Show tx OF MOONS I 1 I 1 i ROBERT CHAMBERS t f illustrations by J J sheridan x ax copyright G P Pulu un sons SYNOPSIS the stori ophni in new roi dar leehue the atory teller inspecting a queer reptile owned b gem ge godfrey of atif banys artoy and harris and pierpont pont two mends depart on a hunting trip to cardinal a rather obscure ocal iti barels revealed the fact that he had the secret sen ice for the purpose ot running down a sang of gold makers prof laorange on discovering the bangs formula had been mysteriously killed CHAPTER II 11 wo had been at the shooting box in the cardinal woods five das when a telegram was brought to barels by a mounted messenger from the nearest telegraph ele graph station cardinal springs a hamlet on the lumber railroad which joins the quebec northern at three elyera junction 30 nailes below pierpont pont and I 1 were sitting out un der the trees loading some special shells as experiment harris stood be side us bronzed erect holding his pipe carefully so that no sparks should drift into our powder box the beat ot hoofs over the grass aroused us and when the lank messenger drew bridle before the door barels stepped forward and took the sealed telegram when he had torn it open he went into afe house and presently reappeared reading something that be bad writ I 1 ten this should go at once he said looking the messenger full in the face at once col barris the I 1 shabby countryman pierpont pont glanced up and I 1 smiled at the messenger who wag gathering his bridle and settling himself in his star barels handed him the written reply and nodded good by there was thud of hoota on the greensward a jingle of bit and spur across the gravel and the messenger was gone barels pipe went out and he stepped to wind ward to relight it it la queer said I 1 that your messenger a battered native should speak like a harvard man ha is a harvard roan said barels and the plot thickens said pier pont are the cardinal woods full of your secret service men barrisa no replied barels but the telegraph stations are how many ounces of shot are you using roy I 1 told him holding up the adjust able steel measuring cup he nodded after a moment or two be sat down on a campstool beside us and picked up a that telegram was from drum mond he said the messenger was one of my men as you two bright lit tie boys divined pooh it he had spoken the cardinal county dialect you hae known his makeup was good said pier pont baarts tho and looked at the pile of loaded shells then he picked up one and crimped it let em alone said pierpont pont ou crimp too tight docs his little gun kick when the shells are crimped too tight in quiren baerla tenderly well he shall crimp hl own shells then where 8 his little man his little man was a weird eng elsh importation stiff very carefully scrubbed tangled in hla aspirates named hewlett As valet gilly gun beirer and he aided pierpont pont to elduro the ennui of existence by doing for him everything except breathing lately however barris taunts had driven pierpont to do a few things for himself to bis astonish ment he found that cleaning his own gun was not a bore so he timidly loaded a shell or two was much pleased with himself loaded some more crimped them and went to breakfast with an appetite so when harris asked where his little man was did not reply but dug a cupful of shot from the bag and poured it into the halt filled shell old david camo out with the dogs ind of course there was a powwow when my gordon wagged his splendid tail across the loading table and sent a boaen unstopped cartridges rolling over the grass vomiting pow der and shot give the doga a mile or two said I 1 we will shoot over the sweet fern covert about four david two guns david added barels are you not asked pierpont looking up aa david dipp eared with the doge bigger gagae aalde barrig shortly he picked up a mur 0 ale from the tray which II owlett had buot bet down bebide and took a long pull we did the name silently pierpont Pter pont bet ato adf on the turf beside ato aad to ate e spoke of the murder of prof L I 1 grange of how it had been concealed by the authorities in ew york at drummond s ie of the certainty who had done it and of the possible alertness of the gang oh lusa know that wal be after them booner or later said barris but they don t know that the of the gods have already begun to grind choie smart new ork papers bu better than they knew when their ferret eed reporter poked I 1 his red nobe into the on fifty eighth street and sneaked oft with a column on his cuffs about the suicide of prof la grange hilly pierpont pont my reveller Is hinging in sour loom take yours too help yourself said pierpont pont 1 I shall be gone over night con barels my poncho and some bread and meat are all I 1 shall take except the backers bai kers win they bark tonight I 1 asked 0 o 1 trust not tor several weeks i let I 1 shall nose about a bit ro did it ever strike sou how queer it is that this wonderfully beautiful country should contain no inhabitants it a e those splendid stretches of pools and rapids which one finds on every trout raver and in which I 1 one never finds a fish suggested pier pout I 1 factly and heaven alone knows why said barels 1 I suppose this country Is shunned by human beings for the sime m lous reasons the shooting Is the better for it I 1 observed the shooting is good said barels have ou noticed the snipe on the meadow by the lakee why its brown with them thais a wonder ful meadow its a natural one said pierpont no human being ever cleared that land then its supernatural said bar ris pierpont pont do you want to come with me pierpont s handsome face flushed as he answered slowly its awfully good 0 you it I 1 may bosh said I 1 piqued because he bad asked pierpont pont what use la lit tie vally without his roan true said barels gravely sou can t take comlett Hom lett you know pierpont pont muttered something which ended in d n then said I 1 there will be but one gun on the sweet fern covert this afternoon very well I 1 wish sou joy of your cold supper and colder A telegram was brought to baarts by a mounted messenger bd take your nightgown willy and don t sleep on the damp ground let pierpont alone restarted ted bar als you shall go next time roy ob all right you mean when theres shooting going on and ia demanded pierpont I 1 grieved you too my son stop quarreling will you ask hewlett to pack our kits lightly mind you no bottles they clink my flask boesa t said pierpont pont and went off to get ready for a nights stalking of dangerous men it Is strange said I 1 that nobody ever settles in this region how many people live in cardinal springs bar als twenty counting the telegraph operator and not counting the lumber men they are always changing and shifting I 1 have six men among them where have you no men in the four hundred I 1 have men there also chums of billy s only he doean doesn t know it david tells me that there was a strong flight of woodcocks last night you ought to pick up some tha afternoon then we chatted about alder cover and until pierpont pont came out of the house and it was time to part au revoir said barels buckling on his kit come along pierpont and dont walk in the damp grass if 5 ou are not back by to morrow noon said I 1 1 I will tak hewlett and david and hunt you up lou aay your course la due north due north replied barels consulting his compass there Is a trail tor two ellei and a spotted lead tor two more said pierpont which we boat use tor various reasons added harris pleasantly dont worry rov and keep lowr coin founded expedition out of the way there 3 no danger he knew of course what he was talking about and I 1 held my peace when the tip end of ponta shooting coat had disappeared in the long covert I 1 found standing alone with howlett he bore my gase tor a moment and then politely low wed bis eyes hewlett saad I 1 take these shells and implements to the gun room wad drop nothing did come to aay harm in the briers this mor alag no aria mr cardente Carde nhe clr aid howai r af T 1 then be careful not to drop anything else eald I 1 and wall ed away loading him decorously puzzled for he had dropped no cartridges howal CHAPTER about four 0 clock that afternoon I 1 met david and the dogs at the spinney which leads into the sweet pern covert the three setters gamin and bioche were in fine feather david had a woodcock and a brace 0 grouse over them that morning and they were thrashing about tho spinney at short range when J came up gun dundei arm and pipe lighted the prospect david I 1 asked trying to keep my feet in the tangle of wagging whining dogs hello what s amiss with bloche Ml A brier in his foot sir I 1 drew it and stopped the wound but I 1 gues the gravel s got in it you have no ob ejection jec tion air I 1 might take him bocce with me its safer I 1 said take gamin too I 1 only want one dog this afternoon what Is the situation fair sir the grouse lie within a quarter of a allo of the oak second growth the woodcock are mostly on the alders I 1 saw any number of snipe on the meadows there s something else in by the kakei lakei cant just tell what but the wood duck set up a clatter when I 1 was in the thicket and they come dashing through the wood as it a dozen foxes was ln at their tall feathers probably a fox I 1 said leash those dogs they must learn to stand it be back by dinner time there Is one more thing sir said david lingering with his gua under hs arm f well said I 1 1 I saw a man in the woods by the oak covert at least I 1 think I 1 did A lumberman tn I 1 think not least do they have among thema chinese iso iou see a chinaman in the woods herel 1 I I 1 think I 1 did sir I 1 cant say positively he was gone when I 1 ran into the covert ald the dogs notice it I 1 cant say exactly they acted queer like gamin here lay down an whined it may have been colic and bloche whimpered perhaps it waa the brier and he was most remarkable sir and the hair on his back stood up I 1 did see a groundhog mahln for a tree near by then no wonder bristled david your chinaman was a or tussock take the dogs now I 1 guess it was sir good afternoon sir said david and walked ciway with the gordons leaving me alone with in the spinney I 1 looked at the dog and he looked at me loiou Vo iou the dog sat down and danced with his fore feet his beautiful brown eyes sparkling youre a fraud I 1 said which shall it be the alders or th upland upland T goodnow for the grouse heel my friend ind show bour miraculous self restraint wheeled anto my tracks and followed close nobly refusing to no itce the impudent chipmunks and th thousand and one alluring and import ant smells which an ordinary dog would have lost no time in ing the brown and lellow autumn woods were crisp with drifting heape ot leaves and twigs that crackled under foot as we turned from the spin ney into the forest every silent lib tie stream toward the lak was gay with painted leaves afloat scarlet maple or yellow oak of sunlight fell upon the pools search ing the brown depths illuminating the gravel bottom where shoals ol 01 minnows swam to and fro and to and fro again busy with the purpose ot their little lives the crickets were chirping in the long brittle grass on the edge of the woods but we left them far behind in the silence of the deeper forest now said I 1 to TO EC |