Beverly banner. [volume] (Beverly, N.J.) 1877-1964, 1924-06-27

wood City yet"
He mounted the ridge to where 1t
was clear of trees. The sun had con-
quered the mists and the heavens
shone blue. To all appearances 1t was
a dead land. No smokes were to be
seen, no habitations, no sounds of hui
man voices. And yet there were In
dams lurking in the deep gulches and,
rumor persisted, there were organized
horse thieves with rendezvous on the
divide, while possibly other lone pros
pectors, like Pyrites, were seeking
fortune in the winding depths below.
He left his pan and pick while he re-
connoitered the top of the ridge. He
reached the crest only to discover an
other and higher ridge ahead. He
descended into the shallow valley, be-
tween the two and followed it down
for a fourth Of a mile, proceeding
slowly and watchful for Indian signs.
He was surprised and keenly inter-
ested in turning a wooded bend to be-
hold a long log cabin ahead. Beyond
it were half a dozen open sheds and a
rough corral. He could detect no signs
of life about the place. With a shrug
of his shoulders he boldly advanced,
telling himself:
eff any n is there he must have
seen me. I'm a lost prospector, trying
to find old Iron Pyrites."
The cabin door was closed and,
what was unusual, blankets were hung
over the small windows. These were
lacking glass, but were partly blocked
by strips of timber. He first examined
the sheds and c~orrals. None contained
horses.
They're ready to are for a heap of
them when put to it," he thought as
he advanced to the door and raped
smartly. AS he had expected there
was no response. There was a hole for
a latchstring, but no rawhide thong
was visible. He tried the door and
felt the bar resist the pressure.
But they get in some way" he pom
dered. He stepped back and examined
the windows and then returned to the
door. Then he smiled at the artful
simplicity of it. The hole in the door
| WIS uGtCI uoCA lOI 1S Uul
merely to discourage a trespasser. At
one side of the door and concealed by
a strip of hanging bark was the thong.
He seized it and tugged sharply. The
bar rose inside and the door swung
open. =.
Six rough hunks were on each Of the
side walls. The chimney and fireplace
-.1n. - %Io Nr~<bn~ orI xr-fth coxyorOV
kettles and frying pans. Near the door
was a table. This arrangement made
1t necessary to bring the food the en-
tire length of the room, an unnecessary
Inconvenience, he decided.
Piled in one corner near the fireplace
were seven saddles. Four of these did
not look as If they had ever been
used. The ashes in the fireplace were
cold and no fire could have burned
there for twenty-four hours. T%iptoeing
back to the door he puzzled over the
awkward position of the table. His
wonderment further increased when he
discovered each of the four legs was
bolted to the floor. Ironmongery was
easily procured in Deadwood City and
other hill towns. but why any one
should bother to bring iron clamps and
screws to this isolated spot and make
a rough slab table secure to the floor
was a problem hat challenged his
imagination.
He took hold Of the table and lifted.
1t did not give. He glided to the side
farthest from the door and repeated
his experiment. With an exclamation
he jumped back and the table banged
down in place again. He had lifted
a section of the floor along with the
table. Returning to the side next to
the door he reached across and once
more lifted and pulled. The table
tipped quite easily. 1t was bolted to,
and effectually concealed, a large trap
DOOR. When he finished the door stood
upright at right angles with the floor
and the table rested on it's side.
Darling to one of the curtained win.
dows he pulled back the covering and
briefly surveyed the course he had
taken in coming down the sloping val
ley. He took the same precaution at
a window on the opposite side. No
one was in sight In either direction.
From the door he looked across to
the rocky rim of the lesser ridge. 1t
was covered with pines. To exGn-
inc the height in the east 1t would
be necessary for him to leave the cab
in, as there was no window at the
chimney end Of the room He decided
to chance 1t without completing his
reconnaissance.
The owners of the place would be
sure to approach from either up or
down the valley. Returning to the
open trapdoor, he struck a storm
match and held it below the floor.
There was a rude cellar formed by
a natural depression or hole. 1t was
about six feet deep beneath the open
ing and had been shaped with a spade