Graham guardian., 1922-02-21

afOot, eihcr on the dump head or W
the partly wrecked cabin beyond
While we were still peeping and peer
ing, each at his auger-hOle and each
ready to take an oifhand shot at any
thing that seemed suspicious, the 81
lcnCe of the mountain night was ripped
and torn by the most hideOus clamor
imaginable, arising, apparently, in the
cabin OF perhaps from the growing OF
trees Just behind ii. The racket was
deafening; comparable to nothing that
I'd ever heard; a magnitied orchestra
ton, so to speak, of the pandemonium
made by crowd of country boys
serenading Il newly married pair with
tin pans and such-like nolse-making
implements.
"What in the name O. Joab!' slut
tered Daddy Hiram. "RcckOn them
gosh-dummed pirateers We gone plum
loony?"
wait" | qualified, and l had 10
shout to make myself heard. "There'll
De luOIt w IolluN' IhiS 10 why 'hS
curtain-raiser.'
But my guess appeared to be no
good. For quite some little time we
crouched guns at the ready, prepared
to repel the assault which we natural
ly supposed would be made under
cover of the distracting racket. But
there was no assault though the mean
ingless clamor kept up without abate-
ment.
BY the time we were beginning TO
grow trine hardened 10 1t the clamor
stopped as abruptly rs II had begun
and the silence which succeeded was
even more deafening than the noise
had been. While fancied could see
dim figures stealing down the road
that led to the bench below, | heard
Daddy say: "Now. what in the name
o JehOiachim-"
He had turned away from his peep
hole and could sense. rather tlran see,
that he was rubbing his eyes. Then [
realized that upon me, also. a sudden
blindness had fallen; the interior Of
the SlafthOuse had become as dark
as the inside OF pocket. Tie effect
was so stupcfying that II took both
of us minute or so to understand
that some change Us yet undciinable
had been wrought either in us or in
our surroundings during the noisy in
terlude.
Great Jehu." exclaimed the old
man--thOugh he was within arms
reach | could make him out only as Il
dim shad0w-"Great Jehu! II b'llpre
I'm goin' blind. Stunnie! II can't
see nothin' a-tall" !"
"DOn't worry" | haStencd TO say
"Tm in the same boat. We've been
looking too long and steadily through
those augcr-holes. It'll pass in a min
ute"
But it didn't pass and presently the
voice of my Old side partner came
again out of the darkness.
"P'rapS it's CloUdin up some" he
suggested in half-whsper. Il can't
see no stars through them windows"
At this leaked toward the window
openings. hut the interior blackness
had blOt'ed Them out completely. Al
most inS;inctivCly turned back 10 the
door and pUt an eye 10 Il loDphnle.
One glance WAS enough. The trouble,
whatever il might he. WAS with us aud
not with tie sky. The stars were
shining as brightly as ever,
"Dmn't move, Daddy" | cautioned.
aud ihcr CROPPED my way along the
wall and climbed tn the top OF our
earth.sack breustwork ut Il point which
| guessed to be under the nearest Of
the two windows.
Wien 4 drew myself up and tried to
thruSl hand through the opening
the mysterious darkness was ex-
planned. The window embrasures were
stopped up, both of them, on the out
side by something that felt like a
heavy canvas curtain, though how the
curtain was held in place | could not
determine. But 1t was firmly braccd
could get-whiCh wasa't much-l
couldn't GlSlodge it or push II aside.
Making my way back to the door
| told Daddy what had found.
"Huhw he said; "that old tarpaulin
that was out yonder In the ore shed.
How dye reckon they got 1t there,
Stannie?"
IT'S hoisted on n framework of
some Kind. and they did II while we
were rubbering and trying to find out
what all that noise was about"
We were not kept very long in doubt
as to what the next enemy move was
to be. With the cessation of the TOM
tom clatter the collie had grown curl
| Ously restless. We couldn't see him,
but we could hear him running from
post to pillar, shifting at the cracks
and occasionally giving whining
growl. Presently he began to cough
| and SneeZe' 'l'"" '""' hack