Show the e V voice 0 of the pach pack by y EDISON MARSHALL a M 0 Is Is ft M a CHAPTER 1 continued 16 into a little hollow in the bark on the under underside bide ot of the log some hand land bad lind thrust a small roll of papers ahey were mere rain soaked now and the ink had dimmed and blotted but dan realized realised reali sed their significance they were mere the complete eI evidence dence that hildreth had accumulated against the aison ring letters that hau passed back and foith between himself and cranston a ahrent of murder from the former it if 4 hildreth turned states eNI evidence dence and a signed statement of the arson activities of the ing b hildreth himself V 2 1 4 some hand had thrust a small roll of paper they lere not only enough to break tip up the ring and send its members to 4 prison with the aid of the empty phell and other circumstantial evidence they could in all probability convict bet neit t cranston of murder for a long time he stood with the shadows of the pines lengthening about him his gray ees in curious shadow for the moment a glimpse was una given him into the deep wells mells of the human soul and understanding came to him IN aa as there DO no balm for hatred even in the moment of death were men unable to forget the themes and motives mothes of their lives even when the shadows closed down upon them 1111 heldreth dreth had lad known what band hand had him down and even on the frontier of death bis his first thought was una to hide his evidence where cranston could not find it when u hen he searched the bod bed but bere here later it might be found b the detect detectives les that were mere sure to come it was una the old creed of a life for a life lie ile wanted his evidence ta to be preserved not that right should be uron wronged ged but so that cranston would be prosecuted and convicted and made to suffer ills ha hatred tred of cranston that bad had made him turn state states s e ev idenie in the first place had been carried with him down into death ag As dan stood uon wondering derIng he thought he beard a twig crack on the trail behind him and he wondered what forest creature was una still lingering on the ridges at the eve eye of the snows be egan to earnest the snow b began to fall fal 1 in earnest at midnight great white flakes that almost in an instant covered the leaves it was the real beginning of winter and all living creatures knew it the wolf olt pack sang to it from the ridge a it wild and plaintive song that made bert cranston sleeping la in a it lean to on the umpqua side of the divide beir and mutter in his sleep but he lie dian didn t really waken maken until jim gibbs one of his gang returned from his secret mission they wasted masted no words bert flung aside the blankets lighted a candle and placed it out of the reach of the night wind ills face looked swarthy and deep lined in its light well he lie demanded what did yon you find cothin No thin ln 0 jim gibbs answered gut tu rally if it you ask me what nhat I 1 found out I 1 might have liln to an awer then and bert after the man ner of his kind breathed an oath tt N hat did you find out ills tone except for an added note of savagery remained the same yet his heart was thumping a great deal louder than he liked to have haie it really ing that the snow a were at hand band he had sent gibbs for a last lost search of t the body to find and recover the evl alence that 1111 dreth had bad against him I 1 and which blell had lad not been rex revealed baled either an n person or in his cabin he ile had find become iacre apprehensive about those letters he had bad written 1111 dreth and certain other documents that had lad been in hie his pos nemlon eft lon lie he understand why they h arned ups and ow new tt tie e snows had started and jim gibbs had bad returned empty handed but evidently i not empt minded I 1 vo a found that the blodys been un covered and men are already search in for clues and moreover mor cover I 1 think found them he HO Pall paused sed weighing the effect of his words 11 ills Is eyes glittered with cunning rat that he be was he u was as wondering whether the time had arrived to leave the ship he ile had no intention of continuing to give ghe his sen ser ices fees to a man with a rope noose closing about him and cranston knowing this fact facts hated him as he bated hated the uie buzzard that would mould claim him in the end and tried to hide bide his ills apprehension go on blat it out outs cranston ordered or else go away and let me we leep it was una a bluff but it worked it if gibbs had gone without speaking cranston would have bae known no sleep that highl but the man became more fawning 1 I im in tellin you fast as I 1 can he went ment on almost whining 1 I went ment to the cabin just as you paid said but I 1 dian t get a chance to search I 1 it t 0 why not I 1 cranston thundered ills 1119 voice re echoed among the snow wet pines lell tell you why I 1 because one ele evidently a cop was already se search archin ln it both of us know theres bothin there anyway weve gone over it too many times after a while he went merit away anay but I 1 turn back yet that mould nt be jim I 1 shadowed him just as want mant me to and he went nent straight back to the body yes Cranst cranston Sn had hard work curbing his impatience again gibbs eyes were full of ominous specula eions lie ile stopped at the body and it w was as plain hed been there before he ile went cran crawling ling through the thickets lookin for clues lie he done what you and roe me never neer thought to do lookin all the way may between the trail and tho the body lie ile d already found the brass shell you told me to get at least it there when I 1 looked after bed gone you should dve ve thought of it before but he lie found so methin else a whole lot more important a roll of papers that 1111 dreth had lad chucked into an old pine stump m when hen he n was as ayin it was bour 5 our fault cranston for not gettin them that night this detec the lv e stood and read em on the trail and you know just as well mell as I 1 do what they were D n vou I 1 went back the next morning as soon as I 1 could sec see and the mountain lion had already been there I 1 went back lots of times since and that shell aln t nothing but all the time I 1 supposed I 1 put it in my pocket you know how it Is a fellow fellom throw a his ills empty shell out by habit gibbs eves grew more intent what was mas this thing Crins tons tone in stead of commanding was almost pl eiding but the leider leader 6 caught aught himself at once 1 I don dont it see why I 1 need to explain any of that to you what I 1 want to know Is this why you dian t shoot and get those papers away from him for an instant their eyes battled but gibbs had never the strength of bis lits leader it he had it would mould have been asserted long since he ile sucked in his ills breath and his gaze fell away it rested on cranstone Crans tons rifle thit in some manner had bad been pulled up across his ills knees and at once he was wa cowed he ile was never BO so fast with mith a gun as cranston blood on my hands bands eh eli same samo as conyours on yours he mumbled looking down what do yea you think I 1 want unlit a rope around my neck these bills hills are big but the arm of the law has readied reached up before and it might again oi lou might as 1 vv ell know first as last I 1 im m not coln to do any ki lkins to cover up your murders that comes of not going myself you fool it if he gets that evidence down to the courts youre broken the same as me but I 1 get moren more n a year or so at most and a heap different from the gallows I 1 did aim alm at him ts but you just lacked the guts to pull the trig trigger gerl 1 1 I did und I 1 aint ashamed of it but besides the snows are he renow and he lie n won on t be able to even get word to the valleys for six months if you want him killed so bad do it your self this was a thought indeed on the other hand another murder might not be necessary months would mould pass before the road would be opened and in the meantime cranston would have a thousand chances to steal back the accusing letters he ile believe tor for an instant that the man gibbs had seen was mas a detective he ile had kepi ledi too close watch over the roads foi that A tall chap in outing clothes dark haired and clean shaven 1 I les es I 1 wears a tan bat hat that s the man raan 1 I know him and I 1 wish punctured him failing falling the tenderfoot been staying at len coxs hes iles a junger copyright I 1 1920 by little brown co lie ile dian t look like no lunger to me but no matter about that its just as I 1 thought and III get cm em back mark my little words aft in the meantime the best thing to do was to move at once to his winter trapping grounds a certain neglected neglect ea region on the lower loner levels of the corth fork it if at any time within the next few weeks dan should attempt to carry word mord down to the settlements he would be certain to pass within view few of his camp but he be knew that the chance ot of dan starting upon any such journey before the snow had melted was not one in a thousand to be caught in the divide in the winter means to be snowed in as completely as tire file insults of upper greenland ano 0 o word nord could pass except by man on snowshoes snow shoes yet if the chance did come it if the I 1 house louse should be jett unguarded it might pay cranston to make an immediate search dan would have no reason for supposing that cranston suspected bis his possession of the letters jetters he would mould not be particularly watchful and would probably pigeon hole them until spring in lennous dask and the truth was that cranston had reasoned out the situation almost perfectly when dan amak awakened ened in the morning and the snow lay already a toot foot deep over the wilderness world n orld he knew that he would have no chance to act upon the cranston case until the snows melted in the spring so he be pushed all thought of it out of his mind and turned bis his attention to more pleasant subjects it was true that be he read the documents over twice as 1 ate lay in bed then he tied them into a neat packet and put them away othere w here they would mould be quickly available then he thrust his bead head out of the window and let the great snowflakes sift down upon his ills face etwas winter at last the sea season seaon on that he be loved loed he ile dida t stir from the house that first day of the storm snowbird and he found plenty of pleasant things to do and talk about before the roaring fire that he built in the grate he ile was glad of the great pile of wood that lay outside the door it meant life itself in this season then snowbird led him to the windows and they watched matched the white drifts pile up over the low underbrush finally the snowstorm ceased five days later the whole face of the mild wilderness erness was changed the was mostly covered the fences were out of sight the forest seemed a clear clean sweep of white broken only by an occasional tall thicket t and s bv by the great snow covered trees ichen hea the clouds blew away and the air grew clear the temperature begun began to fall tall dan had no way of knowing how low it went nent Ther mome tem era were mere not considered essential at the lennot home but when his eve lids congealed with the frost and his you just lacked the guts to pull the trigger mittens froze to the logs of firewood that he lie carried through the door and the pine trees exploded and cracked in the darkness he lie was correct in lis lits belief that it was very very cold but he loved the cold and the pi rd lence and austerity that went with it the wilderness claimed him as never before the rugged breed that were his ancestors had struggled through such seasons as this and passed a love of them down domn through the years to him TO BE CONTINUED |