The Challis messenger. (Challis, Idaho) 1912-current, 1924-02-27
CHAPTER xI-Contlnued.

hickory sapling and there swelle(
out a wild burst of reckless melody
that clothed the hickory with music
as the opening buds clothed the crab
apple tree with beauty.
II thought SO, OF warcoat," the
man muttered, glancing up. "Yor
know where she is, don't y'u?"
He stepped softly toward the crab
apple tree-the wild song-burst in the
hickory ceasing the instant he moved
and peered in through the gnarled
limbs and tangled twigs.
Shrugged down among some drifted
dead leaves he found 1t, the treasure
that inspired the cardinals song-a
roughly built, deep little nest, and,
shining above its edge, a dark glossy
crest, some long tail feathers, a short,
heavy. reddish bill and round gilt
tering eye, black as a dewberry.
He let the limb he had bent aside
swing slowly back into place and
stole away.
"Alw'ys two" ran his thought
"a pair; mates-it's natures way.
Pheasants and cardinals and folks
they're all the same-though birds
and beasts alw'ys run true, while
folks sometimes-oh, we'll"
He walked away toward the west,
coming at length to where the up
lands ended abruptly in the line Of
wooded bluffs that fell steeply to the
deep and winding scar Of Eagle
hn1 ha xr-ha
the double trail had run plainest
the day before-a fact that had
doubtless brought him just there.
He bent critical look upon the lout-
ish trail carefully crossed it; stepped
out under clump of haw trees at the
very brink Of the bluff and stood keen
ly searching the woods in every direc-
ton.
Below him and a short distance
farther down the hollow an old desert
ed cabin of mud-daubed logs squatted
against the bluff a few yards back
from the Eagle Hollow road. The
place had q reputation in the Flat
woods. 1t was the uncanny howell Of
dead Henry Spencer, a woodchopper,
who, on a winter night years before,
while in a drunken frenzy, had MUIR
dered his wife and infant daughter
with an ak, then had wandered out
half naked and frozen to death In the
snow.
What bad once been yard and tiny
garden was now overrun with weeds
so rank that storms and snow could
no longer break them down. A fallen
oak had but just missed the cabin,
and lay SO close to one corner that
some wild cucumber vines of the
season before had crossed to the
ruined roof and still hung In brown
and dead festoons stretched from the
fast decaying clapboards to the |
fungous warted branches.
A pair Of chimney swallows, true |
prophets Of summer darted in and |
out Of the crumbling chimney. A
yellow-hammer loped down out Of
the woods, lighted upon the dry and
comb-board and drummed a
challenge to all and sundry other yell
was 1t love call to
his mate In the dead limb of a syca-
more down at the creek across the
road7
The sound drew the eyes Of the
nan. At the moment one of the swal-
ows rose above the roof. AS he rol-
owed its flight. the chimneys and
gables of the red-roofed cottage, near
Y mile away down the hollow, came
within his range of vi
sion. His brows drew together; he
ripped the shotgun; turned and
Itrode through the fringing brambes
Jack among the trees.
Half a mile farther up the hollow,
It the point where he had left off fol-
owing the double trail the day be-
ore, he picked his way down the
ough and stony side of the wooded
Huff to the road. He was just in the
ct Of stepping out from the fringing
rees to cross 1t when the soft swish
f . bush short distance above
aught his quick ear.
Remembering that sinister face be-
ind the log, he threw the heavy shot
un to instant readiness and stood
eau SILL, HIS eyes SedTCilluS every ,
saf and twig along the hillside.
There came soft football. the
ushes swayed, parted, and young
'oman stepped out into the compara-
vely open glade where he stood-a
lrl that he had never seen, flushed
nd breathing hard.
She saw him on the instant, and her
ice went white. She darted in among u
lie bushes again, stopped, came slow l
: back, stood studying him. He was
: closely studying her-plainly, even
labbily dressed; her faded sunbon-
ct awry; her hair dsheveled by the Z
-ambles; but, In spite Of all, comely,
I'D rudy with health. s.
She made a quick effort to adjust IL
lie sunbonnet; spared a hasty touch
the disheveled hair and raised her :"
-es. He noticed they were blue. b
you don't chance T. be r.-Big k
,ck-?" n
The woodsman studied her from I'M d.
hs,If