Custer weekly chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, S.D.) 1890-1931, 1901-11-30
CHAPTER VII.

RIDER GETS A SHOCK.
And you expect me to believe all
this yarn?"
Il tell you it's all straight. There's
the letter: It's q chance that comes
only once in a lifetime. ! give you the
chance because you nave emf a hand
while / was used up. 1t will make us
both rich men,"
With their foreheads nearly touch
Ing, Obed Rider and a stranger were
conversing in ow tones in the formers
tent. They were not q handsome pair.
The seaman's weather stained, brutal
countenance was q fitting mate for its
companion, where the deep-set, color
less eyes,, protruding cheek bones and
shapeless mouth, together with q vul-
pine chin n f1endish eyebrows, de-
scending to h nose in sharp arches,
were natures warning to his fellows.
Obed Riders hurts had proved more
serious than he had at first imagined.
The broken ribs panied MIN whenever
he moved, n he was almost helpless.
This man, who was known as Hank
Bowers, was a desperate character who
had lost his last ounce at the gaming
table. He attached himself to the
mate with a view to robbing him at the
first opportunity, but the latter, ind
ing him to be utterly INSCRIPTIONS,
lac decided to enlist his services in
his own schemes.
On the very night Tom landed at
Dyea he was making the offer. He
first Informed his new friend that his
name was Avery, then showed the let
ter from the old miners partner, also
the will drawn up on shipboard.
The other laughed in%solently in his
face, as he went on and sneered:
Come off! Do yer take me for u
fool? If you was digging gold in 40
you was at 1t blasted young!"
Rider shrank before his look, and he
continued:
See here, now, old man. Give us a
straight deal. Them papers amt none
Of your'n. You've pinched' EN- some
whar. OF course, that's your business
an yer amt obliged ter split on yerself.
/ amt a man ter stick at trifes, but 1
don't go in with yer blind. Now, in the
fust place, what's yer right manner"
Having obtained this information, he
continued:
"All right. Now, the next thing is,
how did yer get them papers?"
Rider dared not refuse 10 tell, but he
said, sullenly:
II took them from a young fellow in
Frisco"
"Oh, you did! Now we are coming
down to biz. He give 'em up fer the
askin', / dare say"
NO. growled Rider, II knocked him
over n took 'em.
Good! And did yer make a clean job
of It? Did yer kill him?"
Il don't know. He was alive the next
morning"
"Know who hit him?"
NO
Then you're all right, and I'll Join
yer. But see here, Rider, IL that is your
name, there's one more to this than yer
think. You say there Is one man up to
the place now besides the one that was
to come IN after the grub in the spring.
Now, why can we run across this chap
on his way, and-well, he must be taken
care Of. Then we can go to the place
where he gold is n look after your
other friend. We shall have the whole
shootin' match to ourselves then.
What's to prevent US stakin' out claims
and layin' round loose, then sellin' out
for big money when the rush comes?
It's wuth a million apiece to us, man!,.
But what about these men?' whis-
pered Rider.
Bah! Yer chicken! They'll never
be missed"
You mean to murder them?"
See here" said Bowers, don't you
be a fool. This thing has got to be
managed right, ar it's lucky yer took
me In. You'd spoiled the whole
racket I'd like to see yer work 1t
alone"
Riders heart failed him for an In
slant. but a pull at the whisky bottle
revived his courage, and for another
hour n two conspirators continued to
plot against the lives and wealth OF
their fellows.
They had decided to start at once on
their villainous GRAND, and the follow
ing morning they were astir before day
light. They wished to avoid observation
as much as possible. and but few peo-
pie saw then as they loaded their
horses.
Bowers was attending to this, when
Obed Rider, who had been bringing the
goods to him, remembered that he had
left some articles to dry on a small
bush no far away, and hurried after
them.
BY this time 1t was broad daylight,
and fires were being started i'm the
stoves here n there. He was passing
close behind n of these when sud-
denly his heart seemed to leap into his
throat, for a voice he could not mistake
sounded clearly:
Hello, Green! You're up early! My!
Amt / ~sleepy!"
1t was Tom Scott's voice, and the
mate stopped as though he had been
shot. CHANGING furtively over his shoul-
der he saw the second mate I'M the act
of kindling a fire.
Even as the guilty man looked his
shipmate turned suddenly toward him
started toward the entrance OF the
tent, while Rider turned his head away.
put could not lift his feet from the spot.
Hold on!" sale Green.
Rider dared not look up. He had been
aS@n 80 completely by surprise that he