The Challis messenger. (Challis, Idaho) 1912-current, 1924-05-07

on the rear door equally useless; lis
tened moment to the quick restless
steps inside; crawled under the hand
rail to the bank and, with every pre-
caution known to woodcraft to hide
his trail. recrossed the island to the
skiff. .-- .--
He showed the .skiff into the water,
rowed W around the head of the
island. down the south channel and
back to the house-boat. Fastening the
skiff to the rail, he unhitched the rope
from the willow on the bank; sprang
lightly to the forward deck. being
careful to keep out Of range of the
crevice between the door and jamb
picked up one Of the two light poles
pushed off, suffered the snug little
vessel to catch the drift of the cur
rent and, being careful to keep well
,xithin the shadow of the willows, let
~ drift down the channel.
Far down toward the lower point Of
the island narrow pocket gashed
into the rather steep bank-a place
well known to the woodsman. Care
fully Withdrawing the boat from the
current as he approached, he deity
turned the PROV; poled the little YES
sci into the slack water of the pocket
and far up under the overhanging
vines and branches, where it would
likely escape anything short of the
very closest scrutiny, either from land
or water; hitched it securely to a
tree on the bank; went back to the
deck and stood listening.
The girl inside the cabin had re-
peatedly wrenched at the doors as the
vessel drifted down the channel. Sew
eral times she had called the name Of
Hopkins, begging him to release her,
doubtless believing it was he that set
the boat adrift. To all this the woods
man had returned no answer.
She must have known when the boat
stopped, must have heard the scrape
of the limbs and vines as 1t was poled
up into the pocket, for there followed
an interval of silence. He could bot
resist the longing to steal once more
to the narrow crevice where the bar
of candle-light escaped. He brought
his eye close; peeped within.
She was standing near the middle
of the floor, listening intently and ap-
watched, he saw a sudden light leap
to her face and wake the wonder of
her eyes. She crossed the floor; came
close to the door and with the eau
ton of woodcraft almost as fine as
his own, softly called:
"Jack-w
1t took the utter sum of the mans |
resolution to keep still. He watched |
the wonder of her eyes transform TO
disappointment and despair; watched
her stand clasping and unclasping the
slim fingers of her shapely small
hands.
One consideration alone restrained
him from beating to fragments the dis
abled paddock and setting her free
right in that stout cabin, with its
doors secured by damned locks that
could not be opened without breaking,
hidden at the end of COW
cred trail, was the safest place in the
7latwoods for her just then. There
would be hard faces and quick fingers
n the red-roofed cottage that night.
But even so, it was the most diff
ult thing the big woodsman had ever
ried to do in his life to turn away
rom that door and go back to the
kiff.
With set and serious face he rowed
p the channel, around the head Of
he island, across to the mainland and
stepped ashore; dropped
9th oars into the river; set the boat
drift; stood a moment watching it
oat away and, with extraordinary
aims to hide his trail, hurried back to
raylock.