Swamp Island

IDOW

a stopping point on the nar

raffic signal. To the right stood a filling station, and directly a

ion, halting the press car almost

uddenly and reached for an object beneath the counter. As Salt came in,

station owner feared robbery. "We're from the

The young man still kept h

ours who may have come out he

man said. "This is a mighty lonesome corner at night. I should ha

uggested pointedly. "We're not here

ee times in the past six months. Only two weeks ago a man and woman stopped here about this same ti

end of ours who slipped away from the hospital tonight. He was in an accident an

that he had nothing to fear. Dropping the revolver

dn't get much if you robbed the till tonight. I only t

en through here tonight?

ars through, bu

these ro

to Three Forks. The other doesn't go

the swamp road?

d the Hawkins' farm is on a piece. Close

w f

e than three

ves a car?" Sal

an old rattle-trap her husband left her when he died, but she doe

quired the way to

t three miles. First house you come to on the right hand side of Crissey Road. But

Caleb Corners only partially relieved their anxiety. Now they could only speculate upon whether

ones' place?" Salt proposed. "She may have seen Jerry. I

a bend and on a sideroad saw a small, square house which

decided, slowing the car. "No

ear!" Penny exclaim

ch stood on a high post. A brick walk, choked with we

pair glimpsed a tall, wiry woman

er start and reach quickly for a shotg

e?" she cal

iverview," an

owered above them, a quaint figure in white shirtwaist and a lo

d Penny. "I hope we

over the pair. She laid the sho

it o' having visitors this time o' nigh

ch for Jerry, carefully

es said at once. "No one been by on this road

you drive a car?

ation o' civilization! Last time I tried to drive to town, backed

your car?" Sa

ng'un o' Ezekiel's, Coon Hawkins, tried to buy it

enough?" Penny

awkins! Second place, that car belonged to my departed h

e the car out today

you gittin' at anyway w

n accident this afternoon i

"You must be out o' yer mind! My car

Penny admitted. "The license

mine!" the Widow Jones exclaime

car still is in th

ain't cartain of anything. Come in wh

th the odor of spicy catsup made that afternoon. On a table stood

antern and threw a woolen s

me," s

down a path to a rickety shed w

back on creaking hinges. Raising her lantern,

exclaimed. "Someon

e cracked concrete floor reveale

who took the car

osed the shed door and sl

I larned forty years ago to keep my lips shu

rd the house. Midway to the house, she

Penny and Salt sensed that was not the

sly motioned for the pair to move ba

tently toward a swamp road some distance from the boundary of her land. For the f

re in the swamp," Salt commented. "I

onder," the widow

into th

r a mile

ing in there at this time

"There's some things goes on in this swamp

briskly on. Reaching the rear porch, she pa

ere to tell me about my car being sto

g back to Riverview," Salt decli

said, her gaze resting disapprovingly on Penny's flimsy dress and low-cut

ide and clos

he and Penny made their way to the ro

genuine. And she has courage to live

ty of iron in her soul. Wonder what sh

try to investigate. Did you notice how sh

no dumbbell! You could tell she has a good idea who stole he

ady to turn around. Penny placed a

e other dire

to the

ther road. If the truck is still ther

parted in

agreed. "What hav