Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1924-03-20
CHAPTER xIII-continued.


"How picturesquely that cabin nes-
ties there in the pocket of the hills"
"a man named Belden, and his sis
ter, lives there" the girl said, following
the direction of his appraised arm.
They're Kentucky mountain folks that
fist moved in-they say the sisters
quite pretty"
The preacher seemed to be studying
the place, with it's wild wealth of ma
ture about It, his eyes straying at
length from the cabin to its tumbled
setting of cliffs and down along the
opposite bluffs, mantled with half
sprung leaves, abloom with haw and
dogwood and wild apple, until, as he
twisted around in the saddle, the
whole beautiful panorama of the mar
row valley had passed in review be-
fore him back to the winding road by
which they had entered.
AS the girl followed his rowing eyes,
a black dead limb at the top of Eagle
Oak, towering high above the quicken
ing foliage, came into view. She raised
her arm and pointed up and away to
the lofty landmark.
That's where the big gray eagles
ben comm every summer -sence
white men first come t. the Flatwoods,
/ guess. Look-iist over the top o.
that scrub poplar, stickin' up ag'nst
that white Cloud
81 see til" the man Of books ex-
claimed, the simple gesture Of point
ing out to the distant landmark re-
vealing the native grace that might
still have been his but for the stopped
and studious air that life had imposed
upon him. ct stands out against the
fluffy whiteness plain as a flagstaff"
'.Nobody In the Flatwoods would
think of harmin'-"
She stopped, with a low exclamation,
for the woodsman had suddenly
Strengthened in his saddle and had
/ 1erked his hand toward the cabin
squatting against the bluffs up the hol-
low. The others followed the motion
of his hand and sat staring.
Loge Belden's sister had appeared
from behind the cabin and was running
toward them. She had nearly reached
the bushes that fringed what might be
called the front of the yard, when Bel
den appeared in the open door. He
threw up his hand and called out a
word or two. which did not quite carry
to the three riders.
The mountain girl stopped and hesi-
tated; turned and went slowly back.
BeIden stood aside; she entered the
door; Belden closed it.
Jack was watching the preacher.
He saw his quick grip on the bride
rein; saw him stiffen in the saddle
and glance uneasily about
Astonishing! Quite extraordinary! r
escaped him as the tense brief drama
closed.
Mercy" Texie exclaimed. Il never
knowed she was-crazy."
"She amt" the woodsman NUT
tered.
The preacher glanced around at him;
threw up his head and exploded his
blarey laugh. It was queer moment
for laugh, and a queer laugh for the
moment.
'Not bad philosophy, that" he said
'.People are not always as crazy as
they-act.''
That the preacher was acting, the
woodsman fully believed, but the act
ing was just a shade overdone-a cir
cumstance that could hardly escape
such a man as Jack Warhope, particu-
larly after the chance clues that had
first set his suspicious going. Why he
was acting and what part, the woods
man was not missing any chances to
find out.
The three riders sat for some time
looking toward the cabin in the pock-
ct, Texie and the preacher discussing
the astonishing drama that had f1ared
up for its tense moment in the elbow
of the hills.
But the drama evidently had but
one act, and that act was closed. It
seemed to the woodsman, as he covert
" watched the preacher, lolling with
overdone awkwardness in his saddle,
that he showed just shade of relief
that it was closed.
The sun, red warrior on the home
ward trail, had journeyed far down
the paling Businesses of the sky; had
ducked behind huge cloud bank
piled like breastworks across the
west. Presently, finding a loop-hole
In the turreted cumuli he glared back
at the pursuing shadows; launched a
shaft that fell spent and quivering
upon Eagle run and shivered into
glittering splinters upon the rifle.
Glum at the missped shaft, the red
warrior took his eye from the loop
hole; drew farther back behind the
massed Notifications unstrung his
bow. The pursuing shadows stole
down the bluffs; dulled the water;
dimmed the woods; walked the breeze
and shook the wild apple twigs till
the white blossoms showed the grass
symbol of the hopes of men, that
bloom, promise fruit, die.
The girl noticed the shadows. Her
eyes left the cabin; glanced up and
down the opposite bluff. where. undar