The loose rubbish and garbage presently got into Northrup’s consciousness and made him think, as they always did, of Maclin’s determination to get possession of the ugly place.
“It is the very devil!” he muttered, almost tumbling over a smelly pile. “What’s that?” He crouched in the darkness. His eyes were so accustomed to the gloom now that he saw quite distinctly the door of Peneluna’s shack open, close softly, and someone tiptoeing toward Rivers’s shanty. Keeping at a distance, Northrup followed and when he was about twenty feet behind the other prowler, he saw that it was Jan-an and that she was cautiously going from window to window of Larry’s empty house, peeping, listening, and then finally muttering and whimpering.
“Well, what in thunder!” Northrup decided to investigate but keep silent as long as he could.
A baby in the distance broke into a cry; a man’s rough voice stilled it with a threat and then all was quiet once more.
The next thing that occurred was the amazing sight of Jan-an nimbly climbing into the window of Larry’s kitchen! Jan-an had either pried the sash up or Larry had been careless. Northrup went up to the house and listened. Jan-an was moving rapidly about inside and presently she lighted a lamp, and through the slit between the shade and the window ledge Northrup could watch the girl’s movements.
Jan-an wore an old coat, a man’s, over a coarse nightgown; her hair straggled down her back; her vacant face was twitching and worried, but a decent kind of dignity touched it, too. She was bent upon a definite course, but was confused and uncertain as to details.
Over the papers scattered on the table Jan-an bent like a hungry beast of prey. Her long fingers clutched the loose sheets; her devouring eyes scanned them, compared them with others, while over and again a muttered curse escaped the girl’s lips.
Northrup took a big chance. He went to the door and tapped.
He heard a quick, frightened move toward the window––Jan-an was escaping as she had entered. As the sash was raised, Northrup was close to the window and the girl reeled back as she saw him.