The Meeker herald., 1921-08-20
cHAp1En XII.
.52..

tont voice shouting. SheIOy. staEt'eo
BY these words and alarmed BY her
agitation. swiftly crossed the room.
The body was gone. actually gone! A.
he bent over. increduious, distrusting
the evidence Of his own eyes. he could
perceive the stain Of blood In which
the man had fallen. hut that was all.
There WAS no semblance Of Z body
there.
Judas Prissti" he said soberly.
This heats anything ever I saw. BE
couldn't have been killed. hut I never
saw him twitch q m,lsclA after be
dropped. Gone! Darn II know what
Ia make Of It. Why. where could be
have gone TOT There ain't hut one way
out from this shack an he sure didn't
80 out there"
"Nc. he couldn't" her voice quaver.
ing. 1--WE would have ssen him II be
had"
"Seen himi OF course. We would.
He must have revived and crawled
away. you bet. there amt no mystery
about 1t. Dead men aln't movin'
around an there amt no angels comm
down to carry that cusa OF. What's
happened Ia he got hack strength
enough tn crawl. Likely he got Into
hat hack room out o sight. Any.
how Tim Goin' 70 find out what's hap
pencil. You keep an eye at that hole
In the wall yonder. while scout around
a minnie n you zee anything movin'
In sho",in' dIstnnr~. jus, blaze away.
Dom, hesitate q moment
She went forward Ms he told her
without n word and stared out. yet
nervousiy turning her head about at
the sIighfeAt sounf Shelby waited
moment. listening. and then stepped
confidently Forward across the thresh.
old OF the igner door He had no
doubt that he would discover Mackiin
--siend or alive, outstretried on the
floor. The fellow must he there: he
could have gone nowhere else. The
,iace was "a black as night: a step
,cyond the entrance and he had tn
rope his way bIIndiy. unable to dis.
.lnEuish q single object. There was
something grim and CHASTITY 10 feeling
about with his feet for an unseen body.
Then the fellow might still he alive.
even dangerous. He stopped st the
disauIeting thought and spoke sharply
Into the gloom.
Are you there. Mackiinf Come.
speak up: nobody il going to hurt
yon."
Ther<o was no response. no move
meni. no sound Of q gronn. no pulsing
Of breath. The stillneas was intense.
horrible. Sheihy grippci himself and
began to advance slowly. guiding his
passage niOng the wall. expecting sv-
cry instant to encounter Some obsta-
Gle Ills cropping fee, touched nothing.
Inch by inch he explored the floor Of
the room. the Precipitation beginning
to stand In drops on His forehead.
There was no body lying there. no
form Of man. either living or dead !:
the place was absolutely unoccupied
He could hardly believe this true; his
0iind refused TO grasp the fact: he
came bnck to the door dnzed aud I'm.
nerve'i. All nature. nil rens0rlng told
him the mnn must he somewhere with
In the cabin: any other thought was
simply impossible; yet wheref He had
airendv explored every inch Of surface
TO no result. So bewildered and dun.
founded wns he before this mystery
thnt he wns even startled NJ the girls
voice asking IN cngcr question.
as he there? Did you find h!m?"
mo: he's gone rs though he had
. pair Of wings"
Put how could he get outf''
"Thai's what ! say. Everything. Is
solid: no human could vanish through
these walls; there Isn't window not
boarded up and only that one door.
We wasn't outside ten minutes. nor
ten feet nwny from The step. A mt
couldn't have pissed without helm
seen. Blamed Y II don't make me
SILVER. for. by thunder. however IL
happened. he amt here. he amt no
where In this cabin. AM" he added.
pecring At the floor. There aIn't no
trril q blood TO show that he crnw,ed
away: lust that little pool what he
laid In"
'tCould he have got through the roof,
or the foOr7"
Sheiby laughed despondentiy.
Lord. don't easily see how he
could: IT'S fifteen feet to them raf,er,
an no opening, while. Judging from
outside. the floor must rest plum on
the ground. Who shot him. anyhow
Did you seer
eyes. I did" she explained excitet,y
RI Was looking that way. toward where
The board was ripped on the window
I Just had 4 glimpse Of face behind
the mur1le Of the gun II was . won
a.; am sure Il was q woman, with
black eyes. Then the smoke obscuret
everything and she was gone"
"8he must have been Pancha." h,
admitted. struggling with the idea
"Why. Of course. that's oil plair
saouyh. Che overheard what he saIs
and fired h mad passion"
"What 10 yuu meant What are 70,
tatkaag aboutf This gihr
sns,ea. tnaA vaa ahfs,t hHr Nh.