Kenneth Robeson - The Avenger 08 by The Glass Mountain

Author:The Glass Mountain
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Published: 2012-02-20T15:02:17+00:00

Chapter X

Falling Cliff

Nellie Gray was dynamite in a beautiful package and the Avenger valued her services as much as those of Mac or Smitty or Josh.

Nellie had started on the job almost with her arrival in camp in the ancient automobile that had wheezed forty miles from the nearest railroad station. She had had just a word with Smitty concerning the girl who had tried to kill the chief, when the girl in question showed up in camp.

She looked around the place, obviously searching for someone. She was equally obviously secretive about it.

“She’s not very smart,” said Nellie with a little sniff.

“She is practically advertising the fact that some dirty work is in the wind. Also the fact that whoever she wants to see here is absent at the moment.”

Ethel Masterson drew off from the camp a little way, being elaborately careless about it. So Nellie followed her.

“I’d like to see,” she said to Smitty, “who she meets, if anyone. Also hear what’s said, if that is possible. Perhaps some of the workmen here aren’t what they seem.”

The giant, Smitty, had a soft spot in his vast chest for the diminutive blonde. It was to be suspected that Nellie had a similar spot in her heart for Smitty; but she wouldn’t have let that fact be dragged out of her with a steam winch.

“Be careful,” Smitty said anxiously. “There’s the craziest, deadliest stuff around here you’ve ever heard of. Nobody knows what it’s all about, or where it’ll hit next, but it’s bad medicine.”

“Don’t you know I’m always careful?” said Nellie, with a reckless light in her lovely eyes.

“Yeah?like a test pilot, or a Hon tamer, or something,” growled Smitty.

“Don’t worry. The girl probably isn’t going far.”

Ethel Masterson didn’t go far. Just to the stone outcropping the shape of a great duck, near the big dead tree.

The tree, by the way, had been investigated, and was found to be like any other tree. It was a hollow shell, but seemed firmly rooted. There was no reason for it to move. Therefore everyone had accepted as fact the statement that it had not moved.

Everyone, that is, save Dick Benson.

Under the shadow of the rock outcropping, you could not see the construction camp. It was as deserted a spot as could be found in all. Idaho.

Ethel went there, with Nellie a full quarter of a mile behind, and felt sure she wasn’t seen by her quarry. Ethel went right to the flank of the glass mountain and sat down on a square rock.

She looked as if she was waiting for someone, and, sure enough, in a short time, she had company.

Nellie didn’t see the approach of that company. She was looking downward for a moment to be sure she planted her trim small feet where they wouldn’t make any noise. When she had looked down, Ethel was alone. When she looked up again Ethel was not alone.

It was uncanny; as if the man suddenly with her had materialized out of thin air. And, indeed, the man seemed the type that might be able to do all sorts of weird things.

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