Cameron County press. [volume] (Emporium, Cameron County, Pa.) 1866-1922, 1904-06-09

l
} rel by the assumed name, showed that
he was acquainted with the easterner.
The conjecture which swept over
| Darrell with the force of supreme con-
viction was this MurgatroyG was the
| man whose uncanny powers had
worked the great i'll to Junius Nc
| Cloud.
So Darrell followed in the track of
! his enemy. crisis was at hand and
their differences were soon to be set
! tied.
Not once did Murgatroyd turn and
look back, so sure was he of his mas
| terry over McCloud. At any time dur
| ing that brief walk from Hawkbilrs
| to the Office of the gambler Darrell
| could have drawn that ebony-handled
revolver and pressed the trigger with
| fatal effect.
But such tactics were foreign to Dar-
| rd's nature. He would meet his enc
my face to face, with no advantage on
either side
Before turning into the hall at
Kalipers place Darrell brushed past a
earnest discussion. One was the bur
| ly marshal, another was Roy Lenyard,
third was the sallow-faced clerk
whom Darrell had met in Murgatroyd's S
Office and the fourth was a heavy-set,
| well-dressed man with a small leather
| case under one arm.
At a sharp word from Lenyard the
| nDo
| their attention at Darrell Murgatroyd,
| apparently, took no notice of his clerk,
| nor of his three companions, but
| passed into the building and up the
| stairs to his darkened rooms. Darrell
stumbled after him, reaching the
| landing as Murgatroyd unlocked the
door, pulled it open and stepped back,
an ominous figure in the gloom of the
upper hall.
Go in" said he, curtly.
Darrell went in and Murgatroyd fol-
| lowed, locking the door after him and
| putting the key in his pocket The
| darkness was relieved by light reflect
ed through the front windows from the
street, and in the semi-gloom Darrel
stood, silent, watchful, waiting.
There's a chair in the corner"
Murgatroyd went on; sit down"
The command was mutely obeyed.
| Murgatroyd then lighted a lamp. drew
| the shades at the windows and took a
| chair, fixing his dark gaze on Darrell.
A year had passed since these two
men had last parted in Denver Be-
hat hat hol l.
| well. Darrell, in returning Murga-
| troyd's look, searched for some sign
of lurking recognition, but found none
| The silence heightened and Darrell
swept his glance about the room. The
clerks desk, with its litter of papers,
| the briclwork and door of the vault
which served Murgatroyd in lieu of a
bank, a tall mineral cabinet against
the wall, its topmost shelf supporting
a large block of "Galena" ore, heavy
and sparkling, maps of the mining dis
| trict, a letter press-these passed in
slow review before the owner of the
premises saw fit to speak.
II got your letter McCloud, but
doubted whether you would be fool
enough to come here-here, of all
places in the world"
Darrell swerved his eyes to the
speakers face, but hesitated to trust
his voice.
Letter." he murmured at last
You must have been in one OF your
spells when you wrote it," was the
sneering comment. Murgatroyd took
a folded sheet from his pocket, opened
and read: az shall be in Sandy Bar
tonight. You may look for me, for I
shall surely come" With a jeering
laugh the letter was returned to the
pocket. And here you are" added
Murgatroyd. ALLOW me to tell you,
McCloud, that you're a crazy fool.'
The letter was a surprise to iIarrel
and he stirred restlessly.
81 don't know what wild notion
troyd, but | do know that you're go
ing to pike out of camp as quick as a
horse can carry you. Luck has fa-
vored you so far, but you're so ire
sponsible you're likely to spoil every
thing. A few words from you about
Nate Darrell and the game will be a
losing proposition for both of us.
That blow-up on the War Eagle trail
was the best thing that ever happened
for us. If you yield to any OF your
mad eccentricities now there's no tell
ing what harm you may do"
This touched at vital point of the
SturgiS matter. Darrell longed to learn
more, but knew he could not question
without arousing suspicion. He made
no answer.
What have you done with that re.
| volver?"
Darrell took the ebony-handled
weapon from his pocket
Give it to me- said Murgatroyd,
starting up and snatching it roughly.
Didn't you have one of your own?
You played hell using this that night"
Fiercely Murgatroyd pulled down the
cylinder and examined the cartridges.
"One empty SHE'LL" he muttered,
frowning blackly; "slugs in the other
| FIVE shells and the SlupS marked" " He