The Coolidge examiner., 1936-07-17

| lt0r had called for his portion of
honey, Young stood at the foot of
a gnarled beech tree, staring up
ward at the old scar in the trunk.
twice as high as his head, watching
the come and go of workers
through the hole that gave access
to the trees hollow heart.
He did not move much after he
had finally located the tree. For
long he stood in one place, looking
about, searching out what sign he
could find.
Man sign was there in plenty.
YOnder, a white pine had recently
been blaZed and pitch globules
glistened in the sunlight. Brakes
had been trampled down; here a
Seeding maple lay crushed into the
duff, its leaves not yet wilted.
At the base of the tree lay a sa-
prophyte which, until recently, had
been growing on the SCARED por-
ton of the trunk. He could see
where the bracket-like growth had
been attached, two feet above the
ground. He picked up the fungus
and on it's pale, tan velvety surface
showed the print of heel, even to
the nails, dark brown against the
buff. Some man had used that
bracket in starting to climb that
tree!
On his knees, he searched. The
rain had not struck here with great
force. Small bits of bark and Itch
ems, with fresh look, were
there. The protruding end Of a
small limb, long since dead and
all but absorbed by the expanding
trunk bore bits of thread, as if a
garment had been scrubbed over it.
Yes, someone had climbed this
bee tree.
Honey and money! Money
and honey!
Yonder went a trail; faint, yet
readable to YOung'S eye. Not a
game trail, either; he found the
lily defined outline Of a boot sole
there. STOPPED over, he followed.
Broken. withered brakes told that
someone had gone this way weeks
before; broken brakes, still fresh.
atteSted to a more recent passing.
The sign ended before pair of
limestone boulders, tilted together,
forming a small cave.
"Oh - OH" Another stone had
been set against this opening once
now it was gone, rolled yonder.
He lay on his belly and shot his
f1ash-light into the small cavern.
|. Granules glistened on the
stone; he touched them with his
finger anu looked closely. Black,
brittle, glittering flakes they were.
. Lacquer from japanned box? d?
His mouth was very dry, now,
and he rolled quickly to his side
to stare at the tree. A box the
size Of the one he had dug up yes
terday never could have been con-
cealed in the hollow of the beech 4;
the opening was too small. But a
box had been hidden here, and a
man had climbed the tree. And
honey had daubed the man who
handled both box and crowbar.
"Pm a son-of-a-gun !" he cried.
"Tll be :" And on his feet
there his face showed, for Just an
instant, a flash of admiration for
the ingenuity which had laid out
this course. In the course he
now suspected actually had been
followed.
He had been right about the
cabin on Townline. It was a short
mile, there and he covered the dis
tance at a jog trot, Tip close be-
hind. He halted at the edge Of the
clearing to look and listen and
then went forward without hesita.
tion.
From an insect net above one of
the hunks, he cut a portion: he
found a pair Of old leather gloves
workman's denim jumper; hank
Of stout cord. From the tool cache
he took an ak, cedar saw, a split.
ter and two wedges. These, with
his rifle, made burden of conse.
quence and by the time he reached
the tree again sweat bathed his
excited body.
From the netting he improvised
a veil, adjusting it over his hat
and tucking the edges into the neck
of the jumper He put on the
gloves, tied the jumper sleeves
tight about his wrists and picked
up the ak.
Tip. Yonder!" He geStured
in command. away back and lie
down! There's going to be a lot
of hostility here in a minute!"
He waited until the dog had
obeyed and then sent the bit OF
the AK deep into the beech.
He was right about the hostility
Not a half dozen blows had been
! struck before they were upon him
in a cloud, buzzing angrlly, seek
ing ways through his veil and gar
ments for countless stingers But
Kerry was we'll protected and
! swung his ak steadily, eating 9