Cameron County press. [volume] (Emporium, Cameron County, Pa.) 1866-1922, 1904-05-26

closet and dresser drawers. There was
nothing there, all McCloud's belong
ings. apart from what he had taken
with him in the traveling-bag, having
been put away in the trunk.
The fastener had told the clerk he
intended to return on the morrow but
it was perfectly evident that he had
imagined he might be detained much
longer. Had he left Anaconda with the
deliberate intention of destroying him
self?
When he went down stairs to dinner
Darrell was revolving this question in
his mind In the afternoon he read an
account of his death in a daily paper
and gave diligent attention to the grue-
some details.
1t was long article and began with
an account of the murder of Sturgis,
the arrest of Darrell and his night es-
cape from the Sandy Bar Jail. Then
followed a summing up of all the
known facts connected with the eX-
plosion on the War Eagle trail.
Nothing new was brought forward
but the author of the account was not
NOuDttI lOi Ie uWtlJ ehHduSllNtly
on the vicarious methods of justice and
pointed the whole affair with a moral.
Next morning another paper had
more to say on the subject. Sheriff
Scatterly had returned from the hills
after a personal investigation and gave
it as his opinion that the escaped muir
derer had been hurled into eternity
-. Il. .otI 4
by the men from Sandy Bar.
Abner Gryces bronchos had run
away: the wagon had collided with a
boulder beside the trail, the horses had
broken loose and the shock of the col
lision had set off the CrystaliZed giant
powder. That explained the arrival of
the runaway team, practically unin-
jured, at the War Eagle mine.
Abner Gryce had been thrown from
the wagon when it took the turn, but
the murderer had stayed with it. Con-
sequently there was but one inference
to be drawn.
Thus far Darrell read with amused
indifference. The paragraphs that fol-
lowed, however, startled him and filled
llIu WITH COuSltIIldllOH
The report went on 10 state that
Scatterly, in returning from the War
Eagle mine had had a communication
handed to him at the Half Way house.
Usually he took no notice of anony-
nous letters, but in this particular
case he had made an exception.
The communication mad requeEtdSl
hin, m pall OF Toa'c nlJ
in Lost Horse coulee. He had gone
there but, aside from evidences that
the hut had been recently used, he had
found nothing and no one. The letter
was, therefore, looked upon as a hoax
and Scatterly's aversion for unsigned
messages was intensified.
Darrell threw aside the paper, lighted
cigar and leaned back in his chair.
A throbbing fear was leaping along
his nerves.
The cabin empty! Had Scatterly
made mistake and gone to the wrong
place?
While possible this was hardly prob
able. Yet, if the sheriff had made no
mistake in the cabin, what had become
of McCloud?
Darrell got up and walked out of the
hotel into the cooler air. His aitua-
ton had become greatly complicated
and the issue confronting him was
very trying even to his iron nerves
Should he retreat? he asked himself
1t would be easy to close his account
at the hotel and proceed to some other
part of the country.
But to do that he must abandon lis
designs against Murgatroyd. Murga-
troyd the real murderer, would be left
immune by Darrel's withdrawal from
the scene.
That was the point that decided the
fugitive. He would face the issue, hop
ing that Scatterly had made some mis-
take, hoping that no interruption would
come before Murgatroyds guilt had
been proved, hoping that the ladies he
was soon to meet would request moth
ing of him that would lead to his dis
covery-hoping everything, in fact,
that seemed impossible
When he re-entered the office he was
his same calm, resolute self and had
made up his mind to fling his defiance
in the very teeth of Fate.
Early in the afternoon the coming
of Mrs. Gorton and Miss Avery was
announced by the clerk. Darrell was
in his room and went at once to the
public parlor on the second floor
The two ladies were alone in the
apartment and were seated near d
window overlooking the street One
was rather stout and with tinge of
gray in her dark hair; the other was
young, slender and with face of rare
loveliness.
Both rose and turned toward Darrell
as he entered. The elder advanced a
step.
"Mr. McCloud?" she asked.
"At your service, madam" he an
swered with bow.
Il am Mrs. Gorton,'' went on the
elder lady, presenting her hand with
a cordial smile, "and my companion is
my niece, Miss Avery"
There was a settled sadness in Miss
AveryS face which touched Darrell to