Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1924-07-03

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
was never used for the latchstring, but
merely to discourage 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
were at the farther end with several
kettles and frying pans. Near the door
was a table. This arrangement made
it 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. Tiptoeing
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 that 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
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, large trap
door. When he finished the door stood
upright at right angles with the floor
and the table rested on its 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
q 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 exam
inc the height In the east it 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 it 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 1t below the floor.
There was 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
seemed to be solid rock. The flare
of the match also revealed bareback
box filled with packages done up In
bagging and blankets, Dropping to
the ground beneath he caught up the
first package and held it in the faint
light streaming through the trap and
deftly united the cord. 1t contained
twenty watches, ranging from lady's
timepiece to massive gold-repeater.
agents have been swapping jewel
nv for horses, or else one gang is
working both branches of the bust
ness,' he told himself as he carefully
retied the package.
The next package, much smaller
than the first, held nothing but finger
rings. The third package was rich
with gold dust and nuggets. What re-
manned he examined by the sense of
touch and by weighing them In his
hands, All contained iewelry or mug
gets.
Replacing the loot in its box he pur-
sued his quest eagerly but found moth
ing. He was lifting his hands to
catch the edge of the trap when the
cabin door banged open. His fingers
were yanked back to pull his two re-
volvers.
The newcomer stopped short on be-
holding the reclining table. Dinsdale
shuffied about and grumbled half aloud.
"That you, Rusty?' demanded the
man above.
"Erhuh. Come down here" growled
Dinsdale.
The man walked around the table
and unsuspectingly lowered himself
through the opening. As his feet
touched the ground and as his hands
were falling to his side Dinsdale
brought the barrel Of the heavy Colt
down on his head The fellow col
lapsed and remained motionless. Dins-
dale stepped over the PROSTATE form
and drew himself up through the open
ing and tipped the trapdoor back in
place.
"That makes it awkward" he NUT
tered as he stepped to the open door
and gazed up and down the valley.
The mans lack of suspicion and his
readiness to accept an intruder as a
member of the gang indicated that
some one known as RUSTY" was ex-
fv1 <In IN