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@@ -1,37 +1,4 @@ -Project Gutenberg's Trading Jeff and his Dog, by James Arthur Kjelgaard - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with -almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or -re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included -with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org - - -Title: Trading Jeff and his Dog - -Author: James Arthur Kjelgaard - -Release Date: December 22, 2012 [EBook #41690] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: ASCII - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK TRADING JEFF AND HIS DOG *** - - - - -Produced by Greg Weeks, Mary Meehan and the Online -Distributed Proofreading Canada Team at -http://www.pgdpcanada.net - - - - - - - - +*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK 41690 *** TRADING JEFF AND HIS DOG @@ -40,7 +7,7 @@ http://www.pgdpcanada.net _DODD, MEAD & COMPANY, NEW YORK, 1956_ - (C) 1956 by Jim Kjelgaard + © 1956 by Jim Kjelgaard All rights reserved @@ -877,7 +844,7 @@ weary, "Yes?" "What kinds do you have?" -"Hunting, fishing, marriage, building, auto, dog, store, cafe--" +"Hunting, fishing, marriage, building, auto, dog, store, café--" "A wide-enough choice. I want a dog license." @@ -918,7 +885,7 @@ fifty cents, the clerk handed him another slip of paper. "Peddler's license and you're a peddler. They cost fifty cents, so we're even." -Jeff, who had thought the clerk a naive rustic, grinned his appreciation +Jeff, who had thought the clerk a naïve rustic, grinned his appreciation of someone else who knew how to get what he wanted and started down the corridor. He was still cheerful; he'd bought a dozen of the pencils for two dollars, and all except two were sold. It was a good sign, and he @@ -1010,7 +977,7 @@ steps he was a woodsman. He swerved into John T. Allen's store and Jeff decided that he was a man of short temper. A moment later, that opinion was borne out. -"_Sacre!_" came an outraged roar. "You are a dog among dogs! A pig among +"_Sacré!_" came an outraged roar. "You are a dog among dogs! A pig among pigs! You cheat the honest people!" There came a snappish but calmer voice. "Take it easy, Pierre." @@ -4077,7 +4044,7 @@ beneath his paper. Jeff made his way to the desk. from street noises and," he looked critically around the lobby, "I prefer the better furnishings." -The blase clerk, who had registered all sorts of guests but few like +The blasé clerk, who had registered all sorts of guests but few like this, took Jeff's measure with his eye. "Those rooms are five dollars a day." @@ -5069,10 +5036,10 @@ some time in the early morning hours. He was anxious to see Dan again and to watch Granny's eyes when he told her what he had done with her tapestries. -He was hungry, but the first cafe he entered was one of Delview's +He was hungry, but the first café he entered was one of Delview's exclusive eating places and the late diners who still lingered there stared in horror at the caged kitten. A waiter asked him to leave, and -Jeff did not feel like arguing the point. The second cafe, not so +Jeff did not feel like arguing the point. The second café, not so pretentious and presided over by a fat man with a completely bald head and a clean apron, was less particular. Jeff laid his pack down, put the cage on a chair and ordered, @@ -6479,360 +6446,4 @@ TRADING JEFF AND HIS DOG End of Project Gutenberg's Trading Jeff and his Dog, by James Arthur Kjelgaard -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK TRADING JEFF AND HIS DOG *** - -***** This file should be named 41690.txt or 41690.zip ***** -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: - http://www.gutenberg.org/4/1/6/9/41690/ - -Produced by Greg Weeks, Mary Meehan and the Online -Distributed Proofreading Canada Team at -http://www.pgdpcanada.net - - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions -will be renamed. - -Creating the works from public domain print editions means that no -one owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation -(and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without -permission and without paying copyright royalties. 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Hart was the originator of the Project Gutenberg-tm -concept of a library of electronic works that could be freely shared -with anyone. For forty years, he produced and distributed Project -Gutenberg-tm eBooks with only a loose network of volunteer support. - -Project Gutenberg-tm eBooks are often created from several printed -editions, all of which are confirmed as Public Domain in the U.S. -unless a copyright notice is included. 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You may copy it, give it away or -re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included -with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org - - -Title: Trading Jeff and his Dog - -Author: James Arthur Kjelgaard - -Release Date: December 22, 2012 [EBook #41690] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1 - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK TRADING JEFF AND HIS DOG *** - - - - -Produced by Greg Weeks, Mary Meehan and the Online -Distributed Proofreading Canada Team at -http://www.pgdpcanada.net - - - - - - - - - - TRADING JEFF AND HIS DOG - - _BY JIM KJELGAARD_ - - - _DODD, MEAD & COMPANY, NEW YORK, 1956_ - - © 1956 by Jim Kjelgaard - - All rights reserved - - No part of this book may be reproduced in any form - without permission in writing from the publisher - - Library of Congress Catalog Card Number: 56-5246 - Printed in the United States of America - - - - - _For - Margaret Mary, John, Jim, Frank, and Barbara Dresen_ - - - - - -CONTENTS - - - 1. THE MEETING 1 - - 2. BAD LUCK 18 - - 3. ESCAPE 34 - - 4. THE CABIN 50 - - 5. DAN 65 - - 6. VISITOR 79 - - 7. GRANNY 94 - - 8. ACKERTON 110 - - 9. MIGHTY MISSION 124 - - 10. BOMBSHELL 137 - - 11. THE TALKING TREE 154 - - 12. SURPRISE 167 - - * * * * * - -_The characters, incidents and situations in this book are imaginary and -have no relation to any person or actual happening._ - - * * * * * - - - - -1. THE MEETING - - -When the dog came to the weed-grown border of the clearing, he stopped. -Then, knowing that his back could be seen over the weeds, he slunk down -so that his belly scraped the earth. He was tense and quivering, and his -eyes bore a haunted look. But there was nothing craven in them and -little fear. In all his life the dog had never feared anything except -the terrible torment that beset him now. - -He was of no recognizable breed, though all of his ancestors had been -large dogs. There was a hint of staghound in his massive head and in his -carriage, and somewhere along the way he had acquired a trace of Great -Dane. His fur was silky, like a collie's, and there was a suggestion of -bloodhound in his somewhat flabby jowls. Without purpose or plan, the -blood of all these breeds had mingled to produce this big mongrel. - -He was so emaciated that slatted ribs showed even through his -burr-matted fur. Had he eaten as much as he wanted, he would have -weighed about a hundred and ten pounds, but he had had so little food -recently that he was fifteen pounds lighter. Intelligence glowed in his -eyes. But there was also something in them that verged on desperation. - -He moved only his head and moved that slowly. This dog knew too much, -and had suffered too much, to let himself be seen until he had some idea -of what he was about. He was looking toward a big white farmhouse that -was surrounded by a grove of apple trees. A thin plume of blue smoke -rose from the chimney, and a pile of freshly-split wood lay in the yard. -Busy white hens wandered about. White and black cows and two brown -horses cropped grass in a pasture. Pigs grunted in their pen and a black -cat sunned itself on the door step. - -The dog's attention returned to the man who was splitting more wood. He -was thin, dressed in faded blue jeans and a tan shirt, and the blows of -his axe echoed dully from the hills surrounding the farm house. He -worked slowly and methodically. The dog drank eagerly of his scent, -although he did not leave his cover, for behind him there was only a -trail of torment, abuse and real danger. He had been wandering for two -months and his path was a long one, but because it was also a twisted -one it had not taken him too far from the place he had left. He had been -in villages and towns, through farm lands and forest, and wherever he -met men he had been stoned or clubbed. Three times--twice by farmers and -once by a policeman--he had been shot at. - -The dog could not know that this was partly because of his appearance -and size. He was big and he looked wild. Had he cared to do so, he could -have killed a man. But what none of his tormentors could know was that, -though the dog feared little, he was almost incapable of attacking a -human being. What nobody could know either was that, most of all, the -dog was in desperate need of someone to love. - -Until two months ago, everything had been different. When the dog came -to live with Johnny Blazer, in the hills behind Smithville, he was so -young that it always seemed he must have begun life with Johnny. It was -a good life and he had never wanted any other. - -Johnny's cabin was big, with a kitchen and combined living-dining room -on the first floor and the entire second floor given over to many bunks. -It was necessary to have a big cabin because, in season, Johnny both -guided and boarded hunters and fishermen. During the winter, he trapped -furs, and when there was nothing else to do he worked at odd jobs or -searched out and sold medicinal roots which he found in the hills. A -lean, tight-jawed woodsman in his late thirties, Johnny had been the -dog's revered master. - -Because he was a dog, and thus incapable of grasping the more complex -facts, the great animal did not understand that life was not the wholly -carefree and happy one it seemed. He could sense that Johnny avoided the -Whitneys, who--at various places in the hills--lived much as Johnny did. -Because they were Johnny's enemies, it followed that the Whitneys must -be the dog's enemies too. But he had never understood what took place. - -Johnny and the dog were strolling toward Smithville when a rifle cracked -and Johnny took three staggering steps to fall forward. While the dog -hovered anxiously near, his master tried and failed to get up. The dog -knew that the scent of Pete Whitney filled the air, but there was no -connection between Pete and the fact that Johnny Blazer lay wounded in -the road. - -For an hour the dog worried beside Johnny, whining because he could not -help. Then a car happened along. The two men in it lifted Johnny into -the car and were off at high speed. - -The dog tried to follow, but though he could run very fast, he could not -keep up with the car. Outdistanced, he panted back to the cabin because -he was sure that Johnny would return there, too. He waited a week, never -venturing far away and eating only what he could find or catch. Then he -set out to look for Johnny. - -He'd gone first to Smithville and the first person he'd met there was -Pete Whitney. The dog slowed to a walk, watching Pete warily and -bristling. He saw no connection between any of Pete's actions and -Johnny's disappearance, but all the Whitneys were enemies. He leaped -aside when Pete aimed a swift kick at his groin, then turned with bared -fangs. Unarmed, Pete shrank back against a near-by building and the dog -went on. - -The alarm was sounded; Johnny Blazer's dog had come into town and -threatened a person. For a while--Johnny had many friends in -Smithville--nothing was done. But after two days, the dog was considered -a menace. Mothers of small children became concerned for their safety. -The first act of most men, upon seeing the dog, was to pick up and hurl -any convenient missile. - -The Smithville constable, Bill Ellis, reluctantly set out to kill the -animal. But two hours earlier, having satisfied himself that he would -not find Johnny in Smithville, the dog had left. What he could not -possibly know was that his master was dead and the official cause of his -death was, "Bullet wound inflicted by a person or persons unknown." - -As the dog wandered, hope faded. He could not find Johnny. But the dog -had to have a master because he was unable to live without one, and now, -as he lay in the tall weeds, all the deep yearnings in his heart -concentrated on this man splitting wood. - -He half rose, minded to walk out and meet him, but memory of the rocks -and clubs that had come his way was not an easy one to banish and he -settled down in the weeds again. Then an uncontrollable longing for -someone to love and someone to love him overcame everything else and he -left the weeds. - -He walked with his tail drooping in a half circle down his rear, but he -was not abject because it was not in him to be so. One or more of his -many ancestors had bequeathed to him a great pride and a regal inner -sense, and though he would run when a club or brick was hurled at him, -he could never cringe. He carried his tail low because that was the way -he carried it naturally, like a collie or staghound. - -The man, setting a chunk of wood against the splitting block, had his -back turned to the dog and did not at once see him. The dog waited, -unwilling to intrude until he was invited to do so. The man raised his -axe, brought it expertly down, and the wood split cleanly. He stooped to -pick up the two pieces and when he did he saw the dog. - -"You!" - -Catching up one of the chunks, he hurled it with deadly aim and intent. -But even as he did this, the huge animal started to run, so that instead -of striking him in the head, the chunk of wood struck his right -shoulder. The dog felt quick agony that subsided to searing pain as he -kept running. Twenty seconds later he heard a rifle blast, and the thump -of a leaden slug that plowed into the earth six inches to one side. The -rifle roared a second time, and a third. Then he was safe in the woods. - -He slowed to a walk, knowing that he could not be seen now and his nose -informed him that there were no other men around. For the time being he -was in no danger, but he was heartsick. Again he had tried, in every way -he knew, to find someone whom he might love and who in turn might love -him. Once more his overtures had brought him only hurt. - -The dog could not know that the farmer, seeing him suddenly, had been -too startled to think. When he was finally capable of coherent thought, -he decided that a wild, dangerous and doubtless rabid wolf had emerged -from the forest and that its only intention could be to prey upon the -locality's flocks and herds. Failing to bring it down with his rifle, -the farmer got hastily on the phone to mobilize his neighbors. Within -half an hour a posse was out. - -However, its members were farmers and not hunters. The only hunting dogs -in the area were a few fox and coon hounds and some rabbit hounds, and -they refused to interest themselves in the supposed wolf's trail. But -there was also a pair of big cross-bred brindle bulls and they were -urged into the woods. An hour later the dog met this pair. - -Coursing a little open glade, they appeared in front of him and as soon -as they saw him they stopped. The bulls weighed only about fifty pounds -each, but they had had many battles and they knew how to fight. Lifting -their lips in anticipatory grins, they closed in. - -The dog waited, anger rising in his heart. He too knew how to fight. For -the barest fraction of a minute he gauged the bulls' advance, then he -attacked. He was not as swift as he ordinarily was because he had not -eaten enough. But with his staghound and collie lineage, he had -inherited all the fluid, rippling grace of such dogs. It was not his way -to bore in, to seek a hold and keep it, but to slash and slice. He -struck the first bull, cut it to the shoulder bone, and leaped clear -over his enemy before there could be a return thrust. He whirled to face -the second. - -It came at him with a short, choppy gait, eyes half closed and mouth -open as it sought any hold at all. As soon as it was able to get one, it -would clamp its jaws and grind until the piece of flesh in its mouth was -torn out. Then it would get another hold, and another, and literally -tear its enemy apart. - -The dog waited, as though he were about to meet the bull head on. But -when only inches separated them, he glided to one side, ducked to get -hold of a front leg, and used all his strength to throw the bull clear -over his head. He turned to meet the second bull that, recovering, had -come in to grab his thigh. - -Twisting himself almost double, the dog slashed and bit and each time he -slashed fresh blood spurted from the brindle bull's hide. The dog opened -his huge mouth, clamped it over the bull's neck, and shook his adversary -back and forth. - -The bulls had courage, but they were cross-breeds and not the fighting -bulls that will gladly die if they can take their enemy with them. They -staggered twenty feet off and faced the dog warily, as though seeking -some new way to attack him. He waited, ready for whatever they might -do, and when he finally limped away he did so with his head turned to -see if he was being followed. - -He was not afraid to renew the battle, but he wanted most to be let -alone by this ugly pair. In spite of all the rebuffs and even physical -violence that he had met up with, however, he could not abandon the -driving urge that had sent him forth. He could not live without a -master. Somewhere and somehow he must find one. - -He passed from settled country into forest where there was only an -occasional clearing. When two deer fled before him he gave halfhearted -chase. But his shoulder still hurt and the battle had wearied him. When -the deer outdistanced him, he stopped to eat a few mushrooms that grew -on a stump. They were tasteless fare, but they helped still the gnawing -in his belly. Near the edge of a pond, he found and ate a fish that had -been hurt in battle with a bigger fish, and after that he caught a -mouse. All together were mere tidbits, and the dog thought wistfully of -the delicious meals Johnny Blazer used to prepare for him. - -Night had fallen when he stopped suddenly, his nose tickled by the -tantalizing odor of food. Mingled with it was the smell of wood smoke -and a man. The dog's nose informed him that there was a creek, and he -caught the faintly-acrid smell of cinders and steel that meant a -railroad. The dog slowed to a walk and went closer to verify with his -eyes what his nose had already told him. - -There was a creek spanned by a railroad bridge. Beneath the bridge was a -small, bright fire over which, on a forked stick, hung a pot of -simmering coffee. Crouched beside the fire was a man, and because there -is a difference in the odors of young and old, the dog knew that this -was a young man. - -The dog padded silently through tall, wild grass growing beside the -creek. He drooled at the odor of food, but because painful experience -had taught him to be very careful in all dealings with men, he did not -go any nearer. He licked his chops with a moist tongue and excitement -danced in his eyes. How he would love to be near that fire, partaking of -the food and the caresses of the young man! - -But he had better be careful. - - * * * * * - -At the same time that the dog met the farmer who hurled the block of -wood at him, Jeff Tarrant was walking down a dusty road that led into -the town of Cressman. Two days past his eighteenth birthday, his face -betrayed his youth. Healthy as sunshine, he walked with a spring in his -step and his head held high. His rather loose lips formed a grin that -seemed permanently fixed. His blue eyes sparked and a shock of curly red -hair that needed cutting tumbled on his head. Even if it were not for -the pack he carried, he would have commanded a second glance. - -The pack, made of both canvas and leather and with straps at strategic -intervals, was huge. It began at Jeff's hip line, extended two inches -over the top of his head, and it was bulging. Across it, in black -letters as big as the pack would accommodate, was: - - TARRANT - ENTERPRISES - Ltd. - -Jeff himself had designed the pack to fit his needs, and he had done the -lettering. It described him perfectly, for what nobody except Jeff knew -was that Tarrant Enterprises was limited to whatever might be in the -pack. - -He walked cheerfully, for it was a cheerful day, and he gave thanks for -the sparsely-settled country and the little-traveled road on which he -found himself. In the first place, this was the only kind of country in -which Tarrant Enterprises, Ltd., could flourish. Secondly, the day was -made for walking. When Jeff found himself on traveled roads, he was -forever being offered rides, and for the sake of both courtesy and good -business he always accepted. But there had been no rides today. - -Descending a hill, Jeff looked down at a junction of two forested -valleys, up one of which a train was puffing. He looked at it closely, -while the smile in his eyes and that on his mouth seemed to grow a -little more pronounced. Railroad tracks meant towns somewhere, and the -sort of business Tarrant Enterprises, Ltd., could do in towns depended -on circumstance. - -Jeff sniffed deeply, for part of his success depended on an ability to -sense what lay ahead, just as a hunter must sense what is in the offing. -Now he had wood smoke in his nostrils, and he was not surprised when he -rounded an outjutting corner of the hill and saw a farm house. - -Jeff whistled happily as he approached the house and knocked on the -front door, and he had the most gracious smile Tarrant Enterprises, -Ltd., could muster up for the woman who opened it. - -"Good afternoon, ma'am. I represent Tarrant--" - -"Don't want nothin'!" she rasped. "Never buy nothin' from peddlers!" - -Hard work, loneliness and collapsed dreams had all left their marks, so -that she was almost as weather-beaten as the house. But Jeff saw at a -glance that the place was neat and clean, and since she did not close -the door, he entered, swung the pack from his back, and laid it on a -table. - -"Get it off!" she scolded. "Don't want no dirty pack on my table! Don't -want nothin' from no peddler nohow!" - -Jeff sniffed hungrily. A delicious incense, the mingled odors of roast -chicken and fresh-baked bread, blessed his nostrils. He said slowly and -with dignity, - -"I am not a peddler, ma'am. I represent Tarrant--" - -"Now, look! I just broke my parin' knife an' I got no time--" - -"Ah!" - -Like magic, and seemingly without visible motion, the pack opened. From -it Jeff took a paring knife with a gleaming blade and a shiny black -handle. - -"Only seventeen cents, ma'am. Blade of finest steel and hilt of genuine -polished wood! Holds its edges and its temper, too! A lifetime knife!" - -She looked at the knife, longing in her eyes. When she glanced again at -Jeff, she was not so hostile. - -"Got no money," she admitted. - -Jeff laughed. "I asked for none! Our conversation became so fascinating -that I had no chance to explain that I represent Tarrant Enterprises, -Ltd. We have long recognized the needs of people such as yourself, -people who prefer the refined quiet of country life to crowds and -cities. But country life, as you must know, is not without -inconveniences. Our only aim is to bring to the doors of people such as -yourself whatever may not be available." - -Her eyes were suspicious. "You mean you're givin' me this knife?" - -"Not at all, ma'am. Tarrant Enterprises, Ltd., is always willing to -barter. _Umm!_ Is that roast chicken I smell?" - -"I ain't tradin' you no roast chicken for no little knife!" - -"Surely one small knife will not fill your needs?" - -"Well, I could use some cinnamon sticks." - -With the same magical ease, Jeff opened his pack and gracefully offered -a small parcel of cinnamon sticks. - -"Cinnamon from Ceylon," he said, at the same time wondering if he did -not have cinnamon and tea confused. He went on, "The world's only pure -cinnamon, made available to Tarrant Enterprises, Ltd., through special -sources." - -"My," she was impressed. "What else do you have?" - -Jeff said, in the same tone that a department store manager would have -used, "What do you wish, ma'am?" - -She eyed the pack. "You wouldn't have some real nice gingham?" - -"Certainly." - -Again it was as though the pack opened itself, and from it Jeff took a -partial bolt of red-checked gingham. Her eyes softened. - -"It's real pretty." - -"Feel its texture," Jeff urged. "Tarrant Enterprises, Ltd., stocks only -the best. Shall we say about six yards?" - -She said doubtfully, "Best make it three." - -Jeff whipped a pair of scissors from his pack and a folding ruler from -his pocket. He measured and cut three yards of gingham. She fondled it -dreamily, and compared to the dress she wore, it was elegance itself. -Jeff stood expectantly, as though everything in the world were available -in his pack. - -"Anything else?" - -She eyed the scissors. "Can I have them, too?" - -Jeff frowned slightly. "I don't know, ma'am. They sell for a dollar and -ten cents, and Tarrant Enterprises, Ltd., must show a reasonable return. -Now--" - -She said, as though suddenly remembering, "I've got a dollar." - -"And for the rest might we have bread and chicken?" - -"Oh, sure! I'll get it right now!" - -She ran into the kitchen, lingered a few minutes, and returned with a -large package, one almost as large, and a small parcel. Jeff smacked his -lips. The largest package could contain nothing less than the better -part of a roast chicken, the one nearly as large must be a whole loaf of -bread, and she pressed all three on him. - -"Some butter for your bread, an' here's the dollar. You comin' through -again?" - -"When I do, ma'am, you have an honored place on my list of valued -customers." - -"Then you will stop?" - -"Most certainly." - -"Be sure now." - -"Ma'am, you have the word of Tarrant Enterprises, Ltd." - -Jeff strode happily down the road, and he had cheated his customer in no -way. Tarrant Enterprises was always ready to barter, for Jeff had long -since learned that money must be spent. Now he had a meal as good as any -the best inns served and he had it for half of what he would have paid -in cash. But the woman was happy too, and that always made for a fair -deal. - -When he came to where the two valleys made one, Jeff left the road and -sought the railroad tracks. Last night he had slept in a haystack, but -it was far from an ideal bed. Jeff had not resented the mice, for he -thought mice were interesting. The hay itself had been old, filled with -seeds and thistles, and tonight he wanted a better camp. It was always -possible to find one along a railroad. - -As it always did when he sighted potential customers, Jeff's interest -quickened when he saw two men with a handcar beside them, working on the -tracks. He came abreast of them, two sweating, bewhiskered men who, even -on this bright day, managed to look sullen. - -"Good afternoon, gentlemen." - -They glowered at him from beneath bushy eyebrows, and looked meaningly -at each other. - -"Beat it, peddler." - -Jeff laughed merrily. "What a refreshing sense of humor! Such an -intelligent bit of wisdom! You are just the men I hoped to meet! I -represent Tarrant--" - -"Beat it, peddler." - -"Now just think about that! Reconsider! If--" - -The two raised threatening pick axes. "Are you deef?" - -"I was just going," Jeff said hastily. - -He was not so much as a trifle saddened as he trudged on down the -tracks. Even Tarrant Enterprises, Ltd., could not overcome sales -resistance that was backed by threatening pick axes, and nobody won -every time. Nobody had to, for just down the road there were sure to be -new customers. - -Jeff came to a steel railroad bridge and looked with delighted eyes at -the creek flowing beneath it. It was a clear, spring-fed stream, and it -purled down riffles that filled a deep pool. Beneath the bridge there -were weeds, sand, some big rocks, and driftwood. - -Scrambling down the embankment, Jeff sighed at the sheer luxury of such -a place. It had everything anyone needed. Carefully, he laid the pack -down, put his food parcels in the shade, and from his own personal -compartment of the pack he took a towel, a wash cloth, a bar of soap, a -tooth brush and a comb. Taking off his clothes, he plunged into the pool -and swam across. After five minutes he waded out, soaped himself from -head to foot, and rinsed in the pool. He was thus engaged when the -handcar rattled over the bridge. - -Jeff dried himself, dressed and combed some order into the chaos of his -hair. For a while he was satisfied to lay in the sun, happy just to -dream. - -Left without parents when a young child, he had been brought up in an -orphanage which he had voluntarily left when he was fourteen and a half. -He had worked for a farmer, for a livery stable which was in the process -of becoming converted to a garage, for a pipe line crew and for others, -long enough to convince himself that there is no special virtue in and -not much to be gained through hard work alone. For the past two and a -half years he had been owner, manager and entire working force of -Tarrant Enterprises, Ltd. - -That, by train, car, horse conveyance and on foot, had taken him to both -coasts and both borders. He spent his summers in the north and his -winters in the south, and the tidy roll of bills sewed in an inside -pocket was proof that hard work is fine and wonderful if combined with -initiative and intelligence. It was a happy life, one he liked, and -though he thought he might take roots some time, he was not ready to do -it yet. - -Not until dusk brought the first hint of evening chill did Jeff gather -wood and build a fire. He built it close enough to a big boulder so -that the rock's surface would reflect heat, but far enough away so that -it would not be too hot. He lingered beside the pool, listening to the -night noises. - -Out in the forest a whippoorwill began its eerie cry, and a sleepy bird -twittered from its roost. The purling riffles splashed and called and a -breeze set the forest to sighing. Only a stone rolling down the -embankment seemed to be out of tune. Jeff's fire cast weird shadows, and -the snapping of the burning wood added its own notes to the symphony of -night. - -Jeff turned from the stream toward his fire and confronted the two men -whom he had met along the railroad. Now he knew why that stone had -rolled. - -Except for this one small sound, they had come silently, and in the -firelight they seemed even more unkempt than they had appeared in the -full light of day. They were big men, all muscle, and they carried pick -handles in their brawny fists. Jeff felt a cold chill ripple down his -spine, for it looked as though the least Tarrant Enterprises, Ltd., was -about to lose was its entire capital stock. He tried to take command of -the situation. - -"Good evening, gentlemen! I thought you'd be back! I was sure you are an -intelligent--" - -One of the men said, "Take him, Buff." - -The two parted to come at Jeff from both sides. He looked longingly at a -club lying near the fire, and as though he had read Jeff's mind, the man -called Buff stood on the club. Jeff backed slowly toward the water. He -might lose the pack. But he intended to keep his money and he had no -intention of letting anyone work him over with a pick handle. As he -retreated, he felt with his feet for rocks, clubs, anything at all with -which to fight back. The two men advanced slowly, and Jeff risked a -backward glance to see himself within three paces of the water. There -was only sand beneath his feet. - -At exactly that moment, the dog appeared. - -He came slowly, with dignity, but uncertainly, because he was not sure -of a welcome. Neither was he able to restrain himself any longer. For -more than a half hour he had hidden in the grass, studying and entranced -by Jeff. Now he had to find out whether he was acceptable. He halted -four feet away, not caring to go any closer until he was sure. - -Seeing him, Jeff saw his own salvation. He snapped his fingers and said, -"Well! Where have you been keeping yourself?" - -The dog sighed ecstatically. For so very long he had sought someone and -now at last he had found him. He came forward to brush his shaggy back -against Jeff's thighs, and he looked up at the two men. - -Huge, a wild and savage-appearing thing, even in the full light of day, -he was even more so by the fire's dancing glow. His eyes sparked. His -pendulous jowls seemed taut and strained, and though he regarded the two -men with suspicion only, neither could know that. They backed. - -Jeff patted the big dog's head and said amiably, "Just my dog. Just my -little old dog. I need some help while I attend to the far-flung -business of Tarrant Enterprises, Ltd." His tone became slightly -reproachful and he said to the dog, "Here! Here! Don't bite them now!" - -The two men scrambled up the embankment and disappeared. - - - - -2. BAD LUCK - - -Where it flowed into the pool beneath the bridge, the creek made -rippling little noises. A swimming muskrat, going upstream and suddenly -seeing the fire and the two beside it, splashed as he dived. From -somewhere up in the forested hills there floated an owl's mournful cry. -Over all murmured a caressing little breeze which, while still soft with -summer's gentleness, had within it a foretaste of autumn's cold. - -Shaken, Jeff stood a moment. It was not the first time anyone had tried -to strong-arm his pack away from him, but it was the closest anyone had -ever come to succeeding. His fright ebbed away. Tarrant Enterprises, -Ltd., had led him into other unusual situations and doubtless would lead -into more. He turned to the dog. - -"Welcome, Pal!" he said grandly. "From now to forever you may share the -fortunes of Tarrant Enterprises, Ltd.! But what the dickens sent you at -exactly the right time?" - -The dog quivered with delight. He had wandered for so long, his only aim -to find someone who would be glad of his company, and at last his goal -was reached! He wagged a happy tail and licked Jeff's hand with the tip -of a moist, warm tongue. Though he would never cringe, the dog would -appease, and now that he had found someone, in order to stay near he -would appease any way he could. Jeff's exploring hand found the dog's -matted head and ears, and a puzzled frown wrinkled his forehead. - -"Whoever you belong to hasn't been taking very good care of you," he -murmured. "Haven't you ever been brushed?" - -His hands dropped farther, to the dog's sides, and when he touched the -right front shoulder the great animal winced and brought his head -quickly around. Jeff had found the place which the chunk of wood had -struck, and that was painful. But the dog did not bare his teeth or -growl. Jeff took his hands away. - -"You've been hurt, Pal," he said understandingly. "Here, let me feel it -once more." - -Very gently, pressing no harder than was necessary, he went over the -right shoulder again. He could feel no broken bones, but just beneath -the skin was a jelly-like mass of congealed blood, and when Jeff brought -his hand away his fingers were sticky with blood. Next he found the -wound inflicted by the brindle bull, and as he continued to explore his -puzzlement increased. - -The dog wore a round leather collar that formerly might have fitted -well, but because he was thin, it now hung loosely. There was no license -or identifying tag. Starved to gauntness, obviously the animal had been -receiving neither food nor attention. His long fur was matted, and there -were so many burrs of various kinds entangled in it that there was -almost no hope of grooming him properly. - -The conviction grew upon Jeff that this dog was a stray, and that he -had come to the fire because there was no other place for him. Either -he'd lost his master or the master had lost him, and in either event, he -was homeless. Jeff frowned. - -The whole success of Tarrant Enterprises, Ltd., hinged on its being -entirely footloose. There were places to go, and often it was essential -to go there in somewhat of a hurry. Obviously, it would be impossible to -take a dog this size on a train, and certainly nobody with any sort of -vehicle would be inclined to pick him up. - -Jeff said good-humoredly, "Why the dickens couldn't you have been one of -those flea-sized dogs that I might have tucked in my pocket?" - -The dog wagged his tail and looked at this friendly human with happy -eyes. Jeff rubbed his huge head and tried to think a way out of his -dilemma. Surely the big fellow had no home and was loose on the -countryside. Familiar with stray dogs, Jeff knew that just one fate -awaited them; sooner or later, but surely, they were killed. Ordinarily -the young trader would have confined himself to pity. But this dog had -helped him when he was in desperate need of help. He must not be -abandoned now. - -Perhaps, Jeff thought, he could find a family that would give the dog a -home--but he abandoned the notion almost as soon as it glimmered. How -many families wanted a dog half the size of a Shetland pony? Maybe he -could pay someone to take care of him. But how could he be sure that the -dog would be cared for and not abused? There was no way to check. Six -weeks from now, depending on where Tarrant Enterprises, Ltd., led him, -Jeff might be a hundred or a thousand miles away. He did not know when, -if ever, he would come back. The happy thought that first things must be -first occurred to him. - -While the dog looked gravely on, he tilted his bubbling coffee away from -the fire and unwrapped the chicken. The dog licked his lips and riveted -his gaze on the fowl. Jeff grinned. He'd been told that dogs should not -have chicken bones. But unless they were always tied or penned, sooner -or later most dogs found and ate them. At any rate, the dog had to eat -and there wasn't anything except chicken, bread and butter. Jeff sliced -both legs from the chicken and ordered, - -"Sit!" - -The dog sat; obviously he had had training. When Jeff extended a chicken -leg, the dog took it from him so gently that only his lips touched -Jeff's hand, but when he had the leg in his mouth he tore all the meat -from it with one turn of his jaws. Then he ground the bone to bits and -swallowed that too. Jeff looked at the two bites he had taken from his -own drumstick. - -"Hey!" he protested. "Just because you're company, you don't have to -gobble everything in sight!" - -He looked determinedly away and took another bite of chicken, but he -felt the dog's appealing eyes on him and turned back again. - -"If you could talk," he said resignedly, "you could be sales manager for -Tarrant Enterprises, Ltd. You certainly know how to sell yourself." - -Jeff cut a wing, gave it to the dog, and watched in fascination while it -went the way of, and as fast as, the chicken leg. He cut the loaf of -bread into six thick slices, spread an equal amount of butter on each, -and saw the dog gulp five of them. Jeff ate as rapidly as he could; if -he was going to get anything, he had to get it fast. He watched while -the dog ate all the rest of the chicken and cleaned and swallowed the -splintered bones. - -"If you're going to be a partner," he observed, "you'd better learn to -pay your own way. I'll go broke just feeding you. Oh, well, we can -always have nice fresh air for breakfast. Now I'm going to work on you, -Pal. You do look sort of wild and woolly and it might help both of us -stay out of trouble if you didn't. Down!" - -The dog lay down, eyes glowing happily, and Jeff used gentle fingers to -untangle his fur. Where it was matted too tightly, he cut it off with a -pair of scissors. Separating a hair at a time and using as little -pressure as possible, he worked on the injured right side. Then he took -a brush from his pack and brushed the dog smooth. - -When he was finished, the animal still looked huge. His eyes sparked in -the firelight and his flabby jaws loaned him an air of grimness. But his -coat was no longer tangled or burr-matted. He looked forbidding enough -so that it was easy to understand why the two track workers, seeing him -and thinking he was Jeff's, had decided to run. Even though they were -armed with pick handles, anyone at all might well hesitate to make rash -moves around this mammoth creature. - -"Now we have to get wood, Pal," Jeff told his new friend. "The nights in -mountain country are apt to be on the cool side." - -He cast around for driftwood that the creek had thrown onto its banks -and when he had an armful, he dumped it near the fire. Always the dog -padded beside or behind him, as though fearful he would lose this kind -master should he wander more than a foot from him. Jeff threw some wood -on the fire and a shower of sparks floated into the air. The dog curled -contentedly near when he lay down with his back against the boulder. - -Jeff awakened at periodic intervals to throw more wood on the fire, and -in the misty gray of early morning he was aroused by the unmistakable -sound of a freight train making up. He listened intently; it paid to -understand freight trains. He hadn't known how far off Cressman was, but -he knew now. Judging by the sound of the freight train--the railroad -yards must be in Cressman--it was about one mile or twenty minutes' walk -away. - -Without getting up, the dog bared his gleaming fangs in a cavernous -yawn. He rose, stretched, came to Jeff for a morning caress, and drank -from the creek. Jeff looked admiringly at him. The dog was one of the -biggest he'd ever seen, but he moved with all the grace of a much -smaller animal. Jeff dipped water, prodded his fire and put fresh coffee -on to brew. The dog looked expectantly at him. - -"You ate it all last night," Jeff explained. "There isn't a thing left -unless maybe you like coffee." - -The dog sniffed about to lick up splinters of bone and Jeff looked at -his big pocket watch. He lay back against the boulder, pillowing his -head on his hands and blinking into the rising sun. - -"Quarter to six," he told his companion. "And we have to time our -arrival in this metropolis almost to the minute. Time waits for no man, -but we'll wait for time." - -The freight labored toward them, rumbled over the bridge and sent a -shower of dust and cinder particles down. Sitting a little ways from the -fire, the dog did not even look up. Jeff poured a cup of black coffee, -sipped it, and the dog licked his chops. He was not as hungry as he had -been, for last night's meal was a satisfying one. But he had been so -long without food that he would have eaten had there been anything to -eat. - -Jeff still lolled idly against the boulder. Dogs were welcome in some -towns and unwelcome in others, and Jeff had never been to Cressman. But -it was a county seat, there was sure to be a court house, and court -houses opened at nine sharp. Jeff wanted to be there at that time but -not before. If the dog had a license, even though some might protest his -presence, they could do nothing about it as long as he was accompanied -by Jeff. - -Finishing his coffee, Jeff poured another cupful, drank it and dozed for -a while. Though he had had a long rest, it was well to sleep while he -could. Often Tarrant Enterprises, Ltd., walked into a situation where -there was no possibility of any rest. At exactly twenty minutes to nine, -with the dog beside him, Jeff started down the tracks. - -Cressman, he saw when he entered its outskirts, was a good-sized town -and typical. Neat white houses framed both sides of the street. The -business section would be farther on, and naturally the large building -with a flag pole on top would be the court house. Jeff walked swiftly, -paying no attention to the stares directed at him. He had expected the -dog to arouse notice. The clock over its entrance pointed to nine when -he reached the court house. - -The dog close beside him, Jeff entered and turned down a corridor where -a white-lettered black sign indicated that licenses might be had. He -paused beside a grilled window behind which was draped a lank, -black-haired, heavy-eyed, middle-aged clerk who looked as though he had -never been fully awake. Without glancing around, the clerk asked a -weary, "Yes?" - -"I want a license." - -"What kind?" - -"What kinds do you have?" - -"Hunting, fishing, marriage, building, auto, dog, store, café--" - -"A wide-enough choice. I want a dog license." - -Jeff took the yellow form and the pencil that were offered to him and -started to write. He turned the pencil sideways and pressed until the -lead broke. Jeff handed it back. - -"This is no good. I'll use one of my own." - -His hand stole into the pack and brought forth a mechanical pencil. Not -looking at the clerk, Jeff gave absorbed attention to the yellow form. -Under "sex" he wrote "male." When he came to "age" he looked shrewdly at -the dog and penciled in "3 yrs." "Breed" proved difficult, but not for -very long. Sure that nobody else would know it either, Jeff wrote -"Algerian boar hound." "Name" was simple. Happily Jeff wrote "Pal" and -shoved the slip back through the grill. - -The clerk was staring intently at the pencil. "Where'd you get that?" - -"This?" Jeff held the pencil up. "It's a Bagstone, the newest thing. I -wouldn't be without one." - -"Want to sell it?" - -"_Uh-uh._ I have only a couple left and I may need them." - -"What's it cost?" - -"A dollar." - -"License is fifty cents. Can we swap?" - -Jeff passed the pencil through the grill, but instead of the expected -fifty cents, the clerk handed him another slip of paper. - -"What's this?" - -"Peddler's license and you're a peddler. They cost fifty cents, so we're -even." - -Jeff, who had thought the clerk a naïve rustic, grinned his appreciation -of someone else who knew how to get what he wanted and started down the -corridor. He was still cheerful; he'd bought a dozen of the pencils for -two dollars, and all except two were sold. It was a good sign, and he -might do a brisk business in Cressman. He hadn't thought so when he came -in because there were many stores, and usually people would not buy from -a peddler if they could get what they wanted at a store. But Jeff felt -lucky. - -Coming in, he'd been in too much of a hurry to reach the court house to -pay much attention to the town. Now he had an opportunity to examine it -closely. - -Between 2500 and 3000 people, he guessed, lived in Cressman. They were -supported by the railroad yards and by a sawmill whose screeching saw -made a hideous noise on that end of town which Jeff had not yet visited, -and the workers must be well paid because there was every evidence of -prosperity. The wooden sidewalks were well cared for, the dirt streets -were clean, the horses on the streets were good animals that cost a fair -amount of money, and there were a few autos with brass-fronted -radiators. - -These were all good signs. The fact that the stores seemed well -patronized was bad, but Jeff wouldn't be able to tell until he had done -some canvassing of his own, and he wanted to do that before getting -breakfast for Pal and himself. Trade ran in cycles. If one Cressmanite -was quarreling with the storekeepers, the chances were good that the -person's friends would be similarly disposed to take an unkind view of -merchants. If there were several such quarrels, Jeff might do a thriving -business. - -The young trader took an unobtrusive stand beside a store whose sign -read "JOHN T. ALLEN, GENERAL MERCHANDISE." Beneath that, in smaller -letters was, "The best of everything for everyone at the lowest prices." -Pal sat down as close as he could get and touched Jeff's dangling hand -with a cold nose. - -There were few people on the street, but that was to be expected at this -hour. The workers would be working, the housewives taking care of their -houses and the children playing. Jeff's eyes roved down the main street. -He located and filed away in his mind the doctor's office, the dentist, -the stores, the blacksmith shop, the livery stable and other business -establishments. He knew where the sawmill was and he saw two church -steeples. With few exceptions, all the rest would be homes. It was a -good, substantial town, one of many such that Jeff had visited. - -He looked with mingled wistfulness and amusement at a boy plodding down -the sidewalk toward him. About eight years old, the youngster wore a -faded shirt, torn pants, and had a dirty face that was lighted by bright -eyes and a grin. He shuffled along, being careful to step only on the -cracks in the sidewalk and kicking at small objects in his path. Then he -saw the dog. His head went up, his grin became a smile, and he hurried -to pause in front of Jeff and Pal. - -"Gee!" he breathed. "Is he ever big! What's his name?" - -"Pal," Jeff answered. "Do you like big dogs, son?" - -"I like all dogs. Does he bite?" - -"Gentle as a kitten. Go ahead and pet him." - -Pal stood, his head reaching almost to the youngster's shoulders, and -wagged a welcoming tail at the hand stretched toward him. The boy -tickled Pal's ears and smoothed his muzzle. - -"Wish he was mine!" he sighed. - -"Don't you have a dog?" - -"My paw," the boy said mournfully, "won't let me have one. Well, I got -to go down to Skinner's and get Maw some sugar." - -"Take this." - -Jeff drew a peppermint stick from his pack and extended it. The boy took -it with the same hand he had used to pet Pal and grinned his thanks. -Jeff watched him skip down the street and sighed. He liked everybody, -but he had an especially soft spot in his heart for children. Besides, -it was good business. Should he decide to make a house-to-house canvass, -he had already paved the way in at least one home. - -Two women passed, going to the far side of the walk and keeping their -eyes averted when they reached Jeff, and a man came from the opposite -direction. Without seeming to, Jeff studied him. - -About thirty, the man was slim and supple. Snapping black eyes and a -pert waxed mustache betrayed his French origin, and from his quick, sure -steps he was a woodsman. He swerved into John T. Allen's store and Jeff -decided that he was a man of short temper. A moment later, that opinion -was borne out. - -"_Sacré!_" came an outraged roar. "You are a dog among dogs! A pig among -pigs! You cheat the honest people!" - -There came a snappish but calmer voice. "Take it easy, Pierre." - -"Nev-air!" Pierre shouted. "Nev-air, and nev-air do I come back!" He -bristled out of the store, turned to fling a final "Nev-air, pig!" back -into it, and confronted Jeff. - -"You know what he do?" he screamed. "I need the knife, the good hunting -knife! For it he wants a doll-air and twenty-five cents!" - -"Maybe they're worth that much." - -"_Non!_ Nev-air!" He looked seriously at Jeff. "You sell the hunting -knife?" - -"I do not compete with merchants." - -"You sell the hunting knife?" Pierre repeated. - -"I--" - -"Sell me the hunting knife!" - -"But--" - -"This I demand! Sell me the hunting knife!" - -With every show of reluctance, Jeff drew a hunting knife with a -three-inch blade from his pack. Pierre snatched it and his eyes lighted -deliriously. - -"How much?" - -"A dollar and twenty cents." - -"Is good!" - -Pierre pressed a rumpled dollar bill and two dimes into Jeff's hand, -danced back to the store entrance and waved the knife as though he were -about to go scalping with it. - -"See!" he screamed at the storekeeper. "Dog! See! The pedd-lair, he do -better than you! I have the hunting knife!" - -Pierre stamped fiercely away and Jeff settled back to watch. But only -for a moment. - -The man who came out of the store was no more than five feet three and -so thin that he seemed in imminent danger of collapsing. His nose, -covering a fair share of his face, was oddly like a rudder. A few -strands of blond hair clung precariously to his head and his eyes were -furious. - -"Did you sell that man a knife?" - -"Yes, I did." - -Without further ceremony, but with a roar that seemed incapable of -emerging from one so small, the storekeeper bellowed, - -"Joe!" - -It was a signal Jeff had heard many times in many voices that expressed -it many ways. This was one of the occasions when Tarrant Enterprises, -Ltd., had better move fast. The dog fell in beside him as Jeff started -to run. He was too late, though. - -It was as though the storekeeper possessed some magical quality that -could conjure up images at will. Jeff's path was suddenly blocked by a -burly two-hundred-and-ten-pound man who wore a gun, a constable's badge, -an air of authority, and who had never wasted any time acquiring fat. He -loomed over Jeff as a mountain looms over a knoll. - -"What's up?" he demanded. - -"This peddler," the storekeeper reverted to his customary snappish -voice, "is interfering with merchants. He sold Pierre LeLerc a hunting -knife." - -"Did you?" the constable asked Jeff. - -"Yes, but I have a license." - -"It's not one that allows you to peddle in business districts," the -storekeeper asserted. "Jail him, Joe." - -"You comin' peaceable?" the constable asked. "Or should I take you!" - -"Peaceable," Jeff answered hurriedly. "Always peaceable." - -"Come on, then. Your dog got a license?" - -"Look for yourself. Just sort of watch your hand." - -"That dog bite?" - -"Not usually." - -"See that he don't, huh?" - -"I'll see," Jeff promised. - -He fell resignedly in beside the constable while Pal paced behind him. -He thought ruefully of how little a feeling of good fortune could be -trusted. Still, by no means would this be the first jail to have him as -guest, and probably it would not be the last. He might as well make the -best of it. - -"Nice town you have here," he said companionably. - -"Yeah," the constable was entirely willing to be friendly, "it's all -right." - -"How long have you been chief of police in Cressman?" - -"Nine years. Say! That's a good title! Chief of Police, huh?" - -"You should call yourself that," Jeff asserted. "Do you have much -trouble?" - -The constable shrugged. "It depends." - -"There's just one thing I wonder about," Jeff said. "I've met a lot of -police in a lot of towns. All the rest had silver badges. How come yours -is brass?" - -"It was silver when I got it," the constable said ruefully. "Blame thing -turned color on me." - -"Why don't you polish it?" - -"I do ever' night. Use soap and all. Can't do a thing with it." - -"Have you tried Blecker's Silver Polish?" - -"What's that?" - -"A polish for badges." - -"Never heard of it." - -"Some store in Cressman should stock it." - -"They don't. I've tried everything they have." He looked searchingly at -Jeff. "Do you have any?" - -"Yes but," Jeff laughed nervously, "you've already got me on one charge. -I wouldn't care to be up on two." - -"Let me see it," the constable urged. - -"I'd better not." - -"I won't tell a person, and you have the word of Joe Parker for that. -Come on. Let's sneak behind this fence and have a look." - -"Well--" - -In the shadow of the fence, Jeff took a jar of Blecker's Unique Silver -Polish from his pack, dipped an end of his handkerchief lightly into it, -and carefully rubbed a small portion of the badge. As though by magic, -the tarnish disappeared and bright silver gleamed where it had been. - -"How much does that cost?" the constable breathed. - -"Thirty cents a jar, but you've treated me so nicely, I'll let you have -two for fifty cents." - -"Thanks." The constable slipped the two jars into his trousers pocket, -gave Jeff a half dollar, and said, "Guess we'd better get to jail." - -"Guess we had." - -The constable steered Jeff and Pal back to the court house but took them -into the basement, instead of the main entrance. There were two windows -with a desk beneath them, and behind the desk sat a gray-haired man -with a friendly face but a weary smile. In the dimly-lighted corridor -beyond were four jail cells. - -The constable paused at the desk. "Hi, Pop," he greeted the jailer. -"This peddler was peddlin' near stores. You tell him what to do with his -dog and pack, huh?" - -Without another glance at Jeff, Joe Parker turned and started back -toward the entrance. Even as he walked, he industriously polished his -badge. - - - - -3. ESCAPE - - -The jailer tilted his chair, clamped both hands behind his head, and -looked steadily at the new arrival. Jeff stood still, sensing something -here that had not been evident at first glance. Pop had a kindly face -and a weary smile, but were they a mask? After a moment, he spoke. - -"What are you doing here, boy?" - -"Getting in jail." - -"You're a peddler?" - -"I represent Tarrant Enterprises, Ltd. Now I have here--" - -"Whoa! Whoa there! I see a lot of peddlers. My knife is all right, my -watch is all right, I don't need tooth picks, tooth brushes, or anything -else, and I haven't any family. How long have you been peddling?" - -"Quite a spell." - -"You ever been in trouble before?" - -Jeff said blandly, "I've been in jail before." - -"You're just a kid and I don't like to see kids in trouble," the jailer -murmured sadly. - -"How much trouble am I in?" - -"You'll be kept until you can be brought before Justice Murphy. He'll -fine you five dollars and tell you to get out of town." - -"Can't I see him now?" - -"Justice Murphy," the jailer said, "has gone fishing. He won't be back -for a week." - -"Then I'm to be your guest for a week?" - -"It looks that way. Might as well get you checked in." - -He took a pad of forms from the desk and balanced a pencil. In the -proper places he inscribed Jeff's name, age, the offense with which he -was charged, and other pertinent data. He looked closely at what he had -written, and from the dark cells in back came a shouted, "Hey, Pop! -Who's the new tenant?" - -"Shut up, Ike." - -"Aw, bring him back, Pop. Bucky and me'd like to meet him." - -"You two be quiet," Pop reprimanded the prisoner. Then he addressed -Jeff. "Ike Wilson and Bucky Edwards--they finally got caught." - -"What for?" - -"Stealing chickens." - -Jeff looked unbelieving and the jailer's face became less gentle. For a -moment he was almost stern. - -"That's serious. It isn't a light matter." - -"I know." - -"Then why did you look so doubtful?" - -"It seems a few chickens are hardly worth a jail sentence." - -"They're not, and neither is anything else, but some people never learn -that. It just happens those boys weren't satisfied with one chicken. -They got three thousand that anybody knows about." - -"Whew!" - -"They'll pay for it. Now, Jeff, I'll have to take your dog." - -Jeff sparred for time. He had known other people in similar -circumstances whose dog had been taken away, and half the time they'd -simply disappeared. That they'd sickened and died was the usual story, -but actually they'd been destroyed because it was too much trouble to -take care of them. Outwardly, Jeff affected an air of supreme -indifference. - -"Sure," he agreed. "Go ahead. Just be careful. Pal doesn't like a lot of -people and he bites whoever he dislikes. Better be careful he gets his -regular feeding every day, too. That's four pounds of the best ground -steak. He hates everybody if he doesn't get it." - -"Yeah?" Pop was not at all friendly now. "Suppose he gets sick?" - -"If I don't get him back--and in as good a shape as when he was taken -away--I know a couple of good lawyers." - -"Lawyers cost money." - -"I have a certain amount of influence." - -Pop rubbed his chin reflectively and stared at the window. "I suppose -you could keep him in your cell if you want to pay for his board." - -"I might," Jeff said, knowing he had won this round and that his chance -shot had hit the bull's-eye. Obviously, for reasons of his own, Pop did -not care to have any lawyers investigating anything. "How good a cell?" - -Pop was all brittle now. "If you've been in other cells, you know how -good. How old are you?" - -"Old enough to land in jail. That tie you're wearing, Pop. It hardly -befits the dignity of your position and--" - -"I told you not to try to sell anything to me! Maybe, just maybe, we can -think up some other charge." - -"We'd buy if we had any money!" the man in the back cell yelled. "What's -your name, peddler?" - -"Jeff Tarrant, representing Tarrant Enterprises, Ltd. The most quality -for the most discriminating people." - -"What's that dis-dingus mean?" - -"It means shut up!" Pop snarled. "You're a smart one, huh?" - -Jeff said meekly, "All I know is black from white. I take my pack in the -cell too, don't I?" - -"No!" - -"I know exactly what's in it," Jeff warned, "and I know just what to do -if even a penny's worth is missing. Maybe I know what to do if nothing's -missing." - -"We can get tough, too." - -"I want that pack." - -"All right. Keep it and come on." - -Pal stayed very close to Jeff as Pop led them toward the cells. The two -chicken thieves came to the front of theirs and clasped the bars with -their hands. They were wholly delighted because, in his brush with Jeff, -Pop had come off second best. Jeff grinned back at them. - -"Hi, Jeff! Got anything to make our happy home happier?" - -"Tarrant Enterprises, Ltd., has something for everyone and can please -you. Here is a nice hack saw." - -"I'll take that," Pop said. - -"You'll take it for thirty-nine cents." - -"Hand it over. You'll get it back when you leave." - -"Well--" Jeff gave him the hack saw and the pair in the adjoining cell -roared with laughter. - -Pop asked, "Got any more?" - -"Unfortunately, the hack saw department is understocked and our new -order has not arrived." - -"Get in." - -Pop unlocked a cell and Jeff and Pal entered. The bars were in front -only; the cells were separated by brick walls. Adjusting his eyes to the -gloomy interior, Jeff saw two bunks with dirty mattresses suspended by -chains that were attached to the wall. There was an iron stand upon -which stood a chipped basin and a faded towel. Beneath the stand was a -bucket. Pop slammed the door. - -"I sleep in front," he advised. "I've got a sawed-off shotgun and I know -how to use it. Besides, just trying to break out can mean six months in -prison. Think it over." - -"Sure." Jeff smiled. - -Pop strode back to the desk while the two chicken thieves shouted -raucous insults. Jeff lost himself in thought. - -The situation had been quite obvious from the moment he entered the -jail. Few towns had a full-time jailer for two or three -prisoners--unless there were other factors involved--and almost without -exception such factors existed only when there were certain affairs that -would not bear close examination. The majority of Cressman's citizens -probably were honest, hard-working people, but some of its officials -were not. The fact that they could be dishonest only because the rest -were indifferent to the way their town's affairs were conducted did not -change the situation. If he were one of the inside clique, Pop would -have a better job, but he evidently knew enough so that he had to be -given something in order to prevent his talking. Pop's reaction when -Jeff expressed such utter willingness to take the matter up with an -attorney--offered additional proof of this. - -Jeff let his hand fondle Pal's head as he considered his chances. There -was little possibility of breaking out by force and it would not be a -good idea to do so anyway. As things stood, he faced a minor charge. -Breaking jail was a major one. It was illegal to keep him confined for -seven days without benefit of counsel, but that could be brushed over. -They could always claim that they had held him on suspicion of some more -serious charge. - -Jeff sighed. He held a club over Cressman, but Cressman held him in -jail. He scratched Pal's ears and murmured, - -"Let it never be said that Tarrant Enterprises, Ltd., gave way to -despair." - -"What'd you say, Jeff?" Ike called. - -"Comfortable home," Jeff answered gaily. - -"Counted the cockroaches in your private suite?" - -"Not yet." - -"We got forty-seven," Ike said proudly. "One nigh as big as that dog of -yours. What you got in your pack?" - -"Candles?" Jeff suggested. - -"Law! If Bucky and me had any money, we'd buy some." - -Jeff took three candles, which he bought for a penny and sold for three -cents each, from his pocket. He handed two of them and a half dozen -matches around the end of his cell. - -"A gift from Tarrant Enterprises, Ltd." - -"Thanks, Tarrant what-you-call-it. We'll pay you soon's we've found us a -fortune." - -"I'll count on it," Jeff said. - -He lighted the third candle, dripped wax from it onto the iron stand, -and set it upright in its own drippings. By its flickering light, he -examined the cell more closely. It was what he had expected. The floor -was dirty, the mattresses only a little less so, and cockroaches -scurried for cracks. - -Jeff let his hand brush Pal's head again. Completely trusting, the dog -wagged his tail and shoved his nose against his master's thigh. Dragging -the mattress from the top bunk, Jeff laid it on the floor. Conceivably, -even a dog would protest against sleeping up there. - -Hunger reminded Jeff that neither he nor Pal had eaten anything since -last night, and again he took refuge in the happy thought that first -things must be first. He edged up to the bars and said softly, - -"Ike." - -"Yeah?" - -"Where's the food come from around here?" - -"The garbage can," Ike answered sadly. "Anyhow, that's what I think." - -"Can we get any other?" - -"If you got money, you can ask Pop." - -"Nothing like trying." Jeff raised his voice, "Hey, Pop!" - -"What do you want?" - -"How about something to eat?" - -"It's not lunch time." - -"How about some anyhow?" - -"Got any money?" - -Jeff replied mournfully, "A few pennies that I've been saving for my old -age. I can pay for it." - -Pop came to the cell. "What you want?" - -"Three loaves of bread and three half pounds of cheese." - -"Let's have the money." - -"_Uh-uh._ Bring it first." - -"Show me the money." - -Jeff held up two crumpled dollar bills. Pop walked to the entrance and -there came the click of his key turning in the lock. Breathless silence -reigned; this was a momentous occasion that must be properly observed. -Ten minutes later the key clicked again and Pop came in with parcels. - -"Three loaves of bread," he read from a slip, "eighteen cents. A pound -and a half of cheese, thirty cents. And," he looked maliciously at Jeff, -"four pounds of the best ground steak for the dog, one dollar." - -Jeff grinned; his own words had backfired on him. He had intended to -give Pal a loaf of bread and a half pound of cheese, to offer the same -to those in the next cell, and to keep as much for himself. But he did -not lose his aplomb. - -"Exactly!" he exclaimed. "Just what I wanted! But I wouldn't think of -paying in money when I can offer something of great value! Now--" - -"Give me the money," Pop growled. "A dollar and forty-eight cents." - -"Oh, well, if you must be crass--" Jeff gave him a dollar bill and -forty-eight cents in change. "Give my pals in the next cell a loaf of -bread and a pound of cheese." - -"Thanks!" Ike said feelingly, and even the silent Bucky mumbled his -gratitude. Jeff laid his pack on the lower bunk, put his food on the -pack, and made two sandwiches with a half pound of raw ground steak -between each. He spread a paper, scooped two pounds of steak upon it, -and gave it to Pal. The rest of the steak he passed into the next cell. - -"This," Ike exclaimed, "is as good as a hotel! Best grub I ever threw a -lip over! Jeff, if ever you want a helping hand, you can count on me and -Bucky!" - -"I'll remember," Jeff promised. - -He ate his two sandwiches while Pal licked thoroughly the paper in which -the steak had been wrapped. Then he looked up appealingly and Jeff threw -him a quarter loaf of bread. The rest of the food he put in his pack. He -heard Ike's whispered, - -"Jeff." - -Jeff went to the front of the cell. "Yes?" - -"You want to get out of here, I'll make like I'm sick. When that old -fool comes in, Bucky and me will grab him and get his keys. We'll give -'em to you and you can beat it." - -"What about you?" - -"Ha!" Ike scoffed. "They can't do much more to us than they're already -going to do!" - -"Thanks just the same, but we'd better not." - -"You like this hole?" - -"No, but there must be a better way." - -"There's none quicker." - -"I know. Thanks anyway. Why don't you two get out?" - -"We don't das't," Ike mourned. "How'd we know, when we got Bill -Wheeler's chickens, that Bill'd call his seven brothers in? They're -asettin' round the town, just waitin' for me and Bucky to break loose, -and every one of 'em with a rifle. When Bucky and me go out of Cressman, -we got to go with officers." - -Jeff chuckled. "Too bad, Ike. But I don't want to break jail." - -The day wore on. Grown accustomed to the candle light, the cockroaches -came out of their cracks and scurried across the floor. This proved -vastly intriguing to Pal, who watched them interestedly. He made quick -little rushes, but the cockroaches always escaped. Jeff walked -restlessly around the small cell. There had to be a way out because -there was a way out of everything, but he could think of nothing. - -Suddenly inspired, he called, "Pop!" - -"What?" - -"I--I just wanted to see if you were still there." - -"Of course I'm here." - -Jeff, who had intended to hold a five-dollar bill against the cell bars -and indicate that it would be Pop's in exchange for freedom, abandoned -the plan almost as soon as he conceived it because it was hardly -consistent with the business policies of Tarrant Enterprises, Ltd., or -with its standards. He must pay for nothing if he could trade, and there -had to be something he could trade for release. - -Bucky said fretfully, "Jeff." - -"What do you want?" - -"Got anything in that pack of yours that'll help pass time?" - -"How about some music?" - -"Anything!" - -Jeff took from his pocket a small mouth organ with which he often -beguiled the hours. He was happy again, and his smile glowed once more. -He'd been thinking too hard. If he relaxed with the mouth organ for a -little while, and cleared his mind, he would get some new ideas. By way -of tuning up, he blew a soft note and the cell erupted. - -Pal, who had been lying quietly on the mattress, leaped to his feet, -pointed his head erect, and voiced a weird howl. It was not the cry of a -dog but a banshee shriek, a wailing of lost souls and tortured beings, -and it filled the room like a solid substance. Descending on a low moan, -it stopped. Pal lifted his lips and snarled fiercely. - -The two in the next cell gave way to hysterical laughter and Pop bustled -from his desk. - -"You'll have to keep that dog--" - -He took a backward step as Pal snarled again. The mouth organ hidden in -his hand, Jeff stood innocently. Pop stared. - -"Why does he do that?" - -"I don't know." - -"You'll have to keep him quiet." - -"I'll try," Jeff promised. - -His blue eyes were dancing and his smile broadened. Some dogs were -affected by sounds beyond those which normally came to their ears, and -Jeff had never decided whether they reacted because certain noises -grated harshly on their ears, because some sounds reminded them of a -battle or other experience, or if they were merely inclined to be in -tune. Obviously Pal was given to the latter sort of response. Waiting -until Pop returned to the desk, Jeff blew the same note as softly. - -Pal responded with a whole chorus of shrieks that began on a tenor note -and ascended to a high soprano. The echoes rolled back from the walls -and seemed to bound forward again. It was almost an incredible thing -that was promptly repeated when Jeff blew another note. - -"Shut that dog up!" Pop shrieked. - -"I'm trying!" Jeff said desperately. - -The door opened. Joe Parker came in. Jeff blew again, very softly, and -Pal's immediate response filled the room. Their faces angry, Pop and the -constable appeared in front of the cell and shouted to make themselves -heard. - -"Quiet!" - -"What'd you say?" Jeff yelled. - -"Quiet!" - -Pal stopped howling, but he stopped so abruptly that the constable still -shouted. - -"If you can't make that dog be quiet, I'll take him out of here!" - -Pal voiced the snarl that followed his howling and both men stepped -back. Joe Parker's hand dipped to his gun. - -"You don't have to shout," Jeff soothed. "I can hear you. And I wouldn't -shoot, either. The dog's mine, he can't possibly hurt you, and there are -two witnesses who will prove it." - -"Sure thing," Ike agreed happily. "Bucky and me are your boys!" - -"Make him stop yelling," the constable said. "People are standing on the -street, wondering who's getting murdered down here." - -"Send them down," Jeff invited. "I represent Tarrant Enterprises, Ltd., -and I might sell--" - -"That dog has to stop yelling!" - -Jeff shook a chiding finger at Pal. "Stop yelling!" - -Pop and the constable left. Ike and Bucky chuckled. Pal sat down, -expectant eyes fixed on the hand that held Jeff's mouth organ. He knew -now where the sound originated, and he was ready the instant Jeff raised -his hand. Pop and the constable, their faces entreating rather than -commanding, came back. - -"Can't you make him shut up?" - -"I told him. You heard me tell him." - -"We can't have that noise." - -"Why not?" Ike jeered. "Does it keep all the workers in the court house -awake?" - -"Judge Carlson's trying to work," the constable said. "He'll be working -until nine tonight." - -"Thought you said he'd gone fishing?" Jeff accused Pop. - -"That's Justice Murphy. He hears all the cases where no more than fifty -dollars is involved." - -"Don't make the judge mad!" Ike chortled. "What if he gets real upset?" - -"Can't you make him shut up?" the constable pleaded. - -"I'll try." - -The two went back to the desk. A match flared there, and an oil lamp -cast its yellow glow into the corridor; apparently night was -approaching. The constable left and Jeff pocketed the mouth organ. Five -minutes later he brought it out again and once more Pal wrecked the -silence. The door burst open, slammed shut, and Pop and the constable -stood before Jeff's cell. - -Joe Parker spoke, "How'd you like to get out, peddler?" - -"I don't know," Jeff said smoothly. "I like it here." - -"Now look, why can't you be reasonable? We haven't got much on you and -we're not mad at you. Ever'body's going to be plumb out of their minds -if that dog howls down here for a whole week!" - -"What's your proposition?" Jeff asked serenely. - -"We'll leave you out, give you and that howling wolf pack ten minutes to -get out of town, and start looking for you." - -Jeff hesitated, scenting a trap and guessing that something besides -Pal's howling was involved. Probably Pop had not been reticent about the -new prisoner's willingness to consult attorneys.... Jeff said finally, -"And if you catch me, you'll have me for breaking jail, too?" - -The constable retorted grimly, "We don't aim to hunt _that_ hard." - -For a moment Jeff pondered, as though considering everything seriously. -His face was solemn when he looked up. - -"Nope," he said. "It's not enough." - -Ike looked pained. "What do you want for getting out of jail?" - -"Pop owes me thirty-nine cents for a hack saw." - -"I'll give the hack saw back," Pop offered quickly. - -"I don't want it. I want thirty-nine cents." - -"Oh, for pete's sake!" - -Pop took a purse from his pocket, counted out thirty-nine cents, and -passed it through the bars. Jeff pocketed the money. - -"What's the next town?" - -"Stay right in the valley. Seven miles down, you'll come to Delview. You -can't miss, and heaven help Delview if they pick you up!" - -"Any other place?" - -"North through the mountains there's Smithville. Better not try it, -there's no direct road and those mountains are plenty rugged." - -"Good town, though," Ike called. "That constable in Smithville, he -minds his own business most of the time. So does most ever'body else. It -pays, in Smithville." - -"Wild place, huh?" - -"Not wild," Ike declared. "Just sensible." - -"I'll go to Delview," Jeff decided. - -"That's worse'n Cressman," Ike snorted. "They jail you there for lookin' -cross-eyed." - -"You got to go now," Joe pointed out. "You took Pop's money." - -"Open the cell." - -"'Bye, Jeff," Ike called. "Me'n Bucky may be seeing you." - -"Take care of yourselves." - -Outside, instead of going to the main street, Jeff slipped behind the -court house. Two more moving shadows in a place of shadows, he and Pal -flitted past a cluster of lilacs and darted to a patch of trees. They -threaded their way through the town, always alert and careful. - -Again on the outskirts of Cressman, Jeff heaved a sigh of relief and -walked swiftly down the road. Once more Pal had saved the day; -apparently Pop and the constable had wanted only, and wholeheartedly, to -be rid of them. Jeff felt a little saddened. The shining name of Tarrant -Enterprises, Ltd., had become a little tarnished in Cressman. The -concern had spent money and earned little enough. - -Jeff was startled by the gruff command, "Wait thar!" - -He halted. A man stepped out of the shadows, looked closely at him, -pointed a sawed-off shotgun at the ground and said, "Go ahead." - -Jeff thought of Ike and Bucky. Probably this man was one of the pickets -waiting for them. - -He recovered his cheer. There were always fresh customers down the -road, but they would not be where Jeff had told Joe Parker he intended -to seek them. It would be no difficult matter to send a message to -Delview, and to ask the police there to be alert for a peddler -accompanied by a huge dog. - -At the first break in the mountains, Jeff left the road and started for -the opportunities that must surely await him in Smithville. - - - - -4. THE CABIN - - -The rising sun turned the tops of the mountains to gold, and like -slow-flowing water, sunshine crept gradually down the slopes. In a grove -of pines, a chickaree came out of the warm nest where he had spent the -night. Three inches from his nest, the chickaree paused on an outjutting -stub. - -A hawk winged through the pines regularly, and though it had always -missed by a comfortable margin, it had struck three times at the -chickaree. The pines were part of a marten's beat, and the marten had -chased the chickaree several times. In addition, on their way to one -place or another, various other predators wandered through the pines and -few of them were averse to eating chickaree. - -The chickaree held perfectly still, bright eyes glowing and small ears -straining. Neither the hawk nor the marten were present, and the -chickaree was puzzled because he could see nothing else. That should not -be. Three big bucks were spending the season on this slope and every -night they bedded in the pines. This morning there was no sign of them. - -Though he could neither see nor hear anything, the chickaree knew that -something was present, if only because the deer were not. After five -minutes, having assured himself that there was no immediate threat, the -chickaree set out to find whatever he had sensed. - -He scampered up the pine, leaped effortlessly into another, and took a -different stand. Again he examined the grove. A smell of wood smoke -tickled his nostrils and the chickaree knew that a man had come to the -pines. That much discovered, he went into action. - -He leaped to another pine, raced swiftly up it, and made a leap so long -that the twigs upon which he landed bent precariously. A master of -aerial travel, the chickaree paid no heed. - -Three minutes later he found the man sleeping under a big pine. There -was a huge dog beside him and a bed of glowing coals so arranged that -the heat they cast enveloped both man and dog. The chickaree paused, -anger in his eyes. He had squatters' rights in these pines and he lacked -the remotest intention of sharing them with any man. Biting off a pine -cone, the chickaree dropped it squarely on the man's face. - -Jeff Tarrant came awake. - -There was no lingering struggle to achieve complete wakefulness and no -dropping back for another five minutes' slumber because Jeff had long -since learned that that must never be. He had to awaken instantly, and -at the least disturbance, because there was always a possibility that he -might have to get up fighting, and he had a distinct impression that -something had dropped on his face. - -Swift glances in all directions told him that there was nothing except -Pal near, and Jeff relaxed. Now he could attend to the ceremony of -awakening. Jeff rubbed his eyes, yawned, stretched and rose. Rising with -him, Pal saw the madly-fleeing chickaree; following the dog's gaze, -Jeff saw it, too. Appalled by his own boldness, the chickaree was -putting distance between Jeff and himself as rapidly as possible. Jeff -grinned. - -"So! He doesn't want us around either! Pal, seems to me that lately -nobody has wanted anything to do with Tarrant Enterprises, Ltd.! Shame -on them!" - -Pal wagged his tail and made an enthusiastic attempt to lick his -master's face. Jeff pushed him away; Pal's tongue was approximately the -size of a dish towel and the consistency of sand paper. Not to be -defeated, Pal got in a number of good licks on his friend's hand and -Jeff chided, "Cut it out! I can wash myself!" - -As he walked to a little runlet that trickled through the pines and -washed his face and hands, Jeff thought of last night. - -In the valley up which he had traveled, that runlet became a good-sized -stream, with several deep pools. Having fallen into two of them last -night, Jeff had discovered the pools the hard way. But he had achieved -his purpose. It was not only possible but highly probable that Joe -Parker and Pop had ideas which they hadn't bothered to disclose when -letting Jeff out of jail. If they were able to catch him again, he would -be charged with jail breaking. That meant six months, and six months was -plenty of time to steal the pack's contents. However, even if they -followed him into the mountains, they couldn't catch him. - -A satisfying vision of the Delview police looking for him, and of Pop -and the constable hopefully waiting, formed in Jeff's mind. He grinned -happily. Even though he was stranded in a wilderness with no customers -in sight, and no telling when he would find any, Tarrant Enterprises, -Ltd., was in business again. Jeff took his watch out, saw that it had -stopped, set it for nine o'clock, and wound it. - -He might be an hour, two hours, or three hours, off. It made no -difference. Tarrant Enterprises, Ltd., guided its fortunes by the -circumstances of the moment and not by the dial of a watch or clock. Any -hour of the twenty-four, or any minute of any hour, might present a -precious and never to be repeated opportunity. Therefore, it was better -to be alert for what the moment might present than to depend too heavily -on any timepiece. - -Last night he had been in too much of a hurry to think of eating, and -when he had finally put what he considered an adequate distance between -Cressman and himself, he had been too tired. Now he took the remainder -of bread and cheese from his pack and divided both in half. - -"Chow time!" he said grandly. "Here, Pal, a wonderful breakfast!" - -Pal gulped his portion. Jeff ate more slowly, and when he had finished -the last crumb he was completely serene. It mattered not at all that he -was completely out of food or that it was an unknown distance to the -next place where he would be able to buy more. By all means, the future -should be carefully weighed, but the future was a great and shining -promise and lack of food a small inconvenience. - -"Let's go!" he said happily. - -A little breeze sang to him, the sun warmed him, and he was completely -cheerful as he resumed his journey. This was a new and fresh experience, -and as such it was to be treasured. Pal ran a hundred feet ahead, slowed -to a walk, and further slowed to a stalk so deliberate that he moved at -a snail's pace. He looked questioningly back at Jeff. - -Jeff wrinkled his brows. In town, or even near other people, Pal had not -moved more than a yard away. Here he would leave Jeff and that was -entirely understandable. Naturally he would feel freer in the -wilderness, but what did he want? Jeff halted. - -"What's up, Pal?" - -The dog stared hard at a copse of brush and for a moment Jeff remained -still. Then he advanced slowly. - -"Hope I'm not doing it wrong," he murmured. "I know you're trying to -tell me something, but I'm too dumb to understand your language." - -Pal stayed perfectly rigid until Jeff was within five feet, then went in -to flush two grouse from the brush. They winged thunderously up and -drummed away, and a great light dawned on Jeff. - -If Pal had not had a former master, he would not have been wearing a -collar, and obviously that master had lived partly by hunting. Scenting -the grouse, Pal had been asking Jeff, as plainly as a dog can ask -anything, whether or not he cared to shoot them. Jeff petted Pal and -heaped praise upon him. - -"Good dog!" he exclaimed. "That's the boy!" - -Pal sighed ecstatically because he had pleased his master. He had -already helped Jeff out of two difficult situations, and for that alone -he deserved loyalty. Now it became evident that he would not be wholly -dead weight. Jeff, who had learned something about dogs, reviewed what -he knew. - -There were various dogs for various purposes. Thus the bull was for -fighting, the dachshund went into burrows and dragged out whatever -sought a refuge there, the setter hunted game birds, the hound trailed, -etc. Occasionally there was an intelligent mongrel that combined the -functions of two or more such specialists. It was difficult to imagine -Pal crawling into burrows, but he had already proven his ability to hunt -birds. Would he do anything else? - -It occurred to Jeff that he knew little about his new partner and until -now he had had little chance to do any probing. Now there was every -chance. - -"Heel!" he ordered. - -Pal fell in beside him, walking at his left and just far enough away so -there was no danger of collision. Jeff was delighted; he had already -discovered that Pal responded perfectly to other commands and must have -had much training. Five minutes later there came an interruption. - -Buzzing angrily through the trees, a bee made straight for Jeff. It -danced up and down in front of his face, seeking a place to light. Jeff -swiped at it with his right hand. - -When he did, Pal bounded forward. Swift as a deer, and as graceful, he -raced among the trees. With seeming lack of effort, he leaped high, the -better to see what lay about him. Finding nothing, he looked back -perplexedly. - -"Come on," Jeff coaxed. "Come on, Pal!" - -Pal returned and Jeff petted him fondly. Now he knew something else -about the dog. A hand waved forward was Pal's signal to look for game. -Jeff stored the knowledge away, pending the time it might be useful. - -Pal ranged ahead and on both sides. Jeff strode on. The mountain had -been steep, but its summit was a broad plateau covered with pine forest, -and somewhere in the distant peaks that Jeff could see must lie the town -of Smithville. Sooner or later he would get there, and if he needed two -or three days, that was all right. He was enjoying the hike, and the -farther away Smithville was, the farther he'd be from Cressman. - -He stopped to rest at a pond that fed a stream and saw trout in the -clear waters. Removing his pack, he opened the right compartment, and -took from it a fishing line and a box of hooks. He tied a hook to the -line, cut a pole from a copse of willows growing beside the pond, kicked -a rock over and gathered up the fat worms beneath it, baited, and cast. - -A dozen trout rushed the bait. One got it, and Jeff landed him. He -continued to cast until he had nine trout. Jeff dressed them, washed -them, took a grill and salt and pepper from the pack, and cooked his -fish. Pal cleaned up all the heads, all the bones, and four trout. Jeff -ate the rest, smacking his lips over them and entirely happy. - -"This," he sighed, "is the way to live!" - -They descended into a valley and were crossing a field when a rabbit -flushed in front of them. White tail flashing, it streaked through the -grass. Jeff waved his right arm and Pal raced forward. So effortlessly -that he almost seemed to float, he overtook the fleeing rabbit and -snatched it up. The rabbit dangling from his jaws, he trotted back and -laid his game in Jeff's hand. - -Jeff laughed in sheer delight. Almost always he canvassed the back -country, because that was the only place where, usually, he could be -pretty sure of doing good business. But he had been so interested in his -customers that he had had little time for the wilderness. Now there was -an opportunity to see and observe, and he liked everything around him. -He still wanted to wander, but if he ever did settle down, it would be -in such a place. - -The two camped that night in another grove of pines, not knowing where -they were and not caring, and Jeff broiled the rabbit. It was stringy -and tough, but hunger proved a powerful sauce and when Jeff chewed and -swallowed the last few shreds of meat he felt as though he had partaken -of princely fare. - -"I wouldn't mind if this went on for a long while!" he told the -contented Pal. "I like it almost as much as you do!" - -He arranged a fire to reflect against a fallen tree trunk, slept soundly -all night, and awakened with dawn. There was nothing for breakfast, but -there had been nothing for a lot of breakfasts and it made little -difference. Sooner or later they would eat, and this morning it was -sooner. - -No more than four hundred yards from their camp they reached a brawling -little stream that raced frantically downslope. Again Jeff strung his -tackle and caught trout. He laid them in the grill and was about to -build a fire when Pal growled. - -It was a sound so soft that nothing more than a few feet away would have -heard it. Jeff looked quickly at the dog and glanced around the forest. -He saw nothing. Pal was on all fours, straining into the wind, and he -growled again. Again Jeff found nothing. Leaving the pack and fish, Jeff -stole to a big pine about thirty feet away and crouched behind it. He -whispered, - -"Down!" - -Pal lay down and Jeff continued to watch. Two minutes later he saw a man -coming through the forest. - -Very tall and very thin, the man was dressed in a sun-faded shirt from -which half of the right sleeve was missing. Protruding from it, what -could be seen of his right arm had been scorched by so much sun that it -was almost black. His left sleeve was tied at the wrist. As dilapidated -as the shirt, his gray trousers ended six inches above scuffed shoes, -and an expanse of naked leg showed that he wore no socks. A luxuriant -beard covered his face, and curly black hair dangled over his ears and -down the back of his head. - -In many parts of the country Jeff had seen other men who might have been -this one's twin. Obviously a hillbilly, he carried a carbine as though -it were a part of him. - -He lingered behind a pine about fifty yards from Jeff's pack and for a -full minute he regarded it closely. Then, making no noise whatever, he -approached and prodded the pack with his foot. As he looked curiously at -the grill of trout, Jeff spoke. - -"That's mine, stranger." - -The man whirled, shouldered the carbine, and put it down again. Jeff -rose. Bristling, his lips slightly lifted, Pal stayed very near. Pal -knew what Jeff could not; the man was Barr Whitney and presently he -spoke. - -"I wa'nt goin' to tetch it." - -"I know that." Jeff had a customer. "I can see that you're an honest -man. But I thought I'd better make sure first." - -"Right smart idea." - -Barr Whitney looked swiftly at Pal and glanced back at Jeff. His eyes -revealed nothing, but he kept the carbine down. Expecting a flow of -questions, Jeff was momentarily disconcerted when his visitor did not -speak. Jeff glanced at the knife on his belt. - -With a six-inch blade, the point of the knife was thrust into a -deer-skin sheath and there was a six-inch guard that protected the -cutting edge. Sparkling keen, the blade probably was made out of an old -file and fitted with an ingenious hilt of deer antler. Jeff watched the -knife for only a split second. Homemade, it was the work of an artist -and Jeff knew of lowlanders who would pay a good price for it. But he -must not let the stranger know this. Barr Whitney remained silent and -Jeff said nothing. Often it was productive of the best results to fit -his own mood to that of a potential customer. - -Jeff flicked his pack open, took from it a clasp knife that was almost a -small tool chest within itself, removed the trout from the grill, and -arranged them on a slab of bark. He became absorbed in the grill. -Opening the file on the clasp knife, he filed a sharp point from the -grill's wire handle. - -He closed the file, opened a long, pointed blade, and cut the fishes' -heads off. As he did so, he brushed the grill with his trousers, caught -a loose thread which was always kept purposely loosened, and snipped it -off with the scissors that the clasp knife also contained. Carefully he -worked with the awl blade, poking the cut thread back into place. - -Barr Whitney watched silently, then said, "Give me leave to look at it." - -"Sure." - -Without looking at the other, Jeff gave him the knife. He started a -fire, laid the trout back on the grill, and started cooking them. Jeff -seasoned the fish and asked, "Had breakfast?" - -"Yup." - -Jeff gave half the trout to Pal and gravely stripped the flesh from his -own share. He gave Pal the stripped bones, went down to the stream, dug -a handful of sand from it, and scrubbed the grill clean. Barr Whitney -was still opening and closing the blade, scissors, awl, screwdriver, -file, and fork that folded into the clasp knife's stag handle. He spoke, - -"Good knife." - -"Yeah," Jeff agreed. - -"How much?" - -"Six dollars." - -Silence followed. Jeff, who had guessed that Barr Whitney was as likely -to have six thousand as six dollars, made up his pack. - -The other spoke again, "You swap?" - -"Maybe." - -"For what?" - -"Your rifle." - -The other jumped as though stung. Jeff, who knew that it's as easy to -trade a hillbilly out of his hand as to separate him from his rifle, -continued to work calmly. The pack, never cumbersome, could be made so -when he wanted to gain time. - -Barr Whitney asked, "Trade knives?" - -"Let's see yours." - -Stripping the knife from his belt, Barr handed it to Jeff. Betraying -nothing of what he thought, Jeff unsheathed the homemade weapon. -Razor-sharp, it was exquisitely balanced and so finely made that blade -of steel and hilt of horn flowed into each other as smoothly and as -naturally as two placid creeks mingle their waters. Ordinarily Jeff was -able to do little in towns and cities. But he could if he had -merchandise like this to offer. Aside from being highly practical, the -knife was a collector's item. Jeff handed it back. - -"Guess not." - -"What do ye want?" - -"Two knives like that." - -Smirking faintly, Barr Whitney thrust a hand inside his shirt and -brought out the twin to the first knife. Obviously he'd been wearing it -in a shoulder sheath. He dropped both knives beside Jeff and for the -first time there was a change in his expression. His eyes were gleeful, -as though he'd been too sharp for a peddler, and he clutched the clasp -knife firmly. - -Jeff said in pretended disappointment, "Guess I talked myself out of -that one." - -"Guess you did." - -"Well, I do sometimes. Which way is Smithville?" - -Barr Whitney pointed down a valley. "Thar." - -"How far?" - -"A piece." - -Without further comment, Barr Whitney turned and strode into the forest. -Jeff shouldered his pack and looked at Pal. The dog stood erect, still -faintly bristled as he looked after the departing man and Jeff wondered -why. He shrugged. Some people just naturally roused a dog to anger and -it was not important. Jeff started toward Smithville. - -Ike had spoken highly of Smithville, and in Ike's eyes its virtue lay in -the fact that people there minded their own business. What Jeff had seen -bore that out. Hillbillies were independent, not at all inclined to -meddle in the affairs of others or to having their own investigated. -Scornful of anyone who wore an officer's badge, they were quick to take -violent action if what they considered their personal rights were -violated. But usually they did not bother those who let them alone. - -Jeff strolled in the direction Barr Whitney had indicated. Somewhere -ahead lay Smithville, and Barr Whitney had given him a completely new -idea. This could not be a wealthy land if the man Jeff had met was any -indication of its riches. Shut off from the world and with little money, -the hill people must of necessity do for themselves, and few of them -were satisfied to have everything slipshod. It naturally followed that -they would have brought handicraft to a high perfection. Jeff planned as -he walked. - -Seldom had Jeff even tried to peddle in any town larger than Cressman; -in big cities he could do no business at all. But not all of the people -in cities were contented with the monotonous sameness of the stamped and -stereotyped products available to them. They had lost the art of -handicraft themselves, but some still appreciated it and were able to -pay for it. On the other hand, there was an excellent chance that the -inhabitants of these mountains, lacking the money to buy city goods, -would be eager to trade for them. Jeff began to whistle. - -"Pal," he said happily, "maybe, just maybe, Tarrant Enterprises, Ltd., -is about to become an even bigger business!" - -Pal was padding ahead, glancing from side to side and making eager -little excursions into the brush and forest. This was his country. Times -without number he had walked through these same woods with Johnny -Blazer. Returning excited him. He went from a boulder to a patch of -brush, and from there to a stump. His tail wagged constantly as once -again he saw all the old landmarks that were so familiar and so dear. -Not understanding, Jeff wondered. - -They came to a foot path. Jeff followed Pal down the path, not knowing -where it led but sure that it would take them somewhere. If it did not -bring them to Smithville, it would certainly lead to some house whose -inhabitants could tell him exactly how to get there, and Jeff was in no -hurry. He was naturally footloose and the woods were free. Jeff knew a -mounting disinclination to go to Smithville at once. It would suit him -better to camp in the open again tonight. - -The path joined a road. There were wagon tracks, hoof prints, and even -tire tracks left by venturesome drivers of automobiles. Jeff came to a -sure sign of the latter, a blown tire lying beside the road, and shook a -sympathetic head. He did not share the views of those who proclaimed -cars a passing fad. They would be the conveyance of the future if only -because they could travel as far in one hour as a horse could in three. -Their many faults were sure to be corrected. - -Pal frolicked like a puppy, ears shaking and tail wagging as he bounced -around with a wide canine grin on his mouth. When he came to another dim -foot path leading out of the woods, he halted to look inquiringly back -at his master. Hesitantly--he had not yet had any assurance that Jeff -wanted to visit it--he looked longingly toward Johnny Blazer's cabin. - -Wondering what Pal wanted now, Jeff halted beside him. The cabin was -hidden by trees; from this distance no part of it could be seen. Then a -puff of wood smoke drifted to Jeff's nostrils and the cabin betrayed -itself. With Pal dancing eagerly ahead, he started up the path. - -Fifty yards from the road, he came to Johnny Blazer's cabin and halted -uncertainly. The place looked abandoned. Of the two windows he could -see, a pane of glass was missing from each. Still, smoke drifted from -the chimney. Obviously someone was living in the cabin. - -Jeff knocked on the door. Nobody answered. He knocked again, and when -there was no response, he walked in. - -A homemade chair with one broken leg lay upended on the floor. There -were a few broken dishes, a stove, scattered papers and dust. Wind blew -through empty panes where glass had been. About to go farther in for a -closer inspection, Jeff was halted by a near hysterical command. - -"All right, mister! Raise both hands and raise 'em high!" - -"Certainly," Jeff agreed pleasantly. "Anything to oblige." - -Jeff raised both hands and heard, "Turn around!" - -He turned to confront the yawning muzzles of a double-barreled eight -gauge shotgun. Holding it and dwarfed by it, but never flinching, was a -blazing-eyed boy who could not possibly be more than ten years old. - - - - -5. DAN - - -The boy stood about ten feet away, near a pot-bellied wood stove behind -which he probably had been hiding when Jeff came in. His clothing was -rumpled, but at the same time it was fairly new and not the faded -hand-me-downs that were to be expected on ten-year-olds around -Smithville. His face and hands were dirty, and straight black hair that -had once been well-groomed tumbled all over his head. - -Jeff knew a surge of pity. Never, in hill or any other country, should a -ten-year-old stand so. It was not right that any youngster's eyes should -spark with such unbridled fury, or that any child should have the -complete willingness to kill that was so evident in this one. At the -same time, Jeff felt something else. The youngster had control of -himself and the shotgun did not waver. But taut lips seemed ready to -tremble and tears lingered behind angry eyes. - -It was as though the boy had taken up burdens which were far too heavy, -but which he was determined to carry, even while he longed for a -friendly arm to help him and a sympathetic ear to which he might tell -his story. And somehow, in spite of his anger, quality was evident -within him. - -Jeff said gently, "Put your gun down, son." - -"Tell me what you're doing here! _With my pop's dog!_" - -Jeff was astounded. "Your pop's dog?" - -"That's him! That's Buster!" - -Hearing the name, Pal flattened both ears and wagged his tail. He looked -at the boy without going near him. Jeff tried to collect his thoughts. - -"I found him a long ways from here. Clear over beyond Cressman." - -Uncertainty stole some of the boy's fury. "You--you did?" - -"That's right." - -"Who are you?" - -"My name's Jeff Tarrant and I'm a peddler. Put your gun down." - -"Well--" He lowered the shotgun. Two tears broke from his eyes and he -shook them off with an angry whirl of his head. Jeff extended his hand. - -"Maybe you'd better let me have the gun." - -"It--it isn't loaded. I didn't have any money to buy shells!" - -Jeff said gently, "Taking a bit of a chance, weren't you? What if you'd -pulled it on someone with a gun that was loaded?" - -"I--I don't know." - -"This is really your dad's dog?" - -"I ought to know him." - -"He doesn't seem especially happy to see you." - -"I--I only saw him twice. Last time a year ago. But it's my pop's!" - -"Who are you, son?" - -"Dan Blazer." - -"And where is your pop?" - -"Dead!" Dan said fiercely. "Shot by those--Whitneys!" - -He whirled so that his back was to Jeff, put both grimy hands to his -eyes, and shook with sobs. Pal looked worried. Jeff strode swiftly -across the floor, knelt beside the sobbing youngster, gathered him up, -and sat with him on a homemade wooden chair whose back and seat were of -laced buckskin. Laying his head on Jeff's shoulder, Dan sobbed -unrestrainedly. Then he wriggled, turned away quickly so that Jeff could -not see his face, and slid to the floor. He wiped his eyes with a -handkerchief that was almost as dirty as his face. When he turned again -to Jeff, he was calmer. - -"Cry baby!" he accused himself. "Big cry baby!" - -"Come here, Dan," Jeff said gently. - -"What do you want?" - -"To talk to you, and I've seen men cry over a whole lot less." - -"Really?" The thought seemed a reassuring one. - -"Really. Where is your mother?" - -"She died when I was--When I was just a child." He spoke quietly. His -mother had died so long ago that all pangs were gone. - -"I see. What were you doing when these--uh--when these Whitneys shot -your pop?" - -"I was in Ackerton." Dan named the nearest city. - -Again Jeff was surprised. "What were you doing there?" - -"Pop sent me to Jackson School there. Said he was a hill man but he -didn't want me to be one. He said there were better things." - -"_Hm-m._ How did you get here?" - -"Walked," Dan answered matter-of-factly. - -"Didn't anyone try to stop you?" - -"A policeman did before I was out of Ackerton. I got away, and after -that I walked at night." - -"Do you have any relatives?" - -"I'm the only one left in the Blazer family and I aim to kill every -danged Whitney! That way I'll be sure to get the one who got Pop!" - -Jeff said drily, "Nothing like being thorough. You're sure the Whitneys -did get your pop?" - -"They're the ones he fought most with." - -"But he fought with others too?" - -"Well, yes." - -"Hadn't we better do a bit of thinking before we shoot all the -Whitneys?" - -"We? Why do you want to mix in?" - -"I've got your pop's dog, haven't I? That gives me the right, doesn't -it?" - -Dan looked doubtfully at Jeff. "Do you really think so?" - -"Certainly I think so, but let's not go off half-cocked. This is going -to take a bit of figuring. We can't just wander around leaving corpses -all over the woods." - -"What would you do?" - -"Find who really shot your pop and get him." - -"I never thought of that," Dan admitted. - -"Let's talk about it over a good meal. That sound all right?" - -"Great but--I'm down to corn meal mush." - -"Tonight we'll have something else," Jeff decided. "I was just going in -to Smithville to buy grub. Do you like pork chops?" - -"Oh, boy!" Dan licked his lips. "But why should you buy me anything?" - -"If we're partners," Jeff said firmly, "we share and share alike. You -can understand that. We're already sharing the cabin." - -Confidence and hope warmed Dan's eyes. He smiled, and Jeff reflected -that that was the way he should always look. - -"Uh--Jeff." - -"What's up?" - -"Do you think you could bring some shells for this shotgun?" - -"On one condition. The gun isn't shot at anything, or anybody, unless -both of us know about it." - -"All right," Dan agreed. - -Pal went to the door with him. Jeff shoved the dog back, shut the door, -and struck into the gathering twilight. He shook a bewildered head. - -Was it a year ago, or only a few days, that he had been the footloose -owner-manager-working force of Tarrant Enterprises, Ltd.? Why was he -burdened now with a dog that few other people wanted and a boy that -nobody wanted very much? Why hadn't he left both where he found them and -accepted just his own responsibilities? He shook his head again and -murmured to himself, "Darn fool! Tarrant, of all the pinheaded things -you've ever done, these take the hand-polished railroad spike!" - -At the same time he knew that he couldn't have done otherwise. The dog -had helped him, therefore the dog must not be abandoned. Nor could Jeff -simply leave Dan to any fate that awaited him. The only man left in the -Blazer family, Dan had walked all the way from Ackerton--more than a -hundred miles--to avenge his father. He intended to make sure he did it -by shooting all the Whitneys, and he would die if he raised the gun to -the first one. It was a staggering situation and how should he, Jeff, -solve it? - -Again Jeff gave himself over to the idea that first things must be first -and walked into Smithville. - -It was a small town, with perhaps four hundred inhabitants, and as -nearly as there could be such a thing, it was a place where the outer -world intruded on the hills. Smithville was about half-civilized. The -streets were dirt and rutted, but instead of the log houses in which -hill families abode, the dwellings here were frame. The Smithville Inn -was largely a place for those who wished merriment in its louder forms, -and there was one store. Wagons piled high with logs offered mute -testimony as to the way the town's residents earned a livelihood but -there were no horses to be seen. Doubtless, with night approaching, the -teamsters had stabled their draft animals. - -Jeff halted in front of the store, a rather large building whose front -end consisted of numerous small panes of glass inserted in wooden -frames. There was the legend "Abel Tarkman, General Store," and beneath -it was printed, "Post Office Too." - -Knowing before he did so what he would find, Jeff entered. Isolated -stores such as this one catered to all the wants of many people. As a -result, they had to stock a little bit of everything that was practical, -and Abel Tarkman's store was no exception. Counters stretched its full -length. Pails, straps, lanterns and bits of harness, were suspended from -rafter beams. There was a rack of hoes, rakes, spades and other garden -tools, but no plows or harrows; this was not a farm community. Jeff saw -a shelf of drugs, a vast assortment of chewing and smoking tobaccos, a -whole rack of vari-calibered firearms and ammunition, a food counter, a -dry goods counter, and toward the back--a small cubby hole of unpainted -lumber that was labeled "Post Office." - -Two other people, a stocky man with a badge, and a woman, were in the -store. Jeff stood aside while the proprietor, evidently Abel Tarkman -himself, served the woman. A small, quiet man with an inoffensive -manner, he wrapped the woman's purchases and looked inquiringly at Jeff. - -"Four pounds of pork chops," Jeff said. - -He ordered a dozen eggs, two loaves of bread, a three-pound slab of -bacon, two quarts of milk, a pound of coffee, a peck of potatoes, and -mindful of the youngster at the cabin, a head of lettuce and a bunch of -carrots. To these purchases he added a broom, four panes of glass to -replace those broken out of the cabin, putty with which to hold them, a -lantern, a gallon of kerosene, and finally, "A half dozen eight gauge -shotgun shells." - -"I've nothing but number fours in eight gauge." - -"They'll do and I want to stick them in my pocket." - -Abel Tarkman looked doubtfully at the rest. "It's a lot to carry." - -"Put it in gunny sacks. I'll manage." - -Tarkman reached beneath the counter for a gunny sack and said amiably, -"Fishing?" - -"Loafing," Jeff answered. "Nothing strenuous." - -"Staying long?" - -"I don't know." - -"Where you staying?" - -"Blazer's cabin." - -Abel Tarkman's jaw tautened and he said no more. Jeff frowned. It was as -though something cold had crept between them, and why should the mention -of Blazer bring that about? Without speaking any more, the storekeeper -totaled Jeff's bill on a piece of brown wrapping paper and Jeff paid in -cash. Ordinarily he'd have tried to barter, but, though the pack was -full, he still had ideas about trading with the hill people. - -Shouldering two half-filled gunny sacks, Jeff left the store. The sun -had set, but enough light remained so that he could see. Between two -far-spaced houses, and a sufficient distance from the store, Jeff took -the six shotgun shells from one pocket and a knife from another. -Carefully he pried the wadding from each shell and poured the shot out. -Just as carefully replacing the shot with tightly-rolled bits of paper -that he tore from his packages, he re-assembled the shells. Not -forgotten was the fury of which Dan was capable. He had promised Jeff -that he'd do no shooting on impulse, but Jeff wanted no accidents should -Dan encounter a Whitney when he had the shotgun in his hands. - -Jeff was reassembling the last shell when, his badge shining in the -day's last light, the man he'd seen in the store came to and paused -beside him. - -"Howdy." - -"Howdy." - -"My name's Ellis," the constable said. "Bill Ellis and I'm constable -here." - -"Jeff Tarrant," Jeff extended his hand. They shook and Bill Ellis asked, -"You said you're staying at Blazer's cabin?" - -"That's right." - -"See anything of a youngster thereabouts?" - -"You mean Dan Blazer? Yes, he's there." - -"Then I guess I'd better walk out with you and pick him up. Poor little -tad's all alone in the world." - -"No, he isn't. I'm taking care of him." - -Bill Ellis was suspicious. "Since when?" - -Jeff managed to sound more than a little astonished. "Didn't he tell -you?" - -"All he did was walk through Smithville yesterday with a little sack -over his shoulder and a shotgun big's a cannon in his arm. All he said -was that he would meet somebody at the cabin. I waited this long to see -if he really would." - -Jeff gave thanks for this bit of coincidence. "I met him at the cabin -and he's all right. He's getting everything a youngster should have, -though of course if your official duties call for so doing, you may take -him. Naturally, I'll have to go with him and bring him right back, so -there may be a bit of trouble. You were going to take him to an -orphanage, weren't you?" - -"Where else?" - -"Ah, yes," Jeff agreed. "Where else? Splendid place, an orphanage. Ideal -for those with no one to whom they might turn." - -"I got a letter from some school in Ackerton. Said the kid left there -right after his dad's funeral and hasn't been seen since. Said they -thought he'd come here and I should be on the watch for him." - -"An error," Jeff murmured. "Why don't you write to the school?" - -"Maybe I'd better." - -"Do that," Jeff urged. "How long does it take a letter to get to -Ackerton and a reply back here?" - -"About a week." - -Jeff made up his mind to visit Ackerton before the week was out--and -maybe Bill Ellis needn't send his letter. - -"I'm going to Ackerton," Jeff said. "I'll bring written confirmation -from the school if you want it." - -"Well, if you're going there--" - -"Let's leave it that way," Jeff said quickly. "If you care to check in -the meanwhile, you can ask Dan. Who killed his father, anyway?" - -"If I knew, he'd be in jail." - -"Haven't you any ideas?" - -"Sure I have. It's one of maybe twenty-five or thirty people." - -"Have you questioned them?" - -"How well are you acquainted around here?" - -"I just got in." - -"That explains it then." - -"Explains what?" - -"Your not knowing why I haven't questioned twenty-five or thirty people. -Let me tell--" - -Bill Ellis spoke at length of those who lived in Smithville and those -who abode in the mountains surrounding it. The town dwellers, with few -exceptions, were industrious people who were glad to work for the lumber -company and to accept a weekly pay check. They seldom caused trouble. - -Those residing in the hills were a different breed. They worked when -they felt like it, which was not often, and few of them could bear the -yoke of a steady job for more than three weeks at a time. They did for -themselves and took their living from the wilderness. Of late years, -with hunters and fishermen finding their way into the hills, guiding -them had become a good source of income. But the only reason the hill -people were willing to guide was because they usually spent all their -time hunting or fishing anyway. They made their own laws, lived by their -own code, and united only when outside forces threatened any part of -their way of life. - -When they fought, they fought hard and often for little reason. For many -years a feud, with the Whitneys on one side and the Paynters on the -other, had raged. It had started, of all things, over a muskrat stolen -from Jed Paynter's trap. His own judge, jury, and executioner, Jed had -shot Enos Whitney. Two days later Jed was found with a bullet in his -head and, though everybody knew one of the Whitneys had shot him, nobody -had ever proven it. Finally, with four Paynters and two Whitneys dead, -the remainder of the Paynters left the hills. No officer had ever proven -anything. One who'd gone into the hills had simply disappeared. - -Bill Ellis knew only that someone had shot Johnny Blazer. But who? -Johnny had done well trapping, hunting medicinal roots, and guiding and -boarding hunters and fishermen. There was not a man in the hills who -wouldn't have liked what Johnny had and not a man who wouldn't have -quarreled with him about it. But to go into the hills with wholesale -accusations would do nothing except rouse fury. Accusing, or even -suspecting, whoever had not shot Johnny would be insult of the deadliest -sort and inevitably bring on shooting. - -Far from being interested in local quarrels, the outside world seldom -even heard of them and little help could be expected from anyone. If -Bill Ellis knew who had shot Johnny, he would go get him. But he had to -know and had to have indisputable proof before he moved. He'd already -done everything he could and was no nearer a solution than he had been -two months ago. - -Jeff listened intently, and realized that he was hearing the truth. If -it was more extreme than what he already knew about mountain dwellers, -Smithville was more isolated than any other place he had ever visited. -Jeff thought of the youngster in the cabin. Dan Blazer had attended a -city school, but his were hill blood and hill traditions. He had asked -no one to help him avenge his father, but vengeance was a point of -honor. - -Jeff gritted his teeth. Dan was a child. It would be the essence of -simplicity, using force if necessary, to place him in an orphanage or -make him go back to school. But it would solve nothing. A boy now, Dan -would be a man. When he was, he'd be back here in the hills. There would -be no forgetting. - -"Where was Johnny found?" Jeff asked. - -"Between here and his cabin. If you noticed a big sycamore right beside -the road, he was lying against the trunk." - -"Who found him?" - -"Couple of fellows from Ackerton. They were fishing back in the -mountains and they brought Johnny here. Mike Severance, he does first -aid work for the lumber company, patched him up and they took him to -Delview. He died in the hospital there. Bullet went right through him." - -"Where is he buried?" - -"In Delview." Bill Ellis narrowed his eyes. "Who are you?" - -"A peddler," Jeff answered honestly. "I thought I could do some business -here." - -"You will, too. Now tell me straight why that kid came back." - -"I told you. He's with me." - -"We'll leave it that way," the constable promised, "at least until you -bring word from Ackerton. But if you have any ideas except peddling, -you'd better get some shells that are loaded with something besides -paper wads." - -"I'll think about it." - -Bill Ellis guessed, "The kid toted the gun. Does he want the shells?" - -"That's about it." - -"You aim to watch him?" - -"Why do you think I'm giving him blanks?" - -"Why do you bother with him?" - -"I'm an orphan myself. I could have used somebody to look after me when -I was ten years old." - -"For pete's sake, be careful!" - -"I'll keep that in mind." - -"You know where to find me if you need advice," Bill Ellis promised. -"But if you start any half-baked ruckus, you finish it. I've a wife and -two kids to think about. Well, maybe I'll be seeing you." - -Pocketing the shells and shouldering the gunny sacks, Jeff walked -swiftly back up the road. He halted when he came to the big sycamore. It -was a monstrous tree that shaded the road and murmured gently as the -evening breeze danced through its branches. There was nothing whatever -to show that a man had died violently beside it. But a man had died -here, and Jeff looked quizzically at the tree. If it could talk, it -probably could tell who had killed Johnny Blazer. - -He left the tree and hurried along. Trees did not talk and--Jeff was -deep in thought until he came to the cabin. There he brushed his frowns -away and forced a sparkle back into his eyes. Dan was a ticklish -problem, and like all such, he had to be handled delicately. There must -not be even one wrong move. Jeff burst into the cabin with a cheerful, -"Poke the fire up, Dan! There's pork chops for supper!" - - - - -6. VISITOR - - -Sleeping in the same corner where he had slept so many times, Pal moaned -softly and twitched his paws. He dreamed that things were as they had -once been and that he was hunting grouse with Johnny Blazer. Pacing -ahead, Pal scented a grouse and showed Johnny where it was. There came -the shotgun's blast. The dream faded and Pal woke up. - -Instantly things resumed a normal perspective. The scent of Jeff Tarrant -filled the cabin and mingled with it was the odor of Dan Blazer. Pal -remembered meeting Dan before. Every summer, but never for more than ten -days at a time, Johnny had brought him to the cabin for a visit. - -Though Pal liked all children, he saw only an incidental connection -between Johnny and Dan Blazer. However, if only because Johnny had once -welcomed the boy and Jeff was now welcoming him, Pal was happy to accept -Dan too and to include him in the select circle of intimates who -deserved every courtesy. Next to Jeff, he would respect Dan. - -Though his nose told him that all was well, Pal did not go back to sleep -at once. The dream had been a very vivid one and it brought a surge of -memories that were strengthened by being back at his old home. The past -remained a puzzle. Pal had never understood why Johnny had disappeared, -he still did not understand, and he was troubled because of it. - -Having a dog's instinct for time, he knew that the night was about half -gone, and because he was familiar with the habits of humans, he was -aware that Jeff and Dan probably would not get out of bed before -sunrise. Equally at home in daylight or darkness, Pal had never known -why people preferred to spend the night hours in a cabin or shelter but -he had never questioned their doing so. They were humans. He was a dog. -Therefore, it always befitted him to shape himself to their ways and -never even think that they should bend to his. - -Sometimes Johnny had taken him out at night to hunt coon, and Pal rather -hoped that Jeff would do the same because he liked to run at night. But -it would be all right if Jeff did not. - -After a short time, needing contact more intimate than his nose offered, -Pal rose and padded across the wooden floor. He ascended the steps, -walking quietly because experience had taught him to be quiet. Pal -existed to please his master and his whole life must be shaped to that -purpose. There were no delights which, directly or indirectly, were not -connected with that. When Johnny had patted his head and praised him, -Pal had quivered with joy. Now he reacted in the same fashion to Jeff -and his life was a full one. - -He ascended the steps, walked to the bunks that Jeff and Dan occupied, -sniffed gently at each, and went back to his place in the corner. He had -made doubly sure that Jeff was still present and that partially -satisfied him. But because the dream and the cabin brought Johnny back -to him, he was still able to sleep only fitfully. Pal recalled last -night. - -He had been very worried when Jeff went away and left him in the cabin. -Ordinarily it would have been routine, for Johnny had often left him -alone. But a great fear had grown out of Johnny's death. Pal had seen -him leave and been sure he'd come back, but he never had. Now he was -fearful that Jeff might not return. Dan, who understood, had tried to -give him comfort. - -"He'll come back. Don't you worry. He'll come back." - -But Pal would not rest until Jeff's return and then he was happy again. -He wagged his tail because the two in the cabin greeted each other -gladly, and he drooled at the odor of frying pork chops. Eating his -share, Pal looked puzzled when Dan started to wash the dishes and Jeff -began to work with the broom. - -In Pal's opinion the cabin was satisfactory, and he had never understood -the quirks of humans that kept them forever doing something that did not -look like fun and seemed unnecessary. But Pal resigned himself to the -cleaning up. He flattened his ears and retreated into a corner. He -dodged from place to place whenever the broom came near, and relaxed in -his own corner only when Jeff finally put the broom down and started -replacing the broken window panes. Unoccupied, and thought deserted, the -cabin had been rifled of many things belonging to Johnny. But there were -enough dishes and tableware left, for Johnny had kept a great store of -it to provide for his guests. - -Dan yawned and Jeff sent him to bed, but the young peddler worked for a -long while afterward. Finally, giving Pal a pat on the head, he too -sought one of the upstairs bunks. - -Now Pal raised his head at frequent intervals. He had a great yearning -to visit again the sycamore tree--the last place where he'd seen Johnny, -but the door was locked. If the customary routine was followed, it would -not be opened until Jeff and Dan got up. Rising, Pal walked nervously -around the cabin, sniffing at all the objects he knew so well. He went -to his corner and did not leave it again until dawn's thin light turned -the cabin's black windows to pale gray. - -He heard a bunk creak as Jeff moved, and raised expectant ears. For a -short interval there was silence. Then came Dan's sleepy voice. - -"You awake, Jeff?" - -"Nope. I'm sound asleep." - -Pal heard Dan giggle. There were various little noises that accompanied -their getting out of bed and dressing. Tail wagging happily, Pal met -them at the foot of the stairs. He went first to Jeff, who gave him a -pat on the head, then he offered his morning greeting to Dan. These -ceremonies complete, he padded over to stand in front of the door. Jeff -understood. - -"I'll let you out." - -Pal slipped through the opened door and waited for a while in front of -the cabin. This was his country, but he had not forgotten that it had -rejected him. He had walked safely with Johnny Blazer, but he had been -clubbed and stoned after Johnny was no longer with him. The lesson had -penetrated deeply. - -When Pal finally left the cabin, he did not go down the path but went at -once into the brush and walked slowly. Alone, he had better be -careful.... He stopped when he caught the scent of a rabbit that was -hiding in the brush. For a moment he was tempted to chase it because -chasing rabbits was fun. But this morning he had a more urgent mission. -Still walking slowly, nose questing and ears alert, he made his way to -the road and halted in some thick brush beside it. He would not expose -himself on the open road until he knew what lay ahead. - -Across the road, and up the opposite slope, a doe and fawn were feeding. -Pal caught the faint odor of grouse, and he knew that a skunk had -wandered that way last night. Later, a fox had minced along. - -The nearest human scents were those of Dan and Jeff, and as soon as he -was sure of that, Pal considered himself safe. He ventured into and -moved slowly down the road, but as he drew near the big sycamore he -broke into an eager trot. It was at the sycamore that he had last seen -Johnny Blazer, and there that he had lost all trace of him. Now he -wanted to find if there was anything he might have overlooked. - -He had given up all hope of finding Johnny; his long search had -convinced him that his former master would never be found. But not -forgotten, never to be forgotten, was his long association with Johnny, -his love for him, and the good life they had lived together. Pal was -going to the sycamore for the same reason that a human being rereads old -letters written by a dear companion whom he will never see again. Once -more he stopped to read the wind currents and the tracks in the road. -Besides the fox and skunk, only Jeff's scent remained right there. -Therefore Jeff was the only human who had used the road last night. But -Pal caught the fainter scents of Smithville and the people inhabiting -it. They were distant odors and no one was coming. He gave undivided -attention to the sycamore. - -Winds had blown and rains had fallen, but Johnny Blazer had bled here -and his scent still lingered. Pal drank long and deeply of it. He made a -little circle, as though the scent should lead him farther. But it ended -at the tree, and the dog came back to sniff again. He moaned softly in -his throat, because his affection for Johnny had been great. But -Johnny's scent ended where it began, at the sycamore. About to cast -again, Pal halted in his tracks. - -The morning breeze blew directly from Smithville to him, and the breeze -had told him that nobody was coming. Now that was changed. Clearly Pal -caught the scent of Pete Whitney and he knew that Pete was walking up -the road. The dog bristled, but not because he saw any connection -between Pete and Johnny's disappearance. He knew only that all Whitneys -were enemies and that Pete had been near when Johnny was hurt. - -He crouched in the brush, undecided for the moment. If he lay perfectly -still, Pete probably would pass without seeing him. But as the man drew -nearer, Pal's nervousness increased. He decided suddenly that he would -be safer with Jeff. - -Pete was just a short distance away when Pal cleared the road in one -bound and raced toward the cabin. The dog knew that he had been seen, -but he did not care. The one dangerous time had been the fleeting -instant he'd needed to cross the road and that was dangerous only -because the road offered no cover. Once in the brush, he could run away -from any man. - -He found Dan drawing water from the spring beside the cabin and slowed -to a walk. Because he had run hard, he was panting. He paused very -close to the boy and looked nervously back toward the road. Dan stared -curiously at him. - -"What's down there?" he questioned. "What'd you find, Pal?" - -The great dog turned toward Dan and wagged his tail as evidence of good -will. But his hackles remained raised as he accompanied the boy into the -cabin. The good smell of frying bacon perfumed the air. Standing over -the stove, Jeff looked around questioningly. - -"Isn't that bucket a load for you, Dan?" - -"Nah! I can carry it." - -Jeff grinned. Most boys were proud of their physical prowess and he had -not offended Dan by offering to draw the water for him. He broke eggs -into the sputtering skillet. Pal growled and Jeff turned again to look. - -"What's ailing him?" - -"I don't know. He must have smelled something he don't like. When he -came up to me, he was running." - -Pal, knowing that Pete Whitney was coming toward the cabin, retreated to -the far end of the room and stood. Still bristling, he showed his teeth. -Jeff was puzzled. - -"What's the--?" - -"Something's around," Dan said quickly. He looked out of the window. -"Jeff! Pete Whitney's coming!" - -Eyes blazing, he looked toward the shotgun. Jeff saw and interpreted his -glance. - -"Remember! We're not going off half-cocked." - -"Uh--All right." - -Jeff opened the door and saw the man standing in front of the cabin. -Pete Whitney's clothing was slipshod, but that alone did not give him -the air he had. Jeff was not able to place it at once. There was -something about him that should not be, something very like a surly -animal. About thirty, Pete had fine blond hair that seemed rooted so -precariously that the slightest wind might blow it away. His unshaven -cheeks were covered with stubble. - -Pale blue eyes shifted sideways, and he raised a foot as though about to -run. Yet, at the same time, it was as though he had no intention of -running. As far as Jeff could see, he carried no firearms, but he acted -as though he were armed, and doubtless he was. Mentally, Jeff compared -him to the man he had met yesterday. That man had also been careless of -his clothing and appearance, but there was a strength and character in -his being that was not evident in Pete. Barr Whitney was strong. Pete -was weak. - -Jeff asked pleasantly, "Something I can do for you?" - -"Nao." Pete spoke with a high nasal twang. "You live here?" - -"Since yesterday," Jeff said. "Dan and I are here together." - -"I swan!" Pete ejaculated. "I swan!" - -Jeff saw that he was obviously frightened. In spite of the fact that he -seemed to be a man who would take fright easily, he might need help. - -"Are you in trouble?" - -"Nao. It's jest that I was passin' up the raoad an'--an'--" He blurted -out. "I swan I saw Johnny Blazer's big dog!" - -Jeff thought swiftly. Why should seeing Johnny Blazer's dog be cause for -such alarm? He asked casually, "Where'd you see him?" - -"Down thar on the raoad! I swan--a ha'nt dog!" - -Jeff understood and relaxed. Many of the mountain people believed -firmly in haunts, spirits and witchcraft. And everybody around -Smithville had reason to believe that Pal must be dead. With an effort, -Jeff concealed his amusement. A man such as this, thinking Johnny -Blazer's dog dead and coming suddenly upon him, might tremble easily. - -"You did see him," Jeff said. "He's here." - -"He be?" - -For a split second, Pete's eyes lost their lack-luster appearance and -venom flooded them. A cold finger brushed Jeff's spine. Any man able to -look like that was a dangerous one. Jeff thought of his pack and of the -shotgun in its corner. Then he decided that he could handle Pete, and -meanwhile there were the amenities to be observed. - -"Had breakfast?" - -"Nao." - -"Come on in and have some." - -Pete shuffled into the cabin. Mouth taut and eyes angry, Dan backed -toward Pal. The dog growled savagely. Jeff's eyes caught Dan's and he -tried to flash a warning. He and Dan had a pact which included no hasty -or ill-timed moves and definitely no shooting of anyone. Jeff spoke -sharply to the dog. - -"Stop it, Pal!" - -Pal subsided and Pete said nasally, "Blazer allus call't him Buster." - -"He's Pal now." - -Jeff set a plate of bacon and eggs on the table and put bread and butter -beside it. - -"You may as well start, Dan." - -Unable completely to erase the anger from his eyes, not speaking, Dan -sat down and began to eat. Jeff put the bacon and eggs he had intended -for himself on another plate. Thoughtfully he set the plate on the other -side of the table, two places away from the furious Dan. - -"Here you are, Mr.--?" - -"Whitney's the name. Pete Whitney." - -"I'm Jeff Tarrant and this is Dan Blazer." - -"Yeah?" Interest leaped in Pete's eyes. "Any kin to John?" - -"He was my pop!" Dan flared. "That you know very well!" - -"Dan, mind your manners!" Jeff remonstrated, putting more bacon and eggs -in the skillet. - -"I'm minding them! He knows who my pop was and he knows me!" - -Pete, who had been eating as though finishing the meal was a job he had -to complete in a great hurry, put his fork down and bent over his plate. -Again Jeff thought uncomfortably of a hunted animal, and though he could -not see Pete's eyes, he was sure that they were once more venom-ridden. -There was an awkward silence which Pete broke. - -"Seems to me I do mind a young'un comin' to see John." - -Dan flared again. "Do you also 'mind' that my pop was shot? Maybe you -even know who shot him!" - -"Dan!" Jeff thundered. - -For a few seconds Pete lingered over his food. Then it was as though he -had thought out a decision which had been hard to make. He speared half -an egg, curled a whole strip of bacon on the end of his fork, shoved -everything into his mouth and began to chew noisily. - -"Nao," he said. "I wouldn't knaow who done fer John." - -"Dan's upset," Jeff explained. "He didn't realize what he was saying." - -An explosive, "I did, too" lingered on Dan's lips and died there when he -caught Jeff's eyes. As the latter turned to lift his own breakfast out -of the skillet, Pete nodded vigorously. - -"Likely. Likely. Young'uns do get upsot. What be ye doin' here?" - -Jeff said smoothly, "We represent Tarrant Enterprises, Ltd., and came -because we thought we could do some business around Smithville." - -Pete's shifty eyes found Jeff's pack. "Peddler, huh?" - -"Some people call it that." - -"Whar'd ye find the dog?" - -"Over beyond Cressman. He made himself at home with us." - -Jeff put his own plate on the table and began to eat. Pete mopped up the -last of his breakfast with a crust of bread, plopped it into his mouth, -and licked his fingers. That done, he picked up the conversation where -it had been dropped. - -"Take care he ain't kil't." - -"Take care who isn't killed?" - -"The dog. He turned right snarly after Blazer was kil't. Bill Ellis'd a -shot him if he hadn't took a mind to run away." - -"Did he hurt anybody?" - -"Nao. But he had a mind to." - -Pete leaned back, looking at the ceiling and cleaning his teeth with his -tongue. He asked suddenly, "Whar'd ye get the young'un?" - -For a moment Jeff fumbled. But Tarrant Enterprises, Ltd., had taught -him that it was not a good idea to be at a loss long enough to let -anyone else think too far ahead of him. He said glibly, "Dan was farmed -out to me." - -Jeff referred to the common practice of placing with accredited people -who would support them, youngsters who had no other place to turn. Dan -glared. Jeff did not look at him. - -Pete Whitney said, "You git a smart lot of work out'en a farmed-out -young'un if you whomp him to it." - -Jeff's next words erased Dan's glare. "Dan doesn't need 'whomping.' -We're full partners." - -"Aoh." - -There was another silence. Finally Pete Whitney asked, "What ye -peddlin?" - -"What do you need?" - -"I ast you." - -"Cash or swap?" - -"Swap." Pete looked surprised that anyone should think he had cash. - -"What can you swap?" - -Pete reached inside his shirt and drew out a knife. It was much cruder -than the works of art Jeff had had from Bart Whitney. But it was sturdy, -and the blade, Jeff thought wryly, was certainly keen enough to -penetrate anything that Pete might have reason to stab. Since there was -a buyer for everything, it stood to reason that there would be a buyer -for Pete's knife. Jeff went to his pack, took out a cheap jackknife, a -compass and a wrapped parcel. He extended the knife. - -"I'll swap even for this." - -Pete accepted the knife, opened it, tried the blade on the back of his -horny hand, and passed it back. - -"Nao. That piddlin' thin'd bend on rabbit fur." - -Enjoying himself, as he always did when bartering, Jeff handed the -compass over. Pete looked at it. Puzzled, he glanced back at Jeff. - -"Do it tell the hour?" - -Dan laughed. Jeff explained. "It's called a compass. See? The needle -always points north. Anyone who carries this can tell any direction at -all." - -Pete was honestly astounded. "You mean they's some what cain't?" - -"There are some, but I thought you wouldn't be one of them!" - -He spoke admiringly, stressing the "you." Sales resistance faded to -nothing if the seller, while convincing the buyer that he was much to be -admired, could at the same time build up the buyer's opinion of himself. -Like a good showman, Jeff had saved his masterpiece for last. He -unwrapped the parcel to reveal a cheap box whose exterior was stamped -with gaudy green dragons. Pete regarded it with narrowed eyes. - -"This," Jeff said smoothly, "I offer to very few customers. Now if -you'll just keep your eye on the box--" - -Pete obliged, bending so closely that his face was no more than six -inches from the box. Jeff pressed a button. The lid flew open and a -green bellows surmounted by a grinning clown's head sprang up to hit -Pete on the nose. He leaped backward, flung himself from the table and -crouched. Again Jeff thought of an animal. But this time it was a beast -of prey. And it was ready to strike. - -The jack that had leaped out of the box quivered on the table, swaying -this way and that. Completely astounded, Pete regarded it for a moment. -Then sheer delight flooded his eyes. - -"I swan!" - -Jeff said proudly, "Ever see anything like that?" - -"Put it back!" - -Jeff pressed the jack into place. Uncertainly, still a little fearful of -such magic, Pete came near. He extended a hand and immediately withdrew -it. - -"Do it ag'in!" - -Jeff pressed the button and the performance was repeated. Sure now that -there was nothing to fear, Pete picked the toy up and looked at it -closely. He pushed the jack down, latched the cover, and pressed the -button. When the clown's head flew up, he tittered nervously. - -"I swan!" - -"For that I must have two knives." - -"Got but one." - -Jeff frowned. The jack-in-the-box was a cheap trinket and the knife was -worth four times as much. But Pete considered the jack a very valuable -object and Jeff hoped to do much trading around Smithville. He did not -want to be known for accepting the first thing offered and, besides, -that was bad business. It took all the sport out of trading. - -"Have to have something to boot," he said firmly. - -"I got this." - -From his sagging pocket Pete took a length of braided horsehide. But it -had been so skillfully cured and so expertly braided that it was strong -as rope and pliable as the finest cloth. It would make a wonderful -bridle rein, but Jeff said hesitantly, "I don't know what I'd use it -for." - -"Fer tyin' things." - -"Well--" Jeff allowed himself to be convinced. - -Pete sprung the jack again and again, fascinated by this simple thing -which smacked of magic, because never before had he seen anything like -it. Then, holding his jack-in-the-box as though it were eggshells, he -made the swift transformation from fascinated child to dangerous man. - -"Stick to peddlin'," he said shortly, and took his leave. - -It was at the same time a threat and a warning and Jeff knew it. For a -moment he sat still, then got up and strolled quietly to the window. -Going down the path, Pete Whitney sprung the jack and his tittering -giggle seemed again to be heard in the room. - - - - -7. GRANNY - - -Absorbed in watching Pete, Jeff was almost unaware when Dan came to -stand beside him. As Pete disappeared, hidden by foliage, he turned away -from the window and came face to face with Dan. - -The boy's cheeks were flushed and hot anger burned in his eyes. Both -fists were clenched so tightly that straining knuckles showed white. - -Jeff said quietly, "Come out of it, Dan." - -"He's a Whitney!" - -"Sorry you didn't shoot him?" - -"I--It's not that, Jeff. I wasn't thinking very straight when I told you -I aimed to shoot all the Whitneys. It's--Why should a Whitney be in my -pop's cabin?" - -"He was at our door and he was hungry." - -"Well--Doggonit, Jeff! You talk sense!" - -Jeff heaved an inward sigh of relief. Yesterday Dan had not only talked -of killing every Whitney, but he had acted fully capable of doing it. -But yesterday he had been tired, hungry and so terribly alone. Good food -and proper rest had worked a change, but they had not made him forget -why he was here. Nothing would ever do that. - -Dan asked, "You think we will get him, don't you?" - -"Get who?" - -"Whoever killed my pop!" - -"Murder can't be hidden, Dan," Jeff spoke with quiet forcefulness, "if -somebody really wants to find it out." - -"And we'll find out?" - -"We'll find out." - -"Then," Dan gritted his teeth, "we'll shoot!" - -Jeff said nothing. Dan was too young, too angry, and too steeped in the -traditions of the hills, to think of anything except violent vengeance. -Rather than tell him he was wrong, Jeff hoped to prove it. When they -found whoever had murdered Johnny Blazer--and they must find him if -Dan's tangled path was ever to be straight again--the law could take -over. Jeff hoped that, at the right time, Dan would see such a course as -the proper one. For the present, the less said the better. - -"Let's get the place cleaned up and go out trading," Jeff suggested. - -"Good!" - -Jeff washed dishes while Dan swept the floor, and it made no difference -that it had also been swept last night. Only those with little regard -for themselves were contented to accept dirty surroundings, and one way -to keep dirt from accumulating was to clean often. The cabin in order, -Jeff showed Dan his pack. - -Each of its numerous straps, so adjusted that they opened at the flick -of a finger, gave access to one compartment, and within themselves some -of the compartments were further divided. They were also of various -sizes. Obviously it was possible to carry a vast number of pins, -needles, spools of thread, etc., in a somewhat small space. Kitchen -ware, of which Jeff had a considerable store, naturally needed more -room. There was a place for bright ribbons, one for candy, and articles -such as spices and tea were stored by themselves. Jeff had razor blades, -pencils, an assortment of novelties such as the jack-in-the-box, a -variety of small tools, nails, and both wood and metal screws. At the -rear, reached by thrusting the hand through a hidden flap, were six more -knives like the one he'd traded to Barr Whitney, meerschaum pipes, -pocket watches, and a few other valuables that were best kept where they -were not at once available or easily found. - -Jeff explained that he always planned to carry as great an assortment as -possible, with very few large articles. The partial bolt of gingham, the -biggest single thing in the pack, he carried, not because there was much -profit in carrying it, but because being able to offer gingham often -provided an opening wedge to other sales.... When he started, he had -operated on a strictly cash basis and had earned a fair amount of money -doing so. Then he had discovered a great truth which had its foundations -in the complexities of human nature. No matter what the article, from -aardvark whiskers to zebra tails, somewhere somebody not only wanted it -but wanted it badly enough to pay well. On the Atlantic Coast, Jeff had -picked up a box of sea shells. In Indiana, he had met a trapper who'd -never seen any sea shells and traded them for a bundle of mink pelts. -Taking the pelts to Chicago, he had sold them to a furrier for more -money than he might have earned in two weeks peddling for cash. - -Though everything was precious, or at least desirable, to somebody, -whoever had an abundance of any kind of goods was seldom inclined to -regard it highly. But though they'd always sell for cash, whoever -offered something that they wanted, did not have and would find it -difficult to get, invariably made a better bargain. Jeff cited the knife -and thong he had acquired from Pete Whitney. The jack-in-the-box had -cost fifteen cents, but Jeff would be able to sell the knife for at -least a dollar and twenty cents, and he did not know how much the -horsehide thong would bring. But because Pete thought the -jack-in-the-box such a treasure, and never would have been able to get -one for himself, he hadn't been cheated. - -Jeff concluded with the observation that peddlers had to recognize true -value when they saw it. Otherwise they would not be able to remain in -business. - -Dan's eyes sparkled. "That sounds like fun!" - -"It has its points," Jeff admitted. - -"Take me in with you for good!" Dan pleaded. "I want to be a peddler, -too!" - -Jeff glanced aside. He had taken this waif under his wing and could not -abandon him. Then he was struck by the happy thought that Dan's request -gave him control over his charge. "We'll see," he evaded the issue. - -"Take me! I'll do anything if you'll teach me!" - -Jeff asked quickly, "Can I count on that?" - -"Anything! Just ask me!" - -"You'll do exactly as I say?" - -"Try it! What do you want done?" - -Jeff grinned. "Right now let's go peddling--and leave the shotgun here." - -"But--" - -"You said you'd do anything." - -"Let's go, Jeff." - -With an ease born of long experience, Jeff slipped into the pack. -Knowing that they were going out, Pal leaped to his feet and a doggy -grin framed his jaws. Jeff closed the door but did not lock it. The -cabin had been rifled only because it was thought abandoned. Known to be -occupied, it was safe. The hill men might use force to get what they -wanted, or even kill another man for it, but petty pilfering was beneath -them. - -The sun was warm without being too warm, and a breeze fanned the cheeks -of the pair of peddlers. The smile was complete on Jeff's face, and -laughter was in his heart. The horizon stretched limitlessly, with no -end or definition, and good fortune was a certainty. He couldn't be -other than happy. - -"Where we going, Jeff?" Dan asked. - -"I don't know. Let's follow our noses and go where they lead." - -Jeff took the first mule and footpath that branched from the road, for -he was sure that most of the people he wanted to see would be back in. -Most hill people preferred plenty of room and they did not, as one -hillbilly had expressed it to Jeff, like to be "All cluttered up with -people. Skassly a week passes but what three, four go by." - -Ranging ahead, Pal flushed a buck from its thicket, chased it a little -way, and let it go. He returned to Jeff and Dan, lingered to sniff at -some interesting rabbit tracks, and ran to catch up. There came a faint -smell of wood smoke. - -Jeff sniffed eagerly, trying to determine the smoke's origin, and he -thought with some amusement that he was doing exactly as he had told Dan -they would do. In a very real sense he was following his nose, and when -he came to a less-traveled path that swung from the one they were -following, he took it. - -Pal at his heels, Dan bringing up the rear, he walked fast. In three -minutes they came to a clearing. Apparently without plan, it had been -hacked out of the forest. It was irregularly-shaped, probably to follow -the easiest cutting, and a few large trees had been allowed to stand in -it. There were many stumps, a small garden, a mule that hung its head -over the topmost of two strands of rusting wire and looked cynical, and -four half-wild pigs that squealed and scuttled into the brush. The barn, -that had listed badly and seemed in immediate danger of falling, was -propped up with saplings. The house, made of hand-hewn timbers, was very -small and very old. Rains, snow, sun and wind had so beaten it that it -had achieved a unique color all its own and somehow it looked sad. - -Jeff knocked confidently and waited. The door opened an inch, then -another inch, and in the gloomy interior Jeff saw, not too well, a -scowling face that was framed in a veritable haystack of black hair and -beard. But he saw very clearly the sinister snout of a rifle that was -aimed squarely at his middle and he heard very clearly a growled, - -"Git goin' an' start now!" - -"Right away," Jeff agreed. - -He whirled and started back to the main path. Too over-awed to speak, -Dan trotted at his heels and he dared say nothing until they were once -more where they had started from. Then, - -"Gee!" he breathed. "Weren't you scared?" - -"No," Jeff answered wryly, "my heart always pounds." - -"Do you think he didn't want us around?" - -"I had a slight suspicion." - -"What do we do now?" - -"Find somebody else," Jeff said cheerfully. "It's part of peddling." - -The day was too fine, and too sparkling, to be ruined by any surly -mountaineer. They walked on, feet winged and hearts gay. Jeff thought -whimsically that the money he made selling or trading was the very -smallest part of the reward he received. By far the major portion lay in -walks just like this, in the fact that he loved the work he was doing, -and in trying to anticipate what lay ahead. He always tried to build up -a mental picture of his next customer, always failed to do so, and -invariably had to discard his carefully-rehearsed approach to create a -new one on the spur of the moment. Much of the time he knew the sort of -house in which his next prospect would live, but nothing in his -experience had prepared him for the house they found not a mile from the -one they had left. - -Rounding a bend, they saw a little hill. There was nothing majestic or -imposing about it, for it was a very small hill. But it was a very -beautiful one. It was as though the Creator of the mountains, after much -deliberation, had decided that the little hill would fit nowhere except -exactly where it was. - -All the trees save one had been stripped from the side, Jeff and Dan -could see, and the grass growing there was so green and soft that it was -almost unreal. The one tree gave it just the right touch, so it was as -though this hill were something out of fairyland. A little herd of sheep -cropped the grass. Delighted, Jeff let his gaze stray upward. - -"Gee but it's pretty!" Dan breathed. - -"It is that," Jeff agreed. "Look at the house." - -There were trees on the very top of the hill. Silhouetted against the -blue sky, they seemed to be outlined against a gentle sea. A log house -nestled in the grove. Something--at first Jeff thought it must be the -whitewash that outlined all the windows and then he knew it was not--set -the house apart. Like the hill, it was a fairyland house and Jeff knew -that they must visit there. - -The hill rose in undulating waves, with no harsh angles or uncouth lines -to mar it. But it was not a park-like perfection. Some person, or -persons, must have expended enormous labor to make the hill look as it -did. But every line, every patch of grass, seemed to belong naturally -just where it was. - -Jeff could decide only that this was a happy hill and that whoever lived -in the house was either the owner of a rare talent or blessed beyond -belief by the angels. Or perhaps some of both. - -They came to the house and marveled. It was made of logs and chinked -with clay, but nothing haphazard had gone into its making. Even the -chinking was not just slapped on and troweled in, but flowed in graceful -lines as though it had always been part of the logs. As old as the cabin -they had left, the house had a sheen instead of a sad and aged -appearance. Whoever lived here must love it greatly. - -"Howdy, boys." - -The woman came around the house so silently and so unexpectedly that for -a moment Jeff was startled. The top of her head reached scarcely to his -shoulder. Her silver hair glowed like a halo, but there was something -which was far from angelic in the remarkable eyes that dominated her -unusual face. She wore a simple blue dress. Highlighted in silver, an -exquisitely-stitched blue-bird in flight adorned the front of it. Her -movements were quick and graceful. But there was no suggestion of -frailty, and the muzzle loading rifle that swung easily from her right -hand might have been a strong man's weapon. - -Without any hesitation, Pal went forward to receive her caress. In a -sudden rush of feeling, Jeff forgot his amazement and felt entirely at -home. He knew all at once that everything and everybody was welcome on -this hill. - -"And howdy to you, Granny!" he said graciously. "I'm--" Jeff thought of -introducing himself as Tarrant Enterprises, Ltd., but did not. "I'm Jeff -Tarrant and this is Dan Blazer." - -Her head flitted like a bird's. "And I'm Granny Wilson." - -"Wilson?" Jeff remembered. "I met an Ike Wilson in Cressman." - -"Did you now? Ike's one of my boys. What was he doin'?" - -"He was--" Jeff fumbled. "Darned if I haven't forgotten!" - -Her laugh was like rippling water. "He was in jail for stealin' -chickens. You can say it, Jeff. It takes all kinds to make a family. My -Tommy's a doctor, my Joel's a lawyer, my Billy's a sailor--" She named -four more sons, all of whom were in some useful occupation, and -finished, "They all followed their natural bent and Ike just naturally -took to chicken stealin'." She turned to Dan. "You kin to Johnny -Blazer?" - -Dan said bashfully, "He was my pop." - -"Come in," she invited. "Come in and set down to gingerbread and milk. I -vow I've missed Johnny and I'm glad to have his kin! You come, too, -Jeff, and fetch your dog!" - -Jeff looked at the rifle. "Have you been hunting?" - -"Land no!" She laughed. "I was shootin' at Brant Severance!" - -"You--!" - -"Didn't hit him," she said. "Didn't aim to hit him. Just wanted to show -him he couldn't pester my sheep." - -"But--isn't there--" - -She anticipated and forestalled his question. "Nope, I'm all alone. My -boys, they want me to come with them. Land! I'd grow old and shrively in -a city! Two houses are one too many! Do come in." - -Granny opened the door that was made of carefully-mortised, -hand-polished boards and adorned with an excellent wood carving that -depicted a running buck chased by wolves. Jeff and Dan breathed their -delight. - -Except for the stove, the pots and pans that hung behind it, the lamps, -and a few other articles that would be very difficult to fashion with -hand tools, every bit of furniture had been made of whatever materials -were available. But whoever made it had not been contented with -something merely useful. Strict utility had received consideration, but -beauty was in vast abundance. - -Jeff looked through a large window that faced the back and saw a neat -garden, a little grove of fruit trees, a fat mule, a brown cow, and a -cat sitting on a stone. It was exactly the big, fluffy, white cat that -should have belonged in such a place. Not until he took a second glance -did he realize that the cat was not alive at all, but woven into a -tapestry. He went nearer. - -Stretched on a walnut frame, the tapestry was so exquisitely woven that -the cat's every hair not only showed but was in the right place. The cat -was about to lick a front paw, and even after he knew it was a tapestry, -so real was the illusion of life that Jeff extended a hand to see if the -cat might not be soft and warm. He turned to Granny. - -"Who did this?" - -She was all gentleness. "I did. That's my Kitty Cat, dead these four -months." - -There was longing in her voice, and more than a hint of sadness, and -Jeff knew that the cat had meant a great deal to her. He understood. -Some people loved horses, some preferred dogs, and some set their -affections on cats. But for Granny it could not be just any cat. - -Jeff asked, "Do you do much of this sort of thing?" - -"Land, yes! A body ought to keep busy!" - -Jeff said gently, "I think you've kept busy a long while around here." - -"Sixty-four years the seventh of May," she said pertly. "Came as a -sixteen-year-old bride. Enos, God rest his soul, has been gone these -past three years. You two come on into the kitchen." - -She led them into the kitchen, seated them, opened a trap door in the -floor, took cool milk from an earth-bound chamber, and lifted a tray of -gingerbread from a cabinet. Eighty years old, her movements were almost -as brisk and sure as a girl's. Jeff and Dan ate heartily; any food they -prepared for themselves could not possibly compare with this. Granny -seated herself companionably near. - -"Ike say when he was gettin' out?" she asked. - -"Well, no. He was there with Bucky--" Jeff snapped his fingers. "I -forgot his last name." - -"Bucky Edwards," she furnished. "Land! He and Ike been stealin' chickens -for a span of time." - -Jeff sensed something completely fine. She was old in years only. Until -the day she died her mind would be young and strong. Ike's escapades -probably did hurt her, but Ike was as much her son as the doctor, the -lawyer and the others who had decided in favor of respectable careers. -She would not deny him. - -Jeff said, "Ike and Bucky didn't seem to have any definite plans." - -"They have some," she assured him. "They'll come here, and when they do, -there'll be a heap of trouble--" She stopped suddenly, as though she had -said something unwise. - -"When do you expect them?" Jeff asked. - -"Don't rightly know. Maybe soon. Maybe not so soon." - -For a moment Jeff was silent and Dan was still stuffing gingerbread into -his mouth. Granny had spoken of trouble when Ike came, but apparently it -was not trouble for herself, and if she wanted him to know more about it -she would have told him. He wished he could offer her help, but he had -an uncomfortable feeling that she knew how to help herself. He was -trying to think of a way to steer the conversation away from Ike when -Granny relieved him of the necessity for so doing. - -"What you peddlin'?" she asked brightly. - -Jeff fidgeted. The contents of his pack, for the most part, were -designed for those who had little. Jeff tried to please people who -yearned after a bit of gay ribbon, a new knife, anything they might need -or desire but could not get for themselves. But he couldn't imagine what -Granny lacked and countered her question with one of his own. - -"Where do you get your thread and yarn?" - -She looked surprised. "Spin it myself, to be sure. I have sheep. I grow -flax, too." - -Jeff followed up because he was interested. "Do you also make your own -dyes?" - -"Land, yes! 'Twould be a sin to let the yarbs go to waste when they grow -right at the door step!" - -"Do you use anything besides herbs?" - -"Bark, seeds, nut husks and shells, it's all here. Take a bit of this, a -bit of that, a bit of another thing, seethe it, and there's a dye." - -"I know you do your own weaving." - -"Land, yes!" - -Jeff grinned ruefully. For the first time since its founding, Tarrant -Enterprises, Ltd., had reached a blind end. "Something for Everyone," -was one of its numerous slogans. But he did not have anything for Granny -Wilson and he was honest about it. - -"Granny, I don't believe I can offer you a thing." - -"Oh, come now! You must have somethin'!" - -"But I haven't." - -"Now, Jeff, you jest open that pack and give me a look for myself." - -"I'll do that much." - -Jeff laid his pack on the table and opened every compartment. Granny -reached for a skein of gray yarn. She tested it with her fingers, -murmured, "Poorly, poorly," and handed it back. Granny ignored the -bright ribbons, had no time whatever for the knickknacks, lingered over -a packet of needles, and her eyes were accusing when she gave them back. - -"Young man, you are a poor shakes of a peddler." - -"I tried to tell you I hadn't anything you'd want." - -"You should have somethin' to please a poor old woman." - -"I know. If I had anything good enough for you--Oh, darn!" - -A skein of yarn tumbled out of the pack and caught on a buckle. Jeff -reached through the slit for one of the many-bladed knives, opened the -scissors, and carefully snipped the tangled wool off. Granny clapped -joyful hands. - -"I knew it! I knew it! Give me that." - -Jeff handed her the knife. Granny's eyes shone. - -"Just the thing!" she cried ecstatically. "Just what I need! My eyes -ain't what they used to be. I missed two shots at runnin' bucks last -fall and I'm forever mislayin' my necessaries. 'Twould be handy to have -so many in one piece. Cash or swap?" - -Jeff said recklessly, "Let's call it a gift, Granny." - -"But," she was honestly troubled, "you can't give me aught that cost you -dear." - -"Yes I can." - -"Not by my leave," she said firmly. "It's only right that a body gets -his worth." - -"I'll swap even for a look at some of your other tapestries." - -"My what?" - -"Your cloth pictures, like the cat." - -"Land! I'll get some." - -She bounced from her chair, bustled into an adjoining room, and they -heard her open a trunk. A moment later she was back with two tapestries -under her arm. She spread one, a yard long by about twenty inches wide, -and Jeff gasped. - -It was _The Last Supper_, but instead of following conventional -patterns, Granny had drawn inspiration from the life around her. Jesus -and His disciples were seated at a wooden table that was innocent of any -adornment or finery whatsoever, but the table was so finely done that a -sliver thrusting out from it seemed both real and symbolic. There was an -air of dignity that rose above mere human dignity, and the dyes had been -applied with a touch so delicate that holy light seemed to emanate from -the picture. Its message was one of hope. Judas was not to be abandoned. - -"Do you like it?" Granny asked. - -"It--" Jeff was at a loss for words. "It's wonderful!" - -"Preacher Skiles thinks the Lord ain't right." - -"Preacher Skiles assumes a great deal of responsibility." - -She laughed. "'Twas not the way he meant it. He thinks Jesus should be -sittin' above the rest, with maybe angels flyin' at His shoulder." - -"It's better this way." - -"That's what I thought," Granny asserted. "The Lord, He wasn't above the -beggars, the sick and those who done wrong. Somehow I got to think of -Him as comin' down to all of us." - -"I, too." - -"This one," Granny spread the other tapestry, "I call _The Fall of -Satan_." - -Jeff gasped again. The picture centered around the black silhouette of -Satan, with a background done in delicate shades of red. There was about -the figure utter misery, abandonment and despair. The gates of hell, -which he had not yet entered, were merely suggested. But they were -suggested so artistically that one sensed the seething fires, the -complete torment, that awaited. - -Dan looked and shuddered. "Gee!" - -Jeff breathed, "Why hasn't anyone else seen these, Granny?" - -"Enos," she answered, "didn't hold with hangin' them on the walls and -I've tried to keep the house as Enos'd want it. But I knew Enos wouldn't -mind Kitty Cat. He--he's company." - -"Somebody should see them." - -"Pooh! Who'd bother with an old woman's foolishness?" - -"I would." - -"Then take them. Take them for the knife." - -"I won't do it." - -She seemed crestfallen. "I didn't think you would." - -Jeff said seriously, "It isn't that. These are worth a great deal of -money." - -"They are? How much?" - -Jeff hazarded a guess, "Twenty-five dollars." - -"Land!" - -"Each," Jeff finished. - -"My land!" - -"Granny, do you trust me?" - -"Pooh! I didn't raise eight of my own 'thout knowin' aught of boys." - -"Are these dear to you?" - -"I don't set much store by 'em. Enos never liked 'em." - -"Let me take them into Ackerton," Jeff urged. "Let me see what I can do -with them there." - -"Go ahead if you've a mind to. Land! Meal time and I haven't started a -thing for you boys to eat!" - - - - -8. ACKERTON - - -Jeff awakened an hour before sunrise. He raised himself on his bunk and -listened. Dan's regular breathing proved that he still slept, and Jeff -settled back beneath his warm blankets to do some thinking. - -In some respects, the trading around Smithville had not gone as well as -he had hoped it would. The hill men had been eager for his knives of -many uses, his fishing tackle, his small tools, his nails and all the -bolts and screws he had. They had also taken all the novelties. But they -had spurned his inferior products because they could make better ones -themselves, and Jeff had been able to trade only one watch. Watches were -useless to those who guided themselves by the sun. - -The women had been happy over the gay ribbons, the thread and yarn, the -pins and needles, and the bolt of gingham had gone in two days. It was -better and more colorful than anything Abel Tarkman stocked. But the -women had wanted only a small portion of his kitchenware and spices. -Jeff had traded all his cinnamon, pepper, tea and the few other things -that could not be found locally. But no hill woman would think of -offering anything at all for what she could find growing within easy -reach of her doorstep or was able to produce in her garden. - -The candy had been exhausted by the third day, and Jeff grinned at the -way it had gone. He had conceived what he thought was the clever idea of -bribing the children with it, and he had discovered that the older folks -had a sweet tooth, too. Never to be forgotten was Grandpa Severance, -sucking a striped peppermint stick with toothless jaws. - -However, in other respects, trading had far exceeded Jeff's fondest -hopes. - -Though the hill people had rejected some of his wares, they had been -willing to pay well for what they did want. Jeff and Dan had visited -their cabins or met them on the trails, for news that a peddler who'd -rather trade than sell was abroad had penetrated into the remotest -valleys. Jeff had a dozen hunting knives whose quality ranged from fair -to superb. There were three exquisitely balanced hand-made hatchets, a -wonderfully polished hunting horn, a set of fine miniatures made of deer -antler, a fringed buckskin shirt, four pairs of superior moccasins and -other articles, including an ancient matchlock pistol still in working -order. Granny Wilson's tapestries remained his biggest prize. - -Jeff knew that, beyond any doubt, his week's work had paid him more than -any previous month's. But he knew also that he would have to get trade -goods that conformed to the hill people's idea of what they wanted. -Therefore, in order to get new stock and dispose of the wares he had, a -trip to Ackerton was necessary. That presented a problem. - -Dan had traveled with him all week. Far from lagging, his interest in -trading had heightened. So far Dan had kept his promise and had done as -Jeff said. But by the fastest route it would take a full day to go to -Ackerton, a full day to return, and Jeff thought that he would need at -least four or five days in the city. What would Dan do if Jeff were not -there to restrain him? The boy had never forgotten that a blood feud had -brought him back to Smithville. - -Dan's bunk rustled and he whispered, "Jeff." - -"I'm here." - -"Just wanted to see if you're awake." - -As it usually did when he needed it most, happy inspiration came to -Jeff. - -"I'm awake all right and I want you to do something for me." - -"Sure, Jeff." - -"I'm going to Ackerton today and I may be gone a week or more. I want -you to take Pal and go up to watch over Granny Wilson." - -"But--" - -"She needs somebody," Jeff urged. "You and I have stopped in there -almost every day and kept an eye on her. We can't just leave her alone." - -Dan said reluctantly, "All right, Jeff. Can I take the shotgun?" - -"You'd just better." - -His problem neatly solved, Jeff relaxed. When Dan announced that he had -been assigned as her protector, Granny, in her wisdom, would accept him -as such. If he should get out of hand, the shotgun shells were loaded -with nothing but paper. They'd make a satisfactory noise but wouldn't -hurt anybody. - -Jeff prepared their breakfasts, they cleaned the cabin, and with the -shotgun over one shoulder, half-pulling the unwilling Pal with his free -hand, Dan started for Granny Wilson's. Pack on his shoulder, Jeff strode -into Smithville. - -There were two routes to Ackerton. The hard one was over the mountains. -The easy one was eighteen miles down the logger's road to Delview, where -a train could be boarded, and Jeff chose that way. He walked swiftly, -anxious to make time, but even as he walked he filed in his mind the -locations of the cabins he either passed or saw evidence of. There were -vast possibilities for trade around Smithville. So far he and Dan had -explored only a small part of it. - -Half past twelve brought him to Delview, and Jeff walked openly down the -street. Larger than Cressman, Delview was busier, and Jeff's peddling -instincts cried for expression. He submerged them; a city was the only -place to offer the wares he carried now. Jeff stopped when a policeman -tapped his shoulder. - -"Are you peddling?" - -"No," Jeff answered blandly, "just passing through." - -"You come from Cressman?" - -"Cressman? I came from Smithville." - -"Just thought I'd ask. Been fishing?" - -"Hunting," Jeff said gravely. - -He grinned to himself and walked on. Obviously, Pop and Joe Parker had -sent word to Delview, but just as obviously they'd told the police there -to be alert for a red-headed peddler accompanied by a huge dog. On -impulse, Jeff stopped at a drugstore, bought a postcard, addressed it to -Joe Parker, and wrote, "Thanks for sending me to Delview. Regards to -Pop. Happy days." - -He signed it J. Seymour Tarrant, Esq., dropped it into a mail box, made -his way to the station and bought a ticket to Ackerton. - - * * * * * - -Leaving Delview at half past three, and stopping several times en route, -the train did not reach Ackerton until a quarter to eight. Jeff bore the -slow ride serenely, for only the unwise thought that they must forever -hurry. Besides, time could always be used to good advantage and the slow -train was a heaven-sent opportunity to work out a plan. Arriving in -Ackerton, Jeff had a clear idea of just what he wanted to do there. - -He left the train and made a confident way through the huge station. He -had the pack on his back because that was the easiest way to carry it, -and he met the curious stares directed at him with a good-natured grin. -He was as out of place here as a well-dressed Ackertonite would have -been in Smithville, and he elicited the same curiosity. But he did not -mind because he had been in cities before and he would be forgotten as -soon as he was out of sight. Jeff's questing eyes found a paper banner -displayed above one of the station's newsstands: - - HOTEL KENNARD, ACKERTON'S BEST - -He glanced at the banner and followed a pointing arrow with TAXI -stenciled on it. Imperiously he beckoned the lead cab and directed, "The -Hotel Kennard." - -The cabbie looked questioningly at him. "The Kennard?" - -"The Kennard," Jeff repeated, "and since I know the shortest way, you -might as well follow it." - -The cabbie shrugged; if this ill-dressed traveler wanted to go to the -Kennard, and was able to pay for the trip, that was his affair. Jeff -relaxed in the back seat and gave himself over to enjoying a city's -sights, sounds, and bustle. Maybe, if he were a very wealthy merchant, -instead of a peddler, he would enjoy such a place himself. A moment -later he decided that he wouldn't. Half his fun lay in personal contact -with customers, and there was little that was personal about city -business. The cab halted at the curb and the driver opened the door. - -"Just a second," Jeff directed. - -He glanced swiftly at the Kennard and was satisfied. It was in one of -the better sections, and the well-dressed men and women going in and out -were proof enough that it was, if not the best, at least one of the best -hotels. Thus Jeff had the base of operations that he wanted. He paid the -cabbie and entered the hotel. - -The lobby was plush, with thick carpeting, marble pillars, and the usual -quota of those who were waiting or simply loafing in upholstered chairs. -Heads rose, and Jeff winked slyly at an obviously affluent man who -peered at him over the top of a paper. Embarrassed, the man ducked back -beneath his paper. Jeff made his way to the desk. - -"First floor room with bath," he directed loftily. "I wish to be away -from street noises and," he looked critically around the lobby, "I -prefer the better furnishings." - -The blasé clerk, who had registered all sorts of guests but few like -this, took Jeff's measure with his eye. - -"Those rooms are five dollars a day." - -"My good man! I asked for a room, not advice!" - -"Ye--" the clerk was still suspicious but he was also there to rent -rooms. "Yes, sir. Overnight only?" - -"My stay is indefinite." - -Jeff signed the register with a flourishing "Jeffrey S. Tarrant," -accepted the key and gave his pack over to a solemn-faced bellboy who -led him down a corridor. He examined the room as he entered, displayed a -dollar bill, flipped a quarter and said to the bellboy, - -"Bring me a city directory, will you?" - -"Yes, sir." - -The bellboy left, knocked discreetly a few minutes later, handed Jeff a -bulky directory, and Jeff tipped him a dollar. He washed and, careless -of the glances he attracted, enjoyed a good dinner in the Kennard's -dining room. Then he returned to his room, belly-flopped on the bed, -opened the directory, laid a pencil and sheet of paper on it and began -to run his finger down the columns. He came to "Barnerson, Joseph D., -dlr. antqes. 413 Grand Ave.," and wrote the information on his sheet of -paper. Jeff noted five more dealers in antiques, six sporting goods -stores and six shops chosen at random which, from their listings, seemed -to cater to exclusive trade. That done, he referred to a city map in the -same book and drew a line through whatever did not seem to be in one of -Ackerton's better districts. - -The first phase of his campaign was outlined. Jeff rang for the evening -papers and read until he was too sleepy to read any more. - -From force of habit he awoke at dawn, but turned over and went back to -sleep. The hill people began their day with the first light, but he was -in a city now. Jeff awoke again at eight o'clock, breakfasted and made -his way to the street. He wandered down it and entered the first -clothing store he found. - -"I want a business suit," he told the clerk who accosted him. - -"This way, sir." - -The clerk tried to read Jeff, thought he'd succeeded, and brought out a -suit that had been in style fifteen years ago and probably in storage -since. - -Jeff rose with a curt, "Don't you have any new suits?" - -"Oh! Sorry, sir. My error." - -He fitted Jeff with a neat blue serge suit, a white shirt, a modest but -smart tie, a pair of socks, and new shoes. Jeff took his old clothes -back to the Kennard, wrapped one of Barr Whitney's knives, thrust it -into his inside coat pocket and went out. His trap was set and scented. -Now he had to see if he would catch anything. - -There were four sporting goods stores still on his list, but Jeff passed -the first because its windows were dirty and the second because it -advertised a bargain sale. But the third seemed to offer what he wanted. -He asked the friendly clerk who came forward, "Is Mr. Ryerson in?" - -"No, he isn't. But Mr. Calworth is." - -"May I see him?" - -"This way." - -Jeff followed the clerk down the aisle and examined the store closely as -he did so. The fire arms, fishing tackle and other sporting equipment -displayed on the counters was all of quality make and he hadn't been -asked for an appointment, so evidently this store catered to sportsmen -able to afford the best and at the same time it was not overly formal. -The clerk ushered him into an office and Jeff's hopes rose. - -"Mr. Calworth," the clerk said, "this gentleman wants to see you." - -"My name's Tarrant," Jeff shook Mr. Calworth's extended hand, "Jeff -Tarrant, and I'd hoped you'd be kind enough to furnish me with some -information." - -"Sit down, Mr. Tarrant." - -Mr. Calworth was middle-aged, and a sprinkling of gray showed in his -black hair. But there was a sparkle in his eyes, an ease of movement and -callouses on his hands. Obviously he did something besides sit at a -desk, and Jeff guessed shrewdly that he was an outdoor enthusiast -himself. Jeff took the proffered chair and draped himself carelessly, -but not too carelessly, upon it. - -"I represent Tarrant Enterprises," Jeff almost added the Ltd., but -caught himself in time. "We may wish to expand." - -"Are you in sporting goods?" - -"Partly." - -"And you're considering Ackerton?" - -"Yes and no. That's what I hope to decide." - -"There's plenty of room, Mr. Tarrant." - -"But how much _good_ room?" - -Mr. Calworth laughed. "I'll tell you frankly. There are a variety of -sporting goods stores, but Ryerson and Hapley split forty-five per cent -of the trade and ninety per cent of the most desirable trade. However, -there is no reason why an aggressive newcomer should not do very well." - -Jeff bent forward. "Is there a survey--Oh!" Purposely arranged to do so, -the knife in his pocket had slipped and thrust the front of his new coat -outward. Grinning his embarrassment, Jeff took the knife from his pocket -and balanced it on his knee. - -Mr. Calworth's eyes followed his movements. "What do you have there?" - -"One of our specialties." Jeff gave him the knife. "A rather exceptional -piece." - -Mr. Calworth slipped the knife from its sheath, and his eyes warmed as -he examined it. He tested the blade with his thumb and shaved a couple -of hairs from the back of his hand. When he turned to Jeff, he was -interested. - -"You specialize in this sort of thing?" - -"We specialize in quality," Jeff said casually. "When we sell, we like -to believe that the customer receives full value." - -"Do you get many articles as good?" - -Jeff shrugged. "Look at it. Can that be mass-produced?" - -"No," Mr. Calworth admitted. "What is your retail price on this knife?" - -"Twenty dollars," Jeff said firmly. - -"When do you intend to open your branch, Mr. Tarrant?" - -"I'm not sure we will open it. At least, we won't until after much more -extensive research." - -"Would you care to make Ryerson your agent until you decide definitely?" - -Jeff deliberated. Then, "I hadn't thought of an agency." - -"It can't hurt you and it might make you some money. I'll continue to be -frank. This is not something to offer an average customer because he -simply cannot afford it. But there are sportsmen who can, and they come -to Ryerson's. We'll take this, and any other quality merchandise you -have, at a thirty per cent discount." - -Jeff thought of Barr's other knife, a few of the rest, the hatchets, the -bridle reins, and made a swift calculation. Not all were equally -valuable, but all were quality. If Ryerson paid him cash, he would more -than make up for everything he had dispensed from his pack, his train -fare, his expenses in Ackerton, and he would still have valuable goods. -He said finally, "It should work to our mutual benefit." - -"May we expect some more soon?" Mr. Calworth asked. - -"I have a few in my sample case at the Kennard. You may have those as -soon as I've time to deliver them and more in--shall we say three -weeks?" - -"I'll send a clerk for what you have," Mr. Calworth promised, "and leave -your check at the Kennard desk. Or would you prefer payment to your -business headquarters?" - -Jeff held his breath inwardly, but answered quite casually, "It doesn't -matter." - -"We'll leave it at the Kennard," Mr. Calworth decided. "What should the -total be?" - -Jeff made a swift mental calculation. Barr Whitney's two knives for -twenty dollars each, one almost as good for fifteen, two for ten and -three for five dollars each. Pete's horsehide thong for four dollars and -the three hatchets at five dollars each. That less thirty per cent. Jeff -gave the total, "Seventy-six dollars and thirty cents." - -"Good!" Jeff knew that this keen man would examine each article and see -if the price was suitable. "Are you going back to the Kennard?" - -"I must stop in for a few minutes." - -"May I send someone along to pick up the rest of the things?" - -"Certainly." - -"Fine! Don't forget us, Mr. Tarrant." - -Jeff walked back to the Kennard with one of Ryerson's clerks, gave him -the merchandise intended for him in the lobby and got a receipt. Then he -returned to his room, looked over the motley collection of knives that -remained, and decided that he could sell or trade them to his advantage. -But he wanted to take care of some of the other articles first and then -give special attention to Granny's tapestries. He examined the pistol -and the set of miniatures. Both were unknown quantities. - -About a foot long, the pistol had a metal barrel and ivory handles that -had faded to a soft yellow. On each handle was an elaborate boar's head. -Nat Stancer, who had traded Jeff the pistol for two screwdrivers, had -kept it in good working order. Jeff did not know how much it was worth, -but certainly it would be of use only to a hill man or to someone -interested in antiques. - -The miniatures were small but well carved and proportioned, and all of -them consisted of deer in various stages and poses. There were a doe and -fawn, a running buck, a lone fawn, three grazing does, a resting buck -and a doe rearing. They had cost Jeff a yard each of red, blue and -yellow ribbon, but the woman who had traded them had not done the -carving. The miniatures were also old and Jeff thought they had probably -been fashioned by some invalid with nothing else to do. - -The pistol in one side pocket and the miniatures in another, Jeff set -out to visit the antique dealers whose names and addresses he had -listed. With no experience in antiques, he had only a vague idea as to -how to go about selling his, so he took the dealers in alphabetical -order and the first name on his list was Joseph Barnerson. - -He entered the store, a narrow building sandwiched between two larger -ones, and looked curiously at the objects surrounding him. Jeff -recognized few and wanted none, but looking at them strengthened his own -conviction that, no matter what the article might be, it was desirable -to somebody. Jeff turned toward the man who came to meet him. He had -half expected somebody old and creaking, but this man was only about -thirty and far from decrepit. - -"What may I do for you?" - -"I have an old pistol," Jeff said, "and maybe I'd sell it if I got the -right price." - -The man smiled. "Mister, I sell antiques. I do not buy them." - -"You don't? Where do you get your stock then?" - -The smile became a grin. "I get my merchandise in my own way. Let me see -your pistol." - -Jeff handed it over. The man examined it closely and finally said, -"They're a drug on the market. I'll give you fifty cents." - -"In that case, wrap up six for me. I'll give you three dollars for 'em." - -"Where would I get six?" - -"You said they're a drug on the market." - -"So," the man admitted, "are most other antiques. Their value depends on -how badly somebody wants them. Find somebody who wants the pistol and -you'll get a fair price. To somebody who doesn't want it, it isn't worth -a penny." - -"That makes sense." - -"What are you going to do now?" - -"Find somebody who wants it." - -But, though Jeff visited other dealers in antiques, none offered him -more than a dollar for the pistol and nobody offered anything for the -miniatures. It was very late when he returned to the Kennard. - - - - -9. MIGHTY MISSION - - -In his room at the Kennard, Jeff slept late. The past four days had been -busy ones, and more than a little hectic, and he was tired. - -Mr. Calworth himself had brought back three of the cheapest knives. -Admittedly they were worth five dollars each, but they were not -merchandise that Ryerson could sell to its more exacting customers. If -they were to pay premium prices, they demanded premium quality and -Ryerson had better knives in stock that they sold for four dollars and a -half. However, Mr. Calworth had softened their return by taking the -fringed hunting shirt, the four pairs of moccasins and the polished -hunting horn, and privately Jeff kicked himself for failing to offer -them in the first place. They had brought thirty-eight dollars and -Ryerson's would take all Jeff could supply if the quality remained as -good. - -The pistol was also gone. Failing to sell it to anyone at the price he -wanted to get, Jeff had carelessly left it on his dresser. The maid who -tidied up the room had found it, decided that only a desperate outlaw -would use such a thing and taken to it the clerk. Unable to resolve a -situation so grave, and unwilling to take the responsibility, the clerk -had consulted the manager and the manager had come to see Jeff. - -He apologized for his employees but thought that they had been well -intentioned. He also recognized the pistol and it just so happened that -his hobby was collecting antique fire arms. If Jeff cared to sell the -pistol--Jeff did, for fifteen dollars. - -Jeff had tramped the streets, going from store to store and bartering. -It had taken time. But bit by bit he had rid himself of almost -everything he had brought to Ackerton and stocked his pack with items -the hill people favored. None of it had cost Jeff any money and, in -addition to all expenses, he had a clear profit of almost a hundred -dollars. Under ordinary circumstances that would have been excellent. -But these circumstances were not ordinary. - -He had been unable to find a buyer for either the miniatures or Granny -Wilson's tapestries. - -Though it revolted his peddler's instincts to do so, he was willing to -keep the miniatures if it took too much time to sell them. Not only did -he refuse to do so with Granny's tapestries, but he was determined to -settle for nothing less than the price he had assured Granny he could -get. However, at least for the moment, he had reached a stalemate. - -Jeff had visited every store that seemed to have a wealthy trade. But -the most expensive tapestry he had been shown cost twelve dollars and -fifty cents and he hadn't even bothered to show Granny's. - -Jeff turned over, opened his eyes, sat up, yawned and occupied his mind -with the problems of the day. The smile remained on his lips and his -eyes retained their sparkle. The fact that he had had no success with -the tapestries proved only that he had not yet offered them to the -right person. They were a challenge, and it was a challenge to which he -could rise. If he had permitted himself to be discouraged by every small -setback, he would have stopped peddling long ago. - -He dressed, breakfasted and lingered over his plate to ponder the -problem of the tapestries. Naturally one did not walk up to any -stranger, ask him if he needed an expensive tapestry and proceed to sell -him one. But there had to be a way because there was always a way. What -way? Jeff tried his best to come up with an answer and couldn't do it. -He still had no intention of leaving Ackerton until the tapestries were -sold. - -Jeff fell back on the idea that first things must be first and he still -had more to do in Ackerton. Maybe something would occur to him while he -was doing it. - -He went to his room, referred to the directory, found the Jackson School -for Boys, noted its address on a slip of paper and tucked one of -Granny's tapestries, _The Last Supper_, under his arm before he left the -hotel. Far from doing so only once, Opportunity was always knocking, and -Jeff thought that many people missed her visit only because they were -unprepared when she was all but hammering the door from its hinges. - -Jeff took a taxi across town. There were trolleys, but he hadn't -acquainted himself with their schedules and, besides, taxis were faster. -Now that time was a factor--he wanted to finish his business and return -to Smithville--he could not afford to loiter. Jeff looked interestedly -at the section of the city they were entering. - -Downtown Ackerton was crowded, with land so precious that there was no -room for any space at all between buildings. Even the more modest -residential areas had houses close together and a bit of yard in front -and back. This must be where the wealthy element lived. The houses were -large and set back from the streets. By Ackerton standards, the lawns -were very spacious, though all of them together wouldn't have offered a -hill dweller as much room as he needed. They came to an area where there -were no residences at all but only a few business places, and Jeff had a -fleeting glimpse of one that interested him. The display windows were -clear, but drapes hung behind them and Jeff thought he saw a tapestry -displayed. He memorized the name; the Murchison Galleries. - -The cabbie turned aside into a paved drive and halted his taxi beside a -large building that had a distinct air of gentility. The taxi stopped -and Jeff looked puzzled. - -"I wanted the Jackson School." - -"This is it." - -Jeff paid the driver, got out and looked around. Obviously a converted -mansion, the Jackson School had none of the aloofness of the mansions -they had passed. Surrounded by green lawns and flower gardens, there was -the same strong sense of being welcome that was so evident on Granny -Wilson's hill. Jeff whistled. Johnny Blazer, who had lived in a cabin -behind Smithville, hadn't stinted himself when he chose a school for his -son. Jeff knew a little misgiving. It was his intention to see Dan back -here when the school term opened. But could he afford it? - -"Might as well find out," he murmured to himself. - -Inside the main entrance, a pleasant girl looked up from a desk upon -which was a typewriter, an inkwell with a tray of pens and a few papers. -She smiled at Jeff. - -"Yes?" - -"I'd like to see--" Jeff tried and could not think of the titles given -officials in private schools for boys. He grinned. "I'd like to discuss -a youngster who probably would be in the sixth grade." - -"Is he a student here?" - -"Yes." - -"I'll call Mr. Nelson. Will you be seated, please?" - -She talked into a speaking tube. Jeff seated himself on a comfortable -divan, and as soon as he saw him, he approved of the man who came in. -About fifty years old, he was short and inclined to stoutness. He wore a -gray suit that fitted well and had been chosen with care. His face was -flushed and his hair iron-gray. But the blue eyes that set his face off -were gentle, understanding and wise. Jeff rose to meet him. - -"Mr. Nelson?" - -"Yes sir." His voice was soft and pleasant. - -"My name's Jeff Tarrant," Jeff introduced himself. "I've come to talk to -you about Dan Blazer." - -Alert interest flooded the headmaster's face. "Oh, yes. Do you know -where he is?" - -"Yes. Let me tell you." - -Mr. Nelson listened attentively while Jeff spoke of finding Dan in -Johnny Blazer's cabin. Jeff told of Dan's fierce anger, and his -unshakable determination to seek out whoever had killed his father and -extract full vengeance. He spoke of his own part in it and of the -paper-loaded shotgun shells. Jeff did not try to conceal the fact that -he was a peddler, nor did he hide Dan's interest in peddling. He told of -his own hopes to find Johnny's murderer, let the law take its course, -and of the effect he thought that would have on Dan. - -For a moment after he finished, Mr. Nelson did not speak. Then he asked, -"Where is the boy now?" - -"I left him in very good hands. He will lack for nothing." - -Mr. Nelson looked troubled. "What do you intend to do with him, Mr. -Tarrant?" - -"If I can afford it, I want to bring him back here when the fall term -opens." - -Mr. Nelson smiled gently. "Mr. Tarrant, when you looked up the Jackson -School for Boys, I'm sure you saw nothing about our being restricted to -wealthy boys only. We do have students, and I'll admit that they are of -exceptional ability, who pay whatever their parents or guardians can -afford." - -"Where does Dan rate in that category?" - -"Very highly. Very highly I assure you. An outstanding youngster, but -your revelations were not a complete surprise." - -"You expected him to run away?" - -"I took him to his father's funeral," Mr. Nelson said softly. "He said -little, but I knew what he was thinking. After he ran away, I wrote to -the authorities in Smithville, but I've had no reply." - -"That's my fault," Jeff admitted. "I told them that Dan was under my -care and that I'd contact you personally." - -"You did? By any chance did you have ideas about looking us over?" - -"I had that idea. And I had no intention of letting him come back if you -did not measure up." - -"Oh! We do meet your standards?" - -Jeff smiled. "You're good enough." - -"You might have brought Dan with you." - -"I might also have put him in a cage," Jeff said wryly. "And if I kept -him there for one, three, or ten years, he'd get out some time. When he -did, he'd still go back and hunt whoever shot his father." - -"How old are you, Mr. Tarrant?" - -"Going on nineteen." - -"Would it be impertinent to ask your background?" - -Jeff said quietly, "I lived in an orphanage until I was a little past -fourteen. Then I ran away and worked at various jobs. Since quitting the -last one, I've been a peddler." - -"I see. And what do you hope to gain by sending this youngster back to -us?" - -Jeff still spoke quietly. "Sleep, easy sleep at night because I did not -leave him alone when he had no one else to whom he could turn." - -"What does Dan think about it?" - -"I haven't told him," Jeff grinned, "but I have a pact with him. Dan has -agreed to do anything I say." - -"Why?" - -"He likes peddling, and he has an idea that he's going to throw in with -me. I told him he couldn't unless he minded me." - -"What are your plans for the future?" - -"I haven't decided," Jeff said seriously. "But I like Smithville, and if -things continue to get as well as they've started out, in the next three -or four years I'll be able to build up a good business right in -Smithville." - -"I see. Do you have any ideas about Dan's 'throwing in' with you?" - -"Yes I do," Jeff confessed. "I like him and I'd like to have him; -Tarrant and Blazer would be a mighty good team. But first he must have -an education." - -"Why?" - -"So he'll know what I have never learned. I read as much as I can, but -that's not as good as solid groundwork in school." - -"If you pay for his education, would you insist on his later services?" - -"No, he can choose his own way." - -"You're willing to be responsible for him on such a basis?" - -"Yes, sir. Wh--what is your tuition fee?" - -"Mr. Blazer paid--" Mr. Nelson named half the sum Jeff had expected. -"What do you wish to have me do?" - -"I want only your written confirmation that Dan is in my care." - -"May I also say that you are to return him to us by September -fourteenth?" - -"Certainly." - -"All right. Miss Jackson, may I borrow your desk?" - -The confirming letter in an inside pocket, Jeff strode happily out of -the school. It had all been much simpler than he had thought possible, -but Mr. Nelson was an understanding person. Jeff knew that he himself -had undergone one of the most severe examinations of his life--and had -passed it. Relieved about Dan, he could now give his whole attention to -the business at hand. - -It was a long way to the Kennard, but Jeff did not want to hail or phone -for a taxi as yet because the neighborhood, and the stores he had seen, -interested him. He walked back the way he had come, saw the stores -ahead, and halted in front of the Murchison Galleries. - -He wanted to assure himself that he had seen what he thought he had -seen, and it was there. In the window, somehow accentuated by the very -simplicity of its surroundings, was a tapestry that depicted a bowl of -crocuses in bloom. Though he did not know a great deal about tapestries, -Jeff realized that this was a very fine one. But mentally he compared it -to Granny's, and decided that hers was better. Jeff entered the -galleries. - -Though only fair-sized, the arrangement of the interior loaned an -illusion of spaciousness and its air was one of quiet refinement. There -were paintings on the walls and others on easels, and without examining -them too closely, Jeff knew that the way they were placed added much to -their effectiveness. He turned to meet the man coming toward him and was -greeted with a pleasant, "Good morning." - -He said it as though he were welcoming a guest into his house, and Jeff -responded in kind. "Good morning. I think you may save my life!" - -"Indeed?" The man arched his brows. "You hardly seem on the verge of -expiring." - -"I really am, though. You do know something about tapestries?" - -"A bit." The man smiled indulgently. "What do you wish?" - -Jeff unrolled Granny's _The Last Supper_ and held it up for inspection. -"I _must_ find the exact duplicate of this." - -"May I see it?" - -The man took the tapestry, felt its texture, turned it over and examined -it at arm's length. His eyes hardened ever so slightly. Lowering the -tapestry, he wrinkled his brow in thought. - -"Perhaps we may help you, Mr.--" - -"Tarrant," Jeff supplied. "Jeffrey Tarrant." - -"I'm Raold Murchison. You wish us to find a duplicate of this?" - -"If you can," Jeff wanted twenty-five dollars but decided he might as -well try for more. "It's worth a hundred dollars." - -"How soon must you have it, Mr. Tarrant?" - -"Tomorrow noon's the deadline," Jeff said ruefully. "Just think! I've -been in Ackerton almost a week before I found you." - -"Where are you staying?" - -"The Kennard. Room sixteen." - -"May we retain this until tomorrow at noon?" - -"Of course, naturally you will--" - -"Naturally. I would not ask you to leave it without a receipt. Will you -be at the Kennard at noon?" - -"I'll make it a point to be there." - -"I shall phone you then, Mr. Tarrant, and advise you concerning our -success or failure." - -He gave Jeff a receipt and noted his name and room number. Jeff left the -galleries, knowing that he had taken a gamble. But who hoped to win had -to take chances. With nothing else to do, he gave the rest of the day -and most of the next morning to wandering about Ackerton. He returned to -his room at twenty to twelve, and exactly twenty minutes later his phone -rang. - -"Mr. Tarrant," it was the desk clerk, "there's a Mr. Murchison here to -see you." - -"Send him in." - -Jeff opened the door for Raold Murchison, and no matter where he stood, -he would still be master of the Murchison Galleries. - -"I came in person, Mr. Tarrant, because that seemed best." - -"Indeed?" - -"Yes, we succeeded in locating the exact duplicate of your tapestry." - -Jeff gave thanks for his ability to wear a poker face when such was in -order. If the Murchison Galleries had located the twin of Granny's _The -Last Supper_, Granny had made it. And Raold Murchison wouldn't even know -how to talk to her. - -Murchison smiled tentatively. "In the process of finding the duplicate, -we also found a customer who is enamoured of the pair." - -"Those things happen." - -"I assume that you have a customer who will pay you at least two hundred -dollars?" - -Jeff made no comment. It was Murchison's privilege to assume anything he -wished. The art dealer continued, "I am prepared to offer you a hundred -and twenty-five dollars for yours." - -Jeff's heart leaped but his face revealed nothing. Obviously, somewhere -among his wealthy neighbors, Raold Murchison, just as Jeff had hoped, -had known the exact person who would appreciate such a tapestry. -Naturally, he would sell it for more than the price offered Jeff, but he -was entitled to a profit, too. Hiding his elation, Jeff frowned. - -"It isn't the price I thought I'd get." - -"But you cannot sell yours without a duplicate?" - -Jeff looked away without answering. Murchison waited expectantly. -Finally Jeff looked back. "Well, all right," he agreed. - -"How about taking another tapestry?" Jeff asked. - -"Oh, you have another?" - -Jeff showed him _The Fall of Satan_. Raold Murchison examined it and -turned to Jeff. - -"A fair enough piece and I'll speculate. Shall we say fifty dollars?" - -"Let's say seventy-five?" - -"I'm taking a chance but--Will you accept my personal check?" - -"Certainly." - -Raold Murchison wrote a check and waved it in the air until it dried. -"If you should be in Ackerton again, Mr. Tarrant, the Murchison -Galleries are ever ready to be of service." - -He left and Jeff leaped high to click his heels in the air. He had hoped -to get fifty dollars for both tapestries. He had two hundred and a -strong hint that more tapestries would be welcome. He fairly danced down -to the desk. - -"When is the next train for Delview?" he asked. - -The clerk consulted a time table. "Five-three." - -"Thanks." - -Jeff ran out on the street and hailed a taxi. - -"The nearest place where I can buy a kitten," he directed, "and stay -with me. I want you all afternoon." - -"Sure, Bub." - -Half past four, and five pet shops later, Jeff found what he wanted. Of -three white Angora kittens in the window, one was almost the twin of -Granny's departed pet. It watched Jeff shyly, and arched its back -against his hand. Then it promptly proceeded to bite his finger. Plainly -it was a kitten with character. - -"I want it!" Jeff told the astonished proprietor. "Put it in a cage or -something because it's going on the train!" - -Lifted into a second-hand bird cage, the kitten spat its indignation and -fell to swiping at shadows with a silky paw. Jeff laid five dollars, the -requested price, on the counter and thrust his hand into the pocket -where the miniatures lay. - -"Present for you," he said, scattering them across the counter. He -rushed to the cab. "Hotel Kennard and don't spare the gasoline. I have -to be at the station by five-two!" - -He made it with a whole minute to spare. - - - - -10. BOMBSHELL - - -Dan Blazer, going up the trail toward Granny Wilson's with the shotgun -in one hand and Pal's leash in the other, was a little angry and more -than a little resentful. Though Jeff had said that Dan was going to take -care of Granny, the boy had convinced himself that he was actually to be -taken care of. He resented it because he and Jeff had a pact--Dan had -promised to do anything Jeff said--but Jeff seemed to have forgotten. If -he wanted to stay at Granny's, he had only to say so and nothing else -was necessary. Dan turned to pull the balky Pal along. - -"Come on!" he ordered. "Come on, Pal! Jeff's going to Ackerton and he -doesn't want either you or me with him!" - -Pal, who had wanted to go with Jeff but who was beginning to get the -idea that he was not supposed to, stopped straining back on the leash. -He was not wholly abandoned, as he had been when Johnny went away, and -that was a comfort. - -Dan brightened a little. Jeff had not only let him have the shotgun and -the six shells but had insisted that he take them. The very fact that -Jeff had trusted him with both made him feel more like a man and less -like a little boy. He gripped the shotgun tightly. Some day he would -look down the rib that separated its two barrels and see the man who -had shot his father. Dan's eyes flashed, then softened. That day must -not be now; he had promised Jeff that he wouldn't shoot anybody and Jeff -was very smart. Dan skipped along. - -Save for the one dark cloud, the future glowed with bright promise. Jeff -had promised to make a peddler of him and that would be the ideal life. -Dan thought of it during his waking moments and dreamed of it in his -sleep. All he had to do in order to make his dreams come true was obey -Jeff, and that was a small price to pay for the reward it offered. Jeff -was all-wise, all-good, all-powerful, and maybe he _had_ really sent Dan -to take care of Granny. - -When Granny's green hill came in sight, Dan's spirits were almost -completely lifted. The fact that he wished so desperately to take a -man's part helped convince him that he was taking one, and he forgot his -resentment to greet Granny with a smile. - -"Good morning, Granny." - -"Dan! My land! Where's Jeff?" - -"Gone to Ackerton and he'll be gone for some time. He--" Dan hesitated. -"He sent me and Pal up to look after you while he's away." - -Granny reacted precisely as Jeff had thought she would. "Now that was a -kindly thought! I really miss a man around the house. Come in and let me -set you a dish of cookies." - -Granny's wholehearted acceptance of himself and his mission removed most -of the lingering suspicion Dan retained that Granny was really supposed -to take care of him. He swelled with newfound importance and felt a -profound gratitude toward Jeff for sending him on a man's job. The -cookies Granny set before him were tangible proof that taking care of -her would not be without its rewards. With the appetite of a dragon and -the digestion of a goat, and despite his substantial breakfast, Dan -finished all the cookies and wished there were more. But it would hardly -be polite to ask. - -"I can stay until Jeff gets back, Granny," he said. "You won't have to -worry while I'm here." - -"I won't," she asserted. "I just won't fret even one particle. It's such -a comfort to have you. What's Jeff doing in Ackerton?" - -"Trading. We've been working pretty hard and now he has to trade -everything we got." Dan thought wistfully of Jeff, who in the boy's mind -was nine feet tall and possessed all the capacities of a wizard. "He'll -do all right, too. Those city people, they're not near as smart as -Jeff." - -"They couldn't be," Granny agreed solemnly. "That Jeff, he's man all -through." - -"We're partners," Dan said. "Partners in everything. Any of those -Whitneys been bothering you, Granny?" - -"Not of late." Granny looked a bit puzzled. "Why do you ask about the -Whitneys?" - -"Because," Dan said fiercely, "one of them shot my pop and soon's Jeff -and me find out which one, we're going to shoot him!" - -"My land! How you talk!" - -Dan felt suddenly that he was a little boy again, and justly censured by -an adult for lack of wisdom. He all but blushed. "We're not going to do -it right away." - -"That's nice," Granny said. - -"Now I have to take care of you. What needs taking care of first?" - -"You might go see that no pesky thing's troublin' my sheep." - -Pal at his heels, Dan raced down to where the fat sheep were at their -endless task of cropping grass. They looked at him with mildly surprised -eyes and continued to crop. Dan circled the sheep three times, petted -the gentle creatures, and was more than a little disappointed because -there seemed to be no immediate need of his protective services. But he -did not lose hope, there was still a lot of Granny's hill left. - -Molly, Granny's placid old cow, and Ephraim, Granny's mule, were as well -off as the sheep. Dan sighed, then became a little excited when four -blackbirds winged out of the trees to scratch in Granny's garden. He -stalked them carefully. But before he could come near enough, Pal -charged the blackbirds and sent them in jittery flight back to the -trees. - -Dan circled the foot of the hill, looking hard for something from which -Granny should be protected. But all he found was a cottontail rabbit -that confounded the fleet Pal by ducking into a burrow three inches in -front of his nose. Dan wandered back to Granny's house just in time for -lunch. - -That, consisting of bread much softer and better than any Abel Tarkman -sold, butter, delicately-spiced strawberry preserves, goblets of milk, -and a crisp apple turnover smothered in cream, was better than any Dan -had eaten, even at the Jackson School for Boys. - -Suddenly homesick, he thought of the school and all it had meant to him, -then put the thought behind him. He had left the school because he was -driven by a mission that would not let him rest and would never permit -him to have peace until it was fulfilled. Until it was, he must think -of nothing else; he shouldn't even think seriously of going peddling -with Jeff but he couldn't help that. Then his faith restored itself. -Jeff was all-wise and all-powerful. Jeff had promised him that justice -would be done. Dan was a bit ashamed of his doubts.... Unable to swallow -another bite, he pushed his plate back and lingered over it. Granny, who -hadn't had a hungry boy to satisfy in far too long, was shaping an apple -pie at the table and Dan's eyes lingered on her. The big wood stove cast -a pleasant glow into the room, and tantalizing odors promised much to -come. Dan licked his lips, the faint beginning of fresh hunger rising on -the very heels of the meal he had just eaten. - -Dan wrinkled his brows. He had been sent to look after Granny, and look -after her he would. But she didn't seem to need any looking-after right -now and the forest surrounding the hill was an inviting place. He asked, -"Is everything all right, Granny?" - -"Land! It's right as rain since you got here. Haven't felt this safe in -a dog's age." - -"Would you still feel safe if Pal and me went down in the woods this -afternoon?" - -"Can you beat that? I was just about to ask you if you would! What you -goin' to do there, Dan?" - -"Look around and make sure nothing's lurking too near." - -"Good! Good! If you can spare the time, you might bring a few trout for -us to sup on." - -"Oh, boy!" - -Dan whooped from his chair. With Pal bustling at his heels, he ran out -to the garden. He loved to fish, his father had taught him how to catch -trout, and Granny's accustomed tackle, a hook and line tied to a willow -pole, hung over the door. In the spring's damp overflow Dan grubbed -until he had filled his pocket with fat worms. Then he snatched the pole -from over the doorway and raced down to the little stream that from the -hilltop wound like a silver ribbon through the forest. - -He strung a worm on his hook, crawled cautiously up to a pool and -dropped the worm gently, watching with bated breath the ripples that -spread. A trout surged from the depths, struck viciously, and Dan drew -his wriggling catch in. Deftly he slipped it onto a willow stringer. - -Stringer in one hand, pole in the other, he sneaked up to another pool -and caught another trout. Mindful of the pies Granny was making, he -decided that he needed no more than two trout for himself because his -appetite must be saved for more important things. Granny might eat -three. Dan had four trout on his stringer when Pal growled. - -Hackles raised, ears alert, nose questing, he peered up-stream. Dan -stopped, not knowing what was coming but sure that Pal wouldn't growl -for no reason. Dragging the dog with him, the boy slipped into the brush -and a moment later Barr Whitney appeared. - -He was fishing, too, but instead of a willow stringer he carried a -buckskin creel into which he slipped trout as he caught them. Dan held -his breath and at the same time did his best to control his rising rage. -He wished mightily that he had brought the shotgun, but so far there had -been no indication that he would need it. Watching Barr come nearer, he -made himself very small. - -If he did not move, maybe Barr wouldn't see him. But when the man came -opposite Dan, he swerved and splashed across the creek. Trousers -dripping, seeming like some wet monster that emerged from the water, he -had only a glance for the growling Pal. But he thrust a hand inside his -shirt and the boy knew that he had a weapon of some sort concealed -there. Dan quieted the growling Pal by gently stroking him. - -"What be ye doin' here, boy?" - -Dan glared. "I don't talk to no blamed Whitneys!" - -Barr's eyes clouded. "Mind your tongue, boy." - -"I won't mind it! But one of you Whitneys will wish you'd minded -yourselves when Jeff and me find out who killed my pop!" - -"We will?" - -"Yes, you will! And me and Jeff are on the track." - -"You be?" - -Jeff's image came to stand beside Dan, so that he no longer felt small, -alone and so terribly frightened. With his friend beside him, he could -do anything. "Ha!" he exploded. "You think Jeff's a peddler, but he's -not." Dan cast desperately for an apt description and thought of the -most awesome image his mind could conjure up. "He's a policeman. A real -policeman. Now he's gone into Ackerton for more policemen, and soon's he -gets some, they'll get every one of you darned Whitneys. You wait! -You'll be sorry, Jeff said so!" - -"So-o," Barr Whitney purred. "So-o." - -"Aren't you--Aren't you going to do anything to me?" - -"Can't think of ary I'd do, 'cept mebbe string you on the hook an' use -you for bait." - -No longer interested in fishing, Barr Whitney splashed back across the -creek and disappeared in the forest. Immensely gratified, Dan watched -him go. - -He'd told those Whitneys. - - * * * * * - -Except that the fluffy kitten did not like the bird cage and expressed -his dislike with frequent far-carrying "_miaouws_" that attracted the -attention of everyone else in the day coach, Jeff's trip from Ackerton -to Delview was almost routine. It was not entirely so because twice the -conductor threatened either to take the kitten into the baggage car or -throw Jeff and his luggage off the train. Both times a chorus of dissent -rose from the six other passengers in the car. The train did not make as -many stops as the one from Delview to Ackerton had, but it was equally -slow and the kitten provided diversion. - -When they finally reached Delview, the kitten stood erect and glared at -everything in sight. Obviously he was a creature of great character and -he would fit in perfectly on Granny's hill. - -Pack on his back and the caged kitten dangling from his right hand, Jeff -strode down Delview's main street. He had decided, as he usually did, to -guide himself by whatever circumstances seemed to require. If he felt -too tired, he would put up at one of Delview's two hotels overnight. But -the events of the day, particularly his astounding success with Granny's -tapestries, had roused him to a pitch of enthusiasm so high that he was -not at all tired. The star-lighted night was ideal for walking and Jeff -made up his mind to go right through to Smithville. He should get there -some time in the early morning hours. He was anxious to see Dan again -and to watch Granny's eyes when he told her what he had done with her -tapestries. - -He was hungry, but the first café he entered was one of Delview's -exclusive eating places and the late diners who still lingered there -stared in horror at the caged kitten. A waiter asked him to leave, and -Jeff did not feel like arguing the point. The second café, not so -pretentious and presided over by a fat man with a completely bald head -and a clean apron, was less particular. Jeff laid his pack down, put the -cage on a chair and ordered, - -"Steak, fried potatoes and coffee. Heavy on all three and a saucer of -milk for the kitten." - -"Sure, bud, sure." - -The fat man poked a pudgy finger at the kitten, who crouched in the cage -and evidently imagined himself unseen. He sprang suddenly, and when he -leaped against the cage's door, it burst open. The kitten slithered -through, jumped to the table, gave everything in the restaurant a -haughty look, scrambled to Jeff's shoulder and began to purr -contentedly. - -"Cute lil' feller!" the fat man said admiringly. "Why do you keep him -caged?" - -Jeff saw opportunity. The cage had been only a means for getting the -kitten from Ackerton to Granny's. But if the kitten preferred Jeff's -shoulder, he was welcome to ride there. The fat man was obviously -interested in the cage. - -"Usually I don't," Jeff admitted. "I got the cage to bring him through -from Ackerton." He added, as though it were an afterthought, "Darn' -thing cost me two dollars." - -"_Hmm._ Need the cage any more?" - -"I don't know." - -"My wife's been lookin' for such. She keeps birds. What'll you take for -it?" - -Jeff forsook bargaining. His pack was full, and since the kitten seemed -happy on his shoulder, he did not want to carry the cage to Smithville. - -"Swap for the dinner." - -"It's a swap." - -The fat man, who apparently was also the cook, went into the kitchen. He -came back with a platter containing a huge steak and an ample supply of -potatoes. He also had a mug of coffee that held at least a pint. The -kitten scrambled from Jeff's shoulder to the table top, turned up his -nose at the saucer of milk placed before him, and looked appealingly at -Jeff's steak. - -Jeff grinned. This kitten knew what he wanted and was willing to try for -it. Jeff fed him a small piece of steak, then another, and a third. Only -when Jeff firmly refused to give him any more did he turn and lap up -every bit of the milk. When it was time to go, he climbed back on Jeff's -shoulder and pressed his naked nose and pads against his friend's neck, -where they would stay warm. - -Jeff walked swiftly through the cool night, stopping every hour or so to -rest. He enjoyed every second of it. - -Dawn was faint in the sky when they came to Smithville, and rising and -stretching on Jeff's shoulder, the kitten greeted it with a hearty -_miaouw_. - -"Who's there?" It was the constable, Bill Ellis. - -"Jeff Tarrant," Jeff called. - -"I've been waiting for you." - -Even though the constable was only half-seen, there was about him a -great hesitation that was mingled with a certain furtiveness as he came -through the darkness. Jeff waited, more than a little surprised. - -Bill Ellis came nearer and whispered, "Where you been?" - -"Why--Ackerton." - -The kitten miaouwed again and Bill Ellis took a backward step. "What's -that?" - -"Just a kitten that I'm bringing to Granny Wilson." - -There was vast urgency in Bill Ellis' voice as he said, "Don't go there. -Turn around and get out of the hills. Don't come back." - -"Why?" - -"Never mind why. Just go." - -"I'm going to Granny's." - -Bill Ellis' shrug was more sensed than seen. "You got a gun?" - -"Why--no." - -"Where is it?" - -"At Granny's. By the way, here's the letter from the school." - -He took the letter from an inside pocket and handed it over. Bill Ellis -accepted it, but it seemed unimportant. - -"If you won't run," he said, "get to Granny's and get your gun while -darkness lasts. Don't go anywhere again without it." - -"But--" - -"Do as I say and--" there was a definite note of fear in Bill Ellis' -voice--"don't tell anybody I told you." - -He turned and walked swiftly away, as though the peddler had suddenly -become an outcast or tainted being with whom he must not have further -contact. Jeff stood a moment, completely bewildered. Why this unexpected -warning? What had come into the hills since he'd left for Ackerton? Why -was Bill Ellis afraid? - -Jeff called softly, "Bill." - -The constable waited. Jeff trotted to him. - -"Tell me some more." - -"I've told you enough. Don't go out unless you can protect yourself. I -can do nothing for you, and the best thing you can do is run." - -"Nobody would gun down an unarmed man." - -"Don't be a fool." - -"I see. Bill, did Johnny Blazer have a gun when he was found?" - -"No. Leave me now. It's growing lighter." - -Jeff resumed his journey up the road, and the kitten stretched all four -paws against his neck. Shaking his head uncertainly, he did not turn -aside when he came to Johnny Blazer's cabin. Bill Ellis had told him to -get to Granny's and arm himself--before daylight. He'd better do it. - -The sun was just rising when Jeff came to Granny's green hill, and he -heard Pal's happy roar of welcome. He quickened his steps, and even on -this hill of peace he had an uncomfortable feeling that he was watched -by furtive eyes. Johnny Blazer had been shot down in cold blood. - -At the door, he composed himself. Granny and Dan must not be worried. -When he entered the cabin, an ecstatic Pal flung himself forward and -Jeff tickled the big dog's ears. He turned to meet Granny, who always -rose with the sun. - -"Hiya, Granny!" He plucked the kitten from his shoulder. "I brought you -a present!" - -"Oh, the love!" - -Granny cuddled the kitten against her cheek. Knowing experienced hands -and instantly liking Granny almost as much as she loved him, the kitten -licked her cheek with a pink tongue and fell to purring. Rubbing sleepy -eyes, pajama-clad Dan came from his bedroom. - -"Jeff!" - -"Hi, Dan!" - -"My land!" Granny's eyes sparkled like sunshine on dewdrops. "I'll make -some breakfast right away." - -"What'd you see in Ackerton?" Dan asked eagerly. "What'd you see in -Ackerton, Jeff." - -"Hang on to your horses!" Jeff laughed. "I'll tell you in good time. -Granny, I sold your tapestries." - -"Did you now?" - -"Couldn't get what they're worth, though," Jeff said sadly. - -"Land! Had no idea they were worth anything." - -"I got two hundred dollars." - -"Jeff!" Granny almost dropped the kitten. - -"I did, Granny. Four times as much as I told you I'd get." - -"But--" - -"And there's a place for more." - -Granny stroked the kitten and there was a look of near sadness in her -eyes. After a moment she said gently, "It seems almost sinful, that much -for aught so small." - -"It's not," Jeff assured her. "The man who bought them from me will make -a profit, too." - -"He can do that and welcome he is. Land! Who would have thought it? Two -hundred dollars! Half would do me for a year." - -"All would do you for two years." - -Granny shook her head. "No, Jeff. For sixty-four years I've abided here -and never had a hundred dollars all at once. Never missed it, either, -'cept when Enos was sick. I might have paid a doctor for him. If you -see fit to give me half, I'll take it should I have need of aught that -is not at my hand. Half is yours." - -Jeff hesitated. He worked for profit, but somehow it hadn't seemed right -to make any on Granny. Still, as far as she was concerned, a hundred -dollars was a vast sum and obviously she had gone as far as she intended -to go. - -Granny laughed. "We'll leave it that way and I'll have more ta--Oh, -hang! I keep forgettin' the name. More cloths the next time you go. It -seems a mort of pay for what pleasures me so dear. Now I'll rouse up -some eatables." - -She baked delicious pancakes, fried a heaping platter of sausage and put -them on the table. Granny and Dan listened intently, prompting him if he -omitted the smallest detail, as Jeff told everything about his trip to -Ackerton. - -When he had finished, he looked pointedly at Dan, declaring, "And -finally, I arranged for you to go back to school in September." - -"I'm not going," Dan said firmly. - -"You must go," Jeff urged. "Dan, you and I can build up a good business -here, but unless we always want to carry peddlers' packs, one of us has -to know business methods. The place to learn them is in school." - -"I want to carry a pack." - -"You'll have your chance; it isn't going to work that fast. Think of ten -or maybe even fifteen years from now. Imagine a trading post in -Smithville and a store in Ackerton with BLAZER AND TARRANT ENTERPRISES -in gold letters a foot high across both of 'em." Jeff grinned. "We -could cut out the Ltd. If we were partners, we wouldn't be limited any -more." - -Dan said stubbornly, "I can't go." - -"Could you if--if you were satisfied about your pop?" - -Dan hesitated. "You promise, Jeff?" - -"I promise." - -"Before I go?" - -"Before you go." - -"Then," Dan sighed, "I reckon I can go back." - -"Good," Jeff said quickly. "Now I want you to stay here and keep Pal -with you. I'm going away for a little while." - -"Where you going, Jeff?" - -"Into Smithville and I'm taking the shotgun." - -"I'm going with you." - -"Not this time. I have to go alone." - -"But--" - -"It's wisdom he speaks," Granny said softly. "You bide here, Dan." - -"Well--When you coming back, Jeff?" - -"I don't know exactly. But I will be back." - -"You take a care." - -"Now don't be fretting about me." Jeff grinned. - -But he was not grinning when, with the shotgun in his right hand and the -paper-loaded shells in his pocket, he left Granny's house and hit the -trail back to Smithville. The time for a showdown was here. - -Jeff planned as he walked. He had always known that he would stop -wandering and settle down when and if he found a place he liked well -enough, and he liked these hills. Though he'd never been able to imagine -himself confined to any one small spot, the hills were not small. They -presented a challenge he liked. The fact that he'd have to fight for his -right to be here, and that there were problems to be solved, was not -extraordinary. He'd always had to fight and there'd always been -problems. - -Jeff knew suddenly what he had never known before, his whole life had -been almost desperately lonely. He hadn't thought of it in such a light -because there had been no fair basis for comparison. Never having been -anything except lonely, he could not know what it was to be otherwise. -Now he had Dan, Granny, Pal, and a genuine love for all three. They were -his, and having them was good. - -He had no illusions about becoming very rich, for he saw no great wealth -in the offing. There would be a comfortable living, with always enough -variety so that there would be continual zest. The hill people needed -what the outside world could offer, but without someone to act as -intermediary, they had almost no chance of getting it. Those of the -outside world delighted in the products of the hills, and they had the -money to pay for them. Nobody would be cheated. - -Jeff put these thoughts behind him. First things must always be first, -and before he did anything else he had to meet, and fight, whoever was -gunning for him. For Dan's sake, and his own conscience, he must bring -to justice whoever had shot Johnny Blazer. He could do neither with -words, for it had come to guns. But before he could use the shotgun -effectively, he had to have live ammunition for it. He wished mightily -that he had left at least one shell loaded. - -Wanting only to see if anything had been disturbed there, Jeff swung -aside when he came to Johnny Blazer's cabin. He entered. - -Inside, each man armed with a rifle that swung at once to cover Jeff, -were Pete, Barr, Yancey, Grant and Dabb Whitney. - - - - -11. THE TALKING TREE - - -They stood along the wall, unkempt and untidy, but there was something -about them that was as cold and deadly as the whine of a bullet or the -fangs of a viper. They were lean as weasels, and as fast. The rifles -they held, from the repeating carbines belonging to Barr, Yancey, Dabb -and Grant, to Pete's single-shot fifty caliber, seemed a part of them -and they had grown up with those rifles. These were men who had no shots -to waste and who therefore must make every one count. They would be -shamed if they shot a turkey or grouse anywhere except through the head -and they had only raucous jeers for whoever was unable to shoot as well. - -"Turn 'raound!" Pete ordered gruffly. - -"Not here ya fool!" Barr countermanded the order. "A fair half of -Smithville'll come a'racin'." - -Pete sneered. "Let 'em come. They won't find us." - -"No!" Obviously Barr was in command. "This goes my way." - -Jeff stood, cold and shaken and knowing that, when he walked into the -cabin, he had walked into his own death. These must be the men about -whom Bill Ellis had warned him. But why should the Whitneys want to kill -him? Summoning all his past experience with Tarrant Enterprises, Ltd., -which had taught him to try to appear outwardly cool in the hottest of -spots, Jeff did his best to seem not only calm but to take full command -of the situation. - -"You're in my cabin," he said quietly. - -"We knaow," Pete's eyes were venom-laden, "but you won't be needin' it -fer long." - -The rest of the Whitneys said nothing. Jeff studied them and tried, by -reading their faces, to determine his next act. - -Pete, so poisoned with hatred that it distorted his face, offered -nothing. Yancey, Dabb and Grant might be swayed if it were not for Barr. -Dominating the rest, and with them, at the same time he stood apart from -them. He was strong, Pete was weak--and for that very reason extremely -dangerous. The rest needed leadership. But while there was no lust in -Barr's eyes, neither was there any mercy. Jeff looked steadily at him -and kept his voice quiet. - -"What's it about?" - -"We liked ya, peddler." Barr's voice was very grave. "We liked ya an' -you traded fair with your goods. But there's no bit of room in these -hills for a policeman." - -"Policeman!" Jeff exploded. - -"We know," Barr seemed downcast, as though someone he trusted had -betrayed him. "The boy told us." - -"Told you what?" - -"All--an' 'twill serve ya naught to plead or ask pardon. If you're a -man, be one now." - -Jeff's head whirled. Apparently, while he was in Ackerton, one or more -of the Whitneys had met Dan and the boy had spun some fantastic tale. -Jeff looked over his captors again and saw only unyielding -determination. He took a deep breath before he spoke. - -"What did Dan tell you?" - -"Enough," Barr grunted. "We had the truth from a babe's mouth." - -"But--" - -Dabb interrupted. "What made ye set your mind on the thought that a -Whitney kil't Blazer?" - -"Didn't you?" - -"We do not pry into killin's," Barr said. "You erred when you did." - -Another piece fitted into the puzzle. Evidently Dan had told whoever it -was he had met that he and Jeff were out to avenge Johnny, and doubtless -he'd said that Jeff was an officer. Jeff pondered Dabb's question and -Barr's comment. It was possible, even probable, that only his killer -knew who had shot Johnny. Whoever was guilty would be a fool if he was -anything except close-mouthed about it. - -"Leave us shoot him," Pete said nasally. "'Twill serve naught to do -elsewise." - -"I said we'd wait," Barr growled. - -Jeff breathed a little easier. The Whitneys intended to shoot him, but -not immediately and he wondered what they were waiting for and why. -Perhaps, as Barr had mentioned, they were too close to Smithville, and -in order to remain unseen, perhaps they would wait until night to take -him out. Maybe there were other reasons, but evidently he had a little -time. Jeff took a shot in the dark. - -"I'll be missed in Ackerton." - -"We know," Barr muttered. "The boy said it all." - -Jeff moistened dry lips with his tongue. His chance shot had ricocheted; -whatever story Dan had concocted tied in with Jeff's trip to Ackerton. -He had to think his way out of this. - -"People will be looking for me." - -"They won't find you," Barr promised. "But could be they'll find us." - -Jeff said pointedly, "Five against one?" - -"You had a shotgun when you come in." - -"And if I'd known who was waiting, I'd have come shooting. But you can -all cheer up. Maybe those who look for me won't expect to need guns, and -you can take them just like you did me. Maybe they won't even have guns. -Then you can shoot them down from ambush, _like you did Johnny Blazer_!" - -Six pairs of eyes regarded him, and only Pete's remained unchanged. The -rest shifted from deliberate purposefulness to cold fury, and Barr's -face turned white. His lips tautened, and he bit his words off and spat -them at Jeff. - -"Ye lie!" - -"I do not lie!" - -Swiftly Barr closed the distance between them. His left hand snaked -forward and his open palm struck Jeff's cheek. It was not a blow that a -man might offer a worthy antagonist, but an insulting slap. Barr's eyes -were glowing coals. - -"Ye lie, policeman! Nary a man in the hills shot Blazer thataway!" - -Jeff snarled back, "I don't lie and I can prove it!" - -His face still white, Barr stepped back. He jerked his rifle to -shooting position and lowered it reluctantly. Tense as stretched -buckskin, he studied Jeff and snapped, "Say those words ag'in!" - -"Johnny Blazer not only had no gun when he was shot, but whoever shot -him was hiding when he did it!" Jeff pronounced each word very slowly -and very clearly, as though he were rehearsing a careful speech. - -"How d'ye know he lacked aught to shoot back?" - -"I--" Jeff thought of Bill Ellis and caught himself in time. "I saw -someone who found him on my Ackerton trip. Johnny had no gun when they -picked him up." - -"Shut up!" Barr whirled furiously on his cousin who had started to -speak. He said, more to himself than to anyone else, "Blazer's guns -_was_ found in his cabin." - -Jeff laughed tauntingly. "You hillbillies are brave men! Now all you -have to do is admit that whoever shot Johnny was hiding in the brush." - -Still furious, Barr regarded him steadily. "How do ya know that?" - -"All I had to do was look." - -"What'd ya look at?" - -Jeff answered contemptuously, "I wouldn't expect any of you to think -that far, but the bullet went clear through Johnny. There are enough -trees and shrubs around so that it had to nick one of them. It's easy to -figure the angle it came from." - -Jeff held his breath. He himself had not thought of this until now, but -it had to be right. Johnny Blazer was a woodsman. If whoever shot him -had been in the open, Johnny would have seen him. Because he was -unarmed, he probably would have died anyhow. But he would have died in -the brush for he would at least have tried to escape. - -Slow-thinking Dabb digested Jeff's statement and spoke solemnly. "Hit's -right, Barr. None among us thought to look." - -Barr was momentarily bewildered. "None saw the need." - -"But need there might be." - -"Go look, Dabb." - -"I'll gao, too," Pete offered. - -"Dabb's goin'." - -Rifle in the crook of his arm, Dabb left the cabin. Jeff waited -uneasily. Dabb's education might be a bit short in the conjugation of -verbs and the more complex forms of mathematics, but it had taught him -all about ballistics. When he came back he would know whether or not -Johnny had been shot from ambush. - -If he hadn't been--Jeff looked at Barr's stormy eyes and shuddered. - -Twenty minutes later, Dabb returned. He came slowly, and somewhat -shrunkenly, as though he had been both derided and belittled. He stood -in the doorway, not looking at the rest, and when he spoke his voice was -muffled and reluctant. - -"Hit's true, Barr. Hit's true enough. Whosoever shot Blazer was -crouchin' in a little patch of evergreens a hunnert an' fifty steps from -the road." He said, as though that was vastly important, "With my own -eyes I saw his crouch. He broke some twigs the better to see." - -Something came into the cabin with him, an unseen but heavy and mournful -something that seemed, within itself, to rob everyone of the power of -speech. The Whitneys looked sidewise at each other and Barr spoke -slowly, - -"Thus ye saw?" - -"Thus I saw." - -"Whar did the lead strike?" - -"The tree," Dabb answered dully. "Hit's buried in the tree." - -There was silence which Barr broke with a soul-desolated cry, "This day -I know shame!" - -They were weighted as though by heavy burdens, and Jeff understood why -they scourged themselves. By the cowardly action of one of their number, -something they could never get back had been taken from all of them. -They must hang their heads because among them walked a man who was not a -man. Jeff rubbed salt into their wounds. - -"You can all be proud of yourselves." - -It was as though they did not hear. This terrible crime, this heinous -sin, had been committed, but they did not want to believe. - -Grant said hopefully, "Maybe 'twar an outlander." - -"'Twar no outlander," Barr muttered. "'Twas a hill man." - -Jeff trembled, fired with another idea. If the tree could talk, he had -thought, it might tell who shot Johnny Blazer. _The tree could talk!_ - -"Are you afraid to find out who did it?" he challenged. - -Barr glowered at him. "An' how do we do that!" - -"Dig the bullet out of the tree." - -"Pay nao heed to him!" Pete intoned. "He would but tangle us an' lead us -from him." - -"Hold your tongue!" Barr ordered gruffly. "No man walks safe with one -among us who shoots men as he would a varmint! Get the bullet, Dabb!" - -Dabb left a second time and Jeff hoped his wildly beating heart could -not be heard. To these mountain men killing was right, as long as men -met in a fair fight. But it was soul-blackening, the extreme depths of -degradation, to kill as Johnny Blazer's killer had, and that killer was -about to be known. Only one rifle could have fired the fatal shot, and -the hill men would recognize that bullet and know who had fired it. Or -would they? Four of the Whitneys present carried thirty caliber rifles -and there must be more in the hills. Jeff's hopes alternately rose and -waned. - -Then Dabb came back and held up the leaden slug so all could see. Four -pairs of eyes swung accusingly on Pete. Mushrooming where it had struck -Johnny and then the tree, the slug still retained its shape where it had -fitted its brass shell. There could be no mistake; it was fifty caliber. - -Sweat broke out on Pete's forehead. "Hit--Hit--'Twarn't me!" - -Barr spat, "'Twar you!" - -"He--he stole pelts out'en my traps!" - -"You met him unfair!" - -Pete half screamed. "He had a rifle an' shot afore I did!" - -Barr said relentlessly, "Whar was his rifle?" - -"I--I brought it back here!" - -"He had no rifle! You lay like a whiskered cat afore a mouse's den an' -gave him no fairness. Do not add a lie to cowardice." - -Jeff said eagerly, "Now you know, Barr. Now all of you know, and Dan did -tell part of the truth. I promised him that we'd find out who shot his -father. It was all we wanted and all we will want. I am not a -policeman." - -Barr looked squarely at him. "So you say." - -"It's true. Go to Ackerton and find out what I did there. And think a -little. Neither the Whitneys nor anyone else can take the law into their -own hands and forever keep it there. Do the right thing now." - -"An' what is that?" - -"Take Pete into Smithville and turn him over to Bill Ellis. He'll get a -fair trial." - -"_Pah!_" Yancey exploded. "Give our kin into the law's keep? 'Tis best -to shoot him ourselves!" - -"Stop the talkin'." Barr was still looking at Jeff. "You say ye are a -peddler an' naught else?" - -"I say so." - -"Yet, you saw fit to beholden yourself to the boy? You took it upon -yourself to tell him you'd settle with whosoever shot his father?" - -"I did." - -"Then, be ye peddler or policeman, you shall." - -"What do you mean?" - -"We'll bide here through the day," Barr pronounced. "With the night we -shall go to a cabin on Trilley Ridge. You have a shotgun an'," Barr -inclined a contemptuous head toward Pete, "he has a rifle. With the -dawn, both at the same time, ye'll walk on Trilley Ridge. If you come -down the ridge, peddler, ye'll be free to come an' go amongst us. If -Pete comes down it, he has a twenty-four hours to leave the hills. I -shall sit with ye in the cabin. Grant, Dabb an' Yancey shall be at the -foot of Trilley Ridge, to shoot should one of ye flee rather than -fight." - -Grant, Dabb and Yancey nodded solemn agreement. Jeff's head reeled. With -tomorrow's dawn, he was to fight a death duel with Pete Whitney. Barr -would be with them all night to make sure that things went according to -his fantastic plan. Dabb, Grant and Yancey would be waiting to kill -whoever violated the terms of the duel. If Jeff won, even though he -would be privileged to remain in the hills, he would have killed a man. -Regardless of what happened or who won, the Whitneys would have rid -themselves of an unwelcome kinsman and closed the mouth of one who might -be a policeman. - -Jeff licked dry lips. He had never killed a man and knew that he could -never kill. He tried to think of some way out, of something he could do, -and there was nothing. Jeff licked his lips again. - -"What say you?" Barr demanded. - -"It--it's a crazy idea!" - -"'Tis what ye wanted, what ye told the boy you'd git." - -"I didn't tell him I'd get it this way. For heaven's sake, man, listen -to reason! The law, and not me, should take care of this." - -Barr's eyes flamed. "Are ye a policeman?" - -"No!" - -"The boy said different." - -"Mebbe," Grant said slowly, "'twould be best to shoot him. I'll go on -Trilley Ridge with--with who used to be my kin." - -Jeff heaved a great sigh. First things first, always a new customer down -the road, and if he went on the ridge, he would have time to think. If -he did not, his hours were numbered anyway. He said slowly, "Let it be -your way, Barr." - -Barr said quietly, "'Tis well ye say so, for 'twould not be right should -a Whitney shoot a Whitney or be shot by one. D'ye lack aught?" - -"My pack." - -Barr looked curiously at him but Jeff made no attempt to satisfy his -curiosity. He'd always been able to pull almost anything he needed out -of his pack and there should be something to help him now. He couldn't -think of what it was, but the pack had been a part of him for so long -that he would feel better if he had it. - -"Whar's the pack?" Barr asked. - -"At Granny Wilson's." - -"Get it an' fetch it," Barr directed Yancey. "D'ye need aught else?" - -Jeff's brain was still whirling. "No." - -Barr glanced inquiringly at Pete, who stared like a vicious animal and -said nothing. There was finality in Barr's words. "Ask no more for it -shall not be given. Both have had your say." - -The words hammered dully at Jeff's ears. Then he awoke with a start and -swallowed twice. For the first time he became aware of the shotgun -shells that weighted his pocket. They were even more harmless than so -many stones, for they were still loaded with paper. - -But he'd been given a chance to speak and he had not spoken. - - * * * * * - -Pal went wild with joy when Jeff returned from Ackerton. He stayed as -close as he could get, for he had missed his master greatly and needed -him sorely. He smirked at the white kitten when he spotted it, but made -no hostile move because Jeff had brought it. Wholly contented, Pal lay -at Jeff's feet while he breakfasted and talked with Granny and Dan. - -When Jeff rose to leave, Pal danced happily to the door and wagged his -tail in anticipation. Everything was once more as it had been and -should be. They were about to go peddling together on the trails. The -big dog glanced back to see if Dan was coming, too. Instead, the boy -grasped his collar. - -"You stay here." - -Pal flattened his ears and drooped his tail. But he was not allowed to -go. For a full minute he stood hopefully in front of the door. Then he -went sadly back into the kitchen. - -Playing with a ball of paper that Granny had wadded up and thrown on the -floor, the fluffy kitten arched its back and spat. Pal paid no -attention. His heart was heavy and joy had gone with Jeff. - -All the rest of the morning he was a wooden dog who did not even rouse -himself when Yancey Whitney came to the door, said that Jeff wanted his -pack, and went away with it. That afternoon he followed Dan about the -hill, but he had no eyes for the sheep, the cow, the mule, and he lacked -zest even for chasing blackbirds that came to pillage Granny's garden. -He cared only about the trail up which Jeff had come and down which he -had gone again. - -That night, after Dan and Granny had gone to bed, Pal padded restlessly -over to the door. Eagerly he sniffed every wind that blew and every -scent that tickled his nose. He knew when six deer, feeling safe in the -cover of night, came out of the forest and climbed the hill to graze in -the sheep pasture. He heard a mouse rustle, and he was aware when a -night-flying owl cruised past the door. All these things he smelled or -heard. He felt only the absence of his master. - -The night was very deep and very black when Pal's yearning for Jeff -became unbearable. He pushed his nose against the door, and when he did -so the latch rattled slightly. He pricked up his ears and bent his head -toward the noise, but he did not understand any of the mysterious ways -by which people fastened things. - -Softly he reared against the door, sniffing at every crack. Getting -down, he trembled anxiously. Then, inch by inch, he began a second -inspection of the door. - -It was completely accidental when, in raising his head, he pushed the -latch upward and the door swung open. Pal did not linger to think about -anything else; he knew only that the way was clear. He flew into the -night, found Jeff's trail and raced along it. - -At Johnny Blazer's cabin, he scented Jeff's trail and that of five -Whitneys--the pack-laden Yancey had gone back there--leading into the -hills. Pal followed along. - -He halted momentarily at the foot of Trilley Ridge, for Dabb Whitney was -sitting on a big rock and the smell of his pipe was rank and heavy in -the darkness. Pal slipped past, knowing that he could not be seen in the -night. He caught the odor of wood smoke. Then, mingled with it, were the -scents of Pete and Barr Whitney and of Jeff. Abandoning the trail, Pal -followed his nose to his beloved master. - -He came to the cabin and scratched on the door. - - - - -12. SURPRISE - - -They came to the cabin on Trilley Ridge after dark, Jeff and Pete -walking side by side and Barr silent behind them. Jeff balanced the pack -on his shoulders and was glad he had it there. It was an old friend and -had always been a true one. He had been in trouble many times while it -was on his shoulders, but he had never stayed in trouble. - -As they walked he tried to pinpoint directions, but because of the -darkness he could not do so. They had left the road for a path so faint -that the casual traveler would not even see it as he passed. There was -another path, and still another, and all of it was country that the hill -men knew well but that Jeff did not know at all. When they finally -reached the cabin, he was sure only that it was north of the road. But -it would not have been an unpleasant journey if Pete had not been -walking with him. - -Found out, Pete had retreated sullenly into himself and Jeff again -thought of an animal. But Pete was no ordinary savage thing that might -attack because it was hungry or seeking a fight. He planned, and hidden -behind his weak blue eyes was a crafty brain. Jeff knew that Pete's -only thought revolved around ways to kill him, and it was a cold thing -to know. - -The men came to the cabin and Barr said, "This is hit." - -Jeff spoke over his shoulder. "You sure the place isn't haunted?" - -"No ha'nts." Barr seemed perplexed, as though there was something about -the mission he no longer understood. "Push the door an' go in." - -"Sure," Jeff said agreeably. - -He opened the door and felt Pete go tense beside him. Jeff gripped his -shotgun with both hands, preparing to bring it crashing down on the -man's head. Pete would kill without imperiling himself, if he could, and -almost his only chance would occur when they entered the dark cabin. But -Barr knew this too. - -"Stay here," he ordered his cousin. And to Jeff, "Got a match in your -pocket?" - -"Yep." - -"Go in by yourself an' light hit. Strike hit to the tallow candle -that'll be settin' on the table." - -Jeff entered, felt the cabin's walls enclose him, and had a strange -feeling that Barr Whitney was a complete fool. It would be simple to -swing suddenly, cock the shotgun as he swung and, always supposing he -had some live ammunition, send a leaden hail back through the door. Then -he understood. - -Barr was no fool. He had merely gauged Jeff and he knew men. He had -known that Pete would turn and shoot if sent in first, but Jeff would -not. Besides, Jeff thought wryly, though Pete might be forced to stand -in any line of fire that might sweep out the door, Barr would be -elsewhere. - -Jeff took a match from his pocket, struck it, and looked around the -cabin. It was one fairly large room, and at the far end was a natural -stone fireplace. There was a table, three chairs, two double bunks built -one on top of the other, cooking utensils hanging from wooden pegs -driven into the wall, and small windows. The cabin was either a -bachelor's home or else it was used only on occasion by some person or -persons who had reason to spend time here. Jeff touched his dying match -to the fat tallow candle that stood on the table and flicked the burned -match onto the floor. - -"Come on in," he said cheerfully. "And welcome to our happy home!" - -Pete's face was cold, and that was almost the only expression. He strode -to a chair, pulled it away from the table and sat down with his rifle -across his lap. Jeff stood his shotgun in a corner and turned to face -Barr. - -"Snug little den," he said pleasantly. - -Barr looked puzzled and said nothing. However, the burning determination -and the sternness were partly gone from his face. This was a serious -business but Jeff was not accepting it seriously. Never flicking his -eyes from his captives, Barr pulled a chair very close to the door. - -"Here we be," he pronounced, "an' here we stay 'til the sun lightens the -topmost twigs on the big pines." - -"That's cute," Jeff declared admiringly. "That's really cute!" - -Barr glared at him. "What is?" - -"Your description. ''Til the sun lightens the topmost twigs on the big -pines.' Not exactly poetry, but it has a poetic spirit. Well, if we're -going to be here all night, we should do something besides glare at each -other." - -He slid out of the pack, laid it on the table and stretched. Then he -stifled a yawn. He'd had no sleep last night and evidently he'd get none -tonight, but more than once he'd had to stay awake as long, and he could -do it again. - -"If you be weary," Barr indicated the bunks, "you might sleep." - -"Thanks," Jeff declined, "but I'm afraid I'd have bad dreams. Besides, -this may be my last chance to talk with you. What'll we talk about, -Barr?" - -Barr broke out suddenly, "I can't plumb ya. Can't plumb ya a'tall!" - -Jeff said smoothly, "It's easy. I'm not a complex person. I'll tell you -my life story if you want to hear it. Won't cost you a cent." - -"I swan!" Barr ejaculated. "I could like ye a lot if'n I didn't--" - -"If you didn't think I was a policeman? Sorry I can't change your mind -on that subject. But I'm not." - -Barr's eyes searched Jeff's. "Why'd the boy say it?" - -Jeff shrugged. "If I knew why boys say things, I'd be a lot smarter than -I am." - -"But ya did tell the boy ya'd find out who kil't Blazer?" - -"Yup." - -"Yet, now ye got the chanst, you'd pass it by?" - -"This is a chance? I don't want to kill anybody. I never promised Dan -anything except that we'd find his father's murderer. Afterwards I was -going to turn him over to the law." - -Barr wrinkled his brows. "But ye be no policeman?" - -"I'm not," Jeff said flatly. "Barr, what had you intended to do with -me?" - -It was Barr's turn to shrug. "Shoot ya." - -"And in your opinion, that was right?" - -Barr said fiercely, "A body don't stop to think should he tromp on its -haid does he find a pizen snake on his h'arthstone!" - -Jeff lapsed into silence. His life story he had offered in jest, but he -understood Barr's. His ancestors had been among the first to come to -America, and they had come because there wasn't room enough for them in -Europe. But neither had there been room enough in America's scattered -colonies for people so fierce, reckless and proud. They had either left -the settlements of their own accord or been driven out. They had wanted -above all to live by their own personal inclinations and not by rules -which they had little part in making. Always they had sought the wildest -and most inaccessible places because only there could they live as they -must. - -Barr Whitney typified this wild independence, which couldn't possibly -endure. Sooner or later even the hill clans must submit to the forward -march of civilization and Jeff hoped that the advancing juggernaut would -not crush them completely. The spirit they represented always had been -and always would be necessary to free people. Probably the older ones -would go down fighting; certainly they would never learn that they must -bend themselves to others. Perhaps their children, or their children's -children, would. - -Jeff shrugged. That was to come. This was now, and neither civilization -nor anything else had as yet tamed Barr Whitney. Jeff rubbed a hand on -his trousers. - -"You ail?" Barr asked. - -"My hand's twitching." - -"The oil of shunk an' the grease of b'ar, mixed two of one to one of the -other, an' cooked on a hick'ry fire when the moon's near horn points to -water, will drive out ary itch." - -Jeff grinned. "Can't wait for the moon's near horn to point to water, -and besides I don't want a cure. When my hand twitches, I'm lucky." - -Pete moved so swiftly that he seemed in one split second to be sitting -on his chair and then, magically, to be standing with his rifle at half -raise. But quick as he was, Barr was quicker. His rifle cracked, a lock -of hair detached itself from Pete's head to float softly to the floor, -and before the sound died Barr had levered another cartridge into the -chamber. He spoke as casually as though he had just shot at a squirrel. - -"Next'un's goin' through your haid, Pete. Si' down." - -Pete sat. Barr grinned. Jeff dared let himself think of the prospect -that awaited. - -Tomorrow morning, side by side and at exactly the same time, Jeff and -Pete would be allowed to leave the cabin. Jeff pulled his stomach in, as -though he could already feel Pete's slug ripping through it. Again he -pondered escaping, but all he could think of was what he had already -considered. - -If he ran, one of the waiting Whitneys would shoot him down when he came -off the ridge. There was little chance of doing anything tonight; Barr -was along to see that he didn't. He couldn't protect himself with paper -bullets. Jeff had a wild notion of whirling as they stepped out the -door, smashing Pete over the head with the muzzle of his shotgun, and -trying to claim him as prisoner. But that was a very wild plan which had -almost no chance of success. Pete was far too quick and far too expert a -rifleman. - -Jeff put such thoughts behind him. No man could do anything well if he -tried to do more than one thing at a time, and first things must be -first. He shivered. - -"How about a fire, Barr?" - -"Lay a blaze if'n ye want. Thar's wood in the box." - -Jeff laid a fire, lighted it and stood with his back to the fireplace as -flames crackled. He looked at a darkened window and had a curious -thought that this night would never end. It should, he decided, have -passed long ago. But when he looked at his watch, it was only half past -nine. - -He should be hungry but he wasn't. They'd eaten in Johnny Blazer's -cabin, and now he was too nervous to eat. After a very long interval, he -looked again at his watch. - -It was a quarter to ten. - -Jeff glanced at his pack and created mental images of the goods it -contained. There were knives, fishing tackle, a half dozen new mouth -organs, fiddle strings, gay ribbons, scissors, needles--He had bought -only what the hill people wanted, and among all of it he could not think -of a single article that would help him now. - -Jeff set his jaw. Maybe, if there was something to do, time would not -drag so slowly and, besides, he could think better when he was busy. -"Play cards?" he invited. - -"No." Barr shook his head. - -"Oh, come on!" - -Barr tipped his head toward Pete, who sat motionless, with his rifle -across his lap. Unmoving, he missed nothing and was ready at a split -second notice to take advantage of anything that offered. - -"Take his rifle away," Jeff urged. "You can still watch him." - -"A body has the right to keep his rifle." - -"He sure is nursing it." Jeff felt reckless. "How about sitting in, -Pete? We don't have to shoot each other before morning." - -Pete refused to answer. Jeff pulled his chair to the table and tried to -entertain himself with solitaire. But he was too tense and strained to -concentrate, and when he found himself adding the four of hearts to the -seven of spades, he shoved the cards across the table and let them lay -there. Restlessly he threw another chunk of wood on the fire and turned -to Barr. - -With no noise, and almost without effort, Barr rose. His eyes were alert -and his face was intent. He backed, so that while continuing to command -the cabin and the two in it, he could control the door, too. There was a -rasping scratch on the door and Barr said softly, "See what's thar. See -who's a'visitin'." - -Jeff opened the door and Pal panted in. His ears were flat and his tail -hang-dog as, giving Barr a wide berth and glancing suspiciously at Pete, -he went to the far end of the cabin and stood. Not knowing whether or -not he was to be punished for leaving Granny's, he looked expectantly at -his master. Jeff laughed and twitched his fingers. - -"Come here, you old flea cage." - -Grinning happily, Pal came at once and Jeff brushed his shaggy head with -an affectionate hand. He was less tense and, strangely, his anxiety -lessened. The great dog wagged an ecstatic tail while Jeff continued to -pat his head. - -For a short space, delighted to be near each other once more, neither -had paid attention to anything else. Pal licked Jeff's face with a big, -sloppy tongue and wagged everything from his muzzle to the tip of his -tail. He turned to growl at Barr and Pete, and Barr flicked his rifle. - -"I wouldn't leave him try it." - -"I won't," Jeff promised. - -He slipped two fingers beneath Pal's collar, led him over to the table -and sat down. Bending over Pal, as though continuing to caress him, he -hoped Barr could not hear his pounding heart, and was glad his eyes were -hidden. After a moment, Jeff raised his head. - -He looked too casually at the candle that flickered a foot from his -hand. Trying to appear disinterested, he gauged Pete's exact distance -and Barr's position. He moistened dry lips with his tongue and reviewed -his suddenly-formed plan. - -Even though he risked a burned hand doing it, he was positive that he -could snuff the candle out before Barr could shoot. Then he'd tip the -table over and fight his way out. Jeff nibbled his lower lip and looked -doubtfully at Pal. Barr was supple as an eel and strong as an ox; Jeff -might need help and could he count on Pal? - -Barr asked suspiciously, "What ye flustered about?" - -Jeff muttered silently at himself. He had a plan. If it was desperate, -the situation called for desperate measures. But everything depended on -surprise. To give Barr the slightest warning would also give him time to -shoot Jeff. It went without saying that he would then be able to shoot -Pal, and Jeff hadn't the least doubt that Barr would be happy to do -both. He forced a laugh. - -"It's just nice to see something around here that's not hell-bent to -shoot something else." - -Barr remained alert. "Whar'd ye get Blazer's dog?" - -"Found him over beyond Cressman," Jeff said truthfully. "Do you keep -dogs?" - -"Houn's," Barr admitted. "Wouldn't pester myself with a no-account dog -such as that." - -Jeff cast for a way to lull Barr. "Depends on what you want in a dog, -wouldn't you say?" - -"Could. What do you want?" - -Jeff did his best to look like a man who faces a desperate situation, -but who was mightily cheered because his dog saw fit to track him down. -If he did everything exactly right, and with split-second precision, his -plan had at least an even chance of working. - -Escape would not solve everything. Pete would still be unpunished and if -the Whitneys should meet him, Jeff, again, they would not bother to take -him prisoner. They'd shoot on sight. But he could name Johnny Blazer's -killer. That would start things, and maybe he'd be able to finish them. - -Regardless of what might happen in the future, this was now. Jeff had to -get out of the cabin before he could do anything else, but it was as -though Barr could read his mind. - -"You're ponderin'," he accused. - -"Is that a crime in these hills?" - -"If," Barr said deliberately, "you try to make a break, I'll kill ye in -your tracks. I have spoke it." - -Jeff said irritably, "Don't be a darn fool!" - -"Don't you be one, nuther. You're gettin' a chanst." - -"Yes," Jeff sighed, "a big chance." He looked again at the candle. "Any -of your hounds ever get you out of jail, Barr?" - -"_Pah!_ How might a houn' do such?" - -"Well, Pal got me out." - -"Those words I mistrust." - -"He did," Jeff insisted. "It was in Cressman--" - -He told of the Cressman jail and of how he was literally thrown out of -it because, when he played the mouth organ, Pal howled. He spoke of -inquiring the way to Delview as a ruse to throw Pop and Joe Parker from -his trail, for he suspected that they had intended to have him -rearrested there. Instead of going to Delview, he had come over the -hills to Smithville. - -Barr chuckled derisively. "Peddlin' teach you sech tall tales?" - -"It's true." - -"Ha! You toot music an' the dog howls?" - -"Let me show you." - -Jeff took a mouth organ from his pack, blew a soft note and Pal -responded with a moaning wail that trailed out on a soft soprano note. - -Barr seemed dumfounded. "Doggone!" - -Jeff's eyes strayed to the candle. Barr rose, wrenched it from its -drippings and put it down at the far end of the table. He resumed his -seat. "I can see best when hit's thar," he announced grimly. "You wa'nt -havin' notions 'bout that candle, was you?" - -"Why, no, of course not." - -Jeff managed to appear innocent, even while he mentally kicked himself. -His chance had come and gone. There'd be another chance and Barr seemed -more at ease. - -"This night I learn't what I knew not. A dog howls to noise." - -"This one does." - -"Make him do hit ag'in. 'Tis a mighty curious thing." - -Jeff blew another note and Pal howled again. Barr's eyes sparkled. An -elemental creature himself, he was interested in the elemental and this -fascinated him. He must find the answer, but while seeking it he did not -forget to keep his eyes on Jeff and Pete. - -"Why's he do hit?" he asked. - -"I don't know," Jeff admitted. "Can't figure it myself." - -"Have him do hit some more." - -At the first note, Pal obliged with a banshee wail that subsided, then -gathered force and mounted again. The sound filled the cabin and offered -the illusion of being not only real, but all reality. It was as though -the door burst open of its own accord, and Jeff rubbed his eyes in -disbelief. - -Ike Wilson stood framed in the doorway. - -He was slim, supple, smiling, but behind the smile there was something -hard as stone and there was nothing to provoke humor in the cocked, -double-barreled shotgun he carried. Half erect in his chair, Barr froze -there. Pete's face turned white. Ike grinned happily. - -"Hi, peddler!" - -"Hi, Ike! Where the blazes did you come from?" - -"Broadview Prison. Stopped by Granny's an' she told me you was about. -Heerd the dog howl an' calc'lated you'd be nigh." His chuckle was rich -and very audible. "I didn't expect a hul nest of you. Good thing I -peered in the window glass afore I come in." - -Barr snarled, "This ain't your mix!" - -"Oh, yes, it is! Yes, it is my mix! Now just hand me that lil' old rifle -gun, Barr. Stock foremost." - -Fighting against so doing but unable to help himself, Barr relinquished -his rifle. Ike threw it through the open door. - -"Now, Pete," he coaxed, "I need your'n." - -Pete remained rooted. Smiling, but with a deadly something behind the -smile, Ike tightened his finger on the shotgun's trigger. - -"Don't like to shoot settin' pat'tidges, but I will." - -Pete handed his rifle over. Ike tossed it out and slammed the door. -Holding the shotgun with one hand, he drew a length of buckskin from his -pocket and whipped it straight. He spoke as though he were addressing a -petulant child. "Now just put your hands behin't the chair, Barr. This -shotgun might go off accidental like, an' it makes quite a hole." - -Tight-lipped, Barr did as he was ordered. Expertly Ike laced his hands -and then his feet. He approached Jeff apologetically. - -"'Feard I'll have to tie you too, peddler." - -"But--" - -"Now don't gimme no fuss." Ike rubbed the friendly Pal's head. "Jest do -like Uncle Ike says." - -Jeff thrust his hands behind the chair and permitted himself to be -bound. Ike slipped a rawhide thong through Pal's collar and tied him to -the chair rung. He stood erect and looked around, his manner that of one -who has just done a job and done it well. - -Jeff asked, "What's the big idea, Ike?" - -Ike chuckled again. "Business! Say, how come these Whitneys had a gun on -you?" - -"Barr," Jeff inclined his head, "had the idea that I'm a policeman." - -"Fer snort's sake!" Ike faced Barr. "Your brain soft? He's a peddler an' -a good 'un. I ought to know. I was in jail with him." - -"Leave me loose," Barr snarled, "an' I won't hurt ye." - -"'Pears to me you won't anyhow." - -"Ye'll not git back down the ridge!" - -"Now, now," Ike soothed, "jest leave that to Uncle Ike. I got up it, -didn't I?" - -Ike whirled to face Pete and something inside of Jeff turned cold. He -had seen angry men, but suddenly he knew that not even Barr Whitney was -as strong in anger as Ike Wilson. It was an inward quality, for -outwardly he remained very gentle and he did not raise his voice. - -"I come fer Bucky." - -Pete muttered sullenly, "Got nothin' to do with Bucky." - -"Oh, yes, you have," Ike corrected him. "Yes, you have. Bucky's still in -Broadview, but you're goin' to help get him out. Bet that if you -strained yourself, you could mind the night we got Wheeler's chickens. -You was goin' to stay behin't, you said, an' leave us know should -somebody come. But when the police come, you was a long ways behin't. -What'd they pay you fer turnin' us in, Pete?" - -Sweat glistened on Pete's brow. "I had naught to do with it!" - -"You'll never git anywhere, Pete, lyin' in such a way. Are you comin' -like a little man, or am I goin' to scatter your spare parts from here -to Cressman?" - -Pete gasped, "What you goin' to do with me?" - -"Jest lay in the hills," Ike soothed. "Leastwise we'll lay thar 'til I -can send word to that smart Joe Parker. Goin' to tell him, I am, that I -know who stuck up the Cressman bank. Goin' to tell him that, when Bucky -comes into the hills, he'll find that man tied to a tree. I reckon -Parker'll swap for that." - -"If he doesn't," Jeff said suddenly, "you can offer more. Pete killed -Johnny Blazer!" - -"He did?" Ike's eyes glowed eagerly. "Now I know I got me a swap! Come -'long, Pete." - -Herding his captive, he started for the door. Suddenly he stopped and -ordered, "Wait thar!" - -Pete stood still. Ike glided to Jeff, sliced the bonds that tied his -hands, and bent to whisper, "Gimme five minutes, peddler--jest five -minutes an' kiss Granny fer me." - -"I will," Jeff promised, "and I'll tell her that you'll deliver one to -her yourself in a few days." - -He waited ten minutes before stooping to untie his feet. He rose, and -before freeing Barr he glanced out of one of the small windows. - -The first hint of dawn was in the sky and the horizon was endless. He -had found binding ties in these hills, but somehow he had found -limitless freedom, too. - - - - -JIM KJELGAARD - -was born in New York City. Happily enough, he was still in the -pre-school age when his father decided to move the family to the -Pennsylvania mountains. There young Jim grew up among some of the best -hunting and fishing in the United States. He says: "If I had pursued my -scholastic duties as diligently as I did deer, trout, grouse, squirrels, -etc., I might have had better report cards!" - -Jim Kjelgaard has worked at various jobs--trapper, teamster, guide, -surveyor, factory worker and laborer. When he was in the late twenties -he decided to become a full-time writer. He has published several -hundred short stories and articles and quite a few books for young -people. - -His hobbies are hunting, fishing, dogs, and questing for new stories. He -tells us: "Story hunts have led me from the Atlantic to the Pacific and -from the Arctic Circle to Mexico City. Stories, like gold, are where you -find them. You may discover one three thousand miles from home or, as in -THE SPELL OF THE WHITE STURGEON, right on your own door step." And he -adds: "I am married to a very beautiful girl and have a teen-age -daughter. Both of them order me around in a shameful fashion, but I can -still boss the dog! We live in Phoenix, Arizona." - - * * * * * - -_Books by Jim Kjelgaard_ - - -BIG RED - -REBEL SIEGE - -FOREST PATROL - -BUCKSKIN BRIGADE - -CHIP, THE DAM BUILDER - -FIRE HUNTER - -IRISH RED - -KALAK OF THE ICE - -A NOSE FOR TROUBLE - -SNOW DOG - -TRAILING TROUBLE - -WILD TREK - -THE EXPLORATIONS OF PERE MARQUETTE - -THE SPELL OF THE WHITE STURGEON - -OUTLAW RED - -THE STORY OF THE MORMONS - -CRACKER BARREL TROUBLE SHOOTER - -THE LOST WAGON - -LION HOUND - -TRADING JEFF AND HIS DOG - - - - - - -End of Project Gutenberg's Trading Jeff and his Dog, by James Arthur Kjelgaard - -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK TRADING JEFF AND HIS DOG *** - -***** This file should be named 41690-8.txt or 41690-8.zip ***** -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: - http://www.gutenberg.org/4/1/6/9/41690/ - -Produced by Greg Weeks, Mary Meehan and the Online -Distributed Proofreading Canada Team at -http://www.pgdpcanada.net - - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions -will be renamed. - -Creating the works from public domain print editions means that no -one owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation -(and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without -permission and without paying copyright royalties. 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Thus, we do not necessarily -keep eBooks in compliance with any particular paper edition. - -Most people start at our Web site which has the main PG search facility: - - www.gutenberg.org - -This Web site includes information about Project Gutenberg-tm, -including how to make donations to the Project Gutenberg Literary -Archive Foundation, how to help produce our new eBooks, and how to -subscribe to our email newsletter to hear about new eBooks. diff --git a/41690-8.zip b/41690-8.zip Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index 39b7ee7..0000000 --- a/41690-8.zip +++ /dev/null diff --git a/41690-h.zip b/41690-h.zip Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index a52cc4f..0000000 --- a/41690-h.zip +++ /dev/null diff --git a/41690-h/41690-h.htm b/41690-h/41690-h.htm index bfd6914..3436cb6 100644 --- a/41690-h/41690-h.htm +++ b/41690-h/41690-h.htm @@ -4,7 +4,7 @@ <html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en"> <head> - <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html;charset=iso-8859-1" /> + <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html;charset=UTF-8" /> <meta http-equiv="Content-Style-Type" content="text/css" /> <title> The Project Gutenberg eBook of Trading Jeff And His Dog, by Jim Kjelgaard. @@ -172,45 +172,7 @@ table { </style> </head> <body> - - -<pre> - -Project Gutenberg's Trading Jeff and his Dog, by James Arthur Kjelgaard - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with -almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or -re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included -with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org - - -Title: Trading Jeff and his Dog - -Author: James Arthur Kjelgaard - -Release Date: December 22, 2012 [EBook #41690] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1 - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK TRADING JEFF AND HIS DOG *** - - - - -Produced by Greg Weeks, Mary Meehan and the Online -Distributed Proofreading Canada Team at -http://www.pgdpcanada.net - - - - - - -</pre> - - +<div>*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK 41690 ***</div> <h1>TRADING JEFF AND HIS DOG</h1> @@ -1050,7 +1012,7 @@ weary, "Yes?"</p> <p>"What kinds do you have?"</p> -<p>"Hunting, fishing, marriage, building, auto, dog, store, café—"</p> +<p>"Hunting, fishing, marriage, building, auto, dog, store, café—"</p> <p>"A wide-enough choice. I want a dog license."</p> @@ -1091,7 +1053,7 @@ fifty cents, the clerk handed him another slip of paper.</p> <p>"Peddler's license and you're a peddler. They cost fifty cents, so we're even."</p> -<p>Jeff, who had thought the clerk a naïve rustic, grinned his appreciation +<p>Jeff, who had thought the clerk a naïve rustic, grinned his appreciation of someone else who knew how to get what he wanted and started down the corridor. He was still cheerful; he'd bought a dozen of the pencils for two dollars, and all except two were sold. It was a good sign, and he @@ -1183,7 +1145,7 @@ steps he was a woodsman. He swerved into John T. Allen's store and Jeff decided that he was a man of short temper. A moment later, that opinion was borne out.</p> -<p>"<i>Sacré!</i>" came an outraged roar. "You are a dog among dogs! A pig among +<p>"<i>Sacré!</i>" came an outraged roar. "You are a dog among dogs! A pig among pigs! You cheat the honest people!"</p> <p>There came a snappish but calmer voice. "Take it easy, Pierre."</p> @@ -4250,7 +4212,7 @@ beneath his paper. Jeff made his way to the desk.</p> from street noises and," he looked critically around the lobby, "I prefer the better furnishings."</p> -<p>The blasé clerk, who had registered all sorts of guests but few like +<p>The blasé clerk, who had registered all sorts of guests but few like this, took Jeff's measure with his eye.</p> <p>"Those rooms are five dollars a day."</p> @@ -5242,10 +5204,10 @@ some time in the early morning hours. He was anxious to see Dan again and to watch Granny's eyes when he told her what he had done with her tapestries.</p> -<p>He was hungry, but the first café he entered was one of Delview's +<p>He was hungry, but the first café he entered was one of Delview's exclusive eating places and the late diners who still lingered there stared in horror at the caged kitten. A waiter asked him to leave, and -Jeff did not feel like arguing the point. The second café, not so +Jeff did not feel like arguing the point. The second café, not so pretentious and presided over by a fat man with a completely bald head and a clean apron, was less particular. Jeff laid his pack down, put the cage on a chair and ordered,</p> @@ -6645,382 +6607,6 @@ still boss the dog! We live in Phoenix, Arizona."</p> <p style="margin-left: 35%;">TRADING JEFF AND HIS DOG</p> - - - - - - - - -<pre> - - - - - -End of Project Gutenberg's Trading Jeff and his Dog, by James Arthur Kjelgaard - -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK TRADING JEFF AND HIS DOG *** - -***** This file should be named 41690-h.htm or 41690-h.zip ***** -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: - http://www.gutenberg.org/4/1/6/9/41690/ - -Produced by Greg Weeks, Mary Meehan and the Online -Distributed Proofreading Canada Team at -http://www.pgdpcanada.net - - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions -will be renamed. - -Creating the works from public domain print editions means that no -one owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation -(and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without -permission and without paying copyright royalties. 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