched a bit of cloth of fam ing red-a red mask.
 The Jew opened his eyes, recognized the man bearing him up.
 Dot timber buyer" he gasped out of his flooded chest. He choke me-l tear of de mask-he shtick me" The stricken Jew dropped the mask and beat the pocket of his vest. "Uimmel De pearl. De Blue Moon" His eyes grew vacant; tlured up again. Mine Gott! Rachel, Rachel"
 His mouth quivered open so wide that his beard rumpled upon his breast, and the blood welled out over hIs chin. His eyes bulged; the smeared fingers ceased clawlng at the knife; he gaSped twice; and dropped back-dead.
 The Pearlhuuter picked up the bit of scarlet cloth that had fallen from the dead mans hand. It Is surprising how fast a man cun think when he has to. The mystery Of the arm thrust in at the cabin door across the moonlight cleared. The finding of a red mask be- side the body would identify the mur- derer to any man in the Wabash coun- try; the finding of another, upon a search of the cabin. would be deemed sufficient proof that the tenant of the cabin was the murderer.
 But why had the bandit planned 10 lay the theft of the jewel on him? It was not his way. He took his toll at the pistols point and galloped away. Why had he changed his methods now?
 He had lail his plans well, though they hadn't worked out quite as he eN- pected. The killir. of LoIie Solomon mad been an accident. forced on him by the fact that the little Jew, in his struggles had chaUced tG claw the mask off and had recognized him. 9th erwisc he would have merely choked him into uucpnSciDuSueSs, taken the pearl and left the mask behind to com ple.e the tangle he was weaving around another man. He had probably intended taking the pearl some time that night, leaving his mask behind, and afterward, when the hue ard cry was raised. suggest search of the cabin. Ills chance had come sooner than he had expected. Of course, he could not have foreSecn that the man he wished to fix the crime upon would be the first to find the body.
 It was not lost on the Pearlhunter that he had undoubtedly crowded the murderer close, else why had he left the knife? But why all these elaborate plans against him? Was it some an clcnt grudge he bore his blood? Did he wish somebody to die in his place to deceive an outraged world into ILllilhluE llle htu .'AbNA vas SNbN''N AVS good and all, and so give him 6 chance to start over again? Was 1t because he was not yet ready to leave the Flat woods? It was probably for all these reasons. But with the last, there flashed across the young mans mind that scene at the fence. It stung him Ike a lash.
 Even though the evidence secreted In the cabin was now In ashes, by that dead body was the most dangerous place in the world for him just then. Hardly five seconds had passed since the last gasp of Louie Solomon, so fast does a man think under such stress, when the Pearlhunter threw the mask down by the body and turned to steal back up the hill.
 Up with 'em!"
 He whirled; stared; slowly raised his hands. It's one thing to face odds; quite another to face certain death. Behind the three black mBzzles poking out through the bushes glowered the truculrnt bearded faces of Louie Solo