Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1924-04-03

"Let Y'u AIone-After Y'u BungIed
1t the Way Y'u Did-With Fifty
Pistols in the Eir-an' Y'u Drunk"
money-hoarder-o Offered just the right
opportunity.
Their plan was absolutely f1aWless-
each night to slip out number OF
good bills and replace them with coun-
terfeit bills of the same denomination.
And the rumpling of the spurious
bills in tobacco-stained leaf mold to
make them appear old and worn, SO
practically eliminating the chances of
detection-it was master thought.
Crouched in the shrubbery, the
woodsman pondered the revelations Of
the night But what to do2 Proof
1t was the one big word that con-
fronted him. Since they had printed
their supply of counterfeit bills before
coming to the Flatwoods, there would
be no outfit nothing that fire could
not destroy.
A thought Of the concealed house
boat, with the shapely heelprints on
its dusty after deck, crossed him; and
assumed new significance. But one
false move and even that would dis
appear-and they had their eyes on
him.
But with all the caution Of his wood
craft, Jack Warhope was not man
to plan and scheme. He came of other
stock than that A stroke to the core
when the ripe instant came and
devil take the chips, was his way. A
bold thought took shape in his mus
ings-but the ripe instant had not yet
come. Another night would bring it,
with the banker warned and both of
them on guard.
With a grim look on his face he
craWled out of the shrubbery stole
back to the path winding along under
the dense shadows at the base of
Black rock and slipped through the
corner Of the orchard to his own
small cabin.
Pausing in the fallow yard under
an old apple tree, just now renewing
its youth in the glory of full bloom,
he stood for a long time sitting the
sounds Of the night and frowning back
toward the red-roofed cottage.
The moon stole, up under the edge
Of the east and cast glittering spear
that broke against the face of Black
Rock. A culver seemed to thrill over
the sleepy world at the bold assault.
The geese in the barn-lot honked and
clapped their wings, bullfrog down
In the bayou cleared his throat: a soft
breeze walked, rustled the leaves Of the
old apple tree and showed the man
white with blossoms
He had his hand on the latch
when suddenly there rang out rpon
the silence of the night, from the d.
rection of the red-roofed cottage. a
woman's wild scream, repeated again
and again,
He whirled, rigid, striving to distin-
guish the cry-but all women scream
much alike. Next moment he was
dashing across the orchard toward the
probably the most awesome on
earth-a woman's wild cry in the
night.
The sound had ceased when he
came out Of the orchard and candle
was fitting about the sitting-room.
He leaped the orchard fence and ran
around to the porch. To his surprise
the sitting-room door was partly open
and he dashed In.
There in his big armchair in the
room that served as Office, half bent
back over the chair arm, his grizzled
head lolling down horribly, sprawIed
the old money-lender-dead
Texie was crying wildly in the arms
of the housekeeper. The preacher
had just come from the parlor bed
room and stood stopped and trembling.
peering through his huge spectacles in
awed silence. But great as his haste
In dressing must have been, he had
found time to put on the frock coat
and high neck stock-demands of Gus
tom that he had probably found i'm
possible to deny.
Jack found the dead man still warm