y had not
thought to connect the pair of strangers with the mysterious goings-on.
"But they didn't seem to have anything along with them at that
time. I remember seeing the taller man take something out of his
pocket and examine it, Hugh; and at the time it struck me the shiny
object looked mighty like one of these modern automatic pistols."

Hugh shook his head as though, try as he would, as yet he could see
no way of solving the puzzle. Just then Bud came back, having fixed
the door the same way he had found it, with the loose board used as
a prop to keep it in position.

"Just as you said, Hugh," he announced, "it's clear as a bell, with
a young moon hanging low in the western sky and the stars shining
like all get-out. No siree, thunder never yet was heard on a night
like this. So I guess it must have been a blast. They do say
dynamite shakes the ground a heap more than powder, because its
force is always directed downward. If you put a cartridge on top
of a big rock and fire it, the boulder is shattered to pieces.
Powder you've got to put underneath every time."

"Correct, Bud, you go up to the head of the class," laughed Hugh.

"I wanted to ask Ralph if when he used to camp around here last
winter he ever knew the air to be clear enough to hear the noise
of the mill over at town?"

"Why, it's a good many miles away," returned Ralph, "and I don't
know that I ever did hear what you say. But what makes you ask
that, Bud?"

"Oh! the atmosphere must be doing its prettiest then, to-night,"
came the answer. "While I was standing just outside the door I
could hear the plain rattle of the machinery, though it died away
quick enough. I understand that business is so good that they're
running a night shift at the mills. And sounds can be heard a
long way off after sunset, can't they, Hugh?"

"That's all as true as anything, Bud, though if you'd asked me my
opinion before you spoke, I would have said it was foolish to think
we could hear the mills so far away as this, no matter how clear
the frosty air might be."

"Well, that may be," remarked the other boy doggedly; "but I did hear
machinery pounding away at a right merry pace, give you my word on
that. I even stepped out further and looked around, but there
wasn't a thing in sight, only the stars shining up there and the
little horned moon dropping down close to the horizon."

"We came up here thinking we'd be all alone and could do what we'd
planned