, 1922-10-11
CHAPTER xxi

<h<N
When Linda returned home the
events Of the night partook even OF a
greater mystery. The front door was
open, and she found plenty of evidence
that Bruce had returned from his
journey. In the center of the room lay
his pack. a rifle slanting across II.
At first she did not notice the gun in
particular. She supposed 1t was
Cruces weapon and that he had come
in, dropped his luggage, and was at
present somewhere in the house. 1t
was r that one chair was upset, but
except for an instant's start she gave
no thought to 1t. She thought that he
would probably go to the kitchen first
for a bit to eat. He was not In this
room. however, nor had the lamp been
lighted.
Her next Idea was that Bruce, tired
out, had gone to bed. She went back
softly to the front room. intending not
to disturb him. Once more she noticed
the upset chair. The longer she re-
garded 1t. tie more of q puzzle 1t be-
came. She moved over toward the
pack and looked casually at the rifle.
In an instant nor 1t was In her hands.
ihe saw at ono that 1t was not
Bruce's gun. The action. make and
caliber were different. Besides. 1t had
certain peculiar notches on the stock
that the gun Elmira had furnished
Bruce did not have.
She stood a moment in thought. The
problem offered no ray of light. She
considered what Bruce's first action
would have been, on returning to the
house to find Ter absent. Possibly he
had gone In search of her. She turned
and went to the door of his bedroom.
She knocked o it softly. "Are you
there, Bruce?" she called.
No answer returned to her. The
rooms. in fact, were deeply silent. She
tried the door and found 1t unlocked.
The room had not been occupied.
Thoroughly alarmed, she went back
into the front room and tried to de
cipher the mystery of the strange
weapon. She couldn't conceive Of any
possibility whereby Bruce would ex-
change his fathers trusted gun for
this. Possibly it was an extra weapon
that he had procured on his journey.
And since no possible gain would come
of her going out into the forests to
seek him, she sat down to walt for his
retusn.
The moments dragged by and her
apprehension grew. She tool the rifle
In her hands and, slipping the lever
part way back, looked to see If there
were a cartridge in the barrel. She
say a glitter of brass. and 1t gave her
n measure of assurance. She had a
pistol in her own m weapon that
Elmira had procured, years before.
from a passing sportsman-and for a
moment she considered getting 1t also.
She understood It's action better and
would probably be more efficient with
1t If the need arose, but for certain
never-tobe-forgotten reasons she
wished to keep this weapon until the
moment of utmost need.
Her whole stock Of pistol cartridges
consisted of six-completely filling the
magazine of the pistol. Closely
watched by the Turner's, she had been
unable to procure more. Many a
dreadful night these sir little cyI,nders
OF brass had beenfa tremendors ION.
ISOLATION 70 her They bad neon ha,.
sole defense and she knew that IN tha
Anal emergency h conId rsa than -
deadly effect.
Itnda Voc n air, .,ho hoa .,.u.
looked her situations In tho foca She
was NOT one to finch from tbe truth
and with false ontimism disba,,eva Il
She knew these mountain rea,ms bes.
tor still she understood the dorl, mas.
s,ons NJ simon and bIs so,Iowers ord
this iitt,e b-aIf-nound Of stea, and
wood with lis bross sballs might mean
IN Tho dreodfuI last momert ~ desnair
from them II mieht maan