0
TTTR OMAHA SUNDAY BEE: MARCH 24, 1P07.
5
F
V
l
Ihsa
late 1
Winter Joys and Sorrows of
NNAPOLI3, N. S . March 21. Tha
old trapper, romantic figure, tho
Joy of my yuuth, has never left
rny mind's eye-the tall, spare
but sinewy frame dressed In
fringed buckskin and leaning lightly tin Inn
truiity end unerring Brown Bess, the clear
blue eye flashing over the aqulllno none,
the sliver locks flowing profusely from
Under the coonskln rup. The picture Is
completed by the faithful hound, which
Invariably looks up Into his master's fare
with an expression of devotion and "al
most human Intelligence!"
At last I could b. ar It no longer.
"Go to!" I said to myself. "I will also
be the old trapper!" and straightway I
consulted, I'ncle Ned Buckshaw.
The old fellow was sluing In front of
his big cabin fireplace, upon which blazed
a pllo of four-foot maple logs, and greeted
me with a nod and a hearty "Howdy?'"
with a Jerk of the thumb toward a home
made rocking chair at his side. I at once
plunged Into the middle of things and
explained what was on my mind and heart.
The old man slowly took his corncob
from his lips and turned a glinting eye
upon me.
"Showl Ooln' to' stay down and see the
now fly, eh? Ever done any trappln'?"
I explained that I had snared the savage
cottontail and trapped an occasional
Mephitis mephltlra over on the black lots,
long ago In old Massachusetts.
"Hm!" replied the ancient. "Pretty cold
Work. Real work, too. If you want to get
any fur. Well, yes, the moose season will
be on for a month yet. Might pick one up
on an odd day. You weren't thlnkln' o"
goln' off alone. You s'rpose? Wouldn't do
that If I were you. Me? Well, I dunno!
Tou see every trapper has his country
that sort o' belongs to him, and when you
have to divide up on the catch"
"There won't bo much dividing, Uno
Ned. I'll contribute four dozen brand
new traps and leave you all the fur except
one set of mink and anything in the moose
line we may get."
The upshot of It was that, as his regular
partner had decided to cook for a gang of
lumbermen In another country, t'nele Ned
concluded to take me In his place, no doubt
reckoning on the cheap acquisition of those
traps when we had finished our labors.
As we were to be gone a couple of months
and to work over a rather wide territory,
there wa a good deal of duffle and pro
visions, which we loaded In two canoes,
one canvas covered and the other a birch
bark. The flotilla set sail one morning
In early November as the leaves were
'rustling to enrth. for, as the Indians say,
"When leaves fall fur good."
At the foot of the chain of Liverpool
lakes, where the big river makes out,
stands the comfortable log cabin belonging
to Pel Thomas, and of this we took pos
session as home camp. From here our
trap lines were to stretch eastward to Frog
and Bear lakes and north up the Oull lnke
branch, forming about a right angle with
the cabin.
The Trapper's Equipment.
For footwear we had moccasins, besides
which Uncle Ned wore his favorite moose
hanks, while I aroused his envy with a
pair of knee moccasins with double soles.
These I found excellent for canoe work,
as one has frequently to step out Into shal
low water. Not that they keep your feet
dry for any length of time; no footwear
jret Invented will do that, nor any costume
short of Captain Boynton's swimming suit.
Wet feet are part of the game. During
the last year, spent nearly all In the wIK.
"rness, I don't believe that I have had
dry feet more than a fourth of the time.
One doesn't mind It as long as soft and
thick wool socks are worn. Cold seldom
persecutes a man In the woods If he keeps
moving, and there Is the camp fire at the
end. Uncle Ned and I wore three pairs of
socks, or rather two pairs and a pair of
long stockings that came up to our knees
and were tied there with thongs.
Sweaters and old coats completed our out
aide dress, while next the skin we wore
wool. I boasted a yachting oilskin coat
which saved me many a drenching and
was not heavy.
For weapons we carried a shotgun and
a rifle, the latter because we hoped to do a
little still hunting for moose If occasion
THE PRODUCT OF THE AILSCLIFFE GANG
A Double Theft from a Brokers Safe and the De
ductions of Cronkhite Therefrom.
IM.1
T IS a most Infernal mix up!"
groaned Austin Allls, the eminent
broker.
Judge Marcellua looked over his
notes and pursed his lips.
FA-'
trv. "Quits so," at length he said, "uet ms
proceed then to evolve order out of chaos,
ubject to your right to add and to amend.
"A year ago then, you, your widowed
daughter, Mrs. Emily Grout, and your
Blece, Miss Paulina Frame, while traveling
In Europe met Reginald Broil, a young
gentleman of some fortune and much leis
ure. Mrs. Grout and Brail becams en
gaged with your consent.
"It was agreed that he should join you
In this very month, when the inarrlag
would take place. Meanwhile he turned
, over to you his fortune of I100.0W for In
vestment at your discretion."
"Reserving sufficient for his care and
comfort during the year while he continued
his art studies abroad," Interposed Mr.
Allls
"Precisely. A week ago you received
word that Brail would arrive on the Prln
tanla, which was due yesterday. At your
daughter's solicitation you sold out his se
curities and brought, the cash proceeds,
amounting to tluO.OOO a neat profit that,
Allls to your country seat at Byredalo "
"Ha is a dilettante sort of a chap," ex
plained Allls apologetically, "Ignorant cf
business, and It was Emily who persuaded
Mm to entrust his affairs to ma Naturally
she was anxious to give him a pleasant
surprise In the most striking way.
"Of course It was lax on my part, but
you know, Judge. Rmlly's misf. rtunes 1m
posed a sacred duty on me to Indulge her
vlii every way. It has been such a comfort
) for me feel that a bright future Is dawn
ing for her and that the past Is burled aa
deep
"As that good for nothing rascal Jack
Grout, her late husband, hey?" suggested
the Judge. "It was very natural, at all
events. Your house Is wired, your library
safe. Impregnable. If you hadn't been so
careless. Allis "
"But It was a secret between Endly and
ms
"And consequently you felt that evil
doers couldn't be tempted by what they
didn't know. Nevertheless, you shouldn't
hava left tha library even tor a moment
a you did this morning, tha aafa unlocked,
tha windows open "
"It waa only for a moment there was
nobody around 1 trust our servants like
members of the family."
There must hava been somebody around,
alnoe tha package waa taken."
1 UU ! Eiuily wm there reading all
presented Itself. The shotgun was usej l
pick up anything In the line of bait, such
as rabbits (varying hsres), muskrats or
squirrels, as well as blark ducks ant part
ridges (ruffed grouse) for our birder, or
even a stray mink or otter, for the Nov
Scotia trappers assert that shot holes do
not lessen the value of the pelt. The In
dians use BB shot Indiscriminately on any
thing larger than grouse, as they want to
kill when they hit. It Is the same with
rllle, b!g calibers being the favorites. Wln
fhester .45-70, .403 or .35.
, Traps and Halt.
The old fashioned backwoods trappei,
with which species we mostly have to do
In the Maritime Provinces, Is generally not
very well off In regard to steel traps. In
the first place they are rather expensive
and much' heavier than the dead falls,
which are made on the spot with hatchet
and kn !.'(. Nevertheless It Is recognized
that the steel trap does Its work mure
surely than the dead fall.
In the provinces there Is one bull that Is
favurite over all other, the flesh of the
muskrat, and for this reason we had done,
preliminary trapping and our haversack
were well filled with the strong smelling
ment, as we had taken tho trouble to rup
ture the scent bags. Tou could have smelleif
us a mile at the very least.
Hut that was not nil. I was determined
to take every chance offered by science
and was therefore provided with vials of
several varieties of scent, each guaranteed
Irresistible to nil furry folk. If unspeak
able fetidness had anything to do with li
I have no doubt they Were, though trappers
differ widely In their views as to the ef
ficacy of scents, many eschewing them en
tirely. My experience goes to Indicate that they
are not necessary If the bait Is of the right
kind, but are good to smear over poor bait..
In any case scent can do no harm, and
may help when rubbed on the traper's
moccasins, thus making a trail from trap
to trap.
For Mink.
On our way down the lakes a couple of
dozen traps of different kinds were set.
The first were for mink and was placed at
the foot of a large spruce within a yard
of the shore of a narrow run between two
lakes. .
Using the tree for a back, a pen eight
Inches wide was made by thrusting pointed
sticks about a foot long into the ground
and covering the top with sheets of spruce
bark and sticks. At the Inner end of this
pen the bait, usually a piece of muskrat
flesh, a trout or sucker or a bird's head,
well seasoned with dope. Is placed, im
paled upon a sharp stick.
A steel trap Is then laid at the entrance
of the pen, so that the mink must step on
the pan In going Inside for the bait. The
trap and chain are carefully but very
lightly covered with chaff, dry moss, little
sticks, pine needles, etc., and the chain
ring fastened to a b'ush or the pin driven
Into a tree.
During this operation the trapper moves
about as little as possible, wears gloves, in
order not to leave human scent on the
trap, and covers his footprints with moss
and chaff. A few drops of dope are then
sprinkled about the scene and the deadly
steel left to do Its cruel work.
Snares far Wildcat and Otter.
Next we came to a big log that con
nected the mainland with an Island. In
the middle of the log was a dead branch
sticking up, and from this a noose of
twisted brass wires, eight Inches in diame
ter, was so suspended that a passing wild
catfor this snare was meant for kitty
would be sure to stick his head through
It with dire consequences to himself.
A few rods further on Uncle Ned brought
the canoe to the bank, up which a kind of
path seemed to lead, vague but yet dis
tinct. We disembarked and followed this
path, which led across a little landsplt into
the lake beyond.
"Get out two otter traps," said Uncle
Ned, proceeding to cut and trim two stout
poles about ten feet long and three or
four inches thick at the big ends. ,
The ring of a trap chain was then passed
over one of these big ends, which was
split and wedged so that the ring could
tha time. Who would dream that a thief
could be so deft and noiseless as to sneak
In and out without attracting her notice?
"When I discovered the loss I thought
she would die. She la subject to heart
failure, you know.
"And so, to quiet her, I promised to bring
home tonight a like amount, so that Brail
would never even know of the occurrence.
Luckily his ship has been delayed by
storms."
"Tou should have sounded an Instant
alarm."
I didn't dare, judge," again groaned Al
lls. "Talk about the devil and the deep
sea why, that would be an Elysium for
me.
"My financing of the Ruthven Branch
ralrroad is Just on the edge; one evil rumor
would send It Into the pit. Let such a
loss be known, and goodby to the whole
output.
"The world thinks I am a multimillionaire
and yet I can no more raise that sum to
day than I can fly to the moon. If I don't
and Brail finds Emily In hysterics, he will
suspect something wrong sure.
"And worse than all, the thief, whoever
ha is, la getting off scot free, meanwhile,
with his vitally Important money. Don't
you see. Judge, it Is Its absence and not Its
amount that Is agitating me. I am per
fectly sound,' if I can only have a chance
to turn myself."
"That is the point," said a somewhat
stolid looking, mlddleaged man, who had
been sitting In the recess. "By replacing
the money you remove sorrow from your
home and risk from your office.
"More than this; It may well be that
the way to catch the thief Is to subject
him again to the same temptation. Noi
wlthsandlng your faith In your servants,
Mr. Allls, this theft has all the murks of
an Inside Job.
"If so, the thief may have heard your
promise to your daughter. Greed is uevr
satisfied; Immunity la tha mother of rash
ness. Ha will try again."
"Then you advise my client to fly to the
moon, do you Cronkite?"
"Not at all. Judge." answered the detec
tive. "That stuff I. recovered from the
Allscllffe gang Is still available. We'll
bundle up $150,000 of It for Mr. Allis.
"That will satisfy Mrs. Grout, and
dor rumor's mouth. It will be two daa
or more, according to my reckoning, be
fore the Prlntanta limps Into port. If
Mr. Allls will accept ms aa his guest for
that period I think I caa gat back the
moatf tor him,"
i
fit ill Ml : JNK w
I .Ml i 'iBfe it
iiliftttepi
ilfe. - " -"'' PWiia
not be pulled off. The pole was thrust
lightly Into the ground out of sight and
the trnp set directly In the other path,
well concealed. At the other end of tha
path the other trap and pole were placed.
These paths, which are habitually used by
otters on their Journeys from point to
point, are always loosely called slides, but
the real slide is a path running down a
declivity and is actually used by the otters
to slide down, probably In play, as they
haA'e been observed to repeat the slide time
after time with no other apparent purpose.
No bait is used with otter traps.
Next was observed on the bank a large
hollow log and well Inside of this a mink
trap was set, as Uncle Ned ' said a mink
never missed passing through It If he came
that way. At each end of the log a foot
Inside a small piece of bait was left.
The Deadfall.
The next morning after arriving at the
home camp we took the tent and canoe
across the carry to Frog lake, In the vicin
ity of which we set some fifty traps of dif
ferent kinds. . Among them were a dozen
deadfalls, the original trap of the wilder
ness, and a few nail and hole traps for
the benVftt of mink.
The deadfall as used for small animals
consists of a pen, at the entrance to which
two stout poles are laid at right angles,
but parallel to each other and one on top
of the other, being held in this position
by a pair of stakes at each side of the en
trance. The lower pole is fixed, while the
upper one can move up and down between
v.- j I. .v, ,1
IUO Dmnt;Oi ttnu is unit ui l in: nau
. . ....... .....
This upper log Is held in position, about
seven or eight inches above tho other, for
mink, by a vertical prop, slender but
strong. This Is wedged between the upper
pole and the lower, but at this latter point
a spindle, flattened slightly at the butt
end, Is interposed in such a manner that,
though the upper polo is held securely
enough if not tampered with, the slightest
Jarring of the spindle will work It loose,
When Mr. Allls. with his guest, alighted
at the little suburban station that night,
a tall and elegant young woman, whose
handsome face wns feverishly lighted,
sprang forward with hands extended.
"Oh, papa " she began.
"This Is my friend. Mr. Rufus Blount,
Emily, the chief engineer of the lluthven
system, of whom you have heard me
speak," said Mr. Allls, somewhat reprov
ingly. "He Is going to be so good as
to put up with us for a few days."
"Oh, papa, did you bring It; have you
got It?" Mrs. Grout ran on, unheeding,
save for the shortest of nods.
"Of course, I did; you're the same Im
patient, Impulsive child, Emily, that you
were twenty "
"Tut, tut, you mustn't mention ages,
or you will make yourself an old, old man,
papa. Instead of the dearest of dears. And
he is a dear, isn't ho, Mr. Blount? always
doing the most wonderful of things as if
they were tha merest trifles."
"All things are trifles to limitless wealth,
you must remember, Mrs. Grout," re
marked the heavy Mr. Blount.
Whereupon the lady looked upon him with
more favor, as If, iierhaps, something of
the complete relief her face and manner be
trayed was due to his words.
A complete relief, indeed. With the cast
ing aside of the mask of anxiety there ap
peared the sparkle of a sweet and simple
nature, loving pleasure, yet loving It as
Innocently, as Intuitively, as the birds love
the air; loving It as her habitat, her heri
tage, her kingdom.
And yet the shadows are never remote
from the sunshine. With the deadly desire
of the dull to be entertaining, Mr. Blount
began to prose along about a curious Enoch
Arden case which had lately come to light
In hla neighborhood the return of a hus
band long believed to be dead and the dis
tress arising from the premature marriage
of his reputed widow.
Suddenly he stopped short and made some
Irrelevant reference to the weather, for the
lady by his side was haggard and pale;
while her father opposite was looking out
of the carriage window aa if selecting a
soft spot on which to jump.
"That was a fool yarn of yours. Cronkite,
I must say," snapped Mr. Allis when ha
and his guest were alone In the library.
"Didn't the Judge tell you that my late un
lamented, confounded son-in-law, Jack
Grout, was lost at sea?"
There must have been a mental reserva
tion behind tha detective's embarrassed
plea of Ignorance, for this had bten one
X the pertinent facta with which Judge
a Trapper in the
with the result that the prop i. knoch., Wi A F .
out and the upper pole falls on the back Iff MfW PW" W ilflHWlllii
of the game. WW'?1 T&l li " i J W A J W-LW i K j lUl'f kW'IlW
The spindle extends Into the pen about MWOT
six or eight Inches and the bait is fixed to ! ft Kt tRifji W'i il f J tHWiitXvlJA WUHW ilWj-O V IATi
the Inside end, so that the victim must
put Its head and part of Its body between
the poles In order to get at it. The upper
pole is then weighted heavily with rocks
or logs and the trap is finished,
The deadfall is an excellent trap and has
tho very great merit of being humane. In
that It kills practically instantly. There
Is no limit to the varieties of triggers used
In deadfalls.
A Cruel Plan.
I well remember the first tran I vlsltod
near Frog lake, two or three days after
setting. It wns a steel trap set In a pen,
and ns the canoe neared. the shore I saw at
once, by the manner In which the ground
was torn up, that there was something
doing.
The chain was stretched out to its fullest
limit and In the trap Itself, still faintly
struggling, was a small-sized mink. It had
evidently been caught sori after the trap
was set and was dying a slow and cruel
death.
I rapped It on the head, threw It Into the
canoe and reset the trap, but my natural
feeling of elation at having bagged the first
fur of the trip was very seriously alloyed
by the cruelty of the game. Uncle Ned
had once told me that at first he never
set a steel trap without fastening It either
to a twitchup or, better, to a long, slender
t.lo hr,c Inln V h,mn nf the ilnnni
, " ' w " ' -' " . . . . . - - - - -
i i
or lake, so that, when caught, the animal,
taking refuge Invariably in the water, will
Immediately be drowned.
Familiarity breeds Contempt and also cal
lousness to the feelings nf animals, and
few trappers stop to consider them. It Is a
remarkable fact, and one not calculated to
Increase our respect for the hearts of man
kind, that In not a single book on trapping
that I can rccull, and I own a great many
of the best known, is the cruelty of steel
Marcellus had coached him for the part of
Mr. Blount.
Cronkite wished, however, that the judge
had been more comprehensive In his In
formation when presently dinner was
served. There he met Mr. Allls' niece.
Pauline Frame, oa personality so slight
and a disposition so retiring that It was
no wonder the Judge had sllsthted her.
Nevertheless It wns through little things
that the detective formed his deductions,
and now a number of them warned him
that he had to deal with a complex charac
ter. Miss Frame had undoubtedly ' adapted
herself thoroughly to a dependent position.
She exercised a supervision over the meal,
as nuiet as It was effective.
The very rervants hud a way of looking
over their shoulders, as If In fear of her
espionage and no wonder. In the midst
of a conversation she would fade from
the table, glide here and there nnd be
back again taking part In it before one
was conscious that Its thread had been in
terrupted. She had a dependent's adaptability, too.
Whatever her uncle thought she thought.
Her cousin's hopes and feurs, anticipa
tions and dreads, were her own. Phe was
nble to anticipate them, and thus direct
when she seemed to lead.
Over all her words and actions there
was the gloss of amiability, unvarying in
sheen and substance. Yet sometimes in tha
dull shallowness of her gaze and In the
precise platitudes of her l!ps there came
a gleam, a tinge, like the whisk of an
Imp. indicating possible bitterness within.
Has she a dependent's vices ns well ns
virtues? Cronkite nsked himself, uneasily
conscious that his study of her lacked
the assurance which had marked his study
of Mrs. Grout, and that therefore his de
ductions regarding the latter must yield
simewhat. to his doubts of the former.
This consciousness, VEgue during Its
growth, became a conviction when the un
expected happened. The talk had floated
sluggishly from young Brail's artistic toste
to paintings In general, then to portraits,
then to photographs, thence to daguerreo
types, and the rather crude devices )n
likenesses which had prevailed In earlier
days; yet when Cronkite recalled It all.
In bitter reflection afterward, he could dls.
cern the pulsation of a word now and
again breathed rather than uttered by the
demure Pauline. Was It she who had
sniffed Incredulously when Mr. Allis de.
clared that no modern miniatures equalled
those made when he was a young man?
"Wall a moment, Blount." the broker
cried, pushing back his chair, us If to
knswer to a challenge, "and I will shjw
these young folks a model of beauty yes,
and of deportment."
"He has gone for the porcelain of poor,
dear mamma," explained Mrs. Grout
softly. "It hasn't be. n out of the safe
since I was a child"
"If I m'Rht also be excused for a mo
ment," said Cronkite, rising fully as hastily.
There was something"
He was gone, even aa he spoke; and yet
too late. On hurrying to the library, there
mm
f i f ry fir niir m n f I m t mr. j irv.. tv .1 t. .... i n 1 l-'itib: 7t m i'i
wmmmm
V 111 - A f J itt.v
,11 , 7-. ..'...
1 Aff C,
tmns lrbnn itseil Trlthnnt Vi slldlncf COlel.
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v. ...,!
even so much as commented on.
For myself, I denounce the method as
worthy of the savagery of central Africa,
and call on the "society with the long
name" to take some stops to prevent It.
If .we are not to have furs without causing
Innocent animals to dlo lingering deaths
by torture and starvation, It's high time
we got on without them.
It is true that the limb caught in the
cruel Jaws is soon benumbed, so that the
he found Mr. Allls's unconscious form in
front of the opened safe. One glance Into
the interior showed that the second pack
age, placed there but an hour before, was
missing.
III.
No time at Tlrst for bitter reflection.
It required all of Cronklte's authority, as
guest and friend In the guise of Mr.
Blount, to prevent an alarm spreading with
all Its consequent Imperilling of Mr. Allis'
fortunes.
Luckily. Miss Frame expressed the ut
most reliance In his Judgment of what the
stricken man would have done. Luckily,
the physician, as discreet as he was skilled,
d-clared that but a few hours rest would
suffice for Mr. Allls' recovery from a blow
benumbing but not dangerous.
Luckily, too. this physician had at once
sequestrated Mrs. Grout, prostrated and
hysterical. In her cousin s charge, ad
ministering sedatives which he said would
have thtlr full effect by midnight. And
so the servants, falthfulln their fright,
promised to keep the matter secret, and
quiet, if not tranquillity, brooded over the
house.
In the guest chamber Cronkite reflected
the better for his chagrin. It had seemed
to him on hearing Mr. Allls' story to the
judge that Mrs. Grout must be the thief.
When tho Judge had afterward told him
how Jack Grout had incontinently fled
on a vessel never reported and officially
declared lost he had reasoned thut this
dreaded husband might have returned to
life and forced his wife to steal for him
as the price of his remaining dead to the
world. And the effect of his Enoch Arden
tale had dsns murh to strengthen his faith
in this working- plan.
Did he believe In it now? Only In sundry
details, not In the deduction from them,
for that Mrs. Grout's character, aa he read
It, contravened.
She was not the sort of woman to rob
the father she loved for the husband she
loathed. She was not the sort of woman
to dream even of marrying again, no mat
ter how complete the Immunity, while that
husband waa alive. No, no, he had been
led astray by the commonest of errors In
detecting, that of suiting facts to the the
ory Instead of the theory to the facta.
But yet his Enoch Arden shaft had struck
the mark. Mrs. Grout had winced; there
had been more to her agitation than the
disagreeable association of ideas.
She had been grlefstrlcken by the first
loss, she was despalrstrlcken by this sec
ond. What did such symptoms of an un
derlying agony Indicate?
Thla much, perhaps. She might hava
had reason from a sound or a glimpse to
auapect vaguely rather than to fear really
that Jack Grout hud returned. Her griet
at the first theft, natural enough consid
ering her affection for Brail, would then
have been Intensified by the possibility that
Gnut bad committed It.
In the Joy of having the money replaced
by her father and the whole Incident treated
as trifling, one cf her buoyant disposition
would be apt to put aside the supposition
Great North Woods
animal even occasionally (rtiaws It off be
low the steel, but the nuns In tlio boly
must be terrible and the starvation remains
to be ai-oliKtcd for. It Is the les to be
cotHloncd. as the sliding pi!e may be useil
In most cas, and the dejulfall can be
chosen In place of the steel trap.
Nell and Hole Trap Worse.
Almost wvrse Is the nnll and hole trap
doriloed and rt commended with' unctl-n
In many books of some renown. Tills trnp
consists of a hole bored In the trunk of a
tree, a log or a block of wood, and three or
four sharpened nails, which are hammerod
uV-wnvviird and diagonally Into the wood
so that the i.ints will protrude for half an
Inch. A plere of ba:t Is placed In tho bot
tom of the hole.
When the mink endeavors to get the bnlt
he pushes his head st the null with case,
but upon trying to withdraw it t!n cruol
points hold hint fast and lie dies m'serably
with the nails alternately plcrclnir his neck,
and with his nose In the bait ho coveted.
How anybody with the slightest prelensh ns
to siortmanshlp can condone such a
method Is a mystery.
I icjolco to say that when I ventured to
suggest this to good old Uncle Ned. he
looked at me a moment nnd then gave mo
a hrruiy slap on the buck.
"Hy pirry, youngster, you're Just as rllit
as you can be. I used to feel exactly that
way, and I'll be darned If I don't yet! A
fellow (rets Into the hnblt of doln' these
cruel things, and I'm obliged to you for
stirring up my callous conscience Wo
won't set any more steel traps unless t
I'll'
- H.." '
Can USB a Slldln' pole.
. , . n , , ,
We took a few god mink at first, but
then our cruelty Kceined to give us bad
luck, for all the other birds and beasts of
tho forest seemed to league together to
persecute us. There was one trap that
contained the feathers of bluejays and
mooso birds (Canada Jays) for throe days
In succession, the birds having helped
themselves to the bnlt and got caught,
and then being devoured by tho mink,
that probably would have laughed in their
as unreal. But the second theft, linked
with a brutality almost tragic, must have
come as a confirmation, Irreparable and
changeless.
Who then was the thief? Grout, In the
second Instance?
It was the work of a man acquainted
with the house, the family life, the family
secrets. He knew that the money had
been replaced; he knew that Allls would
come during the dinner to open the safe;
because the woman, who was hla accom
plice, had told him.
It was at this juncture In his reflections
that Cronkite, recalling that Miss France
would be free to relinquish her watch over
her cousin at midnight without "its being
thought strange by the nurse and servants
also in attendance, put out his light, drew
his shades and opened his window so as
to give the appearance thut he had retired,
and then resumed his cogitations.
The woman who was his accomplice?
Yes. Pauline Frame: no one else.
Who else could have called Mr. Allls
out from the library In the first case but
the one who had sent him In there by
trick and device In the second? Who else
could have crept to the safe In the first
case so noiselessly as rot to attract the
attention of her reading cousin but the
one whose shadowy glide was the most
usual Incident of the household?
Cronklte's senses must have been un
usually acute; for he suddenly sprang In
tent to the door. Yes. there was that same
shadowy sweep, dnscendlng the stairs from
the sick room, passing by his door no,
stopping there to listen and then proceed
ing, somewhat more confidently, as If re
assured. Like another shade, Cronkite was out
and down the back stairs. In the base
ment hall, by the rear door, he confronted
a woman, dressed for travel, her left arm
hugging a package to her flattened bosom.
It was Pauline Frame.
IV.
"Why didn't you hold her?" asked Mr.
Allls. the next afternoon, as with bandaged
head, but yet not very much the worse
for hard usage, he talked with his guest,
the slolld Mr. Blount.
Cronkite laughed despite hla plastered
cheek.
"I told you that she whipped out a knife
and flew at me like a wildcat," he an
swered. "Yes, but a man like you wouldn't mind
such a prick as that. Besides, you took
the package of money from her."
"Yes. the first package of money, which
she had been walttrg her opportunity to
remove from the house. That was all I
wanted to recoup your loss. As for her.
I thought It more satisfactory to have ber
arrested in Jack Grout's company."
"Hush!" warned Allls hastily; yet too
late.
For even with the sound the door opened
and Emily Grout came wearily in, as If
from the Inquisition.
' Is it really ao?" she inked In a mono
tone that waa ita own answer. "Oh, papa,
think what agonlea of suspenae, hopes,
fears, dreads and rebellious denials cf the
sleeves If they had any.
Then the ry.!!r''et wnn t.i spr n th
traps, and twice wildcats tore our dcadfnra
to pieces. Three wildcat snares ili? ap
peared from one place, but the next day
I'ncle Ned made one especially strong and
set It In the same runway.
Next morning as we approached the place
we began to hoar yells fur nway, which
Increased In violence as we got near. This
seemed odd. as the noose generally gets ths
cat around the neck.
When we came within sight there wns A
most tremendous int with tho nrose arounl
Its body, rplttlng like fury nnd clutching
and tenting at the wire In desperation. How
It got Into such a predicament ve could
not tell, but probably by getting 11 paw In.
side the noose when first caught around the
neck.
When it saw us lis back went up a foot
and It let out n yell. Then It Jumped for
a neighboring tree, but was Jerked back
by tho wire in midair and came to the
ground with ft thud. Heforo It could re
cover I put n Charge of HH shot Into Its
head and It straightened out. It was a
beauty, measuring three and a . half feet
from nose to tall, a fine example of the
Lynx gigns, only found In the Maritime
provinces.
Peld Storm In the Wood.
I remember one trip up the Oull I .alt
branch ns a chapter of accidents. It wl
qulto a warm day when we started out,
with not a breath of air stirring. A light
m'.st lay over the placid waters and the
sun promised soon to break through.
Wo therefore left our extra tarpaulin,
used for a shelter tent In case of getting
caught !n a storm, at home, and prepared
for n.', easy time. nut hardly had we
landed A' the end of the first carry whpn
an ur.frralded but violent storm of sleet
arid bull blew up that coated everything
wtlo Ico.
1 and the canoe nnd I shall never forget
that carry ns long as I live. Part of It was
over an untlmbered hill, whli'h wns oh
slippery as greased glass, and the wind
did Its very best to put both me ard the
cano" flat on tho ground. How I yearned.
In my smooth moccasins, for a good pair
of hobnailed shoes.
Arriving at the other side of the carry
we were both coated with freezing glass,
and had to stamp on our mittens to render
them flexible. In that condition we reset
a dozen steel traps and deadfalls, hut only
after sore trials, for our fingers wero stiff
and almost senseless.
Neither of us lot out a word of complaint,
but at lost, as a No. H sprung on me for
the fifth time, I rtppod out tin expletive of
such lurid character that the very lco
might have been melted with It. This was
too much for the old man, who let out a
p;u flaw that nearly drowned the shrieking
wind.
"Great fun trappln", eh?" ho said. "Well,
never mind, tho worst Is yet to como for
sur?, 'cause this wind Is goln' to bo quite
able bodied nlong In the afternoon and we
ain't goln' to got home tonight, that's
sure!"
I replied that It didn't matter much, ns I
didn't expect to llvo so long as that any
how, and then asked about plans for ,th
night. The upshot of It was that after
looli'ng after a few more traps In the vi
cinity, but without trying to cross the next
lake on account of the high sea, we started
down a side stream for a small pond whera
Uncle Ned knew of a dilapidated lumber
men's cabin.
The water was high and the galo directly
In our faces as we started to run tho short
but dangerous rapid, and luck wasn't with
us at all. In trying to force the bow off a
sharp rock my paddle got between two
boulders and I was forced to let It go In
order not to be left with the bare handla
In my hands. This caused a careen of tha
canoe, we struck another rock and were
literally thrown up onto a flat reef on our
side so that part of the duffel, Including a
dozen traps, was cast Into the stream.
Angry clean through, I Jumped Into tha
shallow part of the river and had the luck
to retrieve the blankets, which, however,
were soaked. The traps we found a week
later. I will spare the reader a description
of our sojourn In that leaky shuck with wet
blankets and clothes. It is not all of trap
ping to trapl
evidences of my aenses I must hava en
dured now to find relief in such a cer
tainty! "It was a week ago, while walking in
the garden, thinking, dreaming of Reg
inald, coming nearer and nearer with every
brave pulsation of the great ship through
the ocean, I caught a glimpse, the merest
glimpse of a man, hiding among the trees.
In an Instant he wiu gone, ,nnd yet that
Instant was longer, more horrible, than
the years of torture I endured with him.
"You must aee Reginald when he arrives,
papa, and tell him all. I am glad at least
that his fortune hasn't also been taken
from him."
She turned to go, apathetic; then, as fol
lowing a smart rap, a soldierly looking
man entered the room and stood at baJute
she hesitatingly took a seat at one side.
"Ah, Magdon, is that you?" said Cronkite.
"I thought it was about your apt time t
appear on the scene. Mr. Allis, thla la
Capt. Magdon won his bars as a volunteer
in the civil war. Since Its close he has
been employed In the treasury secret ser
vice." "With counterfeiters aa a specialty, air,"
said the captain.
"Well, I fancy some of those well exe
cuted thousands of the Allscllffe gang have
come to the surface again," continued
Cronkite.
"Yes," replied Magdon. "Blnce I got that
tip from you yesterday I have been watcbe
Ing sharp. m
"Thla morning one of tho downtow
banks telephoned that they had Just broken
one of them for a likely looking chap, so
likely looking that they didn't suspect until
ho was gone. However, I had no troub'.e
In trailing him.
"You never saw such a front when I ac
cused him of passing the queer. You'd
say he was fully as surprised aa the bank
teller had been.
"By the way. Allls, there was a young
woman with this man Grout that's his
name, so his papers showed, Jack Grout
there was a young woman who said she
was a connection of yours. There Is no
charge against her, but she waa In such,
pitiable shape I left her In the matron's
charge.
"I will see that she Is cared for, now and
always," eatd the broker, much affected.
"And Grout, what of him?"
"He's dead: didn't I say? Made a break
to escape and I had to shoot I never have
to twice"
There waa a low, horrified moan and)
Emily Grout tottered tow-ard the door.
She would have fallen aa she passed out
like one spent from a burden's weight had
not a young man, eomewhat travel worn,
caught her In his arma. She looked In
quiringly, doubtlngly at hltn and the bur
den fell from her. "Reginald, my Reg
inald!" she murmured.
Unes to a Polat.
Poverty haa taken many a hard fall out
of ambition.
An easy mark by any other name would
be just as foolish.
Women learn more aa they grow olderj
it's different with men.
