Herald and news. [volume] (West Randolph, Vt.) 1878-1943, 1891-02-05

mo, little thing" he said, brokenly.
for your sake couldn't be that No
matter what comes of us or the mine,
| couldn't be that" and he set the rife
in corner and went out, and for half
the night walked to and fro on the
mountain side, struggling with the
problem.
But the next morning Sorrel Sam was
gone, and the water running through
the sluice into Braintree's mine Not a
trace of Sorrel was found, save one
damaging and dreadful thing-his hat,
torn in shreds and spotted with blood
near the upper gate of the sluice. He
had been killed, murdered, was the
general cry. We're there not traces of a
struggle there among the rocks? And
who could have done the deed but his
enemy, Sol Braintree? The excitement
spread through the Basin like fire.
A few dissented. Grizzly Smith, a
miner who had been chewed up once by
grizzly down ON the Feather river,
was one of these. "Mebbe hit was a
bar as carried him off" he suggested.
''Er mebbie two bars fit over Sorrel's
hat where he drapped hit, an tore an
tromped hit up that way"
'Oh, you're ole fool!' said Hi Munson,
who used to work with Grizzly down
on the Feather river, you don't know
nothin' but bar since We got bit. Wy,
look at it! Amt the water runnin' in
Soils sluice where the law said it didn't
belong? An amt Sol Braintree the
oneriest cuss ever come into the basin?
He'd as lief kill anybody that crossed
him as he would q rattlerl"
Eyes, an | seed him comm in to his
cabin last night nigh to midnight" de-
clared Whisky Evans of Sunken Bar,
IAN I'd just like to AK We, Grizzly
Smith, where he'd been?"
"out gittin' a dram like y'rself,
s'pose," growled Grizzly.
mo, he wasn't; he's too cussed mean
an stingy fer that" scoffed Evans.
'0h, shet up!'' roared Munson. "Git
a rope! Wen see whether things like
this ken be did in these diggins or mott"
In half an hour three-fourths of the
miners of Rattlesnal1e basin came
pouring down into Sol Braintree's
mine. Munson had rope, and all were
excited and many the worse for liquor.
Braintree was sitting on rock appar-
entity lost in thought. lie got up and
looked at the crowd of men, and a
little patch of color came into each of
his swarthy cheeks.
"What do you fellows want?" he
asked.
eve want gou, Sol Braintreer' said
Munson, IAN we'd like to ax We whar
Sorrel Sans gone to, an how it comes
his waters runnin' in here whar the
law said it didn't belong"
That's what been studyin'
about" said Braintree, quietly. II
didn't turn it in, an don't know what's
come of Sam"
"Y'r a cussed liar!" said Munson, adj
vancing. In an instant he lay sprawl
ing among the stones, felled by Brain
trees knotted fist.
IF any more you fellers hev speeches
like that to make y'd best 60 outside the
pit TO make 'em, reckon" said
Braintree, steadily.
A half-dozen revolvers We're in the
hands of the men about him. Evans
took the rope from Munson's nerveless
hand, and the crowd began TO advance.
Braintrce backed up against the bank
of the pit, his huge fists clinched, his
blue eyes blazing against the ring Of
faces around him. Boys" he said, IF
we've come here to kill me, shoot me,
but don't ye put that thing over my
headW
At that moment little Queer Trick
came in among them. Squeezing her
curly head and chubby body past the
big legs of the men, she emerged in the
ring beside her father. Looking up
into his pale face, and up at the scowl-
ing malevolent visages of the men about
him, she saw that something was wrong.
'Zis is nv Papa SOL" she isped,
opening one of his fists and taking hold
of one of his big, soiled fingers; 'he's