Show THE RED LOCK I A Tale of f the Flatwoods' Flatwoods By DAVID ANDERSON Au AutU f The TH B Blue Blui M Mn Meen W C 10 by n n. Mach U 0 Oa Ca I CHAPTER XIV XIV Continued 18 16 The tracks had bad been made made mad by a. a boot much worn wom and frayed The man that made them must have been large and heavy for his bis boot heel had dented deep Into the floor boards and the length of or bis stride Indicated him to tobe tobe tobe be little If any under six feet The profusion of tracks together with a number of or half burned matches scattered scattered scattered scat scat- about the floor door Indicated that he had been there some lome time time possibly possibly several times The woodsman found himself wondering wondering won won- dering what manner of or man he could have been and what his purpose And why did he bring a lamp Instead of ot a candle Lamps were none too plenty In the Flatwoods Again there came over him that strangely disquieting premonition of or danger Int intangible danger Intangible ble In In Indefinable Indefinable definable deadly deliberate Everything pointed to the conclusion II that the cabins cabin's unknown visitor would come again probably agaIn probably with the night The lamp on the box bos the blanket ready rendy to hang over the window were not without a purpose What that purpose might prove to be could only be conjectured con possibly possibly horse stealing Hut But no or why a lamp Instead of or a candle He lIe glanced up at the loft loft except except for a few tew boards lying loose and scattered scat about upon the Joists the cabin vas OS open to the roof he be looked I around Into the dim dint far tar corner back backof backof backof of the door door It It was half halt filled with witha ltha a clutter of or rubbish broken boxes and the like like but but no tracks led that way Using the greatest care to conceal his footprints he opened the door stepped cautiously out closed It and of after tel a critical look about the stir Sill surrounding rounding weeds and bushes slipped sUpped away up the side of the timbered bluff through the woods and ond back to his unfinished unfinished un finished chores After a hast hasty supper he drew drev Out but buthis I his revolver bent over It a n brief brier but but thoroughly competent Instant of or Inspection Inspection In In- by the candle tried the trig trig- pull ger-pull twirled the cylinder dropped It back In the holster blew out tho the candle and laid his hand to the door door- latch The warning of the mountain girl crossed his mind mind mind-he he turned back closed the hearth of the cook stove to hide Its Us light opened the door softly and stepped out into the tho gathering night toward the dead woodchoppers woodchopper's cabin The cloud-bank cloud had dissolved In the west when he again reached the Ill Ill- hovel and the sky was hangIng hangIng hang hang- Ing lag out Its stars the stars the big ones already out and the little ones coming He lie e again crept down the wooded face of the bluff and under cover of the fallen oak festooned with the wild cucumber vines vinos stole up to the chink chinkIn In the wall and peeped between the logs The cahn calin was apparently empty of ot Its unknown n Intruder After Atter listening Intently for some sometime sometime sometime time he again stole sole around the wall to the door push pushed Id I'd It slowly open and entered As soon Boon as his eyes grew a ac accustomed accustomed ac- ac to the gloom he saw lOW that the room was just as he had left it a few hours earlier Not daring to venture out on the floor the light being too dim again to risk hiding his trail by stepping In the tracks he reached up caught one of or orthe the joists and swinging from hand band to hand crossed to the far tar corner cornel of or the room concealed himself behind the old boards and boxes of the rubbish heap and sat gripping his sore Bore shoulder shoulder- the exertion had opened the gash and he be could feel the blood crawling down hIs bis side There Is something depressing fearsome fear fear- some Rome about entering an on old deserted house especially house especially after nightfall And this was the cabin of dead Henry Spencer Few would care to go near It much It-much much less Into It It- It at such an hour Jack Tack watched the last faint light from the west die out In the smudged Window window so so foul with clay that he had hadnot hadnot hadnot not been able to make out more than the bare outline of the face tace that had peered through it a few hours before lie He knew the bats were darting about in the cabin for the dark was alive with the click of their teeth A screech owl shivered his lonesome wall from an upstanding branch of the fallen oak The woodsman half started listened closely smiled The sound was genuine ine It me-it It was a screech owl The low wash of or Eagle run ran lapping the rocks In Its shallow bed came up across the lonely road the melancholy melancholy melan choly note of a whippoorwill carried down out of the woods A sound fell upon the night the nIght the low swish of ot weeds In the yard yard and and the woodsman grew tense and strained There followed a guarded footfall a hand fumbled over o the door It opened a heavy step creaked the thesa sa sagging floor a form bulked huge and black In the gloom a hand and ond arm passed across the window Y and hunt hung the blanket Into place A match scraped scraped one one of or the old old- fashioned kind that sputter a while before making much light the light the chimney chimney chimney chim chim- ney of the lamp w wr raised the match laid to the wIck Out of the dark flared the powerful form torm and truculent face of of- of Black of-Black la Bogus Dogus After Atte a somewhat close dose study of the tracked dar flar he went around on the theother theother other side able of the lamp to the ruined lifted up a loosened slab of stone eton and felt under It et I Appan Apparently what hot he expected to find And was wu not there for he be swore put the thet t slab back rose and slouched across tt the floor toward the rubbish heap The Theman Theman Theman n man hiding behind It crouched still sUll as nO O one of ot the cabin logs and fingered the pi pistol butt at his hip But Dut the ruf tUt- ruffian fl fian only rummaged out an old b box ox ct carried It back to the light and sat eat down Drawing a 8 short pipe from his p pocket he filled It from a 8 grimy tobacco tobacco to to- b bacco sack lighted It with another of tl the sputtering matches and with the theair theair theair air of ot a man quite at his hI ease began to smoke As Ashe he smoked the bitter lines of his face relaxed a trifle and and Its half half- haunting resemblance to a face that dwelt dwelt and and would ever dwell dwell ln In his D memory again stole across the mind o of or the watcher But Dut Black Dlack Bogus had not smoked 1 long until It became apparent that he was anything but a man at his eo ease Be Every sound outside received his strained attention and ond when not listening listenIng lis lie he smoked viciously At last he be shuffled himself erect felt of or his elbow where It had rest rested rested heavily upon the larger box knocked the ashes from his pipe dropped an arm across his knee bent forward and seemed lost In thought Shifting his pose of after tel a time he straightened put away awny his pipe reached Into the Inside pocket of ot his faded coat and drew out a thick bunch of greenbacks a a handful of or bills that appeared to be an assortment assortment assort assort- ment of tens and twenties The woodsman guardedly shifted his position so as to get a better look As he did so his bis knee accidentally jostled the rubbish heap With an oath Black lIlack Bogus Hogus chucked the money back Into his pocket and leaped at ot one bound Into a corner out I II I r 1 i 1 lam Out of the Dark Flared the Powerful Form and Truculent Face of Black Bogus of if range with the window a heavy beavy revolver balanced In hIs bis hand his eyes sweeping every very nook and cranny from which the alarming sound might have come At that tense Instant a hat bat darting about under the rafters ratters blinded by bythe bythe the ho light dashed Itself against the cabin gable and fell almost at the desperados desperado's desperados desperado's des Ies- feet Damn the thing I l he growled placIng placing ing log his foot upon the stunned half-stunned creature and grinding It to death at atthe atthe atthe the same time thrusting the heavy revolver revolver revolver re re- re- re volver Into his pocket and turn turning In back to the light lie slouched down on the smaller box took the money out of his pocket again and began a close Inspection of or each ench bill one by one Ten of the bills the the ones that appeared to the man watching matching him to be the newest he newest he laid out upon the box The others he put back In his pocket Then an on astonishing thing happened a to the the ten new bills lie He took from n his greasy wrinkled trousers a plug nv ng g of tobacco and ond snipped off a chew v with his powerful teeth drew from n the side pocket of ot his coat half hilf a n handful of what looked to be ordinary y black soil soft of rotted leaf mold moistened moistened mois mols 3 It very slightly with tobacco o Juice rubbed a little of It on each h bill and scoured them between his Is Isn hands rumpling and crumpling theta them n In er e every conceivable way lie He rolled 1 the corners between his fingers and thumbs bent the tile corners down twisted twist twisted ed and scoured the bills as If he would wear weal them out It soon appeared that to wear weal them vas was the theer er very thing he was attempting to do for as 88 he worked them and broke them In his powerful hands they lost their newness and ond took on the look of bills that had be been n long longIn In la circulation lie He was making old money out of new Light began to dawn on the man watching him An hour or more he spent at the task When at last It appeared to be finished to his satisfaction he examined examIned examined exam exam- ined them all close to the light bill by bill They appeared to puss pass the very Terr painstaking and critical Inspection for tor with a satisfied grunt runt he picked up his pipe It and smoked nervously Another hour or more he be smoked and fidgeted finn finally ly turned the lamp low strode to the door opened It a narrow slit and peeped out But Hut apparently enough nough of tho night had not gone for for whatever purpose he be had In mind for with t I muttered grunt he closed the door strode Ira Ira- bark and forth the floor oa a a time or two clenched al uch d down own upon th the b box and without up ap the light again hunted hi his hi pipe It must have hate been well toward mitt mid midnight night and the cramI cramped position Of or theman th the theman man behind the rubbish heap had bad grown almost unbearable when after many peeps through the narrow alit sUt at the door Black Bogus bl blew w out tb the light and very Terl softly slipped sUpped out of ot the cabin The wOOl rose listened to the thelow thelow thelow low swish of Black Dlack Bogus Dogus' receding steps among the weeds weed until there came the creak of the rails as AI he climbed the fence Into the Eagle ElgIe Hollow lot Hol low road Opening the door with 1 th the utmost caution Jack Jock slipped out and stood listening the listenIng the steps had turned down the road toward the village Tillage lie closed the door and followed lie He had not shadowed the renegade far tar until It became plainly evident that he was a very TOry Indifferent woodsman Sticks snapped under his feet bushes bushel slapped back Into place as he brushed against them and once or twice his hla boot struck the ground with a clumsy thud Clear down clown to the mouth of th the hollow hollo Jack stalked him He lie took th the path that 1 led 11 along the east enst bank of or orthe the stream and ond when he came to the fork followed tho the branch that led to the little park The woodsman stole after atter him tak- tak Ing lag the path himself this time and grinning dryly at the compliment he had llad paid the fellow the night before in thinking he ho might notice the tho croakIng croak croak- Ing lag of or the frogs It was a refinement of woodcraft of which Black Bogus had probably never dreamed Down into tho the little park and to the seat sent at nt Whispering spring the hulking shadow crept again as on the night before the man JUan crouched down among the gnarled maple roots by the rustle rustic seat The windows of or the roofed red cottage cot tage were dark The place lay serene and peaceful with no s spark mrk of or light alive to show that It was awake tl to the sinister web of or evil slowly weaving V ing lag about It After Atter an Interval spent in listening tb the tho crouched figure among the time gnarled maple roots lifted his hands bands to his mouth and again the tho lonesome wall of or the tho screech owl shivered ered out upon the tho night The woodsman seized the favorable moment to steal closer and to conceal himself In a 0 clump of shrubbery much nearer than he had ventured the night before Black Bogus had bad given gl his rather clever imitation of or th the screech owl three times and was on the point of ot giving It again when the parlor door opened and the tall figure of the preacher without his glasses and with the stoop gone from his shoulders shout ders dera came camo out on the porch With a astep astep astep step carried no suggestion of or mincing nervousness he came down across the yard ard The white butt of ot the tho six-gun six at his side looked as If It belonged there He lie went straight to the spring took down the dipper making a very obvious obvious obvious ous amount of clatter In doing so dipped himself a drink hung bung up the dipper turned back toward the house stopped by the rustic seat and held out hIs bis hand band Black Dlack Bogus Hogus reached in the breast of his coat drew out a package the bunch of bills without a doubt doubt and and laid It in the walling waiting hand The preacher put It inside his shirt bosom turned a away way hesitated ted cum came cam back a astep step a Bogus be ready any night now now the tho hurried tones barely carried to the theman theman theman man hidden in the shrubbery theres shrubbery theres theresa a n barrel o 0 money in there I wouldn't a belle ed any man would risk Hak so much about m and that old out o date dato safe a safe a horse jockey could open It Its It's all right the goats he patted his breast breast In In among the sheep like were we're damn doln and It its it's lucky we printed aplenty plenty down the river off o 0 them new plates and amid that was wasa a 11 great idea of mine mine em up In leaf mold dampened with tobacco spit sos so's they'd look like old bills The devil couldn't tell teU emIt emIt emIt em It works and wed we'd carry It through only for one thing thing lIes lIe's suspicious I saw It that first evening at the supper table That's why I went wenton on that fool spree spree t throw Im off and that's why I 1 couldn't leave no notes under the slab at the old cabin n as wed we'd planned Where he got his clue I dont don't know but hes he's got it I had the devils devil's own time blindin them hawk eyes ees of his this afternoon and und I-und and t think Loge had Mm Im right at the point of a six gun and let pet lm beat inn on the draw An me had me-had had Ira lm at the point of ot a knife there In the schoolhouse e the theman theman man among the maple roots broke In Inoff In- In why didn't yu let me alone aloner The other whirled on him and his Is voice thickened I TO BE DL CONTINUED |