Cabin Fever

of pounds of sliced bacon, a loaf of stale bread, and two small cans of baked beans. He stuffed them all into the pocket of his overcoat, and went out and hunted up a long-distance

ne no further than to hang out a sign that gasoline was for sale there. It was all very sordid and very lifeless and altogether discouraging in t

ind the men who had robbed that jewelry store of all its diamonds and some other unset jewels. Also he mention

r south, and he had overheard enough to make him suspicious on the way. He knew that they had stolen the car. He was not absolutely sure that they were the diamond thieves but it would be easy enough to fi

red and go on?" It was perfectly natural t

along and gives 'em a tow. And if that happens you'll be able to trace 'em." He started to hang up, and added another bit of advice. "Say, ch

chief of police might set some officer in that village on his trail, just as a matter of precaution. Bud told himself that he would do it were he in the chief's place. When he reached the woods along t

ile he had to descend from the ridge where he found himself standing bleakly revealed against a lowering, slaty sky that dripped rain incessantly. As far as he could see were hills and more hills, bald and barren except in certain canyons whose deeper shadows told of timber. Away off to the southwe

first he was not much inclined to take the risk of having a fire big enough to keep him warm. Later in the night he was perfectly willing to take the risk, but could not find enough dry wood. His

en cottage on North Sixth Street, getting his own breakfast. He felt as though he could drink about four cups of coffee; and as to hotcakes-! But breakfast in the little green cottage recalled Marie, and Marie was a bitter

that the world, even this tumbled world, was good to look upon. His instincts were all for the great outdoors, and from such the sun brings

ehind a clump of stunted bushes when two horsemen rode down a canyon trail just below him. Also he searched for roads and then avoided them. It would be a fat mor

gravelly sides and rocky bottom led down that way, and because his feet were sore from so much sidehill travel, Bud went down. He was pretty well fagged to

at roughened, he straightway assumed that some one was making camp not far away. One of the horses was hobbled, and they were all eating hungrily th

a man just driving the last tent peg. He straightene

en hills, and carrying absolutely nothing in the way of camp outfit, was enough to whet the curiosity of any one who knew that country. At the same time curio

stood with his hands in his coat pockets,

er? If you am, and you ai

are meal since yesterday morning, and I grabbed that at a q

t out and slice some off, and we'll have supper before you know it.

the struggling fire. He remarked that they had had some rain, to which Bud agreed. He added gravely that he believed it was going to clear up, though-unless the wind swung bac

he broke up with the axe and fed to the fire, coaxing it into freer blazing. The stra

fore, all right," he remarked at last,

w once as I was going by," he parried fa

r luck with bannock? I

out the frying pan emptied of all but grease. "Wis

"Well, I don't carry but the one frying pan. I'm equipped

eneral direction, and that's with the Coast at my back. Drifting, that's all. I ain't done anything I'm ashamed of or scared of, but I am kinda bashful about towns. I tangled with a couple of crooks, and they're pulled by now, I

ng for a trip for another party, looking up an old location that showed good prospects ten years ago. Man died, and his wife's t

the wilderness they dispensed with credentials, save those each man carried in his face and in his manner. And if you stop to think of it, such credentials are not

y noon they had agreed that Bud should go along and help relocate the widow's claim. Cash Markham hinted that they might do a little prospecting on their own account. It was a country he had long wanted to get into, he said, and while he intended to do what Mrs. Thompson

th a speculative look across the sandy waste they were skirting at a pace to suit the heavily pa

an cash in on the deal. And I know the open. And I can rock a gold-pan and not spill out all the colors,

ages on the Thompson job' till you've earned enough to balance up wi

s all up in the air a few days ago, I seem to have lit on my feet, a

back in his eyes, and the smiley