The review. [volume] (High Point, N.C.) 1908-19??, 1921-02-24

/ arson ring. Yet 10 waa curious Cna'
| no word had been heard Of him. AS
far as Dan knew, neither the courts
| nor the forest service had taken az
| ton.
If. hurried on, four miles farther
The trail entered the heavy thicketS
and he had to ride slowly. It was as
wild a section as could be found on
the whole Divide. And just. as he
came to a little cleared space, three
strange. dark birds flung up on wide
spreading wings.
He knew them at once. All noun
taineers come to know them before
their days are DONE They were the
buzzards, the followers OF the dead.
And what they we're doing In the
thicket Just beside the trail, Dan did
not dare to think.
OF course they might be feeding on
the body of deer, mortally wounded
by some hunter. He resolved to ride
by without investigating. He glanced
up. The buzzards were towering 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 it's first grayness had begun
10 soften the harder lines Of forest
and hill And after his first glance at
'he curious white heap beside the
trail, he was extremely glad that it
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 it 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 nm
mistakable evidence of the passage OF
a 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 himself-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. 1t had evidently been
neglected for nearly an hour.
Then he called Snowbird. His voice |
echoed I'm the silent room, unanswered. |
Fe 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 gone for help
to the ranger station.
He leaped 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 chara cteriSt1c.
Shaggy old Wool is too proud to howl
over the wounds that lay him low, and
his gray old bear on the bed had par
aiken of his spirit.
"Good Lord" Dan answered. "Row
BADLY are you hurt?"
'Not so bad but that I'm sorry that
Snowbird has gone drifting twelve
niles over the hills for help. It's
lark as pitch"
And it was. Dan could scarcely
make out the outline Of the somber
idges against the sky.
They tailed on, and their subject
vas whether Dan should remain to
axe care Of Lennox, or whether he
hOuld attempt to. Overtake SnOwbiFd
With the horse. Of course the girl
lad ordered him to stay. Lennox, on
he other hand. said that Dan could
lot help him in the least, and desired
i'm to follow the girl.
''rm not often anxious about her"
le said slowly. "But 1t is a long. walk
through the widest part of the Dt
ide. Some way-I can't bar accidents
onight. I don't like to think Of her
n those mountains alone"
And remembering what had lain be-
ide the trail. Dan felt the same. He
ad heard, long ago. that any animal
hat once tasted human flesh loses it's
ear of men and is never to be trusted
gain. Some wild animal that still
united the ridges had, in the last
lonth. done just that thing. He left
wo0no 1lzod ooe&Iv