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Show A volc out or the big world sho had vlltel only In dreamn She glanced ' again at (he letter, looked hard at the opening of the third paragraph, dropped her htinds In hw lap and turned to her companion. He had bent forward and sat staring at the floor. "What docs It mean?" 1 "It means." he said slowly nfter ! tlmo, with his eyes still on tho floor, "that you are a rich hdrcu; nnd you've got a name." MA name I" she repeated, her worn, an's Intuition Instantly catching the minor note. "So have you, and" sho reached In her bosom nnd drew out tho draft "u fortunt. And you made them both yourself." Ho glanced at tho draft; waved It away without lifting his head. "Keep It, please, for mo till after tonight" Sho put It back In her bosom, picked up the letter nnd sat pondering, steal. Ing nn occasional glance at his glum face. "Seven years the letters came," the man mused, half nloud, "and you never received them. Tht postmaster has n stroke you receive the very next letter let-ter that comes " "You don't reckon 7" "Reckon 1 It's n plain case. Let's x every month six hundred a year soven yearn seven times six hundredno hun-dredno wonder he could build Hint new house " "Oh, welll Poor old man t He's paying for It" "And do you think t hut's the way a man pays!" "Sometime! muybe." The man raised his eyes after a time to the bright .vpots' of metal In the gathering gloom above tho mantel. 'The letter called him a famous soldier. sol-dier. Maybe that's his sword, and spurs?" They are." "And you keep them shining bright like thnt?" "Always." The man. was silent a long time. One other question had como to him, but he ill-ended to itsk It. IIo twisted himself him-self around so as to look Into the fnco of his companion. It wnu deeply thouchtful. Things hud recently hap pened In his own life thnt had brought the question to his uiliul. Dually very softly, reverently, he ventured It forth. "And your mother?" The girl caught her breath; dropped one hand, doubtless unconsciously, upon up-on bis shoulder. Her lushes drooped low. "1 never saw her I" he said, nfter a time. "And nln never saw mul" There was a pause. "Her grave Is on n hill that overlooks tho river. Daddy Dad-dy took me and came up here In tho Flntwoods to forget. I guess he couldn't forget, for he never went bock." Tho Pearlhunter wns sorry ho hnd asked tho question. Tho grave tlmt overlooked the river I Wns thero not another such grave not threw days old; the orchids upon It still alive I Tho gray eyes followed the blue Into tho penslvu shadows. "I wonder what It means." ho meditated medi-tated half nloud. "You nre to full heir to his fortune, If no word comes. Whnt won!, do you suppose? And why should nny won! prevent you fulling heir to his fortune. your father's?" "I wondered uliout that. I gie-s It's Just lawyer ta!U. Do you think I should answer that letter?" "I think jou should." "ISut what would I suy? As I enld a while ngo, I never wrote n leller." "Neither did I." He saw (he answer did not relieve the pcrpllly H'o thoughtful face, and went on. "Hut I'd tell him nbout your life here, nnd about your father's neeldenl. nnd thnt this Is the llrst letter you've received re-ceived for seven yeitis." He hesitated, t-eenied to Mudy his nest wmd. finally ndded: "And 1 believe I'd md; him t" como; yes, I belleut I would ask him to come." "Why, of course; why couldn't I think of that? Now you'd better lie down while I get you mite of supper." sup-per." In an lilstimt he was on his feet, pmteMlug. , "I shall have to get supper for Dnddv. nnhow." Mie emphnsUed. "And I wouldn't think of letting you Ko without." When 11 woman talks like thnt, It a no uso to urgue. 'Hie Pearlliunter didn't which shows thnt ho wits learning fast. "Will von eat with me ngnln? Rho swept him 11 deep courtesy. "If tho famous Under of tho nine M.H.n Is not ashamed to eat with his cnok " He bowed low. It cot him a pang In his side, but It didn't get to his fflCC. "If tho rich heiress. Miss Hespcr Dawn. Is not uhovo eating with the tho Pearlliunter" Wonderful Is the resilience of youth. With n guy laugh she danced away to ..n kitchen, ne tramped after her. 1 Ills two old friends, the Ross nnd dour-fuced Bull Mastcrson, would havt been astonished at the sound that camo through that kitchen door. The alow, deliberate, serious-faced Pearlhuntcrl He was dancing about I the cook stove, carrying dishes, and laughing as lightly as If half the ! neighborhood was not out hunting him with every sort of weapon tho Dat-woods Dat-woods could furnish. 'inat supper I liacon and eggs, brown toast, nnd coffee I And the hands that poured that coffee and put the sugar In, nnd spread the toast 1 It had to be ratcu In semldnrkness, for It . wouldn't do to risk a candle serai-darkness, serai-darkness, but not In silence. He forgot for-got thnt'tho girl Just around tho cor- I ner of the table had turned out to be a rleh heiress the "princess" of his fnlry story while ho was only tho Pearlliunter u man without a name. Twilight at the windows warned him that the dark, was hovering like a night raven over the woods. His time hud come. The business of a man was afoot. She closed the stove hearth to hide the tiro light He opened the east door of tho kitchen, once more the grave, cautious woodsman. She held out her hand ; he laid It upon the arm In thu sling; covered It with his own. "Wild Rose!" he said. "You'll nl-wnys nl-wnys he that, 110 matter what they call you." The fancy went through him thnt her hand thrilled, ever so slightly, upon up-on his arm. He closed his great pulni over It "Tho woods shnll be safe tomorrow for you and me," he said, and followed fol-lowed the words with the boldest net of his life picked up the lmnd from tils nnu and laid It to his lips. The next Instant he hnd slipped nwny Into the gathering night. ! Hurled In thu bushes, he spared a J second to look buck. She was still In the dark frame of the door. A sound like the passing of n whisper, whis-per, like the breuzo playing with soft leaves, caught his quick cur. A grny ghost the Wild Mun of tho nutwoods tlltted along under the cliffs and entered en-tered the cabin. CHAPTER XIII. The Sheriffs Nudge. The sheriffs burn Stood ugnlnst ths hillside, tho distance of half a block back of his house. He had been In tho saddle most of the day. It was dnrk when he rodo Into his barn lot to put up his tired horse. So Intent wns he upon his tnsk, so cuger to hurry It over and get hack to the houso to supper, thnt ho failed to notice a dnrk form stealing down off the bluff, through the bushes, and along tho barn wall. Tho task finished, the sheriff dosed the burn door nnd turned toward the house. "Sh-hl" He whirled, nnd found hlmscir gating gat-ing down the wrong end of a steady six-gun In the hnnd of the very nan he hnd been hunting all day. The sheriff was a brave mun. but ho knew where bravery ends and foolhnrdlness begins. His hands went up ns quick-ly quick-ly as ho could get them up. The man with the slx-guu carried his arm In a sling. It must have cost him lorturo to take It out, but ho did It ; readusl over nnd plucked the .shcrirTs revolver out of his holster, thrust It Into his blouse nnd put hU arm buck Into tho sling. "I.lslcn!" Theru was 110 nilsund-.T- "The Timber Buyer It Your Man." atnndlng thnt whisper. "I'll not bun you If you do as I say. Creep up the hill to the top of the bluff. Keep out of sight as much ns possible. I'll bo right behind you." The sheriff was not a brilliant man, but ho did have n (saving grain of horse sense. He crept along tho bnm wall, up the hill through tho bushes and Into the thick wood nt the top of tlio bluff. The shndow behind be-hind him wns noiseless, but he knew that It was there, "To Fallen Rook," camo a low, In-cMvo In-cMvo command. "You know the way." He knew the way. He took It IIo never liked to remember thnt Journey. It brought the sweat out on his head to recall It. Not even a sheriff a Datwoods sheriff, to boot has a stomach stom-ach for a tramp through the dark at tho H)lnt of a six-gun In the hnmls of Kuril 11 man At tho spring around back of tht-west tht-west end of the old cabin, he hc4 tatcd, undecided whether thnt was the ftnnl destination, and yet dreading to make tho mistake, If It wasn't. The gun muzzle prodded him onto the brink of ttic IkjoI under the falls. Rarely out of reach of the spray, the shadow camo around and faced him. "You think I'm the Red Mnsk. The wholo town thinks I am. Llko a pack of hounds you've hunted me today, but you hunted the wronc man. The real Red Mask was one of tho pack. That timber buyer Is your man." Tho sheriff started. The cold voice went on. "Did you ever know him to buy a timber option? Did you ever hear of nny that he bought?" "No 1" Tho sheriff was surprised to find his mouth dry, his tongue stiff. "And you never will. He deliberately deliberate-ly planned -to lay the murder of Louie 8olomon on me. He's the real murderer, mur-derer, nnd baa the Blue Moon at this minute. 1 knew It all along, but I hnd no proof. Tonight I expect to get my proof and I brought you along to help me get It." The Pearlliunter briefly explained what he had chanced to learn the evening eve-ning before utter escaping from the Jail. "Had you never noticed that ho comes down this way every night?" lie concluded. "Yes, but I umlurstood It was to seo a girl." The Pearlliunter winced. Ills Jaw-tightened. Jaw-tightened. He was thinking of the, tnlk thnt hnd probably been bundled bnck mid forth over the bar of the Mud Hen. "He cuino to feed his horse. There's no girl down here his mouth's dt to mention. He'll come tonight any minute now. Quick ! Out on that tint rock." Without u word, ti.u sheriff bounded over tho two Intervening stones to thu flat rock. Thu I'eurlliunter waited Just long enough to sound tho woods. Tho noise of the falls made It Impossible. With a searching look back up tho bluff ns far as his eyi-s would curry In the gloom, ho Joined tho sheriff. "Jump. I told you how." A prod of thu six-shooter emphasized empha-sized the command. Tho sheriff Jumped. Thero wns nothing elso 'to do. He wns still floundering nbout on the Inner margin of the pool be- nimi tno runs wuen me i-rnnminu-r landed lightly besldo him, nltnost upon up-on lilm. Tho pnssage was dark dnrk us the Inside of a pistol barrel. It wiis n very runssurlng fact It meant that there wns 110 cundlu burning further fur-ther ahead In tho cave. Ho wus In time. Making sure of thnt very Important Im-portant fact ho thrust the revolver Into tho holster pocket itt his hip, graspi-d Iho sheriff by the collur aud hurried up tho passugo. Ity the samu subtle- Instinct that had served hhn tho night before, bo knew when ho reached thu point nt which thu passage widened Into tho cute. There he loosed the sheriffs collur nnd struck a match. The sheriff caught his breath and stunsl. Tho horse, the candle In tho cranny, tho saddlo and spurs, the feed all Just us It hud been described lo him. "I never knew there- wns anything like this under Fallen Rock." "You're probably tho third mnn tlmt ever did know It Pick your steps across tlio-e silvers of shnlo thero nnd get Into thnt pocket behind tho hay. Hurry I Wo mustn't show much light He's duo nny minute." The ono match served. So urgently did the I'eiirlhunter consider tho need of haste thnt before It was gono they wore crmuled well back In thu pocket behind tho liny. "Thu Instant you'rn comlnced I'm not the Red Musk, nudgu me, and I'll glvo your revolver buck. And I needn't tell you that when tho time comes to act, wu'vo got to act quick." Tho two men had mood In tho ticket tick-et for whnt must have been hulf 1111 hour, and tho throb of thu IVarlhunt-er's IVarlhunt-er's wound was becoming uhnost unbearable, un-bearable, when tho horso grew suddenly sud-denly quiet. Tho Pearlliunter sank low In thu cover and pulled tho sheriff down besldo hhn. A mntch scraped; a sputtering lliimo hunted tho cnndlo la the cranny; the cuve, tho horse, tho Jaunty form of tho man they nwnlt-ed nwnlt-ed spiung out of the dark. Ho came straight to tho horse; tho onu friend absolutely truu to him In all his dangerous world; tho ono friend who still regarded him nt a gentleman. Tho horse reached out his nose lo meet him ; rubbed Iilv shoulder with his head. A moment the mnn gnvu to tho enress, then hurried to tho corn sack, laid threo ears upon tho rock, nnd turned lo tho hay. Now wns tho critical Instant. If they escaped his glance now I Hut ho was totally unsiifpectlng. Without raising his eyes ns fnr as the pocket, Iih grabbed up n handful or two of tho brlchtest straws and turned hack to tho horse. "Short rations tonight, nocket; nm I'll make your toilet while you eat." Ho took down fmm near whero tin saddle hung n curry comb nnd brush from nnothcr of the numerous ernn nles of the rate and proceeded, with surprising skill and quickness, to groom the horse. The task completed lie laid back the brush and curry comb, nnd, lifting the feet of the horse, examined thorn one by one, nail by nalt, afterward running his hands down the horse's limbs and lingering over encb Joint finally summing up the Inspection by listening with no little care to the animal's breathing. It was the work of a tnnster. The Inspection In-spection over, he took the saddle dbwn from the wall, threw It on the horse, drew the girths, bung the bridle on the horn, unstrapped his spurs from the back of the saddle and buckled them to his heels. "I wish I know," he muttered, half to himself, apparently halt to his dumb companion, as he waited for the animal to finish his supper, "whether that Pearlhnnter hat left. It looks like he bad. And yet, that's not like his breed to cut out. Still, there's always a chance." Ho seemed to meditate.; flung up his head with a bitter grimace nnd a toss of his hand. "Chancel" he growled. "What's life without Ha chance! Life I Huh! A gaino of chance with Ihe cards tacked, and the devil's deal t Rocket you'll carry double tonight Yellow curls, ces like bluebells aud ankles I llur high headed sho came dey tllsh nlkh shoot In me tills afternoon 1 Rut the hardtf to tame, the better worth tainln'." The Pearlliunter was writhing back In the pocket, bis face like the rock he crouched ngalnst; but the sheriff hadn't nudged him. Tho Red Mask looked down nt the fast disappearing provender before tho horse, walked back and forth across the cave a time or two, turned and stood for a moment or two fumbling fum-bling behind the oak root where It had been tied. "Thnt sheriff." He straightened, threw up his head and laughed boisterously. boister-ously. "He couldn't find a lost elephant, ele-phant, let alone a womlerful, wee little lit-tle drop of distilled witchery like this." From the dry clay and shale back of the oak root he had drawn forth a stnnll plush box. With the word "Ibis" he blew the dust off, and pushed In the catch. The lid flipped up. On the tiny cushion lay the Hluc Moon twinkling In the candlelight, not un-like un-like the princess that waked up In the enve of the dragon. At Inst enme the sheriffs nudge. Tho IVnrlhunter quietly passed his re. volver over. There couldn't have been a sound In the art louder than the drawing of 11 breath, but somehow It must hnvo reached the man by the horse. There came a change oor his face a change so slight ns to be ns good as Imperceptible,; to be felt rather than seen. Hud he so much ns glnneod townnl the pocket buck of tint hay, the Peiirlhuuler would hnvo acted on the Instant Hut he didn't glance Unit wny. Very leisurely he closed thu box, put It In bis vest pocket nnd looked down to see If the horse hnd finished his supper. Tho Pearlliunter was In the act or pressing against the knee of tho.Htiprlff In sign thnt the time had como, when, totally without n wnrnlng sound, without with-out the slightest preliminary motion, there came n shot frmn behind the horse that dashed the candle out Tho shot wns followed by a scufllo of feet. Tho Pearlliunter leaped tho hay and charged through the denso dark straight at tho horse. It wasn't there. From the passage came tho clatter of hoofs. Followed by the stumbling sheriff, ho groped his way to tho mouth of tho passage. Ho was bnrcly In time to hoar n splnsh, nnd Iho click of steel upon the rocks of tho pool. (Continued Next Week) |