Show 1 71 A FLOYD GIBBONS adventurers club 1 the latch that moved in the night by FLOYD GIBBONS famous headline hunter ND today boys and girls its mrs margaret alexandea Alexan dei det of pm aton A anc ton N J who tells us of her greatest thrill aid swells thel the list of names already in the new jersey contingent of the adv long jurers club you foil folks who live in the man made cliffs and canyons of manhattan manabat tan mid ma find end it hard to picture yourselves alone in a lonely cabin high up in the h of the rocky mountains but try and do it you will appreciate aia gargam margam story all the mo more re margaret was a city gal too and was suddenly whisked away to a the rugged gold mining country of colorado dan alexander her late lat husband was made superintendent of the ruby mine out weston past way some thirteen thousand feet above sea level plenty high just about ten times as high as the empire state building this was all back in 97 when margarets son was only four years old IQ u things so settled and law abiding in the gold districts as they are n BI the little family occupied a log cabin in the valley some miles from the ml and 20 miles away from the nearest neighbor dan left margaret an ivory handled six shooter when dan had to ride into town on business as he did about once a month he always left an old ivory handled six gun with margaret the old gun was a gift from an early prospector and had a couple of significant notches in the handle margaret knew how to use I 1 it too one winters day dan hitched up his horses to the sleigh and rode on oft I 1 f town after grub ue he planned to be back that night but he left the all with margaret just in case town was 29 miles through the mountain pass daut well sir margaret says her husband been gone many hours bed the snow began to fall and what snow I 1 it was the first real heavy fall of oft tn winter all day long as mother and son played before the fire in the cozy lq cabin the white lakes flakes fell As the drifts crept higher and higher against I 1 tN cabin wall margarets fears grew greater and greater how would her hesh ever get back As night came on the prospect of being snowbound snow bound alone with her lala the cabin was terrifying the baby a bit worried margaret says but just dropped dropp ti off to sleep as though nothing was wrong the anxious mother envied him she tried sleeping herself but after tossing for hours got up lighted the lamp and began to write suddenly she sat up straights straight fear clutching at her heart i A hard mexican knocked at the door somebody was rapping on the cabin door I 1 margaret believe her ears A visitor at this hour and during i sh a snowfall seemed impossible she picked up the and opened theda the A i 1 1 11 1 J 1 I 11 1 the latch on the door was slowly moving 1 she recognized the visitor as the cook from the camp but she was notile notta reassured the cook was a hard mexican whom she had always alWAY feared the man wanted to know if her husband had returned with the paw 0 he had bad gone for and margaret was forced to admit that he had not that in all probability he would not be able to come for another day the mexican muttered something and shuffled off through the why had the man trudged through all the snow in the darkness of night to learn something he must have already known all thought of steep i now left her and she decided to sit in a chair gun in hand facing tte the door for the rest of the night the long night wore rin on the stillness of the mountains in their soft t mantle began to be frightfully oppressive eleven came and ve went v noticed through the window that the snow had stopped falling and vw it promise clear weather gave for her husbands lius bands early return she began to to 11 that her fears and premonition of impending dID evil that possessed her naps haps imaginary after all at midnight margarets nerves were on edge AlId midnight DIght found her sound wa b dozing in her chair suddenly a slight I 1 sst every one of her nerves on edge the sound came from the door she tense and starred stared in the direction from which it came and as she did ww JJ 1 says she felt her hair rise the latch on the door was slowly moving 1 margaret brushed her hand band across her eyes she must be drean sr elsw 00 thought but no it moved again 1 she watched the latch fascinated 1 more it rose and fell and the slight click told her her she was not seeing Tb thoughts 0 of f her baby slee sleeping pin peacefully in his little b bed ed nerved lier bet gripped the gun chos there she asked in a shaking voice no answerl she waited her heart was in her mouth she say lays but her eye glued to the sights of her gun never left the latch 4 right through the door she shot three times the latch moved again a aln ever so slightly and margaret marga r et tired I 1 bight iati 1 the door slie she shot three times stopping only to save the rest of the nn an emergency still not a sound came from outside inside the baby woke wo ke up CT the papa shot he asked the question further terrified the mother 1 he ia that she sh had perhaps killed 1 some other childs papa tortured e d bet afraid to open the door and look vigil fy the baby went back to sleep and margaret back to her to lain 1 alie she sat there lit UP P ane L rigid until the first streaks of gray sky dawn gave her courage and she opened the door body 0 W 1 and there on tile the doorstep shot through the heart was the tee I 1 A fox seeking shelter was the target to ifft A i yes sir a fox seeking shelter from tile the storm had actually margarets garets tried tg W ballet D 1 f catch as the smart animals are capable of doing and liar gar hit bit him as he stood on his hind legs few tears t i well sir margaret was sorry she had fired and she slid shed shed 2 the cisla boeso the fate of her strange visitor but dau when be returned s 0 terror 1 and margarct MArZ arct still sill has the fur piece to retains reiding her of b ner er die night Ser 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