The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1935-05-31

here, where cook was supposed to
be, cookless breakfast doomed as an
ordeal untold.
was ladling fresh coffee into a big
pot with an enormous spoon-'I wish
knew" Suddenly he stopped. and
stood staring, while from the poised
spoon thin trickle of dry coffee drib
bled to the floor.
Jean Ragland had returned, and was
standing in the broad doorway. She
still carried the lamp, and its sharp
near light, illumining her face remorse-
lessly, showed that her features were
drawn by a hard and unaccustomed
emotion. 1t took moment or two for
Kentucky Jones to realize that what
he saw in the girls face was fear.
For a moment no one spoke. Then
Ragland said. very low, his coffee
spoon still motionless, what is it,
Jean?"
Jean Ragland's voice could hardly
be heard Someone's been through
the house."
Been through the house,"
Transacted it through and
through"
Her father let the big spoon splash
into the coffee pot. Jean turned,
throwing the light into the room be-
yond, and for a moment father and
daughter stood together in the door
way, staring at what the others could
not see. Then, slowly, with curious
uncertainty, Campo Ragland moved
out of their sight. Jean followed him
with the lamp.
Kentucky Jones, with the others,
went to the door through which Campo
had disappeared.
The room was long and broad. In
one end a huge fireplace with six
foot opening was built of rugged
chunks of the native rock, and near
this Campo stood, holding up a second
lamp.
They heard him say, you're right;
there's no question about it."
Jim Humphreys said, is there any
thing we can"
Ragland shot them quick glance,
as if momentarily he had forgotten
that he was not alone. Its nothing
much, / guess" he said in rocky
voice. "This dump has been searched,
all right. That's all. Wait back, you"
Jim Humphreys and Billy Petersen
returned to the kitchen. At the door
way Kentucky Jones turned and stood
for moment in final survey of the
main room. He saw Ragland pass on
into the next room. Jean moved to
follow him.
Then suddenly the girl stopped and
stood rigid. Following her eye, Ken
lucky Jones saw at once what she was
looking at.
On the wall hung a cheap picture
frame, perhaps ten inches in its longer
dimension, made of narrow dark wood.
And it was distinguished from other
picture frames by the fact that there
was no picture in it. Through its
glass could be seen the torn MANILA
paper which had backed the frame,
and section of the wall
Jean Ragland set her lamp down,
stepped forward and jerked the empty
frame from the wall. For a moment
she stood irresolute, glancing quickly
about her.
do you want me to wrangle that for
you, too?" said Kentucky from the
doorway.
For an instant she stared at him, her
eyes wide and hostile. 1t was sur
prising to him-a little. That after
noon, at the inquest, she had pressed
into his keeping the bullet she had
taken from the evidence. But now he
knew that she had not elected him as
her ally, nor wanted more than mo-
mentary aid.
Her fathers step sounded close at
hand beyond the other door. Jean
dropped the picture frame behind a
wooden chest that stood against the
wall, and picked up her lamp again
as her father re-entered.
They went back into the kitchen.
Campo Ragland paused in the main
room a moment to exchange the brief
est sort of word with Jean. But his
announcement was to all of them, at
once.
Somebody's ransacked this Dump"
he told them slowly. Somebody's
ransacked it good. There's a rifle
gone"
Lee Bishop said. SIS that all?"
"They pried open the cash box, but
didn't take anything, so far as know.
1t beats me-"
1--WE can spare rifle, guess" Jean
said sharply. Except for a certain
soberness, Kentucky was unable to
make out in jeans face any sign of
the cold still terror he had seen in it
a little while before. But he saw now
that a change had come over Campo
Ragland. Campo's face was stiffly ex-
pressionless; but the eyes were those
of man lost in uncertainty.
Kentucky Jones knew Campo to be
typical of the Wolf Bench breed of
owners, man as durable as the hide
of his own range-bred ponies. Behind
his genial facade Campo had always
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