The All-Story, March 1914 — page 177: what you’re looking at

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

650 day turned out*to pasture with the rest of the flock again. Seeing its master, it had run up to receive, perchance, a lump of salt, its favorite dainty. The presence of the sheep fortified Sam against the terrors which sur- rounded him, and now he struck out more boldly, with the ram_ trotting behind. He reached the blackberry tangle, poked his way through, and was greeted with another prolonged, doleful howl, starting on a high key and ranging down the scale. Tt was so close at hand that Sam jumped back. Perched on the hum- mock across which Ike Jackson had sprawled a few nights earlier was a big black dog, the same, Sam did not doubt, that had ravaged his flock. Its back was to Sam, and its nose was pointed at the waning moon, which it baved enthusiastically. The noise the man made in the branibles drew its attention. \WVith a single bound it was off and out of sight. “ By gravy, 1f Pd only brought the oun! thought Sam. “What a chance!” a The opportunity was gone, however, and he looked round for Ike. He fig- ured that it must be about the appoint- ed hour, but the boy was not in sight. Bucyrus had fallen to cropping the short grass a few feet away, looking up from time to time to make certain his owner did not desert him. Sudden- ly Sam was startled by the sharp, warning hiss of a snake. He leaped hastily to one side, as actively as and farther than Wes had on the evening of their other visit to this same spot. His action was ap- plauded with what sounded to Sam like a singularly vulgar laugh. ‘“Tke Jackson, if you’re here, come out, and don’t be playing such tricks!” he commanded. “I'l! tan you for this when I catch you.” At his command the boy came into sight. “T didn’t mean no harm,” “ Where’s your lantern? ” he said. THE ALL-STORY MAGAZINIS. Sain showed it. Ike picked up a spading fork and, twirling it merrily across his finger, set off toward the brook, with Sam close behind. Bucyrus brought up the rear. “7 thought it was here the treasure: was,” said ” Baan, “Teise why did you. say to meet here?” “"Tain't very far,” Ike explained, The Tupper farm ‘includes a ‘ ‘ gore,” inserted in colonial days when the land was allotted, which runs up and down both sides of Roaring Brook for some distance. It was in the direction of the gore that Ike led Sam. Presently they reached the stream, Which justified its name by the noise it made, and followed it up a short way. Jt was beginning to dawn on Sam that he had gone about as far as safety per- mitted when Ike came to a halt. “ Here we are,” he said, around, Sain took a survey of his surround- ings. It was an eery spot at midnight, with the brook rushing mysteriously between high banks on either side and the moonhght breaking through a sparse growth of scrub firs high over- head. The members of the expedition were at the bottom of the gorge, al- most at the water's edge, and here Roaring Brook had excavated its deep est bed. It came to Sam with a shock that they were at the ill-omened Devil's Hole, the very place where, his grand- father told him. the Oxville witch had been accustomed to foregather with her familiar. The dangers of the situation multi- plied themselves in his mind. Perhaps, thought he, Ike Jackson had led him here to murder him, and the spading fork was brought along for the pur- pose of digging his grave. His nerves already on edge, this effort of the imagination made his flesh crawl, and his tremors were increased by a loud cry, several times repeated, from a dark spot in the bank above them. Sam’s teeth began to chatter. “Pshaw! It’s not ing but an old turning