by Carol Norton
CHAPTER VI THE EVIL-EYE TURQUOISE
The old man continued:
"Sven Pedersen hisself never tol' me nothin' about that Evil EyeTurquoise o' his'n. _That's_ why I cal'late it was a yarn he used toskeer off onweloome visitors to his rock house, bein' as thar was spellswhen he was away fer days, huntin' fer Bodil.
"I heerd it was a big eye-shaped rock with a round center that was moregreen than it was blue. Hangers-on in the store here used to spec'late'bout it. Some reckoned, ef 'twas true that Sven _had_ found a green-blueturquoise big as a coffee cup, it'd be wurth a lot o' money, but I dunno,I dunno!"
Dora recalled Mr. Harvey's wandering thoughts by asking, "It must havebeen very beautiful, but _why_ was it called 'Evil Eye?'"
The old man shook his head. "Thar was folks who'd believe onythin' inthem days," he said. "I reckon thar still is. Superstitious, yo'd callit, so, when Sven Pedersen tol' yarns 'bout that green-blue eye o' his'n,thar _was_ them as swallowed 'em whule."
"Tell us one of the yarns," Mary urged.
"Wall, Lucky Loon tol' 'round at the camps, as how he'd put that tharturquoise eye into the inside wall o' his house jest whar it could keepwatchin' the door, an' ef onyone tried to climb in, that thar eye'd _see_'em!"
"But what if it did," Dora laughed. "Was there ever anyone superstitiousenough to believe that the eye could _hurt_ them?"
The old man nodded, looking at her solemnly. "Sven Pedersen tol' 'roundthat 'twas a demon eye, an' that whatever it looked at, 'ceptin' hisself,'d keel over paralyzed. Wall, mabbe it's hard to believe, but themminers, bad as some of 'em was, warn't takin' no chances till 'long comea tenderfoot fellar from the East. He heern the yarn, an' he laffed atthe whule outfit of 'em. He opined as how he'd come West to get richquick, an' he reckoned cleanin' out that rock house o' its gold an'turquoise'd be a sight easier than gettin' it out o' the earth wi' pickan' shovel. Yessir, that fellar did a power o' a lot o' boastin', but yo'kin better believe, 'twa'n't when Lucky Loon was in hearin'."
Dora glanced up at the two boys sitting so silently on the counter backof the old man. She saw that they were both listening with interest. Thestory was evidently as new to Jerry as to the others. Dick motioned toDora to ask another question as the old man had paused.
"Oh, Mr. Harvey," she leaned forward to ask, "did that bragging boyactually try to rob Mr. Pedersen?"
"He sure sartin did," the storekeeper replied. "He watched over the rockso' nights till he'd seen Lucky Loon ridin' off, and, jedging by the packhe was totin', that fellar cal'lated he was goin' on one of them longrides he took, off'n' on, hunting for Bodil. Wall, arter a time, heclimbed up, draggin' a bag he'd tuk along to put the gold in. He peeredinto the rock house door an' _thar_ was that eye, jest as Sven had said,in the wall opposite, an' it was glarin' green like a cat's eye in thedark."
The old man stopped talking and swayed his shaggy head back and forth fora long minute before he satisfied his listeners' curiosity. Dora foundherself clutching Mary's hand but neither of them spoke.
"The nex' day," the old man continued, "cowboys ridin' out on the roadheerd screamin'. Then it stopped an' they couldn't place it nohow. Artera time they heerd it agin. Thinkin' as how Lucky Loon was hurt mabbe,they rode in through his gate an' found that young tenderfoot fellarwrithin' around at the foot o' the cliff. He was paralyzed, sure sartin,an' arter he'd tol' about seein' that thar turquoise eye, he give up theghost. _That_ much is true. They fetched the tenderfoot fellar in here tomy store an' I seen the wild, skeered look in his eyes. Wall, arter that,Sven Pedersen didn't have no more need to worry about his house bein'robbed."
"Oh-o-o! I should think not." Mary shuddered, then she glanced at herwrist watch, thinking that they ought to go. Nine o'clock, and Mr.Harvey's store was always dark before that. They were keeping him up, butbefore she could suggest leaving, she heard Dora asking still anotherquestion.
"Mr. Harvey, when did poor Mr. Lucky Loon die?"
There was actually a startled expression in the deeply sunken eyes of theold man. He turned in his chair and looked up at Jerry. After all, he had_not_ forgotten the boys. In an awed voice he asked: "Jerry, did yo' everhear tell how old Sven Pedersen give up the ghost?"
The tall cowboy shook his head. "No, Mr. Harvey. I've asked Dad but hesaid it was a mystery that he reckoned never would be solved."
"It wa'n't never any mystery to _me_," the old man told them, "but I'dbeen swore to secrecy. Sven Pedersen said he'd come back an' hant mystore if I ever tol', but I reckon thar's no sech thing as hants. AnyhowI ain't never _seen a_ ghost, though thar _is_ folks as calls this heretown hanted."
Mary turned startled eyes around to question Jerry. That boy saidseriously, "Mr. Harvey, we'd like awfully well to know what happened toMr. Pedersen, but we wouldn't want your store to be haunted if youbelieve--"
"I _don'_ believe nothin' o' the sort." The old man seemed to scorn theinference. Turning, he beckoned to the boys. "Stan' up close, sort o'. Iwon't tell it loud; than mabbe it won't be heern by nobody but you-uns."
Jerry stood close back of Mary's chair. Dick sat on his heels next toDora. The wind that had rattled loose boards had gone down. Not a soundwas to be heard. The fire in the stove had burned to ashes. The room wasgetting cold but the girls did not notice. With wide, almost startledeyes they were watching the old man who was again chewing on an end ofhis gray beard.
Suddenly he cupped an ear with one palsied hand and seemed to belistening intently. Mary clutched Dora's arm. She expected the old man toask them if they heard a gun shot, but he didn't. He dropped his arm andcommenced in a matter-of-fact tone.
"Fer the las' year o' his life, Sven Pedersen give up minin'. He reckonedas how he'd never find his sister an' he'd jest been pilin' up wealth togive to her, he sed. He used to spec'late about poor Bodil a lot. She'dbe a young woman now, he'd say, sad like, _if_ them bandits let her live.Then thar was times when he'd hope she'd died ruther than be fetched upby robbers. He didn't talk much about anythin' else. Folks never knewwhar he went to do his buyin'; thot as how he'd go off to Bisbee, but'twa'n't so. He come here arter midnight so's not to be seen. He tol' meif, chance be, Bodil was alive an' showed up arter he was dead, he wantedher to have his gold. He writ a letter in that furrin tongue o' his an'give it to me. I got it yit. In it he tol' Bodil _whar_ he'd got hisfortin hid." The old man paused and blinked his eyes hard.
Mary asked softly, "But she never came, did she, Mr. Harvey? That poorLittle Bodil with the china-blue eyes and the corn-silk hair."
"No, she never come, an' I cal'late she never will. Lucky Loon didn'treckon she would, really, but he hung on till he felt death comin'. Thenhe tol' me what he was a plannin' to do to hisself." The old man glancedanxiously at Jerry, who stood with his hands on Mary's shoulders. "It's amighty gruesome story, the rest o' it, Jerry lad. Do you reckon it'dbetter be tol'?"
It was Dora who replied, "Oh, _please_, Mr. Harvey! We girls aren't amite scary. It's only a story to us, you know. It all happened so longago."
"Wall, as I was sayin', Sven Pedersen knew he hadn't long to live, so onenight thar was a blizzard threatenin'--an' it turned into as bad a one aswhen he furst blowed into my store years back. Whar was I?" He lookedblankly at Mary who prompted with, "So one night when he felt that he wassoon to die--"
"Sven come to me an' swore me to keep it secret what he was goin' to do.He sed that back of his house an' opening into it, he had a vault. He'djest left room for hisself to creep into it. Then he was goin' to wall itup, an' lay hisself down an' die."
"Oh, how terrible!" Dora exclaimed. "Surely he didn't _do_ that?"
The old man sighed. "Fur as I know he did. I seen as how he was white asa ghost an' coughin' suthin' awful. I tol' him to stay at the store tillthe blizzard blew over. It commonly lasted three days, but out he wentan' I never seen him sence."
"Poor Lucky Loon!" Mary said commiseratingly.
"An' poor Little Bodil," Dora began, when she
glanced at the old man whohad suddenly sat erect, staring into a dark corner.
"Oh, Mr. Harvey," Mary whispered, "_do_ you see that ghost?"
They all looked and saw a flickering light. Then Jerry, glancing up atthe hanging lamp, saw that the kerosene had burned out. One more flickerand the store was in darkness. Mary screamed and clung to Jerry, butDora, remembering her flash, turned it on.
Dick, matter-of-factly, glanced about, saw the oil can, pulled down thelamp, refilled it, and relighted it.
"Thank ye! Thank ye!" the old man said. "I reckon that's about all tharis to hants anyhow. I never had no reason to believe in ghosts an' ain'ta-goin' to start in now. Wall, must yo' be goin'? Drop in tomorrer an' efI kin find it, I'll show yo' that yellar ol' letter Lucky Loon left ferhis gal."
