Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1897-05-22

powerful free lance and half outlaw
Its a game" he said, significantly, that
might be Of interest to your friends to
hear"
Hamlin took his hands out Of his pockets
turned on his heel and said, Come with
me-"
but must go by that coach now" said
Van Loo. desperately, ''or-Pve told you
what would happen
Come with me- said Jack, coolly "If
I'm satisfied with what you tell me I'll put
you down at the next station an hour be-
fore that coach gets there"
You swear it?' said Van Loo, hest
tatingiy.
I've said It," returned Jack. Come"
and Van Loo followed MIR. Hamlin into the
station hotel.
Chapter vi.
The abrupt disappearance Of Jack Ham
lin and the strange lady and gentle nan
visitors was scarcely noticed by the other
guests of the divide House." and beyond
the circle of Steptoe and his friends, who
were distinct party and strangers to the
town. there was no excitement. Indeed,
the hotel proprietor might have COMPOUNDED
them together, and perhaps. Van Loo was
not far wrong in his belief that their iden-
ttty had not been suspected Nor were
Steptoe's followers very much concerned in
ar episode in which they had taken part
only at the suggestion of their leader and
Wh1ch mad terminated SO ,aneiy. That
they would have liked a TOY in which
Jack Hamlin would have been incidentally
forced to disgorge his winnings, there was
no Goubt. but that their interference was
asked soie!y to crafty some perso lal spite
or Steptoe'S against Van Loo was equally
plain to them. There was some rr,,mbline
ana outspoken criticism of his methods
ms was later made more obvious by the
ARRIVAL OF another guest for whom Step
toe and his party were evidently waiting
He was short. stout man, whose heavy
red beard was trimmed little more care
fully than when he was first known to
Steptoe as "Alky Hail. the drunkard of
Heavy Tree Hill. His dress, too exhibit ed
marked improvement in quality and
style. although still characterized in the
waist and chest by the unbuttoned freedom
OF portly and slovenly middle age Ciyili-
zation had restricted his potations. or linn
lted them to certain festivals known as
sprees and his face was less puffy and
sodden But with the accession of sobriety
ne had lost his good humor, and had the
irritability and intolerance of virtuous re-
straint.
''Ye needn't ladle out any of your fortv-
roo whisky to me- he said. querulously to
Steptoe as he filed out with the rest of the
party through the bar room into the ad-
Jacent apartment. Il want to keep my
head level till our business is over and I
reckon it wouldn't hurt you and your gang
to 90 the same. They're less likely to blab:
and there are few doors that whisky won't
unlock" he added, as Steptoe turned the
key in the door after the party had en-
tered.
The room had evidently been used for
meetings of directors or political caucuses
and was roughly furnished with notched
and whitfield arm chairs and single long
deal table, on which were ink and lens
The men sat down around it with a half
embarrassed, half-contemptuous attitude
of formally. their bent brows and isolated
looks showing little community of senti-
ment and scarcely an attempt to veil that
SetflShnpSS
Still less was there any essay of compan-
iorship or sympathy in the manner of
Steptoe as he suddenly raped on the table
with his knuckleS
"Gentlemen, he said, with a certain de-
liberation of utterance, as If he enjoyed his
own coarse directness. Il reckon you all
have sort of general idea what you were
picked up for, or you wouldn't be here.
But you may or may not know that for
the present you are honest. Woodworking
mirers-the backbone of the state of Cali
forny-and that you have formed your
selves into a company called the Blue
Jay. and you've settled yourselves on the
bar below Heavy Tree Hill. on deserted
claim of the Marshall brothers. not half
mile from where the big strike was made
five years ago. That's what you are, gen.
tlemen: that's what you'll continue to be
until the jobs finished: and he added.
with sudden dominance that they all
felt. the man who forgets it will have to
reckon with me. Now" he continued.
summing his former ironical manner now
what are the cold facts of the case? The
Marshalls worked this claim ever since 40,
and never got anything out of it then they
dropped off died out. leaving only one
brother. Tom Marshall to work what was
left of it. Well. a few days ago he found
indications of a big lead in the rock. and
instead of rushn' out and yeiiin like an
honest man, and calm in the boys to
drink. he sneaks off to Frisco and goes to
the bank to get EN- to take a hand In 1t.
Well, you know. when Jim Stacy takes a
no, i'm g hQf QndS md to
bank wouldn't see 1t until he promised to
guarantee possession of the whole aban-
doned ciaim-'dips, spurs and angles-and
let them work the whole thing. which the
ID fool did. and the bank agreed to
SEND an expert down there tomorrow to
report. But while he was away some one
on our side, who was an expert also, got
wind of it and made an examination all
by himself. and found 1t was a vein sure
enough and a big thing. and some one else
on our side found out. too. all that Mar
shall had promised the bank and what the
bank had promised him. Now. gentlemen,
when the bank sends down that expert to-
morrow l expect that he will find you in
possession of every part of the deserted
claim except the spot where Tom Is still
working
"And what good is that to Ys?" asked one
of the men. contemptuously.
"Good?" repeated Steptoe harshly. well
If you're not as ID fool as Marshall
you'll see that if he has struck lead or
vein it's bound to run across our claims
and what's to keep us from sinking for it
as long as Marshall hasn't worked the
other claims for years nor pre-empted them
for this lead?'
"What'll keep him from pre-empting
now"
Our possession"
But If he can prove that the brothers
left their claims to him to keep, he'll just
send the sheriff and his posse down upon
u.s." persisted the first speaker.
1T will take him. three months to do that
by law, and the sheriff and his posse can't
do it before long as we're in peaceable
possession of it. And by the time the ex-
pert and Marshall return they'll find us in
peaceful possession. Unless we're such
blasted fools as to stay talking about it
here"
But what's to prevent Marshall from
getting gang of his own to drive US OFF,
Now you're talkin' and not yelpin'," said
Steptoe, with slow insolence. I'D If 1
don't begin to think you kalkilated I was
goin to employ you lawyers! Nothing
is to prevent him from gettin' up his gang,
S~N
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