The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1902-02-27

gnng; as good as dead, and by no
act of mine: All had to do was to
turn and walk away. You're right;
there was murder in my heart for
the tenth part of a second, then,
though there hadn't been up to that
moment"
"And yet you followed him up here
for the express purpose of killing
him." I persisted.
His look was of blank surprise.
"Oh, no." he said. Haven't you
heard?"
"What can I hear when you stay
away and I am shut up with family
in which speech is so dear that the
common gossip of the settlement is
at a Premium" retorted, irritably.
''That's so; forgot. We've been
coming to blows down in my end of
the valley-the boys and Wykamp's
men. Connolly and Kilgore have
both been making camp-fres of the
stakes again, and day before yester-
day the reprisals began in dead
earnest. I've lost half dozen prime
steers; and last night we saved the
hay stacks by standing guard over
them with the Winchesters. This
afternoon, Mexican George took a
pot-shot at Bart from behind a
bowlder in Elk canyon-missed him,
of, course; a Greaser can't hit any,
thing-and I thought it was about
time to serve notice on the man who
is responsible. That's what brought
me up here tonight. They told me
at the camp that Wykamp had come
up here, and thought it would be
good chance to get him by himself'
Forgive me, Angus" I said, in
honest contrition. you're a better
man than I thought you were; a bet
ter man than I'd be under the same
conditions, I'm afraid. What will you
do?"
Get over on the aggressive side
The man on the other side of the fire
stirred uneasily and groaned, and
Macpherson waited until made sure
that Wykamp was still beyond caves
dropping. "Get over on the agrees
sive side, and begin the development
of my placer. AS "a stockman they
can do me up cold, every time; but
when turn miner shall have the
entire legal machinery of the great
est mining state in the union behind
me. The boys will be up here with
their picks and shovels tomorrow
morning, and we shall build a f1ume
and make a peremptory demand for
water. Well get it. Not even the
Glenlivat syndicate is big enough to
buck against a miners right. And
when we've used the water in our
rif1e-boxes, it can go down to the
settlers for their burnt-up felds'
II see," said: "Why didn't you do
it long ago."
''The time wasn't ripe. Between
us, 1 don't hope to make anything
out of the placer. We've all planned
at it now and then, and nobody has
found more than few 'colors' to the
pan. But it comes in pat now, just
at the right time. Public sentiment
is strong on the side of the settlers,
and against the land company; and
happen to know that President
Baldwin is beginning to be bit I'M
certain about this location for the
dam. Did you see the pit before the
coffer-dam went out and filled it up?'
EYES,"
1T was fully 20 feet deep and they
were still in this loose shale. If they
go on and put in their masonry, it's
pennies to dollars that the first
cloud-burst takes it out. Baldwin
knows the risk, and so do the stock
holders. The stock has gone down
ten points in as many days. That
was why they got together and made
pool to try to buy me OUT
"Decent fgure?"
"Fairly decent. They strained a
point all the points, I imagine, in
the present uncertain condition of
affairs; but I wouldn't sell for twice
fifty thousand"
II don't blame you; it's more than
a money fght.''
Macpherson's soft brown eyes
flashed responsively. "Much more.
We charge Setter with making it
personal matter, but I'm afraid it's
| come to be that with me. The day
when I can run that fellow out of
this valley at the tail of broken en-
terprise will be happy one for me.
It's the least I can do-and the
most. And I'll do it, if I live
Wykamp flung his arms abroad like
man in a bad dream. I laughed
aloud. The grim humor of the thing
was irresistible. Here for an hour we
had been straining every nerve to
save the life of a man whose death
was every way desirable-but I
checked myself at once. Macpher-
son was glowering at the PROSTATE
figure beyond the fire in way that
made me SILVER. made haste to
bank the fires of wrath.
1T is unfortunate that Setter has
put himself on the wrong side of the
criminal fence" remarked.
Macpherso on responded quickly, asst
glad of the diversion.
1T is; devilish unfortunate. The
thing hangs by a. thread, If that fell