The Glenwood post., 1921-01-29

not dare to think.
OF course they might be feeding on
the body of deer, MORALLY wounded
by some hunter. He resolved to ride
by without investigating. He glanced
up. The buzzards were lowering in
the sky, evidently waiting for him to
pass Then, mostly to relieve Curl
GUS sense of discomfort In his own
mind. he stopped his horse and dis
mounted
The twilight had started to fall, and
already its first grayness had begun
10 soften the harder lines of forest
and hill And after his first glance at
The curious white heap beside the
trail. he was extremely glad that 1t
had But there was no chance to mis-
take the thing. The elements and
much more terrible agents had each
wrought their change, yet there was
grisly evidence in plenty to show what
had occurred. Dan didn't doubt for
an instant but that 1t was the skele-
ton of Landy Hildreth.
He forced himself TO go nearer The
buzzards were almost done, and one
white bone from the shoulder gave I'M
mistakahle evidence of the passage of
bullet What had happened there
after he could only guess.
He got back quickly on his horse.
He understood, now, why nothing had
been heard of the evidence that Landy
| Hildreth was to turn over to the
| courts as to the activities of the arson
| ring. Some one-probably Bert Gran
ston hmself-had been waiting on the
trail. Others had come thereafter
| And his lips set in his resolve to let
| this murder measure in the debt he
had to pay Cranston.
The Lennox house seemed very ST.
| lent when, almost an hour later. he
turned his horse into the corral. He
had rather hoped that Snowbird would
be at the door to meet him. The dark
ness had just fallen. and all the lamps
were lighted. He strobe into the liv.
ing room. warming his hands an in
slant beside the fireplace. The fire
needed fuel. It had evidently been
neglected for nearly an hour.
Then he called Snowbird His voice
echoed in the silent room. unanswered.
He called again. then went to look for
her. At the door of the dining room
he found the note that she had left
for him.
It told, very simply and plainly, that
her father lay injured in his bed. and
! he was to remain and do what he
could for him. She had gene for help
to the ranger station.
He eaped through the rooms to Len
nox's door then went in on tiptoe.
And the first thing he saw when he
opened the door was the grizzled
mans gray face on the pillow.
you're home early, DAN" he said.
How many did you get?"
It was entirely Characteristic.
Shaggy old Wool is too proud to howl
over the wounds that lay him low, and
this gray old hear on the bed had par
taken Of his spirit.
"Good Lord" Dan answered. "How
nadly are you hurt?'
mot so bad but that I'm sorry that
Snowbird has gone drifting twelve
miles over the hills for help. It's
dark as pitch"
And 1t was. Dan could scarcely
make out the outline of the somber
ridges against the sky.
They talked on. and their subject
was whether Dan should remain to
take care of Lennox. or whether he
should attempt to Overtake Snowbird
with the horse. OF course the girl
had ordered him to stay. Lennox. on
the other hand said that Dan could
not help him in the least, and desired
him to follow the girl.
"I'm not often anxious about her.
he said slowly. "But II is long walk
through the widest part of the Di-
vide. Some way-I can't bar accidents
tonight. I don't like to think Of her
On those mountains alone"
And remembering what had lain be,
side the trail, Dan felt the same. He
had heard long ago, that any animal
that once tasted human flesh loses its
fear of men and is never to be trusted
again. Some wild animal that still
hunted the ridges had. in the last
month done just that thing. He left
the room and walked softly to the
door.
The nigh lay silent and mysterious
over the Divide. He stood listening
The girl had started only an hour be
fore, and II was unlikely that she
could have traversed more than two
miles of the steep trail in that time
Although the horse ordinarily did moi
climb n hill more swiftly than hu
man being, he didn't doubt but thai
he could overtake her before She
went three miles farther. But where
lay his duty-with the injured mar
in the house or with the daughter or
her errand of mercy In the darkness
Then the matter was decided fol
him. So faint that 1t only whispered
at the dim, outer frontiers Of hearing
sound came pricking through The
dorLpocc ONLY hIa mOnthQ NJ listen