The Coolidge examiner., 1935-07-19
CHAPTER vilI

opened UIat HlrflFlEF. Halt tfs
stealth. end Jeans whisper came
% him through The dark. ken.
fucEy. are you there1-
"Here Jean" he }cfEed a match
OCT 70 his pocket and struck Sc Into
fame with bis thamb nall
A. Dee stood Bp she came close %
him. her eyes very big and dark 10
her pale face.
"Jean-whai Is ltf-
"kentucky-somebody IS walking
al around us-insi as quietly a.
one % Joe 81 Marle's ghosts
~An around u.s. Wha; DO you
msau1'
y mean around she layou, here
near the house"
How many * thcmT"
Il only saw one. lie was prowl-
Ing through the shadows saw
him plainly. no; more than ten horse
jumps away. lie was carrying some
thing on his shoulders Then /
thought / heard a walking horse ~
Where did you see thlsT~
From the window % ms room. !
couldn't stand Il alone there auy
more Sometimes think I'm going
crary."
Lets have a look" Kentucky
picked up his gun belt
BE quiet she cautioned him.
Whoever u Is doesn't want 20 be
seen--thats certain. II we're going
60 nnt out Who :, o.. be mustn't
know That he's been nrrn
30. o."
She Tfoped for his hand and ieI
The way through The cold dark ~
the long ranch house.
Jeans room had two windows ore
81 which Was side open. At this
window she knsit. peering ont. and
he Dropped 20 one knee beside her
Il hrsi saw him from my bed. :"
she whispered. "Ile wen; behind
that dwarfed spruce. For n while
De stood there behind ii--as II 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 20 the
window: and ! watched him until
couldn't see him any more. lie
went toward the pump house. and
oui oi sight"
4 don't see any sign of him now"
Jean seized him arm. and be
heard her breath In her teeth.
What's that7 There. close In the
shadow OF the pump house;"
Kentucky looked hard where she
pointed As be stared. strainlng his
eyes against the bad light. be pres
emily began 10 believe that he could
make out the crouching figure OF
man.
For what seemed n long time they
kueli there. their eyes fixed upon
the shadow against the pump house
when the telephone broke into
abrupt outcry in the house behind
them the sudden burst of sound
struck across their tense nerves
Ike the crack OF a whip against
fiddle strings. Jean jerked violent
ly: then. pulling herself together.
whispered. "D-ng" The telephone
continued 70 ring.
Kentucky whispered. zone % us
viii have 10 answer that. | think
you'd better go. I'll stay and watch
the shadow here. II its for me.
please take the message"
Jean Ragland hesItated. then
silently obeyed With his eyes
rlveted upon their mark. Kentucky
listened for what seemed a long
time 20 the low murmur OF Jeans
voice. two rooms away.
Presently. alone. and with his
eyes accustomed 20 their work. he
saw the secret OF the mysterious
shadow dissolve. so that be finally
recognized II for what II was-a
bush. n wagon spring. and n broken
blackboard wheel. whomsoever Jean
had seen prowl the layout. and
wherever he might be now. he was
no longer In the shadow OF the
pumphouse-and had not been, since
they had watched together.
Disguised. Kentucky rose, straight
enlng bis cramped knees. One long
step from the window stood Jean
Ragland's bed. He sat down upon II.
careful to avoid a creaking OF the
springs.
Her bed was still warm to his
hand, where Jean had lain and tried
10 sleep: and for a moment he mar
veled that the toss OF circumstances
should have brought him so near
10 this girl. even for so little time.
noticed something else.
Something was wrong with the
mattress upon which he sat. Un-
mistakably, there was something
within that mattress that had moth
ing TO do with sleep. Suddenly Ken
lucky dropped to one knee beside
the bed and thrust his hand between
the mattress and the sheet