The "Blacklisted" Cadet — page 64: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

TOUCHING THE BUTTON. ‘fA lantern!’ murmured Clif, ‘Son a string, com- ing down to mie. He touched th button to signify that he was ‘‘all there?” Up there the echo of a glad cry rang out. The lantern descended in jerks. Clif seized it as it passed lim. | A rope followed. Lantern and self secured to its eud, Clif whistled till it began to grow taut. Then he held on and rose up—a foot, a yard, past the work-shop top, over the rounding edge where the ereat rock had fallen. Hour meu aud Vic greeted him—the quartette with the stare of inystifieation, amazeient, lis fellow cadet on the verge of delight. ‘*You’re sate ?’’? quavered Vie. ‘Von’t I look 11?) Have you seen anything of a tuayi-—one-of that other four ?”’ Vie jerked his hand back down the slant. “Below in the wagon, secure,’’? he briefly ex- plained. ‘‘We ran lim down returning from thie town where J got these men togetlrer. ’ “ And his fellows?” ‘They are asleep in a thicket just over tlrere, vic- tims of the biggest jac you ever saw.”’ ‘And the virl?” **No trace as-yet.’ Clif took command now. It was simple:what he wanted done—the four couspirators locked up safely. Vie had pronnsed the men a dollar apiece for four hours of their time. : Clit doubled the offer, and made them sure jailers of the captive conspirators. It was just dawn when Clif woke upa man to wliom he had been directed asthe owner of the sad place. That individual smiled and saul: his head nega- tively as Clif put a question: — “Don’t own it now,’’ he said,