The Beaver herald. [volume] (Beaver, O.T. [Okla.]) 1895-1923, 1901-05-30
CHAPTER XIV.

A slccpless night had old John Fol-
som, and with the sun he was up
again and hurricdly dressing. Noise
less as he strove to be he was dis
covered, for as he issued from his
room into the dim light of the upper
hall there stood Pappoose.
Poor Jess has been awake an honr,'
said she. "We've been trying to see
the troops through the glass. They
must have started before daybrcak.
for there's nothing on the road to
Fraync."
at disappeared over the divide three
miles out" he answered vaguely, and
conscious that her clear eyes were
studying his face. II didn't sleep
well, either. We shall be having
news from Hal to-day, and the mail
rider comes down from Frayne."
She had thrown about her a long.
loose wrapper, and her lustrous hair
tumbled like brown-black torrent
down over her shoulders and back.
Steadfastly the brown eyes followed
his every move. .,..
at is an hour to breakfast time.
daddy dear; let me make you some
coffee before you go out"
"What? Who said was going out ?"
he asked, forcing n smile; then. more
gra,ely: "I'll he back in thirty min
utes, dear, but wait moment
cannot. l want to catch n man be-
tore he can possibly ride away"
He bent and kissed her hurrieC'y,
and went briskly down the stairs. In
the lower hall he suddenly struck a
parlor match that farcd up and IL
lumincd the winding staircase to the
third story. Some thought rs sudC On
prompted her to glance aloft, just Ia
time TO catch glimpse of n womr rs
face withdrawing swiftly over the
balcony rail. In her hatred of any.
thing that savored of spying the L RI
could have called aloud q deinn nd
TO know what Mrs. Fletcher want ID
but strange things were in the wind
as she was learning. and something
whispered silence. Slowly she re
turned to Jessie's side. and togetl ci
once more they searched with The
glasses the distant trail that, dis
tinctly visible now in the slant Of Tho
morning sun, twisted up the mort h
ward slopes on the winding way u
Frayne. Not Whit of dust could
they see.
Meantime John, Folsom strode swi q
ly down the well-known path to the
qdartsrmaster's depot, a tHpult ot
suspicion and conjecture whirling II
his brain. AS he walked hes recaSlet
the many hints and stories that hat
eomc to Ms ears Of BurleiS Sh's' ante
cedents, elsewhere and his associa
lions here. With all his reputation
for enterprise and wealth, there wer'
SHADY" tales of gambling transac
tions and saltcd mines and wa9re'
stocks that attached perhaps NOR
directly to the men with whom h
foregnthered than to him. "a maj
is known by the company he keeps,
said Folsom, and Burleigh's cronies
until Folsom came to settle in Cat
City, had been almost exclusivel
among the "sharps," gamblers an
their kindred, the projectors and pros
pectors ever prcying on the unwar.
on the outer wave of progress. With
in the past six months he had seel
much of him, for Burleigh was full o
business enterprises, had investment
everywhere. was lavish In invitation
and suggestion, was profuse in offer
of aid of any kind IL aid were want
ed. He had gone so far as to say tina
he knew from experience how with hi
I wealth tied up in real estate an
mines man often found himself |
= need of a few thousand in spot casl
e and MS Folsom was buying and built
n ing, IL at any time he found himsel
e n little short and needed ten or twer
: ty thousand, say, why, Burleigh
: bank account was at his service, ct,
5 II all sounded large and liberal, an
r Folsom, whose lot for years had bee
n cast with somewhat threadbarc nj
e ray OF people, content with littl'
0 impecunious but honest, wondere
] what manner of martial man thl
d was. Burleigh did not loudly boas
= Of his wealth and influence, but In
!, pressed in some ponderous way h
] hearers with a sense of both. Se
]. ever since that run to Warriors Gal
{ "a change had come over Burleigh. II
: talked more of mines aid money an
= showed less, and now, only yesterda.
n when the old mans heart had me
y lowed " him because he had first hel
Y him wholly 10 blame for Deans n
G }e4 and later found him pleading fC
= the soung fellows release, n stranl
y thing had lpppentd. Burleish col
: hdedto Aim That he had d simply fal
y ulous opportunity-a chance to bu
ont n mine that experts secretly tol
= him was what years later he woul
have called "bonanza," but that
the late sixties was locally know
: as a shanghai" Twenty-Five thol
sand dollars would do the trick, bt
q his money wns tied up. Would Fo
\. som go In with him, put up twel'
;, thousand five hundred, and Burleig
would do the rest? Folsom had bee
, bitten by two mines that yielded onl
= rattlesnakes, and he couldn't /
lured. Then, said Burleigh, wouldn
Folsom go on his note, so that b
could borrow at the bank? Folsoi
; seldom went ON anybody's note.
was ns bad as mining. lie begged OF
e and left Bnreigh disappointed, br
J, not disconnected. IL can raise
{ without trouble" said he, "bth II ma
c take forty-eight hours 10 get III
cash here. and 1 thought YOU woul