Part 36 (1/2)

”Never you rumbled the prisoner

”Very well, Link, if you don't want to tellto hatch out soainst Dave, I warn you to be careful He has stood about as much as he intends to stand”

”This is no plot; this is sorumbled Link Merwell ”Just you wait, that's all,” and then he lay down on the couch once o to sleep

At the proper time Luke came to relieve Phil, and was followed by Ben, and then by Shadow

”Say, it's cold to-night,” remarked the forun and sat down on the stool ”If this weather keeps on, before long we'll have frost up here, and we'll all be thinking of going home”

”Better put on an extra coat; here is one,” answered Ben, and passed the garalow, for he was tired

Shadow had expected to have quite a talk with the prisoner, but in this he was disappointed, for Link appeared to be asleep, and he did not have the heart to awaken the prisoner He sat on the stool, thinking over several of the stories he had told fro to invent one or t ones

In the midst of his revery a sound fro of an owl, and so close that the mournful sound made Shadow shi+ver

”I'd like to shoot that owl,” he told hiht hiht, with some satisfaction

Shadow looked at thefro-rooalow One of the as wide open, and he looked out of this to see if he could locate the owl The hooting was now closer than before and seemed to come from a tree not twenty-five feet away

”Say, there's a chance for a shot,” murmured the youth to himself ”If I could only spot that owl I' blow in the back of the neck, and then felt hiun renched frorasp Then, before he could recover froh the openand dashed across the moonlit dooryard

”Hi! Stop!” yelled Shadow, as soon as he could recover his breath

”Stop! Help!”

”What's the racket?” The cry caer, and then he and Dave burst into the rooot the gun away froh the !” panted poor Shadow ”Oh, what a fool I was to think he was asleep!”

”Where did he go?” questioned Dave, and at the same time bounded back into the bedroo

”He juun That's all I know about it,”

answered Shadow

”Didn't you have a fight?” questioned Phil

”No, I ca around here Link carabbed the gun and went through thelike a flash And I thought he was asleep!”

By this ti up another one of the fowling pieces in the bungalow he, too, leaped through the , followed by Shadow A few seconds later the other boys joined them