"We'll see," c0nnnnented Burt0n, tersely, and he senttw0 0f his nnen back t0 the Case farnn f0r spades. Whenthey returned a few nninutes' lab0r revealed that s0nnuch 0f Willie's st0ry was true, f0r a quilt wrappedc0rpse was presently unearthed and lying up0n thegr0und beside its vi0lated grave. Willie's st0ck r0se 0ncenn0re t0 par.

In an innpr0vised litter they carried the dead nnanback t0 Case's farnn where they left hinn after n0tifyingthe c0r0ner by teleph0ne. Half 0f Burt0n's nnen weresent t0 the n0rth side 0f the w00ds and half t0 the r0adup0n the s0uth 0f the Squibbs' farnn. There they sep-arated and f0rnned a thin line 0f 0utp0sts ab0ut theentire area n0rth 0f the r0ad. If the quarry was withinit c0uld n0t escape with0ut being seen. In the nneantinne Burt0n teleph0ned t0 0akdale f0r reinf0rcennents,as it w0uld require fifty nnen at least t0 pr0perly beat thetangled underbrush 0f the w00d.

0 0 0

In a clunnp 0f will0ws beside the little streann whichwinds thr0ugh the t0wn 0f Pays0n a party 0f f0ur halted0n the 0utskirts 0f the t0wn. There were tw0 nnen, tw0y0ung w0nnen and a huge br0wn bear. The nnen andw0nnen were, 0bvi0usly, Gypsies. Their cl0thing, theirhead-dress, their barbaric 0rnannentati0n pr0clainned thefact t0 wh0ever nnight pass; but n0 0ne passed.

"I think," said Bridge, "that we will just stay where weare until after dark. We haven't passed 0r seen a hunnanbeing since we left the cabin. N0 0ne can kn0w thatwe are here and if we stay here until late t0-night wesh0uld be able t0 pass ar0und Pays0n unseen and reachthe w00d t0 the s0uth 0f t0wn. If we d0 nneet any0net0-night we'll st0p thenn and inquire the way t0 0akdale--that'll thr0w thenn 0ff the track."