The Fayette falcon. (Somerville, Tenn.) 190?-current, 1921-02-18

He didn't move quite like man
with innocent purposes. There was
stealthy, something sinister
in his stride, and the way he kept
such a sharp lookout in all directions
Yet he never glanced to the trail Tor
deer tracks. as he would have done
had he been hunting. Without even
waiting to mediate on the matter,
Dan started to shadow him.
Before one hundred yards had been
traversed, he could better understand
the Joy the cougar takes In his hunt
ing. It was the same process-a eau.
tlous, silent advance in the trail OF
prey. He had to walk with the same |
caution, he had TO take advantage OIL
the thickets. He began TO feel curl
Gus excitement.
Cranst0n seemed to be moving more
carefully now, examining the brush
along the trail. Now and then he
glanced up at the tree tops. And all
at once he stopped and knelt In the
dry shrubbery.
At first all that Dan could see was
the glitter of knife blade. Grams
ton seemed TO be whiting a piece OF
dead pine into fine shavings. NOW
he was gathering pine needles ana
small twlgs, making little pile OF
them. And then. just as Cranston
drew his match, Dan saw his purpose
Cranston was at his old trade-set-
ting forest fire.
For two very good reasons, Dan
didn't call to him at once. The two
| reasons were that Cranston had rlile
and that Dan was unarmed. 1t might
be extremely likely that Cranston
would choose the most plausible ana
effective means of preventing an inter-
ruption Of his crime, and by the same
token prevent word of the crime ever
reaching the authorities. The rife
contained five cartridges, and only one
was needed
But the idea OF backing out, unseen,
never even occurred to Dan. The flre
would have a tremendous Roadway be-
fore he could summon help. Although
it was near the lookout station, every
condition pointed TO a disastrous nre
The brush was dry as tinder not SO
heavy as to choke the wind. bur ye'
tall enough to carry the flame into
the tree tops. The stiff breeze up the
ridge would certainly carry the flame
for miles through the parched Divid'
before help could come. In the mean
time stock and lives and homes woulC
be endangered, besides the irreparaDi'
loss of timber There were many
things that Dan might do but giving
up was not one of them,
After all, he did the wisest thing o
all. He simply came out in plain sign
and unconcernedly walked down tn
trail toward Cranston. At the sam
instant, the latter struck his match.
As Dan was no longer stalking
CranSton Immediately heard his steE
He whirled, recognized Dan, and 10
one long instant in which the worl
seemed to have time in plenty to max
complete revolution, he stood pei
| fectly motionless. The match fiared
| his dark fingers, his eyes--full of sill
N gular onjecturing-rested on Dan
II face. No instant of the latter's III
II had ever been fraught with create
II peril. He understood perfectly wh'
u was going on in Cranston's mind. II
/ fire-nend was calmly deciding wheth'
TO shoot or whether to blum 1t on
| One required no more moral cOura!
| than the other. It really didn't nal
i & great deal Of difference to Cransto
VI But he decided that the killing WI
/ not worth the cartridge. The 9th
| course was too easy. He did not eve
dream that Dan had been shadowil
| him and had seen his intention. |
N would have laughed at the idea that
II "tenderfoot" could thus walk behii
n him, unheard. Without concern.
III scattered with his foot the little he
VI of kindllng, and slipping his pipe In
I his mouth, he touched the tlari
match to 1t. 1t was a wholly adm
able little piece of acting, and wor
have deceived any one who had
seen his previous preparations. tn
y: he walked on down the trail iowa
to Dan.
he Dan stopped and lighted his o.
". pine. II was curious little tru
ID. And then he leaned back against
great gray trunk of fallen tree.
"a swell, Cranston," he said civil
rs. The men had met on previous
ut casions, and always there had b
in the same invisible war between th'
He "How do you do, Failing" Grams
lily replied. No perceptions could be
he blunt as TO miss the premedltated
an suit In the tone He didn't speak
his own tongue at all. the short,
inc tural "Howdy" that Is the greet
his of the mountain men. He pronoun
a all the words with an exaggerated
lev cislon. an unmistakable mockery
his Dams own tone. In his accent
too threw tone Of sickly sweetness,
ere his inference was all too plain.
ter was simply calling Failing milk
rls and white-liver; just as plainly
to IL he had used the words.
nan The eyes of the two men
Cranston's lips were slightly eurle
cts. an unmistakable leer. Dams