The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1935-07-12


As he stood up she came close to
him, her eyes very big and dark in her
pale face. She was wearing mecca
sins, and without the high heels Of her
riding boots she looked less tall than
he was accustomed to think Of her, and
somehow Infinitely softer and more
easily hurt.
"Jean-what Is itT'
Kentucky-somebody Is walking all
around us-just as quietly as-one Of
Joe St. Marie's ghosts"
can around usi What do you
meanY'
II mean around the layout here
near the house."
"How many Of them?"
81 only saw one. He was prowllng
through the shadows-I saw him plain
ly, not more than ten horse jumps
away. He was carrying something on
his shoulders. Then thought heard
walking horse"
"Where did you see thisi"
''From the window Of my room. !
couldn't stand 1t alone there any more.
Sometimes I think I'm going crazy"
Lets have a look" Kentucky
picked up his gun belt.
''Be quiet" she cautioned him. "Who-
ever it is doesn't want to be seen
that's certain. If we're going to find
out who it is, he mustn't know that
| he's been seen."
20. K"
She CROPPED for his hand and led the
way through the cold dark of the long
| ranch house.
Of which was wide open. At this win
dow she knelt, peering out, and he
dropped to one knee beside her.
II first saw him from my bed" she
whispered. HE went behind that
dwarfed spruce. For while he stood
there behind it-as If he was watching
the house. Then he went on, walking
as quietly as-as nothing human. AS
he went out of sight got up and came
to the window; and watched him
until / couldn't see him any more. He
went toward the pump house, and out
Of sight"
II don't see any sign Of him now"
Jean seized his arm, and he heard
her breath in her teeth. whats that?
There, close in the shadow Of the
pump house?'
Kentucky looked hard where she
pointed. AS he stared, straining his
eyes against the bad light, he pres
10 hot hn
make out the crouching figure Of
| man.
For what seemed long time they
knelt there, their eyes fixed upon the
shadow against the pump house. Once
Kentucky was certain that he not only
perceived the whole outline of the
crouched figure, but had seen 1t move;
and his hand moved toward his gun.
But the shadow blurred and lost out
line, again, and he waited, insure.
When the telephone broke into abrupt
| outcry in the house behind them the
sudden burst of sound struck across
their tense nerves like the crack Of
whip against fiddle strings. Jean
jerked violently; then, pulling herself
together, whispered, "D-n!" The tele-
phone continued to ring.
Kentucky whispered, Zone Of us will
have to answer that. think you'd
better go. I'll stay and watch the
shadow here. If it's for me, please
take the message"
Jean Ragland hesitated, then silently
obeyed. With his eyes riveted upon
their mark, Kentucky listened for what
seemed long time to the low murmur
Of Jeans voice, two rooms away.
Presently, alone, and with his eyes
accustomed to their work, he saw the
secret Of the mysterious shadow dis
solve, so that he finally recognized 1t
for what 1t was-a bush, a wagon
spring, and a broken blackboard wheel.
Whomever Jean had seen prowl the
layout, and wherever he might be now,
he was no longer In the shadow Of the
pump house-and had not been, since
| they had watched that shadow to-
| gether.
Disguised, Kentucky rose, straight
ening his cramped knees. One long
step from the window stood Jean Rag
lands bed. He sat down upon 1t,
careful to avoid a creaking Of the
| springs.
Her bed was still warm to his hand,
where Jean had lain and tried to
sleep; and for a moment he marveled
that the toss of circumstances should
have brought him so near to this girl,
even for so little time. Then-he no
ticed something else.
Something was wrong with the mat
tress upon which he sat. Unmistak-
ably. there was something within that
mattress that had nothing to do with
sleep. Suddenly Kentucky dropped to
one knee beside the bed and thrust
his hand between the mattress and the
| sheet.
Buried in the mattress his fingers
found the polished wood Of a rifle
stock; and beside 1t, dismounted, the
cool smooth steel Of the barrel. For a
moment his hand rested on these while
something turned over in the pit Of his
stomach and refused to go back into