gasped.

"Never turn your back on an unknown danger," cautioned the young man
serenely. "Be ready to meet it."

"If you're turned t'other way you c'n git a quicker start if you want to
run," suggested Jim Borum, bracing himself with a fresh chew of tobacco.

"What time is it?" asked Wicker Bonner.

Anderson Crow squinted up through the leafless treetops toward the
setting sun; then he looked at the shadow of a sapling down on the bank.

"It's about seven minutes past five--in the evenin'," he said
conclusively. Bonner was impolite enough to pull out his watch for
verification.

"You're a minute fast," he observed; but he looked at Anderson with a
new and respectful admiration.

"He c'n detect anything under the sun," said Porter with a feeble laugh
at his own joke.

"Well, let's go up and ransack that old cabin," announced Bonner,
starting toward the willows. The crowd held back. "I'll go alone if
you're afraid to come," he went on. "It's my firm belief that you didn't
see anything and the noise you boys heard was the wind whistling through
the trees. Now, tell the truth, how many of you saw it?"

"I did," came from every throat so unanimously that Jim Borum's
supplemental oath stood out alone and forceful as a climax.

"Then it's worth investigating," announced the Boston man. "It is
certainly a very mysterious affair, and you, at least, Mr. Town Marshal,
should back me up in the effort to unravel it. Tell me again just what
it was you saw and what it looked like."

"I won't let no man tell me what my duties are," snorted Anderson, his
stars trembling with injured pride. "Of course I'm going to solve the
mystery. We've got to see what's inside that house. I thought it was
tramps at first."

"Well, lead on, then; I'll follow!" said Bonner with a grin.

"I thought you was so anxious to go first!" exclaimed Anderson with fine
tact. "Go ahead yourself, ef you're so derned brave. I dare you to."

Bonner laughed loud enough to awaken every ghost in Bramble County and
then strode rapidly toward the house. Anderson Crow followed slowly and
the rest straggled after, all alert for the first sign of resistance.

"I wish I could find that derned lantern," said Anderson, searching
diligently in the deep grass as he walked along, in the meantime
permitting Bonner to reach the grim old doorway far in advance of him.

"Come on!" called back the intrepid leader, seeing that all save the
marshal had halted. "You don'