The Owosso times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1897-1926, 1908-02-14

gered up the street refusing the neIp
Of every man except Wheaton. He
heard his companion talking, but
graspeQ only that the attorney gloated
and gloried.
"We have whipped them, boy. We
have whipped them at their own game.
Arrested in their very dooryards-cited
for contempt of .court-thats what
they are. They disobeyed those other
writs, and so got them"
81 broke his arm" muttered the
miner.
"Yes. saw you do it, Ugh! 1t was
an awful thing! couldn't prove con-
splracy, but they'll go to Jail for a
little while just the same, and we have
broken the ring"
at snapped at the shoulder" the
other continued duly, lust like Il
shovel handle. / felt it-but he tried
to kill me, and l had to do it,"
The attorney took Roy to his cabin
and dressed his wounds, talking in
cessantly the while, but the boy was
like sleep walker, displaying no ella
tion, no excitement, no JOY of victory.
At last Wheaton broke out:
"Cheer up! Why, man, you act like
loser! Don't you realize that we've
won? Don't you understand that the
Midas is yours? And the whole world
with it?"
"Won?" echoed the miner. what
do you know about 1t, Bill? The
Midas-the world-what good are they?
You're wrong. I've lost-yes-I've lost
everything she taught me, and by
some damned trick of fate she was
there to see me do it. Now, go away;
want to Sleep"
He sank upon the bed with its tangle
Of blankets and was unconscious be-
fore the lawyer had covered him over.
There he lay like dead man TIL
late in the afternoon, when Dextry
and Slapjack came in from the hills,
answering Wheaton's call, and fell
upon him hungrily. They shook Roy
into consciousness with joyous riot,
| pommeling him with affectionate
roughness till he rose and joined with
| them stifIly. He bathed and rubbed
the soreness from his muscles, emerg-
ing physically fit. They made him
recount his adventures to the tiniest
detail following his description of the
| fight with absorbed interest till DeXtry
broke into mournful complaint
'Id have given my half of the Midas
10 see you bust him. Lord, I'd have
Ecreeched with soopreme delight at
| that"
why didn't you gouge his eyes out
when you had him crippled?' question:
| ed Slapjack vindictively. "Td "a done
| it,"
| Dextry continued: "They tell me that
| when he was arrested he swore in
| eighteen different languages, each one
more refreshin'ly repulsive an Vigorous
| than the precedin'. Oh, l have sure
missed a-plenty today, particular be-
cause my own diction is gettin' run
| down an skim milky of late, shown
sad lack of new idees, which I might
have assim'lated somethin' robustly
original an expressive if I'd been here.
No, sir; nose bag full of nuggets
wouldn't have kept me away"
How did it sound when she bust
edP' insisted the morbid Simms, but
| Glenister refused to discuss the com
| bat.
"Come on, Slap" said the old pros
! pector; lets go downtown. I'm so
het up I can't set still, an, besides,
mebbe we can get the story the way it
| really happened from somebody who
amt bound an gagged an chloroform-
| ed by such unbecomin' modesties.
Roy, don't never go into vawdyville
| with them personal episodes, because
| they read about as thrillin' as a cook
book. Why. say I've had the story of
| that fight from four different fellers
already, none of which was within
| four blocks of the scrmmagc, an
they're all different an all bettern your
account"
Now that Glenister's mind had re-
covered some of its poise he realized
what he had done.
II was beast, an animal" he groan-
| ed, "and that after all my striving. l
wanted to leave that part behind. /
wanted to be worthy of her love and
| at the first test am found lacking. /
have lost her confidence. Yes, and
| what is worse infinitely worse, have
| lost my own. She's always seen me at
my worst" he went on, "but I'm not
| that kind at bottom-not that kind. I
want to do what's right, and if 1 have
another chance l WILL know / will.
| I've been tried too hard, that's ALL"
Some one knocked, and he opened
| the door to admit the Bronco Kid and
| Helen.
"Wait minute, old man." said the
Kid. I'm here as friend" The
gambler handled himself with difficult
ty, offering in explanation:
I'm all sewed up in bandages Of
| one kind or another"
''He ought to be in bed now, but he
wouldn't let me come alone, and l
could not wait" the girl supplemented,
while her eyes avoided Glenister's in
strange hesitation
"He wouldn't let you. don't under
stand"
"I'm her brother" announced the
Bronco Kid. ''I've known it for long