Cleveland County herald., 1921-01-06
CHAPTER xii.
Box TWenty-Three.

door, feeling no ifttle disgrace, aH1 watched the 1.-the form of the girl dart in among the bushes that lined the cliff where 1t looped east, enclosing the little pocket of level woods where the cabin stood. He saw her stop suddenly. She stood 'Stening a mo- ment; came flying back.
 To the question on his face she an swered by closing the door and mo- tioning him into the main room and to the window by the sewing table. small boy came whistling up the path.
 ''It's the grandson of the good ofd storekeeper I told you about" she whispered.
 They both laughed as she pushed him toward the curtains, laughed though it irked the man no little to go into hiding at the sound of every foot step-in girls room at that, while she stood guard.
 ''Ask him about the hunt today" he whispered. And above all, ask hiIB if he met man."
 She nodded and pulled the curtains close. The next moment she had opened tie door.
 'Well, 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 Pearlhunter could see him standing just inside the door. Billy was by no means prepossessing oungster-barefooted thin skinned, very decidedly pigeon-toed. His sharp little face was elaborately and pic turesquely freckled. There were freckles enough for big face, and Billy's face was small, so small that some of the freckleS had to stand up edgeways to find room. But his eyes, in the midst of their speckled sur- roundings, 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 or the room, from wall to wall, from car pet to loft ioists.
 The girl closed the door, put an arm about the slim little mite under the ragged hat and led him to the big easy chair-the stricken old mans chair near the middle of the room; brought the smaller rocking chair from her sewing table and sat down by him.
 The little fellow tried to lean back in the big chair. It was far too deep.l He sat up straight, swinging his feet, and continued his methodical surveyj of the room.
 "How in the world did you ever fndi your way, Billy, out here in the woods?"
 The sharp little eyes looked hlsl companion over-coolly; a tiny shadei contemptuously.
 "Huh, That wusn't nothin'" His voice was thin and sharp like his face; high like the peaked crown of hisl rusty hat
 'Did your grandpa send youT l
 "Uh-huh! brung y'u letter. Gran'pa tends t tn post office now The ol' postmaster had stroke night b'fore last, an hain't knowed nothin' since. So gran'pa tends to it."
 He unbuttoned the bosom of his waist, drew out letter and handed 1t over.
 Air you Box 23?"
 "I-yes-I guess so," was the startled answer as she took the letter.
 "Huh! That's funny name-fer girl"
 But she was too busy with the let ter to notice the remark. It was ad- dressed in a very bold and legible hand: Box g. Buckeye, Ind. The postmark she could not be sure of It appeared to be vlncennes, but some of the letters were too dull 10 read with certainty.
 "IS that your r'volver?"
 There was not much chance to read letters-or do anything else-with g youngster like that in the house.
 "Yes. Have they found that man that escaped from jail last night?"
 "Nawl An I hope they don't. met that timber buyin' feller on the way down here" He came near the girls chair. If they's anybody hate it's him. Gran'pa says"-he leant nearer, and spoke low--"he kills peo- pie! Geel but l wus skeered when saw him a-comin' down tn road He