E-text prepared by Al Haines
UNDER SEALED ORDERS
by
H. A. CODY
Author of
The Frontiersman, The Long Patrol, The Chief of the Ranges, etc.
NEW YORK
GROSSET & DUNLAP
PUBLISHERS
GEORGE H. DORAN COMPANY
1917
To all "Spuds," successful or unsuccessful; to all "Fools," wise orunwise; and to all of "The Devil's Poor," not forgetting authors, thisbook is sympathetically dedicated.
CONTENTS
CHAPTER
I. THE LURE OF FALLING WATER II. TO THE LOWEST BIDDER III. ONE, AT LEAST, RINGS TRUE IV. A LITTLE CABIN V. UNMASKED VI. OUT OF BONDAGE VII. AT THE CLOSE OF A DAY VIII. THE SHADOW OF MYSTERY IX. UNITED FORCES X. WHEN DREAMS COME TRUE XI. CURIOSITY AND ANXIETY XII. PYRAMID ROCK XIII. THE DISTURBING LETTER XIV. SUBTLE INFLUENCE XV. THE "CUT OFF" XVI. CHRISTMAS EVE XVII. THE NIGHT SUMMONS XVIII. THE WILD NOR'EASTER XIX. DEVELOPMENTS XX. BUSINESS DETAILS XXI. HARNESSED POWER XXII. IN THE PATH OF DESTRUCTION XXIII. RESCUED XXIV. GATHERING CLOUDS XXV. MYSTERY XXVI. UNDER SUSPICION XXVII. IN THE TOILS XXVIII. LIGHT BREAKS XXIX. LOIS GOES TO THE CITY XXX. A STRANGE COMMISSION XXXI. PAPER NUMBER TWO XXXII. THE TABLES TURNED XXXIII. THE REAL HAVEN
UNDER SEALED ORDERS
CHAPTER I
THE LURE OF FALLING WATER
It was evening and a late April wind was whipping down the valley. Itswayed the tops of the tall pine and spruce trees as they shouldered upfrom the swift brook below. It tossed into driving spray the water ofBreak Neck Falls where it leaped one hundred feet below with athundering roar and swirl. It tossed as well the thin grey hair, longbeard, and thread-bare clothes of an old man standing upon a large rockwhich towered high above the stream.
The entire scene was wild and made weird by the approach of night. Butthe old man did not seem to notice anything except the falling of thewaters. His eyes glowed with an intense light as he kept them fixedupon the leaping and swirling columns below. His face was like theface of a lover turned toward the object of his affection.
For some time the man stood there drinking in the scene before him.Then he took a step forward which brought him perilously near the edgeof the steep rock. His lips moved though no sound could be heard forthe tumult of the falls which was rending the air. What connection hadsuch a man with his surroundings? No boor or clown was he, for thesimple dignity of face and manner marked him as one of Nature's truegentlemen.
It was almost dark when he at last reluctantly left the rock andentered the thick woods where a trail led away from the falls. Alongthis he moved with the unerring instinct of one who had travelled itoften and was sure of his bearings. But ever and anon he paused tolisten to the sound of the falling waters which followed him like thevoice of a loved one urging him to return.
"Yes, you want me," he at length cried, as he once more paused. "Ihear your voice calling, and I know its meaning. Others need you, too,but they do not know it. You have been calling to them for years, butthey have not understood your language. It was left for me to listenand take heed. They will some day, and then you will show your