The Holbrook news., 1921-07-08
CHAPTER XII.
The Attack on the Cabin.

except occasionally the ecnO or a us tant voice shouting. Shelby, startled by these words and alarmed by her agitation, swiftly crossed the room. The body was gone, actually gone! As he bent over, incredulOus, distrusting the evidence of his own eyes, he could perceive the stain of blood in which the man had fallen, but that was all. There was no semblance of a body 6here.
 Judas PriestI" he said soberly. "'This beats anything ever I saw. He couldn't have been killed, but never saw him twitch a muscle after he dropped. Gonel Darn if I know what to make of 1t. Why, where could he have gone to? There ain't but one way out from this shack an he sure didn't go out there."
 ''No. he couldn't" her voice quaver- ing. 'We would have seen him if he had"
 "Seen himi Of course, we would. He must have revived and crawled away. You bet, there ain't no mystery about 1t. Dead men ain't movin' around an there ain't no angels comin' down to carry that cuss off. Whats happened is, he got back strength enough to crawl. Likely he got into that back room out O sight. Any how I'm goin' to find out what's hap pened. You keep an eye at that hole in the wall wonder, while scout around a minute. If you see anything movin' In siIOOtin' distance, just blaze away. Don't hesitate a moment"
 She went forward as he told her without a word and stared out, yet nervously turning her head about at the slightest sound. Shelby waited a moment. listening, and then stepped confidently forward across the thresh- old of the inner door. He had no doubt that he would discover Macklin dead or alive, outstretched on the floor. The fellow must be there; he could have gone nowhere else. The place was as black as night; a step beyond the entrance and he had to grOpe his way blindly, unable to dis tinguish a single object There was something grim and ghastly in feeling about with his feet for an unseen body. Then the fellow might still be alive, even dangerous. He stopped at the disquieting thought and spoke sharply into the gloom.
 Are you there, Macklin? Come, speak up; nobody is going to hurt you"
 There was no response, no move ment, no sound of a groan, no pulsing of breath. The stiffness was intense, horrible. Shelby gripped himself and began to advance slowly, guiding his passage along the wall, expecting ev- cry instant to encounter some obsta- cIe. His groping feet 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 a man. either living or dead; the place was absolutely unoccupied. He could hardly believe this true; his mind refused to grasp the fact; he came back to the door dazed and un- nerved. All nature, all reasoning told him the man must be somewhere with an the cabin; any other thought was simply impossible; yet where? He had already explored every inch of surface to no result. So bewildered and dum- founded was he before this mystery that he was even startled at the girls voice asking an eager question.
 'Is he there? Did you find him?"
 ~No; he's gone as though he had a pair of wings"
 ~But how could he get out?"
 That's what I 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 away from the step. A rat couldn't have passed without bein' seen. Blamed if 1t don't make me shiver, for. by thunder, however it happened, he ain't here; he ain't no- where in this cabin. An" he added, peering at the floor, there ain't no trail O blood to show that he crawIed away; just that little pool what he laid in."
 Could he have got through the roof, or the fioor?"
 Shelby laughed despOndently.
 Lord, I don't easily see how he could; it's fifteen feet to them rafters an no opening, while. judging from outside, the floor must rest plum on the ground. Who shot him. anyhow? Did you see?"
 "Yes, did" she explained excitedly. sI was looking that way. toward where fhe board was ripped off the window. I just had a glimpse of a face behind fhe muzzle of the gun. Ii was a wom- an; am sure it was woman, with black eyes. Tben the smoke obscured everything and she was gone"
 'She must have been Pancha," he admitted, struggling with the idea. "@Why. of course. that's all plain enough. She overheard what he said and fired in mad passion" 'What do you mean? What are you talking about? This girlT"
 Sure; I told you about her; she helped me escape last night. She was crazily jealous over Macklin. She is Mexican and is here with her brother: a little outlaw, no doubt, knowing no law but her own passion. She must have been there when he boasted to Laud that he would leave her and mar ry you. It drove her crazy and she shot"
 'I can understand that-yes," Olga burst forth, land later she was sorry. I believe 1t was she who came back