Belington progressive. [volume] (Belington, W. Va.) 1912-1927, 1924-03-06

VI uCE ukcatH.
81 "You aIn't skeered- -r- sAs stopped !:
stood studying him: But OF course,
I don't reckon y'u would be--a man
like you. But please blteve me, an
heed ase. The woods has eyes; the
night has knives.r She bent her
head: she seemed struggling with
some inner thought. -That--third
man." she muttered. 'she waits, an
bides his time. an when he strikes. he
! kills"
She whirled on the instant like
some startled creature of the woods,
and was gone. He strobe surprised
step after her. even called softly.
There came back to him only the low
swish of the bushes and the soft fall
Of reeeding steps
Like shadow the girl--a far wan
derer from the Kentucky mountains
! had come; like shadow gone. One
moment the swaying bushes had fiared
forth her face, with Its startled eyes,
the next moment had swallowed Il
up. @ss $3.50 tt~t &
The woodsman came back to the
edge Of the road and stood ponderine
aer niessage--her warning; felt over
p his careful way each hurried word:
ried to cast them up and arrive at
he exact sum total Of them. The
thought creased his mind that she might
have been wrought up over an imagi.
nary danger; but NO. Il was real enough
hat she had dared personal harm to \
warn him-and her eyes were honest
That the man who had glowered at
lin over the log was In some way as
'ociated with L.oge Belden he had al
eady surmised from the fact that the
nan had taken up Belden's quarrel at
he schoolhouse-besides, his trail had
ed that way But the utmost OF
heir combined grievance could hardly
warrant such a threat as the noun
ain girl had plainly limited There
Gust be something back Of it all
omething that cut deeper than gashed
lands and sore jaws.
The girls last muttered words
that third man" that waits an
,ides his time, an when he strikes, he
ills suddenly assumed deeper
meaning. He darted a quick look
Town the hollow-a deep scar wind
ng like the trail of dragon between
he hills-where, more than mile
away, hidden from view by the dense
woods, the village lay like some hap
ess creature that had barely escaped
he dragons jaws; then frowned to-
ward the narrow valleys head where
he weather-blackened roof of a
qualid cabin could barely be seen
through the trees. A slow sternness
rawled into his eyes: he dropped the
,utt of the shotgun to the leaves;
eaned upon 1t and stood staring
Town at the road.
Gradually, as he stared, there grew
ipon him the consciousness OF en- out
Inc of single footprint at the other
ide Of the road-detached, alone, ap-
,arently with no mark Of any kind
eading either to 1t or from It. The
singular fact of its seemingly perfect
ISOLATION slowly reached him, and won
4 place among the troop of thoughts
that gripped him.
| He studied 1t closely moment,
grunted and then grinned.
"Uncle Nick" he muttered. Heel
deepest-he's jumped--where frofnr
He glanced at the other side of the
road where the take-off must have
been to land leap just there and
after short search found where the
old mans boot had scraped the moss
a little In making the spring.
1 Admin f'r that slab Of sandstone"
he chuckled, his eyes losing mite Of
their hardness. fell q bit shy and
landed In the soft dirt--mighty good
jump. at that, rr man with eighty.
odd years on is back"
STOPPING again over the Isolated
4 footprint. he examined II with closest
attention. trying at the same time to
call up all the lore Of the trail that
the old ranger had taken such pride
In teaching him-the wise and won.
derful ways of woodcraft that he had
taken an equal pride In learning,
until. next to Uncle Nick himself, he
was known to be the most skillfui
woodsman along the Wabash. Ar
he looked. grass stem that had
been bent down and slightly hung In
the soil suddenly loosed and straight.
ened.
''Hot trail, oil scout1naster," he NUT.
tered, in the half spoken soliloquy that
nature sometimes teaches her favor
ties. And there y'u go, pckin' y'ur
4 steps SOS T. hit the hard spots and
miss the soft ones"
| A sudden thoughtfulness crossed his
face. Il wonder why yure so p'tic'-
lar T. hide y'ur tran, thnugh-there
amt no Pottawattomies t find 1t no
more. Mebbe the woods jist filled y'u
8 full this wonderful morning. like
they have me. that y'u amt help
| playin' while at the oil VIII game Of
the trail. Well. I'll pla, with y'u--
ano I'll run y'u down b'fore the
shadow Of the bluffs climbs out Of the
cr1ck."
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