American Falls press. [volume] (American Falls, Idaho) 1907-1937, 1921-04-29

ure to get away from them. But hu-
man nature remains distressingly the
same. and Dams desire TO pay his debt
was a distinctly human emotion. Some
time q breed will live upon the earth
that can get clear away from personal
vengeance-from that age-old code
of the hills that demands a blow
for a blow and a life for a life-but
the time is not yet. And after all, by
all the standards OF men as men, not
as read in idealistic PHILOSOPHERS.
Dams debt was entirely real. BY the
light held high by his ancestors, he
could not turn his other cheek.
Just as soon as he was able he went
back to the scene of the murder. He
didn't know when the snow would
come to cover what evidence there
was. 1t threatened every hour. Ev-
cry wind promised 1t. The air was
sharp and cold, and no drop of rain
could fall through It without crystal
Iizing into snow. The deer had all
gone and the burrowing people had
sought their holes. The bees worked
no more in the winter flowers. OF
all the greater forest creatures only
the wolves and the bear remained
the former because their fear of men
would not permit them to go down
TO the lower hills, and the latter be-
cause of his knowledge that when
food became scarce he could always
burrow in the snow. No bear goes
into Information from choice. Wise
- ,a..nh nrnfarg IN LFnnn
lust as late hours as he can-as long
as the eating places in the berry thick
cts remain open. The cougars had
all gone down with the deer, the MI
gratory birds had departed, and even
the squirrels were In hiding.
The scene didn't offer much In the
way of clues. OF the body itself only
e a white hear of bones remained, for
many and terrible had been the agents
at work upon them. The clothes, how
$ ever. particularly the coat, were prac-
V tically intact. Gripping himself, Dan
thrust his fingers into its pockets, then
into the pockets of the shirt and trous'
v ers. All paper that would in any
u way serve to identify the murdered
q man, or tell what his purpose had beer
n In journeying down The trail the nigh
of the murder had been removed. Only
d one explanation presented itself
It Cranston had come before him ant
Is searched the body himself.
n Dan looked about for tracks, and hi
II was considerably surprised to find tn
'e blurred, indistinct imprint of a sho
IS otInn tInn hfC arrh He hadn't thl
lie least hope that the tracks themselve
IL would offer a clue to a detective
vs. They were too dim for that. Thu SUI
ne prising fact was that since the mui
th Ger had been committed immediatel
81 before the fall rains, the water ha
III not completely washed them out. TIL
only possibility remaining was this
ny Cranston had returned TO the bod
ne after the weeks rainfall. The trac
had peer dimmed by the lighter rair
re that had fallen since.
But yet It was entirely to be e,
pected that the examination Of II
ne body would be an afterthought q
~ Cranston's part. Possibly at first h
~ only thought was TO kin and, folloN
ing the prompting that has sent
Ter many murderers 10 the gallows. !
had afterward returned 10 the seer
res of the crime to destroy any clues
might have left and 10 search II
he body for any evidence against Il
re- arson ring.
ne Dams next thought was to folio
lh' along the trail and find Cranstor
re- ambush. OF course It would be In Il
."e direction Of the settlement from Il
body, as the bullet had entered fro
in the front. He found II hard 10 belle
se' that Hlldreth had fallen in the exa
III spot where the body lay. Men iou
neylng at night keep to the trail, al
the white heap itself was fully for
feet back from the trait In the THO
Ne cts. Perhaps Cranston had dragged
there to hide it from the sight Of an
one who might pass along the lone
~ trail again and IL was a remote pC
d slbility that WhIsperfOot, coming
" the night, had tugged It into the thiC
- cts for dreadful purposes Of his ov
Likely the shot was fired when n
dreth was In an open place on {
trail; and Dan searched for the n
MS bush with this conclusion in mind.
walked back. looking for a thicl
ra- from which such a spot would he '
est Ible. Something over fifty yards do
he found It; and he knew It by
empty brass rife cartridge that
all half buried in the wet leaves.
" The shell was Of the same CALI
as Cranston's rifle. Dams hand she
lun' aa ha put II in hts Docket
Encouraged by this amazing Fl
he turned up the trail toward 7
dreth's cabin. II might be possii
a. he thought, that Hildreth had
some Of his testimony-perhaps 81
rudely scrawied letters as Grams
= had written HMM some forgot
N" drawer In his hut. II was but a Sd