Belington progressive. [volume] (Belington, W. Va.) 1912-1927, 1924-04-03

Out OF the Dark Flared the Powerful
Form and Truculent Face OF Black
Bogus.
memory again stole across the mind
of the watcher.
But Black Bogus had not smoked
long until 1t became apparent that he
was anything but a man at his ease.
Every sound outside received his
strained attention. and when not lis
tening, he smoked viciously.
AT last he shuffled himself erect.
felt Of his elbow where IL had rested
heavily upon the larger box. knocked
the ashes from his pipe, dropped an
arm across his knee. bent forward
and seemed lost In thought.
Shifting his pose after time. he
Strengthened. put away his pipe,
reached into the inside pocket of his
faded coat and drew out thick
bunch of greenbacks--a handful Of
bills that appeared to be an assert
ment of tens and twenf,es.
The woodsman guardedly shifted
his position SO as TO get a better look.
AS he did So his knee accidentally
jostled the rubbish heap.
With an oath Black Bogus chucked
the money back into his pocket and
leaped at one bound into corner out
OF range with the window, a heavy
revolver balanced in his hand. his eyes
sweeping every nook and Granny from
which the alarming sound might have
come
AT that tense instant a bat, darling
about under the rafters. blinded by
the light, dashed itself against the
cabin gable and fell almost at the des-
perado's feet.
y Damn the thing" he growled, plac-
Ing his foot upon the half-stunned
creature and grinding 1t to death. al
the same time thrusting the heavy re.
volver into his pocket and turning
back to the light.
He sl0uched down on the smaller
box; took the money out of his pocket
again and began a close inspection of
each bill, one by one. Ten of the bills
the ones that appeared to the man
watching him to be the newest--he
laid out upon the box. The others he
put back In his pocket.
Then an astonishing thing happened
to the ten new bills. He took from
his greasy. wrinkled trousers Q plug
Of tobacco and shipped on q chew
with his powerful teeth: drew from
the side pocket Of his coat half .
handful Of what looked to be ordinary
black soil Of rotted leaf mold: mois.
tened II very slightly With tobacco
Juice: rubbed little Of 1t on each
bill and secured them between his
hands. rumDling and crumpling them
In every conceivable way. He rolled
the corners between his fingers and
bent the corners down; twist
ed and scoufed the bills az II he would
wear them out.
1t soon appeared that to wear them
was the very thing he was attempting
to do. for as he worked them and
broke them In his powerful hands.
they lost their newness and took on
the look of bills that had been long
In circulation. He was making old
money out Of new. Light began to
dawn on the man watching him.
An hour or more he spent at the
task. When at last 1t appeared to be
finished to his satisfaction, he exam
ined Them all close to the light, bill
by bill.
They appeared to pass the very
and critical inspection,
for. with 4 satisfied grunt, he picked
up HIS pipe. reiishtsd = and smoked
nervousiy.
Another hour o. more he smoked
and Adgsted; Anaiiy turned the lamp
low: strobe T. the door. opened II .
Marrow slit End peeped sut.
But apparently enough Of the Night
had not CONS for whatever purpose he
had IN mind Tor with muttsrsd
grunt. he closed the dssF: strods Inn
patieatly back and fsrth acress the
door = time, sr I've; slsuehed down
upon the. boz saAd. without turning mp
the light AgaipD huntsd Ais pipe.
"A
II must havs bssn well toward mid
night and the erampsd position Of the
man behind the rubbish heap had
grewn almost unbsarabls. when. after
many peeps through the narrow slis
at the deor. Black Bogus blew out the
light and very softly clipped eat IL
the cabin.
The woodsman rose, listened 70 the
low swish Of Black Bogus recedlng
steps among the weeds until there
came the ,creak Of the rails n he
climbed the fence into the Eagle Hol-
low road. Opening the door with the
utmost caution. Jack slipped out and
stood listening-the steps had turned
down the road toward the village. He
closed the door and followed.
He had not Swallowed the renegade
far until 1t became plainly evident that
be was a very Indifferent woodsman.