The Jasper news. [volume] (Jasper, Missouri) 1898-1924, 1921-04-14

ueef nunf"fe but rev were tne valley
sportsmen who had penetrated 70 this
far land The football was much too
heavy ~ EnowbIrd. The steps were
evidently Oh another trail that inter
sected hla own trail one hundred yards
farther un khe hill He had only TO
stand stu. and In an instant the man
would come in sight.
He took one step into the thlckets,
prepared to conceal himself II II be-
came necessary. Then he waited. Soon
the man stepped out on the trail.
Even at the distance Of one hundred
yards, Dan had no difficulty whatever
In recognizing him. He could not
mistake this tall, dark forin, the solled,
slouchy clothes, the rough hair, the
intent, dark features. 1t was man
about his own age, his own height.
but weighing fully twenty pounds
more, and the dark, narrow eyes. could
belong to no one but Bert Cranston.
He carried his rifle loosely In his arms
he stopped at the forks In the trail
and looked carefully in all directions.
Dan had every reason to think that
Cranston would see him at FIRST glance.
Only one ciump of thlcket sheltered
him. But because Dan had learned
the lesson of standing still, because
his olive-drab sporting clothes blended
softly with the coIored leaves, Grams
ton did not detect him. He turned
and strode on down the trail.
He didn't move quite like man
with innocent purposes. There was
something stealthy, something sinister
In his stride, and the way he kept
such sharp lookout in all directions.
Yet he never glanced to the trail for
deer tracks, ms he would have done
had he been hunting. Without even
waiting to mediate on the matter,
Dan started to shadow him.
Before one hundred yards had been
traversed, he could better understand
the Joy the cougar takes In his hunt
ing. II was the same prOcess-a Gnu
tlous. silent advance in the trail Of
prey. Heshad TO walk with the same
caution. he had to take advantage Of
the thlckets. He began to feel q curl.
Gus excitement.
Cranston seemed to be moving more
carefully now, examining the brush
nlong the trail. Now and then he
glanced up at the tree tops. And all
at once he stopped and knelt In the
dry shrubbery.
At flrst all that Dan could see was
the glitter Of q knife blade. Grams
ton seemed TO be whiting n piece OF
dead pine into fine shuyIngs. Now
he was gathering pine needles and
small twigs, making q little pile OF
them. And then, just rs Cranston
drew his match, Dan saw his purpose
Cranston was at his old trade-set.
ting a forest fre.
| For two very good reasons, Dar
didn't call to him at once. The two
reasons were that Cranston had q rife
and that Dan was unarmed. II might
be extremely likely that Cranstor
would choose the most plausible ant
effective means OF preventing an iEter
ruption Of his crime, and by the same
token, prevent word of the crime evel
reaching the authorities. The rife
contained Eve cartridges, and only ont
was needed.
But the idea Of backing out, unseen
never even occurred to Dan. The FRI
would have a tremendous headwny be
fore he could summon help. Although
1t was near the lookout station, ever,
condition pointed to a disastrous fire
The brush was dry as tInder, not 81
heavy as to choke the wind. but We
tall enough to carry the 1ame int,
the tree tops. The stiff hreeze up tn,
ridge would certainly carry the fam,
for miles through the parched DivId,
before help could come. In the mean
time stock and lives and homes woul,
be endangered, besides the irreparabl
loss of timber. There were man,
things that Dan might do, but glyinI
up was not one of them.
After all he did the wisest thing o
all. He simply came out In plain sigh
and unconcernedly walked down tn
trail toward Cranston. At the sam
instant, the latter struck his match.
As Dan was no longer stalking
Cranston Immediately heard his steT
He whIrled. recognized Dan. and 70
one long Instant in which the wori
seemed TO have time IN plenty TO max
a complete revolution. he stood pei
fectly motionless. The match fiared I
his dark fingers, his eyes-full OF siI
gular conjecturing-rested on Dan
|, face. No instant OF the latter's III
! had ever been fraught with create