Evening journal., 1922-10-17

II It were a minute or a year he
stood there he could never have
reckoned the space OF time. The
I suns level rays gllmmered ruddy
/ through the woods A green fly APP
peared, buzzing about the dead man.
Another zig-zagged through the sun
shine. lacing ii with streaks OF
greenish FIRE. Others appeared,
whirling. gyrating, filling the silence
with their humming. And still LeXs
erett dared not bulge, dared not
search the dead and take from II
that for which the dead had died.
A little breeze came by and stirred
the bushy hair on Kloon's head and
fluttered the ferns around him
where he lay.
Then. near in the ferns, the with
ering fronds twltched, and a red
squirrel sprung his startling alarm,
squeaking, squealing. chattering his
opinion Of murder; and Leverett,
shaking with the shock, wiped Icy
sweat from his face, laid aside his
rife, and took his first stiff step to-
ward the dead man.
But as he bent over he changed
his mind, turned. reelinG a little,
then crept slowly out among the
pitcher-plants, searching about him
as though shifting.
In a few minutes he discovered
what he was looking for; took his
bearings; carefully picked his way
back over a leafy crust that trem-
bled under his cautious tread.
He bent over Kloon and. from the
left inside coat pocket. he drew the
packet and placed Il inside his own
flannel shirt.
Then. turning his back to the
dead. he squatted down and ciutched
Kloon's burly ankles. as a man
grasps the handles OF a wheelbar-
row to draw It after him.
Dragging, rolling. humping over
roots Jake Kloon took his last trail
through the wilderness. leaving a
redder path than was left by the
setting sun through fern and moss
and wastes Of pitcher plants.
Always. as Leverett crept on. pull
ing the dead behind him. the floor
OF the woods trembied slightly. and
a black ooze wet the crust OF with
cred leaves.
At the quaking edge OF a little
pool OF water. Leverett halted. The
water was dark but scarcely an inch
deep over its black bed Of silt.
Beside this sink hole the trap
thief dropped Kloon. Then he drew
his hunting knife and cut a tall.
slim swamp maple. The sapling was
about 90 feet in height. Leverett
thrust the butt OF It into the pool !
W thout any effort he pushed the
entire sapling out OF sight in the
ispthless silt.
He had to maneuver very ginger |
" to dump Kloon into the pool and 1
keep out of Il himself. Finally he
It.
To his alarm, Kloon did not sink I
'ar. He cut another sapling and 4
pushed the body until only the
shoes were visible above the slit.
These. however. were very slowly /
sinking now. Bubbles rose, duly |
fioated. broke. Strings /
n blood hung suspended In the
,louding water.
Leverett went back to the little /
ridge and covered with dead leaves ,
he spot where Kloon had lain |
There were broken ferns. but he
could not straighten them. And |
there lay Kloon's rife.
For a while he hesitated. hlsl
habits Of economy being ingrained; |
but he remembered the pacltet IN /
his shirt. and he carried the rife
to the little pool and showed It.
first, driving it downward. !
out Of sight.
As he rose from the pools edge.
somebody laid a hand on his
shoulder.
That was the most real death that
Leverett ever had died
Continued I'm Our Next Issue1