Grace Harlowes Overland Riders Among the Kentucky Mountaineers | Page 9

"That you, Grace?" demanded a cautious voice a few yards to her right.
"Hippy! Are you wounded?" begged Grace.
"I am not. I'm trying to get to my rifle."
"Here. Take mine. Look out for Tom. He is on the opposite side of the
camp. We agreed not to go beyond the edge of the clearing so there
might be no danger of our hitting each other. He is looking for the
'shereef.'"
"I'll fix him. Hark! Did you hear that?"
"Yes. It was a revolver shot on beyond where Tom is," answered
Grace.
"There it goes again. Tom must be using his revolver. A hit! Somebody
yelled," cried Lieutenant Wingate. "I hope it is that pesky mosquito that
has been trying to sting us. Stay here while I go out to investigate."
"No, no!" protested Grace. "If you do you and Tom surely will shoot at
each other. Remember he is a woodsman and knows how to creep up
on one without making a sound that a human being could hear half a
dozen yards away. Go to the edge of the clearing and wait. I will go
back and around on Tom's side of the camp."
Grace crept away, calling softly to the girls to keep down. Washington,
with his ears muffled, failed to hear her coming, nor had she given the
little colored boy a thought until she planked a foot down on his neck.
Wash uttered a yell and leaped to his feet, for the second time that night
bowling Grace over and darting deeper into the bush.
"Oh, that impossible boy!" complained Grace. "He nearly frightened

me out of my wits. The firing has stopped. I must know what has
happened."
Grace crept on cautiously, listening intently, not knowing what moment
she might come upon the mountaineer. Either he had been hit or he was
still stalking the camp, and she must settle the question in her mind
before she would feel safe to settle down for the night.
"Is that you, Grace?" demanded a low, guarded voice just ahead of her.
"Oh, yes! Gracious, Tom, you gave me a start that time! Where is the
man?"
"Gone away."
"Was it you who shot at him?"
"No. I was just about to let him have it when some one fired two shots
from a revolver. The second shot hit the man in his shoulder, I think,
spinning him clean around and dropping him. He was up and
staggering away in a few seconds. I followed him for some little
distance; then, being satisfied that he was trying to get away, I came
back."
"I hope he stays away," said Grace with emphasis.
"He may be back in force," answered Tom. "I could easily have hit the
fellow, and was about to put a bullet through his leg when the revolver
shots were fired. Say, Grace! You did not do that, did you?"
"No, Tom, I did not, nor do I know who did. Let's go into camp."
They got up and walked briskly back, calling out to the Overlanders
that they were coming.
"He has gone," cried Grace as the two emerged into the clearing.
"Tom, did you wing the critter?" demanded Hippy.

"Hippy, did you fire those shots?" demanded Tom Gray, each asking
his question at the same time.
There was a laugh from the girls, and another laugh when both men
replied in chorus, "I did not!"
"Where's Washington?" asked Miss Briggs.
"I heard him yell," answered Hippy. "Hope the kid hasn't gotten into
trouble. I'll go look for him."
"Yes," spoke up Grace. "I stepped on his neck and he uttered a frightful
howl and ran away."
"The question now appears to be, 'Who killed Cock Robin?'" observed
Emma Dean. "We know who stepped on Laundry's neck, but we do not
know who fired the fatal shot."
"Mystery, mystery, mystery!" complained Miss Briggs. "This is only
our first day out and we have involved ourselves in a maze of it, with
an excellent foundation laid for future trouble."
"All because that husband of mine ran that deputy sheriff out of our
camp," wailed Nora. "Hippy will be the death of all of us yet."
"Hippy did exactly right," approved Tom Gray. "What I am thinking
about now is why the mountaineer came here to order us out. I have my
suspicions, and I don't like the outlook at all."
"Don't worry, Tom dear," soothed Grace.
"Yes, the worst is yet to come," called Hippy Wingate, at this juncture
appearing leading Washington Washington by the ear. "I found
Laundry hiding in the bushes. Sit down there and behave yourself,
Little Snowdrop, and let that harmonica alone for the rest of the night.
Will some one tell me what became of Jeremiah Long?"
"The Mystery Man