The Wallace miner. [volume] (Wallace, Idaho) 1907-current, 1908-10-01

chapter H2m |
| THE vEReE or MORNING..

4 n u II
N W. thugs. Captain Clai-
~ 10 borner'
AAln sArmitass stood Z IT.
N tie in advance. his
hand on Oscars arm
to check the rush Of the little man.
Claiborne shsathed the sword. placed
It on the table and folded bis arms.
Yes: they are very interesting"
"And those ribbons and that cloak.
! assure you they are Of excellent quail
ity. Oscar. put I blanket on this gen.
tleman's horse. Then make some cot
fes and wait"
AZ Oscar closed tho door Armitage
crossed to the table. dung down his
gauntlsts and hat and turned to Clai-
borne. Is
Il didn't expect this Of you. really
didn't expect 1t. Now that you have
found me. what do you wantr'
Il don't know--l'll b. hanged II /
know And Claiborne grinned % that
the grotesQue lines OF his noiled coun-
tenance reused Armitags's slumbering
wrath. Ri
:. You'd better flnd out! This II my
busy night. and II you can't explain
yourself I'm going to to you hand and
foot aud drop you down the well till ]
nnish my work. Speak up! What ars
you doing on my grounds. In my house.
at this hour Of the night. prying into
my affairs and rummaging In my
trunksS.
II didn't come here. Armitage. I was
brouRht-wlth 4 potato sack over my
head There's tire sack On the door.
and any Of IT. dirt that isn't on my
face must be permanently settled in
my lungs"
what are you doing up here In the
mountains? why are you not At Jour
station1 The potato sack story II pref
ty fiimsy. Do better than that and
hurry up!''
.s;'tArmltage"-as be spoke Claiborne
walked to the table and rested his I'M
yer tips on it-"Armitage, you and l
have iaade some mistakes during our
.ehort acquaintance. will tell you
frankly that have blown hot and cold
about you As never did before with
another mahsin my hfe.' On the ship
.iospiag, over and, when met yeu in
Washington l thought well Of yoN
Then your cigarette case shook my
4onfdehcs In you there at the Army
/, ana, Navy club that night and now
. d., my cigarette case" beloved
Arniltage. clapplng his hand to his
pocket to make 'sure Of It.
That's what. j say! But It was Z
.dlsa agreeable situation. You must ad-
init that ''
!. .lt wns indeed!'
1T requires some nerve for 4 man to
tell circumstantial story like that to
tabIefui OF gentlemen about one Of
tho gentleman" ~
no sdoybt Of Il whatever. Mr.. clai.
sbdsef r. tsKE
{ Apdi@ unbustoned his coat and
jerksd baSk the lapels impatlently. N
Aud | knew - much about II.
Chauvenet ~ l did about you or a
d. about y0u."
What you know Of him, Mr.. Ciai.
bosne. h offno consequence. And what
you don't know about me would al q
large volume. How did you get here.
and what do you prOpOss doing now
that you are here7 am In . hurry
and have no time to waste. II can't
get anything satisfactory out Of you
wltlilu two minutes I'm going to chuck
you back into the sack"
II came up here In the hills to look
for you-you-you! Do you under
stundy" began Claiborne angrily. "And
as l. was riding along the road about
two miles from here I ran into three
,uieu Oh horseback. When I stopped to
Farley With them and 6nd out what
they were doing they crept up on ME
and grabbed my horse aud put that
sack over my head. They had mistax-
Gu me for you. and they brought me
here. into your. house. and pulled the
sack on and were decidedly disasreea.
ble at finding they had made Q mis-
take. One Of them had gone in to ran.
sack your effects, and when they pull.
"a Oh the bag and disclosed the wrong
hare be dropped his lot< on the door.
and then ! told them to 30 to the
dsva. and ! hope they've done Il Whom
you came In I was picking up your
traps. and i submit that the sword u
handsome enough to challenge any.
body's eye. And there's oil there b Of
the story. and don't care WHISTLER
you believe II or not"
Their eyes were 6xed upon each 9th.
ct IN ynSe OF anger and resentment
Suddenly Armitage's tense figure ~
TAXED. the nercs light In biz eyes gave
way to q CLEAN Of humor, and be
laughed long and loud
Your face-your face. Claiborne. Ito
funny. It's too funny for any nss.
When your teeth show. it, something
.hxstiy. For Gods saks, 50 In thers
and wash your .facsr VI
He made Z light In biz own room and
piled Claiborne With towels, while he
tautinued to bronx forth oecasionaily
n fresh bursts Of islghtse. When
they went Into the hall both men were