Part 14 (2/2)

There, on the inside was sewn a little cloth square on which was printed:

DOMINION CLOTHING CO

QUEBEC, CANADA

”I see,” Roy whispered, not knohat he said

”Give ht and wait a second--shh,” said Warde

Before Roy knew it Warde had re-entered the shack and was folding and replacing the coat where he had found it In a kind of daze Roy saw the bright spot near the empty balsam couch, saw his co asleep in the diht Then all was darkness within and he saw no more

”Did you feel in the pockets?” Roy asked as they betook theh the darkness to a safe distance He still whispered, though there was no need of it now He was nervous, agitated

”No, I'uess he's Claude Darrell all right,” said Roy ”What shall we do?

Try to find hiain Do you hear it? It's over there--west”

”Not find him but _follow_ him,” said Warde ”If we can”

”You stay here,” said Roy; ”give ht, I'll track him” Roy was oing to do e find hi to find out what _he's_ doing,” Warde said

Nimbly, as silently as a panther, Roy retraced his steps to the shack

For a few , conscious of Roy's experience and superiority in those htest knowledge in which direction Blythe had gone and his patrol leader was going to wrench this knowledge from the darkness

Off in the distance the unearthly voice crooning and whining in the night The very air see

Presently Warde sao quick flashes of the light, then two ns well enough to know the nified ”_Come_”

”He went in his bare feet,” said Roy; ”look there See?”

[Illustration: SUDDENLY OUT OF THE DARKNESS SPED A FORM]

Upon the soft ground was the ional nized this for a heel print, nor the faint suggestions of another print two or three inches distant, for a toe print But these were easily recognizable by Roy and they indicated the direction also

”I'lad he didn't have his shoes on,” he said ”Noe know he's got some kind of a scar on his foot Coht or ten of these prints, aht theh the old reservation, the Knickerbocker Road, as it is called Here the leader of the Silver Foxes was baffled There was no following footprints here

They paused for aThe white road stretched like a ribbon straight north and south The temporary makeshi+ft cross streets could be seen in black outline with their silent, ghostly, glooular order Here and there was an area of lesser darkness where so the fresher wood of the interiors

The two scoutsthis permanent, central road, the backbone of the old cae, unearthly voice

Suddenly out of the darkness near them sped a fors and hurriedly e another It seeht It passed within ten feet of the scouts, never noticing them It seemed intent with a kind of diabolical intentness Meanwhile the voice continued, nowto the rising wind