Oskaloosa Kid, "and I want to buy some eggs and
milk and ham and bacon and flour and onions and sugar and cream and
strawberries and tea and coffee and a frying pan and a little oil stove,
if you have one to spare, and--"

Jeb Case's jaw dropped and his eyes widened. "You're in the wrong
pasture, bub," he remarked feelingly. "What yer lookin' fer is Sears,
Roebuck & Company."

The Oskaloosa Kid flushed up to the tips of his ears. "But can't you
sell me something?" he begged.

"I might let ye have some milk an' eggs an' butter an' a leetle bacon
an' mebby my ol' woman's got a loaf left from her last bakin'; but we
ain't been figgerin' on supplyin' grub fer the United States army ef
that's what yew be buyin' fer."

A frowsy, rat-faced woman and a gawky youth of fourteen stuck their
heads out the doorway at either side of the man. "I ain't got nothin'
to sell," snapped the woman; but as she spoke her eyes fell upon the fat
bank roll in the youth's hand. "Or, leastwise," she amended, "I ain't
got much more'n we need an' the price o' stuff's gone up so lately that
I'll hev to ask ye more'n I would of last fall. 'Bout what did ye figger
on wantin'?"

"Anything you can spare," said the youth. "There are three of us and
we're awful hungry."

"Where yew stoppin'?" asked the woman.

"We're at the old Squibbs' place," replied The Kid. "We got caught by
the storm last night and had to put up there."

"The Squibbs' place!" ejaculated the woman. "Yew didn't stop there over
night?"

"Yes we did," replied the youth.

"See anything funny?" asked Mrs. Case.

"We didn't SEE anything," replied The Oskaloosa Kid; "but we heard
things. At least we didn't see what we heard; but we saw a dead man on
the floor when we went in and this morning he was gone."

The Cases shuddered. "A dead man!" ejaculated Jeb Case. "Yew seen him?"

The Kid nodded.

"I never tuk much stock in them stories," said Jeb, with a shake of his
head; "but ef you SEEN it! Gosh! Thet beats me. Come on M'randy, les see
what we got to spare," and he turned into the kitchen with his wife.

The lanky boy stepped, out and planting himself in front of The
Oskaloosa Kid proceeded to stare at him. "Yew seen it?" he asked in
awestruck tone.

"Yes," said the Kid in a low voice, and bending close toward the other;
"it had bloody froth on its lips!"

The Case boy shrank back. "An' what did yew hear?" he asked, a glutton
for thrills.

"Something that dragged a c