The Wolf Point herald. (Wolf Point, Mont.) 1913-1940, 1927-01-28
v

THE moon had risen and hung
4 on the edge of the sky like d
great disk of white paper. Anne
saw the others running this way
and that along the edge of the
point. A boat was pushing out
from the dock, Stokes in it, and,
caught by the current, it shot down
the cleaning surface of the chan
mel. There we're cries in mems
voices and Stokes answer, bell
clear from the water. Then Shine
ran by her, back to the house, GRIM
Yisaged with staring eyes.
She ran on through the pine
wood up the path beyond. Mrs.
Cornell met her, tried to speak with
chattering teeth, but ended in d
scream and fell upon her shoulder.
Over her head Anne saw Bassett
flying down the slope to the wharf.
Then presently boats moving out
from HayWorth. They sped back
and forth, up and down, swift black
shapes that seemed to be executing
some complicated maneuvers along
the %glittering track Of moonlight.
She was aware of Bassett's figure
leaving the wharf and racing TO the
house, of Shine thudding by and
calling:
They're here already! l got
some one on the wire and | told
him to go like hell"
Miss Pinkney's voice answered
him from the edge of the Point
where she stood like a black basalt
statue:
"Oh, they're here, all right. Ev-
cry teller that has a boats out.
But it's no use; no n who's ever
got caught in that currents been
found"
Shine muttered an invocation and
came TO a stop. They all stood
speechless staring at the boats
the boats looking for Sybil who
half an hour ago was alive like
themselves and now was-where?
AS soon as he saw the fleet In
operation, Bassett ran to the house.
He had to find Flora and get fuller
information from her before he
called up the police, and not see
ing her outside, he supposed she
was still there. The great DON
was almost dark. He felt for Il
of the standard lamps and pulled
the string. The gush of light fell
directly over her, close TO him,
sunk in an armchair, as still as if
she, too, had ceased to live. lie
mad expected difficulties in getting
a coherent statement from her, but
she told him what she had seen,
briefly and clearly, as if she had
known he was coming and was
ready for HIM,
She had skirted the island and
come to that part of the path which
faced the Point. \ hollow inter-
yened. extending to the waters
edge in a mass Of shelving rock.
Across this hollow she saw Sybil
appear on the end of the Point,
coming up from the opposite side,
and almost Immediately heard the
shot. Sybil had thrown up her
arms. staggered forward and gone
over the bluff. 1t all happened in
a fash and Flora, though describ-
ing herself as daZed, had run down
the path into the hollow and out
on the rocks thinking she could
catch her. But she saw the body
20 swirling by-far out Of her
reach, caught and borne along in
the current. She had watched it.
stunned, then had come to her
senses and staggered back to the
shore-and ran TO the house. On
the way there she had seen no one
and heard nothing.
Bassett left her and went to the
library 10 call up ForestVille, the
county seat. II vas the starting
point for hunting parties TO New
Brunswick, and Bassett, a sports
man in his leisure hours, had
STAYED there several times ssem-
bling his guides and gear. On ms
last trip, two years ago, trouble
with a guide had brought him in
contact with the sheriff, Abel VIII
Ijarns. Over legal wrangling they
had struck mp a friendship and he
remembered Williams as a man OF
some capacity. straight and fair
minded. If he was still in office 1t
would simplify matters; to starr
out. with confidence in the director