Grand Forks herald. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1916-1955, 1920-06-14

night to provide him with a s~ix-shooter.
~. line Pearl Hunter escapes from the
through the bars with the real bandit,
the Man with the fancy vest" y
CHAPTER XVIII.
SHADOWS ACROSS THE CURTAIN.
1t was the first time in his life that
the Pearlhunter had not been COM
Erlete master of his movements. The
air outside was indifferent air. The
cool trees held out their hands to
him like long lost brothers The
thing alive and glad. In the serene
sky-the wise sky that hovers over
all: sees ALL; knows all-the stars
winked down at him and. >wagged
their heads among themselves, as IL
pleased to have him bach again in the
free woods. :
The aroma of dew upon new leaves
and full sprung flowers carried to him
on the breath of the sleepy night.
He drank deep of it-slowly, that the
feel Of it might linger long. Sight.
no sense to which the woods do not
minister; no. honest craving they can
not satisfy: a shelter from the storm;
a couch for weariness; food for hun
GER; cool springs for thirst. Besides
satisfying these, they beautifully min
lister to cravings infinitely higher than
these. And the woods are all mems.
They mother all WHO come. Their
charity is boundless. No questions
prince or. pauper. innocent or guilty,
his welcome is the same rtf
It would probably be quite in,pos-
sible for the city-bred to appreciate
fully the feelings of the Pearlhunter
at finding the breath, of the open
woods once more upon his face. The
trees were like comrades in arms.
The rough bark that covered their
stout hearts actually felt friendly and
good to his hands as he darted like a
shadow from to the other on his
way out Of tho Jail yard and up the
side Of the bluff.
On the very brink he paused a mo-
ment to glance back and down. I'm
der the starlight the river lay gray
and motionless between it's black,
frayed shore line. Most of the houses
were in darkness, though a few din,
candles picked out the ragged out
line Of, the village, strasgling between
river and bluff on each side of the
River Road Almost at his feet squat
ted the dark blot Of the Jail. The
dank reek Of it seemed still t stop
up his lungs, seemed to cling about
him like dusty cobweks. With an
involuntary pun OF breath through his
nostrils, a backward jerk of his band.
he cast the spell from him as a. man
might spurn a tainted garment.
on his trial in the morning. he dared
not; go directly to where his misgiv-
ings urged him. ( The Sheriff he did
not fear. To the Sheriff he was still
the notorious Red Mask. Po the mob
that was sure to gather he would be
the Red Mask. His escape. with lock
and bolt untouched, would mystify
both mob and Sheriff. They would
ascribe it to the dread powers with
name.
But in the rabble hat would curse
and clamor about the old Sailr there
would be one pair Of eyes that the
loosened bar would not escape: a pair
of eyes that would find it as sure as
Che morning came, and read the rid
die at a glance. And they would be
eyes capable Of finding a trailEand
following it. Much as 1t went against
him, therefore. he turned his steps
Isl instead bf west and plunged in
among the dumped underbrush that
grew along the top of the cliff.
The. good wives Of the village would
not doubt have been we'll frightened
could they have seen the dark figure
that fitted from copse to copse. from
tree to tree, along the brow OF, the
blum. like some weird bogymanA al
most above their very chimney tops.
Holding his cours to where Yellow
Branch breaks out through the hills
from the north at the east end of the
village. he climbed down to the mar
gin of this noisy little stream and.
leaving a quite obvious trial, walked
down its banks and waded along Ms
edge toward the south, az II headed
for the river; After wading in This
to the middle Of the stream and
turned back north. keeping to the
center. that the current might wash
OFT all foot marks.@ Better tran i.,:f
a mile he waded before finding a
chance to- make a safe landing: a
place where the dry bed Of a rocky
washout led down the hillside from
the vert into the stream.
With utmost care he sprang from
the stream to a dry rock.t-Some mud
had chung to his boot soles. He wash
ed 1t on; stepped to another rock:
dipped up water in his hand and
washed the first rock claen, and
picked his way from stone to stone up
tho dry bed OF the washout, some
times being compelled to leap consid-
distances between stones, but
always managing somehow TO land
firm and steady. without leaving a
scratch upon the trail.
A fallen log lay across the washout
where 81 gradually disappeared ON the
higher ground He stepped upon this
log and walked ont into the thfcket
that fringed the woods. Pushing the
|drifted dead leaves back from against
the side pf tina 1oG.4he drew on hts
IEhooAS and poured the water touf upon
the ground thus laid bare, wrung ont
hls g and scarelully rspfxced the