Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1924-05-15
Tale of the Flatwoods
By DAVID ANDERSON
Author Of "The Blue Moon"
Copyright by The Bobbs-Merrin Co
CHAPTER XVlII-Continued

With a cry, Jack Warhope caught up
the unconscious girl in his arms, to dis
cover that she must have been in the
river. for her garments were complete
ly saturated and her hair hung about
her shoulders, sodden and dripping.
He was wrapping his hunting blouse
about her when, with startled ex-
clamation, be jerked away his hand
and held it I'D between his face and the
sky-it was smudsad with blood. He
bent over the girl-~blood was stream
ing from her right shoulder and run
mig down her side. That last bullet
from the edge of the yard-it had
found the core of a tragic target.
Picking her up in his arms, he ran
around to the kitchen, dashed the door
open and laid her on the sofa in the
sitting room.
He had wrapped her in blankets
.snatched from the parlor bedroom,
tore up a sheet for bandages and was
doing his best to stop the blood, when
there came the sound Of a man run
ming across the yard, and the next mo-
,ment Uncle Nick, doubtless alarmed by
that last shot-coming as it did upon
the heels of the housekeeper's story
was calling and pounding at the sitting
room door. Jack threw it open.
''Texie's hurt p he cried. "Quick-
Doctor Arnold--and Aunt Liza and
Mrs. Curry"
Without a question the old man hur-
ried away.
The woodsman had brought the can
die out Of the room where the dead
robber lay, closed the door and was
doing his best to stop the blood and
restore the girl to consciousness, when
the doctor ran in.
A hurried word or two and he was at
the hurt shoulder. The bullet-it was
his first care. With quick skill he hunt
ed it fortunately located it almost i'm
mediately. 1t had just missed the lung,
ranged upward and lodged barely BE-
meath the skin at the top of the Shout
probed it out.
He had washed the wound and had
At nearly dressed when Aunt Eliza
came running in, followed an instant
later by Mrs Curry, flurried and pant
Ding. Changing Texie's sodden gar
ments for dry ones, while the woods
man built a fire in the kitchen stove,
they laid her between warm blankets
In the parlor bedroom.
Picking up the candle, the woodsman
crossed the floor, threw open the door
of the room where the dead robber lay
and motioned for the two men.
Even the doctor started, aghast at
the gruesome, huddled form sprawled
there among the Uttered. blood-spat-
tered money. Uncle Nick's muttered
cry brought the two women running
from the sick room, to gaze with the
Others-awed to silence by the tragedy
that had again visited the quiet cot
tage.
The woodsman well knew that ques-
tons would be flashing through each
mind-had been since the discovery Of
Texie's hurt-knew that each looked to
him for the answer. A low moan came
from the parlor bedroom. That last
treacherous shot-he knew that the
man with the red lock could never
come back. 1t had been mistake to
shield him; blunder to trust him
a blunder that was being paid for at a
fearful cost
The doctor was the first to break the
silence.
what does this mean ?"-the ques-
zion was half a demand.
TT means-Caleb Hopkins" was the
hard, incisive answer.
The doctor started; the two women
caught their breath; Uncle Nick swore,
felt ashamed Of it, looked foolish.
'This dead man"-the woodsman
dropped a hand toward the huddled
form-"is Black Bogus" The two wom-
en- looked at each other; shrank back.
The doctors eyes lifted; he drew a
step nearer and gazed hard at the
body. "Him and Hopkins and"-Loge