The state herald., 1921-01-18

M IN
Some Hand Had Thrust Small Roll
Of Paper.
| frontier of death, his first thought was
to hide his evidence where Cranston
could not find 1t when he searched the
body, but where later 1t might be
found by the detectives that were sure
to come. 1t was the old creed of
life for life. He wanted his evidence
TO be preserved-not that right should
be wronged, but so that Cranston
would be prosecuted and convicted
and made TO suffer. His hatred of
Cranston that had made him turn
states evidence in the first place had
been carried with him down into
death.
AS Dan stood wondering, he thought
he heard twig crack on the trail he
hind him. and he wondered what for
est creature was still lingering on The
ridges at the eve Of the SHOWS.
The snow hegan TO fall in earnest at
midnight-great, white flakes that al-
mos; in an instant covered the leaves.
It was The real beginning of winter.
and all living creatures knew It. The
wolf pack sang 20 it from the ridge
wild and plalntlye song that made
Bert Cranston, sleeping in lean-to
on the umpqua side OF the Divide,
swear aud mutter In his sleep. But he
didn't really wakcn until Jim Gibbs,
one of his gang, returned from his
secret mission.
They wasted no words. Bert flung
aside the blankets, lighted candle
and placed It out of the reach of the
night wind. His face looked swarthy
md dcepllned In It's light.
"welT' he demanded. what did
you fnd?"
"Nothin'" Jim Gibbs answered gut
turully. "If You ask me what found
out l might have somethln' TO an
swcr."
Then" and Bert, after the man
ncr Of his kind, breathed an oath
"What did you find outg'
His tone, except for an added note
Of sayagery, remained the same We!
his heart wns humping great deal
louder than he liked TO have 1t, Reallz-
Ing that the SHOWS were Mt hand, he
had sent Gibbs for a last search Of
the body, TO find and recover the eyl.
dence that Illllreih had against him
aud which had not been revealed either
on lllldreth's person or IN his cabin.
He had become increasingly npprc-
henslye about those letters he had
written lllldreth. and certain lther
documents that had been In his pos
session. lie didn't understand why
They hadn't turned up. And now the
SHOWS had started, and Jim Gibbs had
returned empty handed, but evidently
not cmpty.minded.
"ryc found thui the body's been un-
covcrcd-and mon are already search
m Tor clues And moreover think
they've found them" lie paused,
weighing the effect Of his words. HIS
eyes gllttercd with cunning, Rat that
he wns, he was wondering whether the
time Ind arrived to leave the ship. lie
had no Intention Of continuing To give
his services 10 n man with rope,
moose closing about him. And Grams
ton. knowing this fact. hnted him rs
he hated the buzzard that would cialm
him In the end. and tried to hide his
apprehension.
"Go On. Blnt II out" Cranston or.
dercd. "or else so away and let me
sleep"
II wns n blum, but Il worked. II
Gibbs had gone without speaking
Crnnston would have known no slceI
TINT night. But the man became NOR,
fnwning.
"rm tcllin' you. fnst MS can" h,
went on, almost whining. ~ went e
the cabin, Just ns you said. But
! didn't get chance TO search it"
"why notr Crnnston thundcrcd
His voice rc.cchocd among the snow
wet pines.
an tell you whyi Because SOM
, one clsc-cyidcntly n cop-was al
! ready senrchln' II. Both OF us kno,
there's no'nln there. anyway We've
gone over II too many times. After
while he went hwny-but ! dldn
turn bnck yet. Tint wouldn't be IN
Gibbs ! shndowod him, Just ns you,
want me TO. And he went strnlgh
bnck 10 the body"
"icsT CrnDston hnd hard worl
curblng his lmpuilcncc. Again Gibbs
eyes were full OF omlnous speculn
tlons