Show f ft S swam 22 98 A L S TORY by ROBERT W CHA by J J sheridan dan 1 copyright G P ms s sons ons SYNOPSIS the story opens in new york roy car delhue the storyteller story teller Inspect inspecting inga a queer reptile owned by george godfrey of alf banys roy and barels and pierpont pont two friends friend si depart on a hunting un ting trip to cardinal cardinal woods a rather obscure loca locality I 1 edoris barels revealed the fact that he had d joined the secret service defor for the purpose of running down a gang of gold makers prof lagrange on df discovering covering the gangs formula had been mysteriously killed CHAPTER II if we had been at the shooting box in the qa cardinal boods woods five days N when ary tb telegram legram was brought to barris by a mounted messenger from froin the nearest telegraph ph station cardinal springs a hamlet on the I 1 lumber u railroad which joins the quebec northern at three rivets Rivers Junction lon SO 30 miles s bal below 0 w pierpont and I 1 were sitting out under the fad trees loading some special shells as ag experiment barris stood beside us bronzed erect holding his pipe carefully so that no sparks should drift ihlo our powder bowde r pox box the beat of hoofs ov over r the grass gras s aroused us and when the lank messenger drew bridle before the door barris stepped forward and the sealed telegram when he had torn it open hid he went into the house and presently reappeared reading something that tbt t he hb had writ writ ten this should go at once he said looking the messenger full iw in the face jat at once col barris replied the shabby coun countryman an pierpont pont glanced r jup jip arid and I 1 smiled at jim the messenger wh who awas was gathering t 9 his hia ibri bridle d ae an and A sj settling M himself in hi his s stirrups barris handed him the written reply and nodded goodby good by there was a thud of hoofs OP on the greensward dj a jingle of bit and spur across across the gravel and the m messenger es ads was gone harris barris pipe went out and lie he stepped to windward ato to relight t it it iams queer beer said I 1 that your messenger a d ba ered edd native should speak pea k like a ad harvard I 1 arvard mao man he cef is a harvard man afan said barris and the plot thickens P said pierpont are the cardinal woods full of your dour secret service men barris no replied barris 11 MiJ bb the telegraph stations are how ma many y ounces of 0 shot are you using roy 1 told him bim holding up the adjustable a ble steel n A measuring cup he nodded af after ler a moment or two he sat down on a campstool beside us aig and picked up a crim lier Tl fp telegram was from drum ii icona ond i he said the messenger was one of my men as you two bright little littie bo boys divined pooh jf if he had spoken the cardinal county dialect you have known his makeup make up was good 9 said pierpont N barris dwir twirled the and looked ed at the pile of loaded shells then he picked up one and crim crimped ap pp daf lC sa s A 1 s s lot let lem em alone said you crimp too tight does his little litile gun un when the shells abells are crimped too tight 71 inquired karris tenderly well ho he shall arim crimp p his own shells then wheres where r his little man his little leife man waff a weird bilg english stiff very carefully s scrubbed rufi bed tring tangled led in his aspirates named howlett hewlett As valet gilly elly g un and crim per he aided pierpont pont to endure the ennui of existence by doing for him everything except breathing breath ingo lately however barris taunts had driven pierpont to do a few things thing f for hhAs himself elf to his astonishment he found that cleaning his own gun glin was not a d bore so he timidly loaded loaded a shell or two was much pleased with him himself e if loaded s some ome more crim crimped them hild and went to breakfast with aai an appetite so when barris asked where his little bittl e man was pierpont did not reply but dug a cupful of shot from the bag and poured it at solemnly into the half filled shell old david came out with the dogs and of course there was a powwow pow wow when ray my gordon wagged his splendid tall tail across the loading table and sent a dozen unstopped cartridges rolling over the grass vomiting pow der and shot Gi give the dogs a mile or two said I 1 we will shoot over the sweet fern covert coverd tibo about ift four david two guns dav david id added barris fare are you not going asked pier PO pont nf looking oking Io up as javId david disappeared with the dogs bigger game sald said barris shortly he picked up a mug of ale from the tray which howlett hewlett had just set down D A va A telegram was brou brought 9 ht to barris by a a alloun mounted messenger betide us and took a long pull puli wo we did the ahe same silently Y pierpont pont set his mug on the turf beside him and returned to his cading oa ding we spoke of the murder of prof la grange of how lf 1 had been concealed by the authorities authorities in flew york at Drummo drummonds rids request of the certainty 19 who had done it andoe and of the possible alertness of the iahn gang oh they know that drummond will be after them sooner or later said baals barbin t iut but they dontino dont kno know r alt that the the 11 gods have already begun to grind grin th lucae abe smart newyork new york papers ti better than they know knew when I 1 ferret eyed reporter p poked aked ills his red nose into the ille house aty eighth street an and d sneaked off with a column on his cuffs about the suicide of prof la grange billy pierpont pont my revolver is hanging in your room ill take yours too 1 help yourself said pierpont pont 1 I shall be gone over night continued barris Dit my po poncho and some bread and andreat meat art ar all I 1 shall take tak e except the bar barkers hers will they bark tonight to night I 1 asked I 1 no I 1 trust not for sev several 6 r idl weeks yet I 1 shall nose nos I 1 e ab about out a b bit I 1 t roy roy did it ever strike you how queer it is that this wonderfully beautiful country should contain no inhabitants 11 its like those splendid stretches of pools and rapids which one finds on every trout river and in which one never finds a fish suggested pierpont exactly and heaven alone knows fhy said barris 1 I suppose this T 7 country is shunned by human beings for the same aade mysterious reasons the shooting is the better for it I 1 observed vedi othe the shooting ngi is s good said barris have you noticed the snipe snip e on the meadow by the lake why its ita brown with them a wonderful meadow its a n natural one said pierpont pont no human huma being ever cleared that land then its supernatural said bar ris pierpont pierpont pont 40 do you want to come with pe me Pier ponts handsome face flushed as ha h I 1 answered slowly its awfully good of you if I 1 may bosh said j I 1 piqued because he had asked pierpont pont what use is little littfe willy without his man true said barris gra gravely ely you cant take Ho comlett Hom lett you know 0 O pierpont muttered something which ended in then said 1 I there will be but bone one gun on the sweet fern covert this afternoon af ter noon very well I 1 wish you joy of your cold supper and colder bed take your nightgown night gown willy and d ont dont sleep on the damp ground let pierpont pont alone restarted festor ted barris you 1 shall go next time roy oh all right you mean when theres shooting going doing on and 1 I demanded pierpont ant pont grieved you too my son stop qu quarreling will you ask howlett to pack our kits ligh lightly ily mind mindl you ono no bottles they clink my flaak fici A said pierpont pont and went off ok to get ready for a nights sial stalking king of bange dangerous i rous I 1 men it is strange to said 1 I trial that nobody ever se settles ales in this region how many people live five in cardinal S springs P rings barris twenty counting the telegraph operator ani and not counting the lumbermen they are always changing and shifting I 1 have six meix meff among them where have you no men in the F aur 1 1 I kave a e men there also churak chum billys only he know IC it david tells tell me that there was astro a strong ilg flight of woodcocks jas lasic night you ought to lo pick u up p some Ws this afternoon then we chatted about alder cover cover and swamp until pierpont came out of thel the house louse and it was time tt to p part art au revoir sald barris bu buckling cling on his kit conia along pierpont pont and dont walkin in the damp daiel graass grass if you are not back by tomorrow to morrow noon said 1 I 1 I 1 will take hewlett howle tt and david and hunt you up ui you say your course is due north due north replied barris consult ing disc his compass there is a trail for two miles mile sand and a spotted lead for two more s said aid pierpont aa which we wont use for various parlous reasons added barris pl pleasantly e dont worry roy and keep your confounded expedition out of the way theres no danger he knew of course what he was talking about anda and I 1 heldry held my peace b when the iho tip end of Pier ponts pon p t shooting coat had disappeared iri in the long covert I 1 found myself standing alone with howlett hewlett he bore my gaze for a moment and then politely Y lowered lowy 21 his eyes ho HG hewiett wIett said 1 I take these shells and implements to the gun room and drop nothing did come to any harm anth inthe e briers this morning no aarm arm mr cardente Carde Tarde nhe sir said Hoi hewlett iett then be careful not to drop anything else I 1 said I 1 it and walked away leaving him decorously puzzled for he had dropped no cartridges poor If hewlett owlett t CHAPTER ill hi bout about four that thai t afternoon j I 1 met david and the dogs at the spinney spi riney which leads into the sweet fern covert tho the three setters gamin and bioche were in fine feath or davio david had killed a woodcock and a brace of grouse over them that morning and they were thrashing about the spinney at short range when 1 I 1 came up gun under arm and pi pipe P a lighted what s the prospect david ty asked trying to kee keep p my fe feet et in ther the I 1 tangle of wagging whining d dogs ogg hello amiss with minche Mi Ml ocho v A brier in his foot sir I 1 drew it and stopped the ih wound but I 1 guns guess the gravels got in if you have n no ob K ejection jeci Jec tion ion sir I 1 might take him ba alc at 71 1 with me its safer I 1 said take gamin camine gamine too I 1 only want one dog this afternoon nobil what Is the situation fair sir the grouse gronso lie within a quarter of a mile of the oak second growth the woodcock are mostly om Y the alders I 1 saw any number of snipe on the meadows theres homdt bilm else in by the lake I 1 cant what but the wood duck set up a clait ter when I 1 was in the thicket and they come dashing through the wood a as if a dozen foxes was sn appin at thi their V tall tail feathers ile probably a fox I 1 said beaw beasto thase dogs they athey must learn to ata stance adl T it ill be back baal c by dinner alt time e there 1 is one more thing sir 4 david lingering with ills his gun u under n dw r his arm J 4 well said 1 L 1 I saw a man in the woods by the r oak covert at least I 1 think I 1 did A lumberman 1 I think not sir at least do they have among them thema 3 chinese ChIne sd no you tou sae see it a y chinaman in the woods here 1 I I 1 think I 1 did sir 1 I dant cant rayj positively he was gone when I 1 asaf re as tf into the covert did the dogs dogg notice ltv it 1 I cant say exactly they aci acted 1 ed queer like gamin here lay down au an whined it may have deex colic an and d aidelle whimp whimpered eOd perhaps it w was dd t the al 11 brier vota W and ayou you helas sir 1 andade hair dahis back c k stood up S 4 did see a groundhog malan for W a tree free near by i then no wonder bristled david your chinaman was a siu stump m or 0 tussock take thedoes the doga dogs now 1 I guess it was sir good affer afternoon noon sir said david and walked away with the fhe gordons loavina loa vini m me e t alone wit jn the spinney e y I 1 looked at the dog and he look hi at me Voy Vo you bu the dog sat down and danced with his forefeet fore feet his beautiful bro brown J wn eyes sparkling r youre a fraud I 1 said which y shall it be the alders or the upland r Ul upland iland good now for the dau heel my friend and show your r 4 miraculous self restraint wheeled into my ici racks acks and ana followed close nobly refu refusing illig to no tice the impudent chipmunks and the thou thousand andonie an and dotie one alluring and import s i ant smells which an 6 ordinary dinar Y d dog og y would have lost no time in invests investigating at the brown and yellow autumn woods were crisp with drifting heaps heaped of leaves and twigs that crackled un nn i der foot as we turned from the spin ney into the forest every silent lit tie stream hurrying toward the lake laka f was gay with painted leaves afloat J scarlet maple or yellow oak scoty of sunlight fell upon the pools search ing the brown depths the gravel bottom where shoals ot minnows swam to and fro and joani ahro f fb again busy with the purpose off of their little lives the crickets chirping in the long brittle brintle grass on the edge of ahe the woods but wp we hefti them far behind in the silence of teady deeper forest W now w sail I 1 to TO BE CONTINUED |