The Belding banner-news. (Belding, Mich.) 1918-1973, 1921-04-20

Dams next thought was to follow
along the trail and find Cranston's
ambush. or course II would be in the
direction OF the settlement from the
body. as the bullet had entered from
the front. He found II hard to believe
spot where the body lay. Men jour
neying at night keep to the trail, and
the white heap itself was fully forty
feet back from the trail in the thick
cts. Perhaps Cranston had dragged II
there TO hide II from the sight OF any
one who might pass along the lonely
trail again; and il was remote pos
sibillty that Whisperfoot, coming in
the night. had tugged IL into the thick
cts for dreadful purposes of his own.
Likely the shot was fired when Hill
dreth was I'm an open place on the
trail; and Dan searched for the am
bush with this conclusion in mind. He
walked back. looking for thicket
from which such a spot would be Wis.,
lille. Something over fifty yards down
he found IL; and he knew il by the
empty brass rifle cartridge that lay
half buried In the wet leaves.
The shell was Of the same caiber
as Cranston's rifle. Dams hand shook
ms he put II In his pocket.
Encouraged by this amazing find
he turned up the trail toward Hill
dreth's cabin. 1t might he possible.
he thought. that Hildreth had left
some of his testlmony-perhaps such
rudely scrawled letters as Cranston
had written HMM some forgotten
drawer In his hut. II was but a short
walk for Dams hardened legs, and he
made IT before midafternoon.
The search itself was wholly with
out result. But because he had time
TO think as he climbed the ridge. he
cause as he strobe along beneath that
wintry sky he had chance to CON
slider every detail Of the case. he was
able to start out on new tack when.
just before sunset he returned 10 the
body. This new train OF thought had
as its basis that Cranston's shot had
not been deadly at once; that. wound
ed. Hildreth had himself crawled into
the thickets where Whisperfoot had
found him. And that meant that he
had TO enlarge his search for such
documents as Hildreth had carried 10
include all the territory between the
trail and the location Of the body.
1t was possibly distance of forty
feet. and getting down on his hands
and knees, Dan looked for any break
in the shrubbery that would indicate
the path that the wounded Hildreth
had taken. And IL was ten minutes
well rewarded as far as clearing up
certain details Of the crime. His
senses had been trained and sharp
ened by his months in the wilderness.
and he was able TO back-track the
wounded man from the skeleton clear
to the clearing on the trail where he
had first fallen. But as no clues pre-
sented themselves, he started 10 turn
home.
He walked twelve feet, then turned
back. Out of the corner of his eve IL
seemed TO him that he had caught a
flash of white, near the end Of great,
dead log beside the path that the
wounded Hildreth had taken. For
moment he searched in vain. Evident
ly a yellow leaf had deceived him.
Once more he retraced his steps, try
ing to find the position from which his
eye had caught the glimpse of white
Then he dived straight for the rotten
end of the log
Into little hollow In the bark, on
the underside OF the log. some hand
had thrust small roll OF papers
They were rain-soaked now, and the
ink had dimmed and blotted but Dan
realized their significance. They were
the complete evidence that HiIdreth
had accumulated against the arson
ring-letters that had passed back and
forth between himself and Cranston,
a threat of murder from the former II
Hildreth turned states evidence, and
a signed statement Of the arson activ-
tiles OF the ring by Hildreth himself.
They were not only enough to break
up the ring and send It's members to
prison: with the aid OF the empty shell
and other circumstantlal evidence,
they could In all probability convict
Bert Cranston of murder.
For long time he stood with the
shadows of the pines lengthening
about him, his gray eyes in curious
shadow. For the moment glimpse
was given him into the deep wells of
the human soul; and understanding
came to him. Was there no balm for
hatred even in the moment of death7
Were men unable to forget the themes
and motives Of their lives, even when
the shadows closed down upon them?
Hildreth had known what hand had
struck him down. And even on the
frontier of death, his first thought was
to hide his evidence where Cranston