The Adair County news., 1922-10-03

sive physique and question its might.
He seemed almost gigantic In the yei-
low lamplight. In reality he stood |
six feet and almost three inches, and |
his frame was perfectly in proportion.
He moved slowly, lazily, and the
thought flashed to some great monster |
Of the forest that could uproot tree
with a blow.
The face was huge, big and gaunt |
of bone; and particularly one would |
notice the mouth. 1t would be noticed |
even before the dark; deep-sunken |
eyes. 1t was a bloodhound mouth, |
the mouth of a man of great and ter
rible passions, and there was an I'M
mistakable measure of cruelty and
savagery about it. But there was
strength too. No eye could doubt |
that. But 1t was not an ugly face, |
for all the brutality Of the features.
It was even handsome in the hard,
mountain way. One would notice
straight, black hair-the mans age
was about thirty-nine-long over rather
dark ears, and great, gnarled throat.
The words when he spoke seemed to
come from deep within it.
"Come in, Dave" he said.
In this little remark lay something
of the mans power. The visitor had
come unannounced. His visit had been
unexpected. His host hau not yeE
seen his face. Yet the man knew,
before the door was opened, who it
was that had come.
The reason went back to a certain
quickening of the senses that is the
peculiar right and property of most
men who are really residents of the
wilderness. This man was the son
of the wild as much as the wolves that
ran in the packs Soft though it
was, he had heard the sound of ap-
preaching feet in the pine needles.
AS surely as he would have recognized
the dark face of the man in the door
way, he recognized the sound as
Dawes step.
The man came In, and at once an
observer would have detected an air
of Difference in his attitude. Very
plainly he had come to see his chief
He was year or two older than his
host, less powerful of physique, and
his eyes did not hold quite so straight.
There was less savagery but more
cunning in his sharp features.
He blurted out his news at once.
"Old Elmira has got word down to
the settlements at last" he said.
There was no muscular response in
the larger man. Dave was plainly
disappointed. He wanted his news
to cause a stir. 1t was true, however,
that his host slowly raised his eyes.
Dave glanced away.
What do you meanw the man de-
manded.
Mean mean just what said. We
should have watched closer. Bill
Young Bill, mean-saw a city chap
just in the act Of going in to see
her. He had come onto the plateaus
with his guide-Wegan was the mans
name-and Bill said he stayed a lot
longer than he would have If he hadn't
taken message from her."
'How long ago was thisT'
Week ago Tuesday"
"And why have you been so long
in telling meT'
When Dawes chief asked questions
in this tone, answers always came
quickly. They rolled so fast from the
mouth that they blurred and ran to-
gether. "Why, Simon-you amt been
where could see you. Anyway, there
was nothin' we could have DONE"
There wasn't, eh? don't suppose
you ever thought that there's yet two
months before we can clinch this
thing for good, and young Folger
might say might-have kicking
about somewhere in his belongings
the very document we've all of us
been worrying about for twenty
years." Simon cursed-a single, fiery
oath. "But we are yelling before
we're hurt. 1t isn't worth a cussword.
Like as not, this Wegan will never
take the trouble to hunt him up. And
if he ~does-well, it's nothing to worry
about, either. There is one back door
that has been opened many times to
let his people go through, and it may
easily be opened again."
Dawes eyes filed with admiration.
Then he turned and gazed out through
the window. Against the eastern sky,
already wan and pale from the en-
croaching dawn, the long ridge of a
mountain stood in vivid and startling
silhouette. The edge of it was curl
ously jagged with many little upright
points.
There was only one person who
would have been greatly amazed by
that outline of the ridge; and the
years and distance had obscured her
long ago. This was teacher at an Or
phanage in distant city, who once