Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1907-11-05
piled, but the young miner grew ex-

Look here, this gold won't get
away! It's safe in the ground. Well
knock off work and let the claim lie
really expect us to surrender posses
sion of our mine on the mere allesa-
ton Of some unknown man. That's
ridiculous. We won't do 1t. Why,
you'll have to let US argue our case
at least before you try to put us off,"
Voorhees, shook his head. "Well
have to follow instructions. The thing
for you to do is to appear before the
court tomorrow and have the receiver
dismissed. IL your title is as good as
you say 1t is. you won't have any trou-
ble."
you're not the only ones to suffer-
added Mcnamara. We've taken pos
session of all the mines below here"
He nodded down the gulch. I'm an
officer of the court and under bond
"Iow much?"
give thousand dollars for each
claim"
"What? Why. heavens. man. the
poorest of these mines is producing
that much every day"
While he spoke Glenister was rapid
" debating what course to follow.
1.-The place to argue this thing Is be-
fore Judge Stillman," said Strive, but
with little notion of the conflict going
on within Glenister. The youth yearn-
ed to fight, not with words nor qulb-
bles nor legal phrases. but with steel
and blows. And he felt that the I'm
pulse was as righteous as 1t was natu-
raj, for he knew this process was un-
Just, an outrage. Mexico Mullins
warning REQUIRED to him. And yet
He shifted slowly rs he talked till his
back was to the door of the big tent
They We're watching him carefully. for
all their apparent languor and loose
ness in saddle; then. as he started to
leap within and rally his henchmcn,
his mind went back to the words of
| Judge Stillman and his niece. Surely
| that old man was on the square. He
couldn't be otherwise With her beside
him, believing in him. and Il suspicion
Of deeper plots behind these actions
was groundless. So far all was legal
he supposed with his scant knowledge
| of law, though the methods seemed
| unreasonable. The men might be do
| ing what they thought to be right
| Why be the first to resist? The men
| on the mines below had not done so.
The title to this ground was capable
Of such easy proof that he and Dcx
need have no uneaslness. Courts do
not rob honest people nowadays, he
argued. and, moreover, perhaps the
girls words We're true; perhaps she
would think more of him If he gave up
the old fighting ways for her sake.
| Certainly armed resistance to her I'M
cle's first edict would not please her.
She had said he was too violent, so he
would show her he could lay his say.
agery aside. She might smile on him
apnroyingly, and that was worth TAX
ing chance for. Anyway it would
mean but few days delay in the
mines run. AS he reasoned lie heard
low voice speaking within the open
door. 1t was Slapjack Simms.
"step aside, lad. I've got the big un
| covered"
/
snatch Mt their holsters and Just in
time leaped at his foreman, for the old
man had moved out into the open, a
| Winchester at shoulder. hts cheek cud-
ding the stock. his eyes cold aud mar
row. Tho young man flung the barrel
| up and wrenched the weapon from his
| hands.
"None Of that. Hank" he cried
sharply. ''Tll say when to shoot" He
turned to look into the muzzles of
guns held in the hands Of every horse
man-every horseman save one, for
Alec Mcnamara sat unmoved, his
HANDSOME features, nonchalant and
amused. poddins approval. 1t was at
him that llank's weapon had been
leveled.
"Ihls Is bad enough at the best.
Don't let's make it any worse" said
he.
Slapjack inhaled deeply. spat with
disgust and looked over his boss In
creduloHsly.
"Wcll. of all the different kinds OF
blame fools" be snorted, you are the
kindest"' He marched past the mar.
shall and his deputies down to the cut,
put on his coat and vanished down the
trail toward town. not deigntng a
backward glanee either at the mine or
at the Man unfit to light for