The Filer record. (Filer, Idaho) 1919-1930, 1924-02-07

| OF the night auo waited.
With a final searching look In every
direction, the man by the fence
climbed cautiously over and stole
down the creek bank into the little
park. Jack crept up 10 the fence
cTawled over and followed.
AT Whispering spring the night
prowler erouched down by the rustic
seat. put his hands 10 his mouth and
very eleyerly Initiated the quavering
call OF the screech owl. Jack seized
the favorable moment crept up as
near as he deemed prsdent and hid In
the dense shadow OF a clump OF shrub
berry.
The night was so placid that dur
Ing the Intervals between the imita-
tive calls the low murmur OF Whisper
ing spring fell distinct and clear upon
the silence. A few steps away the
red-roofed cottage bulked large ia
the gloom.
The man had already twice given
his call and was about TO give IL a
third time, when the parlor door at
the front OF the house rather noisily
opened, and a man came down of the
porch and across the yard. AS he
walked over the brink OF the slight
decline where the yard dipped 10 the
creek. he passed in outline for brief
moment against the southern sky.
II was the preacher.
His glasses were of. the stoop gone
from his shoulders and his step
showed not sign of mincing. He was
partly dressed, partly In his night
clothes-precisely as one who had
Weakened naturally from sleep and
gone into the yard for some trifing
purpose or other. There was light
spot at his hip which the watcher
under the clump Of shrubbery sur
missed 10 be the ivory handle OF the
slx-gun that had thudded against the
bottom of the skin.
He went straight to the spring. took
down the dipper and dipped himself |
drink, making deal OF noise In the |
act-even an unnecessary amount OF |
IL, as II seemed to the critical ears |
under the shrubbery.
The drink over, he hung up the dip
per. with another CHATTER; sauntered /
past the man crouched by the rustic
seat; snatched something that was
reached out 10 hisa; hid 1t In the
bosch, & nis ssErs; whispered a very
hurried word or two; strolled back up
the yard; crossed the porch; re-en-
tered the parlor door and locked II be-
hind him.
The man crouching by the seat half
rose and slipped back the way he had
come, the frogs. as before. falling ST.
lent as he came even with them and
resuming their croak again after he
had passed. Jack tried hard TO make
him out as he stole by, less than a
dozen steps away, but lie was SO
stopped and so shrouded in gloom that
the effort was In vain.
And so they had come-and gone.
A burden seemed TO be lifted from
the night. A clean breeze came down
out of the cool dells of the serene
woods as II to sweep away the faint
II their presence.
The w0odsman lay a long time lis
ening, and reviewing the astonishing :
Not a sound did he hear.
lie glanced up at the red-roofed cot
age. From porch step to gable 1t lay !,
IS peaceful as its background OF placid :
ky. IL was hard 10 think that at that
IL might be standing at the !.
anger-center of some intangible web !.
4 evil that was being woven about IL. :,
He knew the lay Of the house as 4
'ell as he knew his own small cabin >
along the south and fronting the !,
DAD the seldom used parlor, with Z
he spare bedroom opening or from II -
n the east; back Of these the sit 4.
ngrOom, and the old bankers bed :"
pom adjoining Il. with the small :,
'om containing his safe opening OF .
on the west and extending some y
stance beyond the main wall; back ~
these rooms the dining and ~,
ick Of 1t the kitchen. - ~
Front entrance TO both parlor and :.
ttingroom was from the wide porch. -.
hich filed up almost the entire jog 81
tween the parl0r and the small =.
ON that served as Office.
~ . N-tAAt anu 4tAit boIll hlfIf Ur- l nm
airs. the latter ever the old bankers an
broom. the former over the Office. ON
iere were no rooms above the par M,
and spare bedroom, these. with the IA,
rich. being a later addition 20 the ba
ginal building. a.
With every possible caution Jack IN,
WHY cravled up the yard. around 60,
ok Of the house. and under the part
open window Of the parlOr bed IN.
I'M; lay listening for guarded mo brs
MT: then rose. nOiseless as the an,
MT. and peeped within al
)n a chair just under the window M
og the somber frock coat: on the a.
man breatbed even and deep. NJ,
'arently sleeping AS TRANQUILITY as q wo,
ID athlete. -
CHAPTER ~ L.,
sto,