whole interior of the dimly lighted shack, seemed to be attracted toward
one particular spot.

This was where the string of beads hung from the nail driven into a log.

It was the lodestone which had served to draw this woman once more into
the danger zone.

And from that instant, if Elmer had allowed the slightest doubt to creep
into his mind before, it no longer found lodgment there.

The woman was bound to enter in order to obtain possession of that
precious string of beads.

Once she thrust her head and shoulders through the opening and attempted
to clutch the rosary, but the effort was useless.

"Now she is coming!"

Elmer whispered this to himself as he saw that the woman no longer
occupied the opening--she had undoubtedly started for the door.

Yes, now he could see the closed door begin to quiver, as though eager
hands had started to open it.

Elmer held his breath with eagerness, and all the while watched the
door.

Between his strong teeth the scout master held a little German silver
whistle, such as patrol leaders usually carry for signaling purposes.

This he expected to sound when the time was ripe, and he had every
reason to believe that his two comrades would rush into the shack the
very instant they heard the call.

Now the door was surely opening wider. Even in her hurry the Italian
woman did not forget the need of due caution when all these enemies
seemed to be hanging around.

Her experiences across the ocean may have made her exceedingly ill
disposed to trust anything that wore a uniform.

Yes, the door had given way by now to admit a moving figure, and then it
was drawn shut again.

Elmer smiled to see how closely his guess had come to the actual truth.
The Italian woman was not only squatty, and "broad of beam," as Lil
Artha would have put it, but, as Elmer had said, might be close on sixty
years of age, for she had many wrinkles, and her hair was certainly
gray.

She left the door unfastened behind her. Elmer chuckled to himself under
his breath, for he saw that in doing this the woman had not only left a
way of speedy escape open for herself in case of necessity, but also a
free passage for the scouts when the signal whistle blew.

CHAPTER XI.

RUN DOWN.

Straight across the floor of the shack glided the woman.

She was making a bee line for the string of beads with the little silver
cross at the double end.

And the hidden scout could hear the low words of m