Graham guardian., 1922-02-03
CHAPTER XII.
Around Robin Heod,s Barn

DfnnCneu on 10 tne lelt along Jne
mountain on road that was little
better than bride path through the
forest. and which, for the time, kept
its level on the slope, neither ascend
ing nor descending.
"How about ii, Daddy?' ! asked.
"NNhere does this trail goi"
Give il time enough, II comes out
at. the old Hssersack, on Greaser
mountain"
ENDS there, you meanf"
''You said Ii; far as know, II ends
there"
what is the IIaversack?"
ut mint nothin', now. Used to he a
gold prospect eight r ten year age.
Never got far enough along to be q
mine, they tell me-
1t was certainly singular that the
dog should be leading us 10 an aban.
d0ncd mining project, but Barney
seemed to know perfectly well where
he was going.
In one of the gulch headings there
was Il patch of wash sand in what was,
in wet weather, a runway for water,
but which was now only streamless
ravine with a few damp spots in Il.
Here Daddy called halt, and while
the dog sat down and yawned at VS.
and otherwise manifested his impa-
tience AT the delay, the old nan gath
cred few pine-cones and twlgs,
struck match and lighted fire. eau
tioning me meanwhile not to walk on
the damp sand patch.
/ hadn't the slightest idea OF what
he was driving at, and he didn't ex-
plain; but after the fire had blaZed
up enough to light the surroundings
bit. he went down upon his hands and
knees and began to give an imitation
of man hunting for u dropped piece
of money. Its sort o queer. .Ieanie's
been here, and tie dogs been back and
across Il couple . times, as you can
see. But Builerton hasn't crossed here.
There's only the one set O tracks,
We made wider search, with
dead pine branch for Il torch, but
found no other tracks: in fact, the
gulch was quilted so deeply above and
below that there was no other prac-
ticable crossing-placc for horse. IL
Jeunle had headed for the gulch--and
the hoof prints in the sand, and
Daddy's Identification Of them seemed
to prove this paS, any question OF
doubt-she had headed IL alone. But
" hy had she been riding alone into
the depths of this uninhabited noun
tain wilderness?
Calm aud self-contained as he usual
ly was, could see. or rather feel. that
Daddy Hiram was growing increasing
ly nervous as we pushed on. didn't
blame him; So far from 1t, was Shar-
ins the nervousness in full measure.
What we're we going to find at the
end Of the trail?
1t must have been mt least Two miles
beyond the damp sand patch that the
dim trail we had been following ended
abruptly at the abandoned mining
claim spoken OF by Daddy lIiram-the
Hayersack. The starlight was bright
enough to show us what there was to
be seen, which wasn't much; u couple
of tuIub!e-down Shacks, she'd that
had probably been the prospcctors'
blacksmith shop, and tunnel mouth
that had once been securely boarded
up, but from which the bulkheadng
was now partly fallen away.
Once more Daddy hunted for dead
pine branch and lighted a torch. The
shacks were empty, of course, and
while we did not go into the tunnel,
.e could zee, through the broken bulk
heading, that ii was half filled with
aved-in earth and broken stone. Un-
,lerfOot there was only the coarse
gravel of the tunnel spoil, and full
troop of cavalry might have passed
over II without leaving any visible
trail. Worse than all, Barney. the pie |
faced collie, appeared now to be conf
pletely at fault. He was running
around in circles with his nose 10 the
ground; pretty plain indication that
he had lost the trail.
I'm be bat-clawed and owl-hooted |
II | know what-all to do next" Daddy |
puzzled.
He hadn't any the best Of ME there, |
aud II was precisely at this point that |
the split-faced dog took 1t into bis |
head to add another snarl to the knot |
ted tangle. After galloplng around all |
over the place half dozen- tines, |
smiling at everything In sight lie had |
finally come to a stand with his nose |
ut crack in the tunnel boarding, The |
next instant he had leaped through |
the hole where the planks had fallen |
away, and presently We heard him |
whining and scratching behind the
bukhead.
don't know about Daddy Hiram's |
heart. but | do know that mine was !
doing illp-naps and back somersaults |
when we ran up TO see what the dog |
bad found In the tunnel. For half.
second after Daddy thrust his torch |
through the hole was afraid to look
scared stilr at the thought Of what |
might sec. When did look, saw the |
dog digging frantlcnlly at the heap OF |
cuvcd-in earth, and, Of course TO my |
lisor,lcred Imagination, the hole In
which he was burrowlng transformed
itself at once into newly made grave, |
Good Cod" ! gasped; and then:
Look. Daddy-right under your
,urch !"
lie looked ana staggered back, and
would have dropped the blazing pine
branch II hadn't caught Il from his
: and. For what he saw. aud what I |