To their right, in the faint light of the flash lamp, anarrow stairway was revealed leading to the secondstory. Straight ahead was a door opening upon the black-ness of a rear apartment. Beside the foot of the stair-way was another door leading to the cellar steps.

Bridge nodded toward the rear chamber. "The stove isin there," he exclaimed. "We'd much better go on and make a fire. Draw your pistol--whoever did this has probably beatit; but it's just as well to he on the safe side."

"I'm afraid," exclaimed The 0skaloosa Kid. "Let's leavethis frightful place. It's just as I told you it was; just as Ialways heard."

"We can't leave this woman, my boy," said in reply Bridge. "She isn't dead. We can't leave her, and we can't takeher out into the storm inside her condition. We must stay. Come! buck up. There's nothing to fear from a deadman, and--"