Part 29 (2/2)

John Ellison, listening to Tim Reardon, grew pale and clenched his fist.

”That's it,” he cried. ”There _are_ some other papers, don't you suppose? Lawyer Estes said there might be; but they couldn't find them, though they hunted through the mill. I just know there are some. Witham knew it, too. That's what he was after. Tim, you've found out something big, I tell you. We've just got to get into that mill again and go through it. Don't you say a word to anybody, Tim.”

Tim's eyes opened wide with astonishment--but he promised.

All through the work of striking and packing the two tents, and stowing the stuff into the wagon, Henry Burns and John Ellison discussed this new discovery; what it might mean and what use could be made of it. And all the way home, on the long, dusty road, they talked it over. They were late getting started, and it was eight o'clock when they turned in at the Ellison farm.

The mill had ceased grinding for two hours, and night had settled down.

But, as they got out of the wagon, John Ellison called to Henry Burns and pointed over the hill toward the mill.

”Do you see?” he said softly, but in excited tones. ”Do you see? That's what I see night after night, sometimes as late as nine o'clock.”

There was somebody in the old mill, evidently, for the light as from a lantern was discernible now and again through one of the old, cobwebbed windows; a light that flickered fitfully first from one floor, then from another.

”It's Witham,” said John Ellison. ”He's always in the mill now, early and late. I'll bet he's hunted through it a hundred times since he's had it. It gets on his mind, I guess; for I've seen him come back down the road many a night, after the day's work was over, and he'd had supper, and go through the rooms with the lantern.”

”Well,” said Henry Burns, quietly, ”we'll go through them, too. We'll do it, some way.”

CHAPTER XV

A HUNT THROUGH THE MILL

”Say, Henry, guess what I'm going to do,” said John Ellison, as he met Henry Burns in the road leading from Benton, a few days following the return from camp.

Henry Burns, leaning on the paddle he was carrying, looked at his friend for a moment and then answered, with surprising a.s.surance, ”You're going to work for Witham.”

John Ellison stared at his friend in amazement.

”You ought to be a fortune-teller,” he exclaimed. ”You can't have heard about it, because I haven't told anybody--not even the folks at home.

How'd you know?”

”I didn't,” replied Henry Burns, smiling at the other's evident surprise. ”I only guessed. I knew by the way you looked that it was something unusual; and I know what you're thinking of all the time; it's about those papers. So I've been thinking what I'd do, if I wanted a chance to look for them, and I said to myself that I'd try to go to work in the mill, and keep my eyes open.”

”Well, you've hit it,” responded John Ellison. ”I know he needs a man, and I'm big enough to do the work. Say, come on in with me to-morrow, will you? I hate to go ask Old Witham for work. You don't mind. Come in and see what he says.”

”I'll do it,” replied Henry Burns. ”I'll meet you at the foot of the hill to-morrow forenoon at ten o'clock. Perhaps he'll hire me, too.”

”You! you don't have to work,” exclaimed John Ellison.

”No, but I will, if he'll take me,” said Henry Burns. ”I'll stay until I get one good chance to go through the mill, and then I'll leave.”

”You're a brick,” said John Ellison. ”I'm going to tell mother about the scheme now. She won't like it, either. She'd feel bad to have me go to work there for somebody else, when we ought to be running it ourselves.

Where are you going--canoeing?”

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