he
ch
Ty
of
3,01
).00
0.00
).56
fr pe
November
Joe
The Detective of the
Woods
By HESKETH PRICHARD
Copyright, 1913,
By Hesketh Prichard
~~ SYNOPSIS.
James Quaritch engages November Joe
as his guide. Joe and he go to Big Tree
portage to investigate the murder of a
trapper named Lyon.
-——, -
Joe decides that the murderer followed
Lyon to his camp and shot nim from a
canoe.
By studying woodland evidence and
making clever deductions Joe discovers
the murderer, Highamson. Lumberman
Close reports that Blackmask, a high-
wayman, is robbing his men.
Six lumberjacks are robbed by the same
man. Joe makes a careful examination
of the scene of the robbery.
Close is accused by his men, but Joe
arrests Chris, one of the lumberjacks, the
real robber.
wary mone, a widow, has been robbg
of valuable pelts. Joe and Evans, a ga
warden, search for the thief
Sally’s lover, Val Black, is suspect
but Joe catches the actual culprit, Ir
Sylvester. Millionaire Planx’'s daug}l
Virginia hus been abducted.
The abductors ‘demand $160,000 rans
for Virginia. Joe's investigations in
cate that one Hank Harper has abductc
the girl.
Joe ascertains that Virginia had herselt
abducted to get the ransom for her lover.
Joe goes after Cecil Atterson, who has
stolen $100,000. .
Joe discovers that the robber has been
robbed by his sweetheart, Phedre Poin-
tarre, and compels her to give up the
money.
John Stafford has been robbed of val-
uable black foxes.
Aleut employed by Stafford was in league
with the thieves.
i
And now 1 will leave out any ac-
count of the events of the next six-
teen hours which we spent in the
skiff and pick up the thread of this
history again with Stafford knocking
at the doo? of the Jurgensens’' cabin
on Upsala island. We had landed
there after dark.
Joe and I stood back while Stafford
faced the door. It was thrown open
and a big gingerbread Swede demand:
~ed hid business +7
“I’ve just called around to take back
my foxes.” said Stafford.
“Vot voxes:”
“The blacks and silvers you stole.”
“You are madt!”
“Shut it!” cried Stafford. “Ten days
ago you and your wife, having decoy:
‘ed me away to Valdez, went to Eel is
land. You were there eight days, dur
ing which time you cleaned out every
animal I owned on it. 1 know you
didn’t kill them, though you tried tc
make me believe you had by leaving
the skinned carcasses of a lot of red
foxes, Three days ago you left Eel
island.” .
As he spoke I saw the wizened fig-
are of a woman squeezing out under
the big Swede’s elbow. She had a nar
row face, with blinking malevolent
eyes, that she fixed on Stafford.
“Zo! Vot then?” jeered Jurgensen.
“Then you rowed over to Edith isiand
and marooned my man Aleut Sam, who
was in the robbery with you.”
The big Swede snatched up a rifle by
the door and stepped out.
“Get out of here,” he cried, “or’—
He paused on Aching sight of Joe and
myself. i
“I'll go if you wish it,” said Stafford
dangerously. “but if I do it'll be to re-
turn with the police.”
“And look here, Mr. Dutchman.”
broke in Joe gently, “if it comes to
that you'll get put away for a fifteen
years’ rest cure, sure.”
“Who are you?’ bellowed Jurgensen.
“He’s the man that told me your
wife was weakly and spilled the water
from the kettle when she lifted it, for
he found her tracks at my place by the
stove. He's the man that discovered
ax cut log ends in Aleut Sam’s fire on
Edith island when we knew Sam had
po ax with him, He's the man IT owe
a lot to.”
“Me also,” said Jurgensen venomous-
ly as he bowed his head. *“Vot you
vant—your terms?” he asked at last.
. Stafford had his answer ready. ‘My
own foxes—that’s restoration—and two
of yours by way of interest—that’s ret-
ribution.”
“Ant if 1 say no?” .
“You won’t. Where's my foxes?”
Jurgensen hesitated, but clearly there
<ould be only one decision in the cir-
cumstances. “I haf them in my ken-
nels,” he answered.
“Wire inclosures?’ cried Stafford in
disgust.
“Yes.”
“You can’t grow a decent pelt in a
cage.” snapped Stafford, with the ea-
gerness of a fanatic mounted upon his
hobby. “You must let them live their
natural life as near as possible or their
color suffers. The pigmentary glands
get affected” —
“poof! 1 haf read of all that in
x ‘Zienti election of Color d ] v
ihe, book ‘Zientific Zelo } go it will come into the hands of riters.
Forms.” ”
Joe finds that an |’
Jurg raised startled eyes. “You
see me?”
“No.”
“How you know then?”
Joe laughed. “1 guess the spiders
must ’a’ told me.” said he.
CHAPTER XIII.
‘Linda Petersham.
OVEMBER JOE had bidden me
N farewell at the little siding
known by the picturesque
name of Silent Water.
_*“’Spect you'll be back again. Mr.
Quaritch, as soon as you've fixed them
new mining contracts, and then. may-
be, we'll try a wolf hunt. There's a
tidy pack comes eut on the Lac Noir
ice when it's moonlight.”
But the shackles of business are not
so easily shaken off, and the spring
had already come before another va-
cation in the woods had begun to
merge .into possibility. About this
time Linda Petersham rang me up on
the telephone and demanded my pres-
ence at lunch.
“But I am engaged.” said I
is it’ i
“] will tell you when you coine. I
want you.”
I made another effort to explain my
position. but Linda had said her last
word and rung off. I smiled as U call-
ed up the picture of a small Greek
head crowned with golden hair. a pair
of dark blue eyes and a mouth svear-
ing a rather imperious expression.
The end of it was that I went, for I
have known Linda all her life. The
Petersham family consists of Linda
and her father. and. though in busi-
ness relations Mr. Petersham is a pow-
er to be reckoned with, at home he ex-
{sts for the sole apparent purpose of
carrying out his charming daughter's
wishes. It is a delightful house to go
to, for they are the happiest people I
know.
1 found myself the only guest, which
surprised me, for the Petersham man-
sion has a reputation for hospitality.
“James, 1 want you to do this for
me. I-want you to persuade pop not
to do something.” ’
“1? 1 persuade him? You don't
need me for that—yeou. who can make
him do or not do anything, just as you
wish!”
“I thought I could, but 1 find T can’t.”
“How is that?”
“Well, he is set on going back to
Kalmacks.”
“Kalmacks? 1 know it is the place
Julius Fischer built up in the mnoun-
“What
tains. He used to go shooting and
fishing there.”
“That is it. It's a place you'd love—
lots of good rooms and standing way
back on a mountain slope, with niles
of view and a stream tumbling past
the very door. Father bought if last
year and with it all the sporting rights
Julius Fischer claimed. The woods are’
full of moose, and there are beaver and ,
otter. and that’s where the trouble |
came in.”
“But Fischer had trouble from the
day he went up to shoot at Kalmacks
He had to run for it. so 1 wus told,
Didn’t your father know that? Why
did Mr. Petersham have anything to
do with the place?”
“Qh, it was just one of pop’s no
tions, I suppose,” said Linda, with the
rather weary tolerance of the modern
daughter.
“They are & dangerous lot round
there.”
“He knew thet. They are squatters
—trappers who have squatted among
those woods and hills for generations
Of course they think the country be-
Jongs to them Pop knew that, and in
bis opinion rhe compensation Julius
Fischer offered and gave them was in
adequate ”
“It would be” I commented. I
could withant effort imagine Julius
Fischer's views on compensation, for
1 had met hin in business.
“Well, father went into the matter.
and he found that the squatters had a
good deal to be said for their side of
the case, so that he did what he
thought was fair by them. He paid
them good high prices for their rights.
or what they considered to be their
rights, for in law, of course:they pos
sessed none. Every one seemed pleased
and satisfied. and we were looking for-
ward to going there this spring for the
fishing when news came that one of fa
ther’s game wardens had been shot at.”
“Shot at?’
Linda nodded the Greek head I ad
mired so much.
“Yes. Last autumn father put on a
couple of wardens to look after the
game, and they have been there all
winter. From their reports they have
got on quite well with the squatters,
and now suddenly, for no reason that
they can guess, one of them, William
Worke by name, has been fired upon in
his camp.”
“Killed?” 1 asked.
“No, but badly wounded. He sald he
was sure the bullet could have been
put into his heart just as easily, but it
was sent through his knee by way of a
notice to quit, he thinks.”
“Those folks up there must be half
savages.”
“They are, but that’s not all. Three
days ago a letter came, meant for fa-
ther, but addressed to me. Whoever
wrote it must have seen father and
knew that he was not the kind of man
who could be readily frightened, so
they thought they would get at him
through me. It was a horrible letter.”
The words were written upon a sheet
torn from an old account book. They
ran as follows:
You, Petersham, you mean skunk!
Don’t you come in our wods unles yor
willing to pay five thousand dollars. Bring
the goods and youl be told wher to put it,
Dollars ain't nothin to you, but they can
1
that if father does not pay up that $5.
000 he will be shot ™
“Not necessarily He need not go up
to RKalmacks this fall”
“But of course he will go’ He's more
set on going than ever You know fa
ther when he’s dealing with men And
he persists in his opinion that the let
ter is probably only bluff.”
1 considered for a little before |
spoke. “Linda, have you really sent
for me to try to persuade your father
that it would be wiser for him not to
go to Kalmacks?"
Linda’s lip curled scornfully. “I
should not put it just like that! 1 can
imagine father's answer if you did
I'm afraid it will be no good letting
you say anything you devn’t know how ”
“You mea: that I have no tact?”
She smiled at me, and I instantly
forgave her “Well. perhaps I do. but
ot subtle compliment to the eloyuence
of the narrator
When we stopped near a patch of
pine trees to partake of an impromptu:
lunch it was his quick hands that pre
pared the campfire and bis skilled ax
that fashioned the rude but comforta
ble seats [It was he also who disap
peared for a moment to return with
three half pound trout that he had
taken by some swift process of his
own from the brook. of which we only
heard the murmur And for all these
doings he received an amount of open
admiration from Linda's blue eyes
which seemed to me almost exagger
ated.
yout know it is far better to be able to
give help than just to talk about it.
Father is determined on going to Kal
macks, and 1 want you to come with
DER
“Us? 1 cried.
“Naturally, I'm going.”
“But it is absurd! Your father would
never allow it!”
“He can’t prevent it. dear James,”
she said softly. "I don’t for a moment
suppose that even the Kalmacks people
would attack a woman. And father is
all that | have in the world [I'm go
tng.”
“Then 1 suppose 1 shall have to go
too. But tell me what purpose does
yonr father think he will serve by un-
dertaking this very risky expedition?”
“He believes that the general feeling
up at Kalmacks is in his favor. and
tise shooting of the warden as well as
the writing of this letter is the work
of a small band of individuals who
wish to blackmail him. We will be
quite a strong party, and he hopes to
discover who is threatening him. By
the way. didn’t 1 hear from Sir An-
drew McLerrick that you had been in
the woods all these last falls with a_
wonderful guide who could read trails
like Uncas, the last of the Delawares,
or one of those old trappers one reads
of in Fenimore Cooper's novels?”
“That's true.”
*Y¥what is his name?’
“November Joe.”
“November Joe,” she repeated. “1
visualize him at once. A wintry look-
ing old man, with gray goatee and
piercing eyes.”
1 burst out laughing. *It's extraor-
dinary you should hit him off so well.”
“He must come too,” she com-
manded.
On Friday | got Joe, who arranged to
meet us at Priamville. the nearest
point on the railway to those moun-
tains in the heart of which the estate
of Kalmacks was situated. I myself
arranged to accompany the Peter
shams.
Into the story of our joxmney to
Prinmville 1 need not go. but will pick
up the sequence of events at the mo-
went of .our arrival at that enterpris
fug town when Lindi, looking from
the car window. suddenly exclaimed:
“Look at that iaguificent young :
man!”
“Which on«?" 1 asked innocently as
1 caught sicht of November's tall fig
are awaiting ns
“How maby men in sight answer my
description” she retorted Of course
I mean the woodsiman \WWhy. he’s
coming this way I must speak to
him.”
Before | could answer she had jump
ed lightly to the platform and. turning
to Joe with a childlike expression in
her blue eyes. said:
“Oh. can you tell me how many min
utes this train stops here?”
“It don’t generally stop here at all
but they flagged her because they're
expecting passengers. Can I help you
any, miss?”
“It’s very kind of you.”
At this moment 1 appeared from the
car. “Hello, Joe!” said I. “How are
things?”
“All right. Mr. Quaritch. There's
two slick buckboards with a pair of
horses to each waiting and a wagon
ette fit for the king o’ Russia. The
road between this and the mountains
is flooded by beaver working in a back
water ’bout ten miles out. They say
we can drive through all right. Miss
Petersham needn't fear getting too
wet.”
“How do you know my name?’ ex
claimed Linda.
“«] heard you described, miss,” re
plied Joe gravely.
Linda looked at me.
“Good for the old mossback!” said 1
Her lips bent into a sudden smile
“You must be Mr. November Joe. 1
have heard so much of you from Mr
Quaritch.”
We went out and loaded our bag:
gage upon the waiting buckboards.
One of these was driven by a small
sallow faced man, who turned out to
be the second game warden, Puttick.
Mr. Petersham asked how Bill
Worke, the wounded man, was {Pro
gressing.
“He's coming along pretty tidy, Mr
Petersham, but he’ll carry a stiff leg
with him all his life.”
“I'm sorry for that. 1 suppose you
have found out nothing further as to
the identity of the man who fired the
shot?”
“Nothing,” said Puttick, “and not
‘likely to. They're all banded togeth-
er up there.” -
On which cheerful information our
little caravan started. At Linda’s wish
Joe took the place of the driver of
Mr. Petersham’s light imported wag:
onette, and as we went along she gave
him a very clear story of the sequence
of events, to all of which he listened
with the characteristic series of “Well
nows!” and “You don’t says!” with
which he was in the habit of punctuat
ing the remarks of a lady. He said
them, ¢ sual. in a voice which not!
red the facts at exactly
nt
i
{ ‘while
“I think your November Joe is a per
fect dear.” she confided to me.
“If you really think that” said L
“have mercy on him! You do not
want to add his scalp to all the oth
ers.”
“Many of the others are bald.” said
she. “His hair would furnish a dozen
of them!”
CHAPTER XIV.
Men of the Mountains.
O the afternoon passed away, and
as it became late we entered
great tracts of gloomy pine
woods. A wind which had risen
with the evening meams€ through
their tops and flung the dark waters
of innumerable little lakes against
their moss bordered shores.
I noticed that Puttick emmimmg bis
rifle and laid it among the packs upon
the buckboard beside him, and when
ever the road dipped to a more than
usually somber defile his eyes, quick
and restless as those of some ‘forest
animal. darted and peered into the
shadows The light of the sun was
fading when there occurred the one in
cident of our journey. It was not of
real importance, but 1 think it made
an impression on all of us. The road
along which we were driving came
sudden!y out into an open space, and
here in front of a shack ef the rough-
est description a ‘man was engaged in
cutting logs As we passed L2 glanced
up at us. and his face was like that of
some niedieval prisoner—a tangle of
wild beard. a mass of grayish hair
and among it all a pair of eyes which
seemed to glare forth batred. There
was something ominous about the
wolfish. face.
It was already dark when we arriv-
ed at the house, a long. low building of
surprising spaciousness. set literally
among the pines. the fragrant brancl
es of which tapped and rustled upon
the windows. *
We went in. and while dinner was
preparing Mr. Petersham, Joe and |
went to the room where the wounded
game warden. Worke, lay upon a bed
smoking a pipe with a candle sputter
ing on a chair beside him.
“Yes, Mr. Petersham,” said he in an-
swer to a question. “When you went
fall 1 did think shings was
“down a bit, but a week ago
Puttick was on the eastern
boundary 1 thought I'd go up to Senlis
lake. where last year Keoghun had the
brook petted. I was making a fire to
boil my kettle when a shot was fired
from the rocks up above. and the next
I knew was that I was hit pretty bad
through this knee.
“It was coming ou dark. and 1 rolled
into a bush for cover, but whoever it
were didn’t fire at me again. | dem’t
think he wanted to kill me. If be had
he could have put the bullet into my
heart just as easy as in my leg. { tied
"Bet
up the wound the best way I esaid.
——
> _—
AAA,
GANZ
Scien On
His Face Was Like That of Some
Medieval Prisoner.
Lucky the bullet hadn’t touched any
big artery. Next morning I crawled
up the hill and lit signal smokes till
Puttick came. He brought me in
here.”
“I suppose Puttick had a look round
for the tracks of the fella who gunned
you?” asked November.
“He did, but he didn’t find cut noth-
ing. There was a light shower be-
tween dark and dawn, and the ground
on the hill above there is mostly rock.”
Such, then, was the story of our
coming to Kaln ts, and for the next
{ two or three ye spent our time
“Children Cry
ZT
goric, Drops and Soothing
substance.
and allays Feverishness.
Diarrhcea. It regulates
o
ANNU RANANRNRNNR A ANN
for Fletcher's
NRA
27/7 IN\\NNNNNNN
7,
7
The Kind You Have Always Bought, and which has been
in use for over 30 years, has borne the signature of
and has been made under his per=
sonal supervision since its infancy.
ly Allow no one to deceive you in this.
All Counterfeits, Imitations and ¢¢ Just-as-good >’ are but
Experiments that triile with and endanger the health of
Infants and Children—Experience against Experiment
What is CASTORIA
Castoria is a harmless substitute for Castor C..,, Pare=
Syrups. It is pleasant. If
contains neither Opium, Morphine nor other Narcotic
Its age is its guarantee.
It destroys Worms
For more than thirty years it
has been in constant use for the relief of Constipation,
Flatulency, Wind Colic, all Teething Troubles and
the Stomach and Bowels,
assimilates the Food, giving healthy and natural sleep.
The Children’s Panacea—The Mother’s Friend.
GENUINE CASTORIA ALwAYS
Bears the Signature of
In Use For Over 30 Years
The Kind You Have Always Bought
THE CENTAUR COMPANY, NEW YORK CITY,
insisieu pup @ccompanying, walked
over to Senlis take and had a look at
the scene of Worke's accident. The
old tracks, of course. were long since
washed away, and | thought, with the
others, that Joe’s visit had been fruit
less until he showed me the shell of
an exploded cartridge
“The bulet which went through Bill
Worke’s leg came out of that. | found
it on the hill above. It's a 45.75 cen
tral fire rifle. an old ‘76 model.”
“This is a great discovery you and
Miss Petersham have made.”
Joe smiled ‘*“There's nothing much
to it, anyway She lost her brooch
somewhere by the lake and was lookin
for it when I found this.” Joe indi-
cated the exploded shell. *The moun-
tains is full of 45.75 guns, 1876 pat
tern. Some years back a big iron
mongery store down here went bust
and threw a fine stock of them caliber
rifles on the market. “A few dollars
would buy one, so there’s one in pret
ty nigh every house and two and
three in some. Howsoever, it may be
‘useful to know that him that shot Bill
Worke carried that kind o' a rifle
Still, we'd best keep it to ourselves,
Mr. Quaritch.”
“All right” said I. “By the way,
Joe, there's a side to the situation I
don’t understand. We've been here
four days, and nothing has happened.
I mean Mr. Petersham has .had no
word of where to put the $5.000 black-
madi these criminals are demanding of
”
“Maybe there’s a reason for that.”
“] can't think of any.”
“What about the sand?”
“The sand?” I repeated.
“Pse. bavew’t you noticed? TI got
Me. Petersham to have two loads of
eand brought up from the lake and laid
all round the bouse. It takes a track
wonderful. I guess it’s pretty near
fmpossible to come nigh the house
without leaving a clear trail. But the
first rainy night, | mean when there’s
rain enough to wash out tracks.”
“They'll come?”
“Yes, they’ll likely come.”
But as it happened Joe was wrong.
I believe that his reasoning was cor
rect enough. and that it was the fear
of leaving such marks as would enable
us to gather something of their iden:
tity that kept the enemy from pinning
upon our door the letter which finally
arrived prosaically enough in a cheap
store envelope that bore the Priam-
ville postmark. The contents of this
: letter were as follows:
Petersham, you go alone to Butler's
{ cairn 11 o'clock Friday night. Take the
| dollars along; youl be met their and can
| hand it over.
Below was a rude drawing of a cof-
fin.
Petersham read the note out to Joe
and myself. :
“Where's Butler's cairn?’ he asked.
«J know it.” said November. “But-
ler’s cairn is on a hill about two miles
west of here.”
“1 suppose you won’t go?’ said I.
“With the money? Certainly not!”
“You can hardly go #ithout it.”
“Why not?”
“You would be shot down.”
*“1°d talk to the rufiians first and then
if there was any shooting, I guess I'd
be as much in it as they would.”
*] suggest that we all three go,” 1
said.
But Joe would have none of this
plan.
“There's nothing to be gained by
that, Mr. Quaritch. You bet these
fellas’ll keep a pretty bright lookout.
If they saw three of us coming they'd
shoot as like as not.
“] was thinking I might slip right
along to Butler's cairn and maybe get
| a look at the fe
“No!” sa
won’t allo i
| would be t’
| (To Be Contin
am decidedly. “I
say yourself you
For RENT—Nine room house, 0
would rent part of same, on Main
street. above B. & O. Also one-half
of house for rent, of four rooms, rear
of 413 Main street. For Sale—Good
sized double heater and other articles.
Apply to LUKE HAY,
413 Main Street.
FIVE CENTS PROVES IT.
. A generous offer. Cut this ad cut, en~
close with it 5 cents to Foley & Co.,
Chicago, Ill.,, and receive a free trial
package containing Foley’s Honey and
Tar Compound for coughs, colds,
croup, bronchial and lagrippe coughs;
Foly Kidney Pills and Foley Cathartie
Tablets. Sold everywhere.
To feel strong, have good appetite
and digestion, sleep soundly and en-
joy life, use Burdock Blood Bitters,
‘he family system tonic. Price $1.00
LIFE INSURANCE REFUSED.
Ever notice how closely life insur-
ance examiners look for symptoms of
kidney diseases? They do so becaus:
weakened kidneys lead to many forma
of dreadful life-shortening afflictins.
If you have any symptoms like pain in
your back, frequent scanty or painful
action, tired feeling, aches and pains,
get Foley’s Kidney Pills to-day. Sold
everywhere.
ltech! Itech! Itch!—Scratch!
Scratch! Scratch! The more you
scratch, the worse the itch. y
Doan’s Ointment. For eczema, any
skin itehing 50c a box. ad
How to Cure a La Grippe Cough.
Lagrippe coughs demand instant
treatment. They show a serious condi
tion of the system and are weakening.
Postmaster Collins, Barnegat, N. J.
says: “I took Foley's Honey and Tar
Compound for a violent Iagrippe
cough that completely exhausted me
and less than a half bottle stopped the
cough.” Try it. Sold everywhere.
State of Ohio, City of Toledo)
Lucas County, ss
Frank J. Cheney makes oath that
he is senior partner of the firm of
F. J. Cheney & Co., doing business
in the City of Toledo, County and
State aforesaid, and that said firm
will pay the sum of ONE HUNDRED
DOLLARS foreach and every case
of Catarrh that cannot be cured by
the use of HALL’S CATARRH
OURE. 2
FRANK J. CHENEY,
Sworn to before me and subscrib-
ed in my presence, this 6th day of
December, A. D. 1886.
A. W. ULEASON,
Notary Public.
Hall’s Catarrh Cure is taken inter
nally and acts directly upon the
blood and mucous surfaces of the
system.
Send for testimonials. 3
F. J. CHENEY, & Co., Toledo, O,
Sold by all Druggists, 75 cents pup
bottle.
Take Hall’s Family Pills for Con
stipation. ad
Demand for the Efficient.
Alert, keen, clear-headed healthy
men and women are in demand. Mode
ern business cannot use in office, face
| tory or on the road, persons who are
| dull, lifeless, inert, half sick or tired.
| Keep in trim. Ben a condition that
{ wards off disease. ¥oley Carthartig
| Tablets cle the sy ep the
t liver act 1 bow
lacn sweet,
iar.