The St. Johns herald., 1921-07-28

DAdSh eyes. 4uSu lu6 SLuOh0 ODSCUISu 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 girl?"
 Sure; 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 " you. It drove her crazy and she shot"
 q can understand that-yes," Olga burst forth, "and later she was sorry. I believe it was she who came back and took the body away"
 'I hardly see how that theory helps much. How could she take him"
 Perhaps she may know some se- cret passage. There might be one un- derneath. do not know, yet in what other way could the body have been removed?'
 Shelby shook his head gloomily, his eyes searching the floor for any evi- dence and finding none. To ali ap- pearances it appeared smooth and solid.
 q don't know" he said. "That idea may be as good as any. You might take this broken knife of mine an see if you can start anything. What was goin' on out therer
 Nothing much that I could see. There are men hiding behind the bank of the creek; think they are Indians, and there may be others off to the right in the weeds"
 "Just a guard left there to see that we don't get away. They'll wait until dark and then try to burn us out, l reckon; the bucks don't like my shooting. That was a rifle"
 "Yes; the bullet struck the log"
 He crossed over and looked out anx- iously.
 q thought it might be a signal, but I guess not. Don't seem to be any thing moving"
 He straightened up again, his eyes surveying the room. If we only had two more in this outfit we might give those devils a run for their money. The trouble is we can defend only two sides, an they know it-anyhow, Laud does. I'm goin' to haul this bench over on that side; then you can stand up there, and shoot through that hole in the window while I pepper them from here in front. We'll make it hot while it lasts"
 She watched him shift the bench, and then stood upon it to look out. The sun had gone down, and the val ley swan in a purple haze. If she would utilize what little light still re- mained. she must search at once.
 Nothing out there?"
 'T can see nothing. moving. It is growing dark. Let me take the knife"
 He gave 1t to her. and she got down upon her knees on the floor, anxiously testing the openings between the blocks with the broken blade. Shelby turned his head occasionally, barely able to distinguish her movements, yet felt little confidence in the success of the effort. Any attempt at escape through the door would be suicidal; in all probability, in spite of the silence, and seeming loneliness of the scene without, a dozen rifles were even then trained on the entrance, ready to shoot them down the instant either appeared. And there was no other way out, unless it might be through some secret passage existing under ground. Macklin had certainly disap- peared somewhere; the vanishing of his body was no miracle, and this theory of how it might have been ac- complished alone appeared reasonable. In spite of his doubts, the man held to a measure of hope; nothing else than this remained which he could cling to-; their only chance lay in some such discovery. Yet the woman, gropIng on her knees in the deepen ing darkness gave no sign of encour- agement. Shelby could bear the strain no longer in silence.
 "There is nothing to be foundT he asked anxiOusly, "no appearance of a trap?"
 She lifted her head, with face turned toward him.
 'Nothing that seem able to move" she answered. 'I have found a block which does not appear to fit as tightly as the others; can get the knife blade between, and 1t doesn't seem to touch any earth below, yet the