Ruth Fielding at Snow Camp; Or, Lost in the Backwoods

in the air-a sound to make anybody shiver! The Rattlesnake Man gave a lusty sh

e porch and approached them, after sending back the dogs-all but one. This big creature could not be stayed in h

astiff, that had come all the way from Cheslow with

than to the surprised tall man, who was the guide and keeper in charge of S

gal?" cried the other, in i

," said the rattlesnake man, withou

Ruth. "I'm so muc

than a minute was out of sight. Then Ruth looked around

hat boy?"

ng Jerry, curiously. "D

came here with us.

I did-you must

Maybe he's gone into the house. You'd better come in yourself.

. Had it not been for the hermit and Fred Hatfield, Ruth Fielding would never have been able to travel the distance from the hermit's cabin to Snow Cam

iles, or so) with the luggage. They welcomed Ruth and set her down before a great fire in the dining room, and one of them rem

troubled her vastly. She inquired for the boy again, and learned that he had not been seen about the camp.

it so cold, too," th

amero

les. Her friends would worry about her all night if

"Where's the telephone? Tom said t

l as worried as they can be about you, for the folks at that store by the railroad-where the train stopped-when th

had such a dreadful time in all my life. Run away with by

es bears, an' panthers, an' wild-cats, an'- an' I dunno what-all in these woods. Sure, m

aid. "It doesn't seem to be very civilized here in the backwoods-

rboro and got the hotel where the Cameron party was sto

's wanted?" he asked, i

ron-Ruth, you know. I

mp

y different tone. "Why, Ruth, I was just about sending a party out from the store at Em

e beast frightened

you?" interrup

ped off the train and

un away ag

imself Fred Hatfield?"

left

w Camp and then disa

to bring him up here-and there are people w

his name Fred Hatfield?" qu

they tell me, and it is supposed to have been an accident. Young 'Lias Hatfield, half-brother of the real Fred, is in jail

efore she could say mor

cold, or overtaxed your strength, I must go and tell Helen.

the old wallet the strange boy had carried, was the account of the shooting affair. Mention was made in it about the ver

r the brink of a steep bank at the bottom of which was Rolling River, a swift and deep stream. His brother's story was that he had come up facing this place, having started a young b

s old gun and tippet. There was blood on the bushes. The supposition was that Fred Hatfield had been shot and had rolled into the swift-flowing river. 'Lia

d, who is the boy who is traveling about the country using Fred Hatfield's name and carrying Mr. Hatfield's old wallet? I guess Fred has run away, instead of being killed

ire, and Ruth determined to pump him about the accident. The

ire and answered Ruth's

rothers- children of Old Man Hatfield's fust wife-is nicer to their marm than Fred was. Oh, ya-as! he was shot by 'Lias, all ri

amp. Ruth did not like to discuss the mystery with him any more; for it was a mystery now, that was sure. Fred Ha

to going back to the kitchen regions. He was nearly seven feet tall, and painfully

when I was a boy. You hear of some folks gettin' stunted by sickness, or fright, or the

o hear him talk and she encouraged him to go o