The Monmouth inquirer. [volume] (Freehold, N.J.) 1865-1933, 1923-08-09
THE WITCH
BY EpWIN cARLILE LITsEY

Copyright, The Frank A. Munsey Co..
A bullet crashed through the snail
window, made slanting gray smudge
on the black pot hanging on the crane,
came up against the stone wall Of the
fireplace and dro2tec.
1t Kissed jim 4Ant's face about six
inches!
He was sitting on chair and lean
Ing forward to warm his handseat the
lev fire When the onaLa us messenger
Kissed by. AS the ball dropped, so did
Jim. Then he swiftly wormed across
the floor to position just beneath the
window. Here twelve-inch bench logs
were at his back and he was safe
The Pickering Of the small chip fire
made the only light In the room. jim
had come in about dusk, intending to
heat some coffee in an old tin can as
soon as enough Goals had accumulat-
ed. He had not lighted his candle,
for he was going out again at once.
on business. Money wasn't coming
in fast enough.
AS he sat waiting for the chips to
turn to live Goals, his mind was on his
trouble-the worst sort of trouble a
young fellow OVERLOOKING with Vitality
can have. The girl he loved was in
different. And Jim would have given
his hand, his foot. almost his head. for
that girls presence in his cabin. That
was the reason he built it, with his
own hands He thought she'd come
when he had home ready. but she
didn't
And the torturing devilish part of
1t was that she seemed to love him
at times. But she had never let him
touch her. Jim was thinking what 1t
would mean to touch her-to put his
arm out and circle it snugly around
her. when the sharp cracking of glass
and the beelike hum of bullet rout-
ed his fancies.
launched well down under the win
dow-sill the heavy revolver which had
Teen resting on his left hip now in his
right hand, Jim's mind took a tack.
Who could the treacherous marksman
be? He had no enemies. and the
mountainfolk were at peace for miles
in every direction.
Who could want his life? Was 1t
some one who loved Juney in secret,
and thought he might advance his
cause in this way? Jim sent his mind
scurrying about the neighborhood. He
found no one upon whom to cast sus-
picion. He was jovial chap. liked by
young and old, holding himself ev-
erybody's friend. This night attack
upon his life pestered him sorely.
No more shots came. No sound
reached him from without. But he
dared not approach the fireplace to
heat his coffee. From his shelter he
watched the red Goals turn gray, and
all light finally dwindle from the
room.
Still he sat there for his thoughts
were back on the girl again. She had
come to dwell almost perpetually in
the foremost of his brain.
And when young man especially
a straping young fellow with the wine
of life audible in him-comes to see
a girl waking, sleeping, working, and
eating, it is not good for that man un-
less he gets that girl. And sometimes
it is not good for him then, bat the
average of the species will run the
risk.
Las time l seen FER she seemed
,,I1oea<3 ,,a,ycad Tim fhorp
in the gloom. Laughed N talked n
looked at me our lax onct r twict
Whut business has a gel got to look at
a man OUR eff she don't keer noth'n
bout imp"
His muttered words stopped, and
his breathing grew louder as his
minds activity increased This was
followed by the slow grinding of teeth.
and one low, vehement word
Cody
1t was not prayer for Jim Cant
had never heard of such thing.
An hour passed. and he began to
grow restless. From Juney his mind
had moved on to the reason why Jun
ey wouldn't have hiIn-or at least the
reason he had accepted as the most
natural. This was scarcity of money.
She liked pretty things, nice things.
She liked better clothes than the 9TH
er women wore. She had told Jim OF
her love for dress, for they spoke very
freely with each other.
A man couldn't make much more
than a simple living for two moon
shining. Jim had figured it out. Then
one day he decided to do something
else, something that would fill his
pockets with money in short time.
That was part of his business tonight.
But it would have to be postponed
now.
Cant was no part of coward. but
II a man was low-down enough to
take a crack at him through a win
dow, he was likewise mean enough 10
lay hidden out there for half the night
waiting for his victim to appear in the
open, So the new business must go
auofhar day