Perth Amboy evening news., 1922-10-16
Go On With the Story
FIVE
nrnxxu1od VuIIav

The soft, blush forest shadows
had heightened, and the barred
sunrays, fltering through were
tinged with a rosy hue before Jake
Kloon, the hootch runner. and Earl
Leverett. trap thief. came to Drown
ed Valley.
They were still a mile distant from
the most southern edge Of hat
desolation, but already tamaracks
appeared in the beauty of their burnt
gold; little pools glimmered here and
there; patches of amber sphagnum
and crimson pitcher plants became
frequent; and once or twice Kloon's
big boots broke through the crust
of fallen leaves, soaking him to the
ankles with black silt.
Leverett, always a coward, had
pursued his devious and ~larcenous
way through the world always in
deadly fear Of sink holes.
His movements and paths were
those of a weasel. preferrng always
solid ground; but he lacked the
courage of that sinuous little beast,
though he possessed all of Its fe-
rocity and far more cunning.
He looked at the back Of Kloon's
massive head. One shot would blow
ludL Skull iulO hd6AiCAlSp az
thought, shivering.
One shot from behind-and twenty
| thousand dollars-or, If it proved a
better deal, the contents of the
| packet. For, If Quintana's bribery
! had dazzled them. what effect might
! the contents of that secret packet
| have If revealed?
There might easily be half a mil
lion in bills pressed together in that
| heavy, flat packet. Bills were abso.
| lutely safe plumber. But Kloon had
| turned a deaf ear to his suggestions
-Kloon, who never entertained am
billions beyond his hootch rake-off-
whose miserable imagination stopped
at a wretched percentage, satisfied.
Tamaracks, sphagnum. crimson
| pitcher-plants grew thicker; wet
woods set with little black pools
stretched away on every side.
1t was still nearly a mile from
| Drowned Valley when Jake Kloon
| halted in his tracks and seated him
self on a narrow ridge of hard
| ground. And Leverett came lightly
up and, after nosing the whole vi
| cinity. sat down cautiously where
| Kloon would have to turn partly
around to look at him..
where the hell do we meet up
with Q~uintana?" growled Kloon,
tearing a mouthful from a gnawed
tobacco plug AMI showing the re-
mainder deep into his trousers pock-
ct.
1--WE gotta travel a piece, yet,
l.. Say, Jake, be you a man or
be you a poor dumb critter what
amt got no spunk?"
Kloon, chewing on his cud, turned
and glanced at him.. Then he spat,
as answer.
IF. you got the spunk Of a chip
munk you and NELL take a peek az
that there packet. / bet you IT'S
| thousand-dollar bills-more'na bill
lion million dollars. likely.
Kloon's dogged silence continued.
Leverett licked his dry lips. HIS
rifle lay on his knees. Almost m
perceptibly he moved it, moved II
again, froze stiff as Kloon spat, then.
by i~nfnitesimal degrees, continued TO
edge the muzzle toward Kloon.
"Jake?"
Jaw. shut your head" grumbled
Kloon disdainfully. You allus was
a dirty rat-you sneakin' trap rop.
Der. Enough's enough. l aint got
no use for no billion million doiiar
bills. Ten thousand'H buy me all
cal'late to need till I'm planted. but
you're like a hawg; you amt never
had enough o nothin' and you wont
never git enough, neither-not II you
wuz God Almighty you wouldn't"
Kloon suuirted a stream of to-
bacco at a pitcher-plant and filled
the cup. Diverted and gratifed py