The Meeker herald. [volume] (Meeker, Colo.) 1885-current, 1921-04-23

strings that held II and whipped them
into a knot. Then tho girl stepped
back. The man crnwled through the
window-with extreme care not to
scar the ground outside.
1t is past all knowing how her hands
happened to get into his. He bent his
head and laid his face upon them
suffered them to slip out of his fingers
at last; and turned away.
He was gone on the instant-gone
as shadow gOes-never knowing
that for long and long the dull window
framed white face listening for
some sound of him to come buck out
Of the night.
. .
The woodcraft Of the Pearlhunter
was profound. II was about all life
had taught him. but 1t had taught him
that. With the logical precision Of .
schoolmaster passing from one step Of
a problem to another. It led him
straight to the trail Of the man be had
been following short time before
which. of course. took him In the di.
rection Of Fallen Rock. The man he
followed had doubtless gone back 70
the village by this time. This prob.
ability he had already estimated and
set down In his reckoning at tn
proper value. But he had another pur.
pose in turning his steps toward Fall.
en- Rock. He was deliberately going
back to the cabin.
With every caution to leave no trail
he picked his way through the woods
to the edge Of the bluffs, stole oven
and down toward the cabin. The hrSt
glance at the black bulk Of II. squat.
ted in the deep gloom under the up
standing rocks. brought him to iu'
slant pause. There was Q light With.
In. He crouched down In the bushes
to consider what this unexpected cir
cumstance meant before venturing an.
other step.
No sound came from the cabin. The
night was intensely stIll. Not an oal
stirred the river. The waterfall alone
fretted the silence. The Pearlhuntei
dattened himself In the weeds and
bushes and foot by foot worked bill
way until he was able at last to brini
his face level with the tiny opening
With his eye close. the chink afforded
q tolsrably clear view Of the interior
Of the cabin. He barely restrained {
c1 at what he saw.
STOPPED over the small. hair-covsret
trunk. his hat OF. stood the Red Mask
He had prIed open the lid and hnt
laid the contents Of the trunk ou'
with seeming care in rather neal
heaps upon the floor. In his hand HI
held the picture Of the Iron-Grny
Woman.
The Pearlhunter's gorge rose at see
Ing his mothers picture In such hands
and his breast burned to dash into the
cabin and settle his score with thu
sacrilegious wretch once and for all
But It was not his to do as he PLEASED
that night. His activities for the mo
ment were limited to keeping his ey<
fast to the chink.
The man by the trunk Strengthened
carried the picture to the candle ant
stood looking long upon It. He laid Il
to his lips. again and again. a. II HI
would drink up the beautiful fact
from the card. He pressed the picture
to his bosom; held It again to thu
candle and whispered to It IN tonei
that did not carry to the ear Of thu
amazed listener. He strobe up ant
down the room: and there was on hi
| face q look that no man had probably
ever seen there before. and probably
would never see again.
After long moments be reused him
self. unbuttoned his vest. and put thu
picture carefully away In an innel
pocket. The watcher outside the wal
WINGED: his lips drew together In Z
tense line. But there was much to b>
seen Just then. The man inside hat
risen. crossed the floor. put the thing
back in the trunk, closed the lid ant
picked up his hat. Next moment the