The Jasper news., 1921-05-26

VI lne i've StOCk-tne morse tn0t Dan
had ridden to Snowbirds defense.
Nothing had been heard Of Landy
Hildreth, who used to live on the
trail to the marsh, and both Lennox
and his daughter wondered why. There
were also certain officials who had
begun to be curious. AS yet, Dan
had told no one of the grim find he
had made on his return from hunting.
And he would have found It an ex-
tremely difficult fact to explain.
1t all went back to those inner
springs of motive that few men can
see clearly enough within themselves
to recognize. Even the first day, when
he lay burning from his wounds, he
worked out his own explanation in re-
gard to the murder mystery. He
hadn't the slightest doubt but that
Cranston had killed Bildreth to pre-
vent his testimony from reaching the
courts below. OF course, any other
member of the arson ring of hillmen
might have been the murderer; yet
Dan was inclined to believe that Gran
stcn, the leader Of the gang, usually
preferred to do such dangerous ;rork
as this himself. II It were true, some
where on that tree-clad ridge clues
would be left. Moreover, II was wholly
possible that the written testimony
Hildreth must have gathered had new
er been found or destroyed. Dan
didn't want the aid of the courts to
find these clues. He wanted to work
out the case himself. 1t resolved It.
self into simple matter of vengeance:
Dan had his debt to pay, and he want
ed to bring Cranston to ruin by his
own hand alone.
While II was true that he took ra-
ther more than the casual interest
that most citizens feel in the destruc-
tion of the forest by wanton FIRE, and
had an actual sense of duty to do all
that he could to stop the activities of
the arson ring, his motives, stripped
and bare, were really not utllltarian.
He had no particular interest In Hill
dreth's case. He remembered him sim
ply as one Of Cranston's dlsreputable
gang, a poacner and a fire bug him
self. When all is said and done, It
remained really a personal issue be-
tween Dan and Cranston. And per-
sonal issues are frowned upon by law
and society. Civilization has toiled
up from the darkness In a great meas
ure to get away from them. But hu-
man nature remains dIstressingly the
same, and Dams desire to pay his debt
was distinctly human emotion. Some
time a 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 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 ideallstlc 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 1t without crystal
lizing into snow. The deer had all
gone and the burrowlng 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
old bachelor, he much prefers TO keep
Just 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
a white heap OF bones remained, for
many and terrible had been the agents
at work upon them. The clothes, how.
ever, particularly the coat, were prac
tically Intact. Gripping himself, Dan
thrust his fingers into its pockets, then
into the pockets Of the shirt and trous.
ers. All paper that would In any
way serve to identify the murdered
man, or tell what his purpose had been
In journeSng down the trail the nigh