The Lake County times. [volume] (Hammond, Ind.) 1906-1933, 1907-09-03
CONTINUED
XIV

The past twenty four hours with their
manifold experiences seemed distant
and unreal At breakfast he was
ashamed to tell Dextry Of the gam
bling debauch, for he had dealt treach-
erously with the old man in risking
half OF the mine, even though they
had checked the senseless, unreasoning
lust for play that possessed him later.
This lapse was the last stand of his
old, untamed instincts. The embers Of
revolt in him Were dead. He felt that
be would never again lose mastery Of
himself, that his passions would never
best him hereafter.
Dextry spoke. I'VE had a meeting
Of the Strangers last night" He al
ways spoke of the vigilantes in that
way, because of his early western
training.
What was doneY
'sThey decided to act quick and do
any odd jobs OF lynchin', claim Jump
In or such as needs dom. There's a
lot of law sharps and storekeepers In
the bunch who figure Mcnamara s
gang will wipe them off the map next"
4
''They talked of ejectin' the receiv-
er's men and putin all US felIers back
on our mines"
Good! How many can we count on
to help us?'
about sixty. We've kept the num-
Der down and only taken men with so
much property that they'll have to
keep their mouths shut"
Il wish we might engineer some kind
of an encounter with the court crowd
and create such an uproar that il
would reach Washington. Everything
else has failed, and our last chance
seems to be for the government to step
in-that is, unless Bill Wheaton can do
something with the California courts. y
81 don't count on him. Mcnamara
don't care for California courts no
more'n he would for boy with a pea
shooter-hes got too much pull al
headquarters. If the Strangers don't
do no good we'd better go in an clean
out the bunch like we was KILN
snakes. If that fails I'm goin' out tc
the States an be doctor"
"a doctor! What for?''
II read somewhere that in the United
States every year there is 100000
gallons OF whisky used for medical
purposes"
Glenister laughed. Speaking OF
whisky, Dex, 1 notice that you've been
drinking pretty hard of late-that is
hard for you"
The old man shook his head. you're
mistaken. It amt hard for me-"
well, hard or easy, you'd better Gu
It out"
1t was some time later that one o
the detectives employed by the Swede
met Glenister on Front street and b!
an almost imperceptible sign signifie<
his desire to speak with him. Whel
they were alone he said:
you've been Swallowed"
1--WE known that for a long time"
''The district attorney has put Oh
some new men. I've fixed the woman
who rooms next to him, and through
her I've got a line on some Of them
but haven't spotted them oil. They'r
bad ones, up river men mostly, rem
nants of Soapy Smiths Skagway gang
They won't stop at anything"
THANK you. I'll keep my eye
open"
A few nights after Glenister had res
son TO recall the words of the sleut
and to realize that the game was grow
ing close and desperate. To reach hi
cabin, which sat on the outskirts of tn
town. he ordinarily followed one o
the plank walks which wound throug
the confusion OF tents, warehouses an
cottages lying back of the two prime
pal streets along the water front. Thi
part of the city was not laid out i
rectangular blocks, for in the earl
rush the first corners had seized what
ever pieces of ground they found va
cant and erected thereon some kind o
buildings to make good their titles
There resulted a formless tumble O
huts. cabins and sheds, penetrated b
no cross streets and quite unl!ghted
At night one leaving the illuminate
portion Of the town found this darh
ness intensified.
Glenister knew his course so we
that he could have walked it blindfold
ed. Nearing a corner of the warehous
this evening he remembered that tn
planking at this point was torn up, $
TO avoid the mud he leaped light
across. simultaneously with his jun
he detected a movement In the shat
ows that banked the wall at his elbo'
and saw the flaming squirt Of a revolve
shot. The man had crouched benin
the building and was so close that
seemed impossible TO miss. GlenistC
fell heavily upon his side, and Ii
thought flashed over him. "McNam'
ra's thugs have shot me"
His assailant leaped out from hi
hiding place and ran down the wall
the sound of his quick. soft football
thudding family out into the silenc,
The young man felt no pain. howeve
so scrambled TO his feet. felt himse