The Red Cloud chief., 1907-11-22
ItoNrINUED.1

No. '''' ''. .....' il' "i.| WI '.
ttcc. They laj toG=ht Win ~" fury
~ men WHO battle for ~" sad had
grown Ia hate the lines OF Stijlman'S
vacillatih- face, ,hr U.,styr of ,ar dis.
triCt attorney and the Siuirliug cont
,icnCc Ot the clerks. for ii SrrIurl that
they all worked mechanically. lik"
toys, at the dictates of Alec McNu
mara. At last when they had ceased.
beaten and exhausted. they were too
confused with technical phrases To-
grasp anything except the fact that
relief was denied them. that their
Claims wore to be worked 10y the re-
CCivCr aud. as Il browning defeat. they
learned that the Judge would move his
court tp st. Michael's aud hear no
eases until he returned. Il month later
Meanwhile. Mcnamara hired every
idle man he could lay hand upon and
ripped the placers open with doubl"
SHIFTS. Every day Il stream OF yellow
dust poured into the bank and was
locked in his vaults. while those mine
owners who attempted to witness th"
clcinupS were elected from their
claims. The politician had worked
with incredible swiftncSs and system.
AMI Il fortnight after landing he had
made good his boast to strive and
was in charge of every good claim IN
the district. the owners were oustcd.
thcir appeals argued and denied and
the court gone for thirty days. lcav-
ing him a clear field for his operations.
lie felt a contempt for most of his vic
fms. who were slow wittcd Swedcs.
grispinc neither the purport nor the
magnitude Of his operation. and to
those litigants who were DISCERNING
enough to see its enormity he trusted
10 his organization to thwart them.
The two partners had come to feel
that they We're beating against II wall
Snd had also come squarely to face the
proposition TINT they were without
funds wherewith to continue their bat
tic. II was maddening for them to
think of the daily robbery that they
suffered. for the Midas turned out
many ounces of gold at every shift,
and more maddcning to realize the re-
rciver's sllrcwduesS in %crippliug them
Ivy his theft of the gold i'm their safe.
That had been his browning stroke.
w must get money quick" said
tilcniSter. DO you think we can Dor
row."
"Borrow:' shifted Dextry. Folks
cont lead money in Alaska"
They rclapSel into Il moody silence.
81 met II Teller this mOrnin' that's
wOrkin' on the Midas" the old man
resumed. He came in town fer q
DNir Of gum boots, m he says they've
run into awful rich Ground-so rich
That they have to clean up every morn
IN when the night shift gocs off cause
the rifles clog with gold"
Think of it, Glcnistcr growIcd. "If
We had even IA part Of one of those
clcanups we could send Wheaton out.
side"
In the midst OF his bitterness n
thought struck him. He made as
though TO speak. then closed his mouth. |
Ent his partners eyes were IN him. |
filed with n suppressed but growing
FIRE. Dextry lowered his voice eau
tiOusly:
"Therell he $4,000 In them sluices
tonight at midnight"
Glenistcr stared back. while his pulse
pounded at something that lay IN the
others words.
1T belongs to us the young man
sAid. There wouldn't be anything
wrong about 1t, would there?"
DeXtry sneered. Wrong! Right.
Them Is fine an soundln' titles in a
mess like this. What do they mean?
J tell YOU at midnight tonight Alec
Mcnamara will have $4,000 OF our
money
God. What would happen If they
caught u.s." whispered the younger,
following out his thought. They'd
never let MS get Off the claim alive. He
couldn't find a better excuse to shoot
MS down and get rid Of us. If we came
up before his judge for trial. we'd go
A. Sitka for twenty years"
sure. But it's our only chance. I'd
ruther die on the Midas in a fair fight
shan set here bitin' my %hangnails. I'm
CROWN old. an l won't never make
another strike. As to bein' caught
them's our chances. l won't he took
nIive, | promise you that, and before l
~ I'll get my satisfy. Castin' things
up, that's about all Il man gets I'm this
vale of tears, Jest satisfaction OF one
kind or another. tn be a fight In the
open, under the stars, with the clean,
wet moss to lie down on, and not n
.scrappin' match OF freak phrases and
Jaw books inside OF "A stinkin' court
room. The cards Is shulied and In the
box, pardner, and the game Is started.
If we're due To win, wen win. If