The Owosso times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1897-1926, 1908-01-24
The Spoilers.
By REX e. BEACH,.
- copyriaht, 1905. by Rex E. Beach
By REX e. BEACH.

INV anu llllO MS lrdp. she nlu puSSeu
the word once. She would do so again.
He hurried TO Stillman's house and
stormed into the presence of the Judge.
He told the story SO artfully that the
judges astonished unbelief yielded TO
rage and cowardice, and he sent for
his niece. She came down, white and
silent, having heard the loud voices.
The old man berated her with shrew-
.sh fury. while Mcnamara stood silent.
The girl listened with entire self con-
troll until her uncle made reference
TO Glenister that she found intoletablc.
Flush! ] will not lstenw she cried
passionateiy. Il warned him because
you would have sacrificed him after he
had saved our lives. That is all. He
is an honest man, and am grateful to
him. That is the only foundation for
your insult"
Mcnamara, with apparent candor,
broke in:
"You thought you were doing right,
Of course, but your action will have
terrible consequences. Now Wen have
riot, bloodshed and heaven knows
what. 1t was TO save all this that 1
wanted to break up their organization.
A weeks Imprisonment would have
done IL, but now they're armed and
belligerent, and Wen have n battle to-
night"
mo, no." she cried. "There mustn't
be any violence
"There is no use trying to check
In. IN fhOt,
destruction. l have. learned that they
plan to attack the Midas tonight, and
I'll have fifty soldiers waiting for them
there. 1t is a shame, for they are de-
cent fellows blinded by ignorance and
misled by that young miner. This will
be the blacklist night the north has
ever SEEN"
With this Mcnamara left the house
and went in search of Voorhees,, re-
marking to HIMSELF "Now, Miss Helen,
send your warning-the sooner the bet
ter. If know those viglantes, it will
set them crazy, and yet not crazy
enough to attack the Midas. They will
strike for me, and when they hit my
poor unguarded Office they'll think hell
has moved north"
''Mr Marshal" said he to his tool,
II want you to gather forty men quiet
ly and to arm them with Winchesters.
They must be fellows who won't faint
at blood. You know the kind. Assem-
bic them at my office after dark, one
at time, by the back way. 1t must
be done with absolute secrecy. Now,
can 40
not get balled up. If you fall I'll
make you answer to me-"
"Why don't you get the troops?'
yentured Voorhees,.
eff there's one thing / want to avoid,
It's soldiers, either here or at the
mines. When they step in, we step
out, and I'm not ready for that just
yet" The receiver smiled sinisterly.
Helen meanwhile had fled to her
room and there received Glenister's
note through Cherry Malottes mes
senger. 1t rekindled her worst fears
and bore out McNamara's prophecy.
The more she read of it the more
certain she grew that the crisis was
only question of hours and that with
darkness tragedy would walk the
streets of Nome. The thought Of the
wrong already done was lost in the
lonely girls terror of the crime about
to happen, for it seemed to her she had
been the instrument to set these forces
in motion, that she had loosed this
swift speeding avalanche of greed,
hatred and brutality. And when the
crash should come-the girl shuddered.
1t must not be. She would Shrek q
warning from the housetops even at
cost Of her uncle, of Mcnamara and of
herself. And yet she had no proof that
a crime existed. Although it all lay
clear in her own mind, the certainty
Of 1t arose only from her intuition.
If only she were able to take hand
If only she were not q woman. Then
Cherry Malotte's words anent Strive
required to her, "a bottle of wine and
a woman's face" They brought back
the lawyers assurance that those doc
she had safeguarded all
through the long springtime journey
really contained the proof. If they
did, then they held the power to check
this impending conflict. Her uncle
and the boss would not dare continue
II threatened with exposure and prose
cution. The more she thought of it
the more urgent seemed the necessity
to prevent the battle of tonight. There
was chance here at least, and the
only one.
Adding to her mental torment was
the constant vision Of that face In the
curtains at the Northern. 1t was her
brother, yet what mystery shrouded
this affair also? What kept him from
her? What caused him to stink away
like a thief discovered? She grew
dizzy and hysterical.
Strive turned in his chair as the
door to his private office opened, then
leaped to his feet at sight Of the gray
eyed girl standing there.
II came for the papers," she said.
II knew you would" The blood went
out OF his cheeks, then surged back I'D
to his eyes. ITS a bargain thenT'
She nodded. "Give them to me first"
He laughed unpleasantly. what do
you take me for? I'll keep my part of
the bargain II you'll keep yours. But
this is no place, nor time. There's
riot in the air. and I'm busv Drens rin0