Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-10-04
orr head. Misther Eckstein; lave us have
e1RAcy1E MEA1D

it,"
LAS I've said, we can't stick at trifes.
If Adair's train is on the extension, it
mustn't get here. Somebody goes up the
line on h md car tonight and stops it,
us it to ditch it, We mane?" asked the
youngest of the brothers, in a hoarse
whisper.
Ecks.ein laughed cynically. What a
lot of crude cutthroats you are" he
jeered Nov If it were Ford. instead of
Adair-but pshaw! a,ran or two taken up
and flung into the river we'll beyond walk
ing distance from this camp does tho
wants to make sure he has gore far
enough back 10 cover all the possible
chances"
That's me-" said Dan Marlborough
and he rose and let himself out, with the
younger brother to lock the door behind
him.
The bookkeeping attended to the
younger brother drew closer into the
circle.
There's wan thing" he said. looking
this day: 1 got the buckboards for
Misther Colbri,n. Coin past the bank
who would I see but our old bookkeeper.
Merriam. chinnin' wild the bank president.
/ thought he was out O. the way en-
| tirely.''
Stiff and saddle sore as he was Eek
stein leaped out Of his chair with an
oath.
Merriam? What the devil is he back
here for? It's put-up job
1t was the chief o. the MacMorroghs
who flung in the calming word.
"'Tis only a happen-so. Misther Eek
stein. Merri"m owns mine or two in
the Copah. and ye know the lever; man
can't keep away from thin"
THAT may be. but it's cursed unlucky
combination. just the same. l tell you,
Brian. he knows too much-this fellC "
Merriam. He knew what was up when
he was steering Frisbie., You told him
TOO much. And afterw I'd. when W. gave
him the Oregon job he knew why he was
being bribed to go away You le: us in
for this: you've got to muzzle him some
way
The MacMorrogh looked at his remain
this time. Mickey. by. Find your way
over to the mimi camp this night and
make clane job av it,
Penfield was moving uneasily in his
chair. The plotting waters were deepen
ing swiftly. much 90 swiftly for MIN.
Loyalty to his superior officer. the I'M
questioning loyalty that disragards mo-
tives entirely and does not look too close
ly at methods. was his fetish. But thes
men were not merely loyal % Mr.. North.
They were criminals-he stuck at the
word. but there was no other-fghting for
their own hand.
Il guess-I guess I'd better go back to
the Nadia" he stammered. trying to
keep his voice steady. ''Mr. Colbrith may
need me-"
Ecks;ein turned on him like a snarling
animal.
mo you don't, Arthur, my boy I know
you like a book. You stay here TILL you re
in as deep as the rest of us. Like Mer-
RAM you know too id much
Pentield sat still. with the cold chills
running up and down his spine. while
Eckst7 In went on talking to the two Mac
Morroghs.
This Merriam business complexities
things like h-lr'-he was growing coarse
ly profane in the grinding mill of events.
But it shows us where we stand. This
thing has got to go through, and 1t
doesn't work out the way we've planned
it it's for us to find another way"
There's always the wan O.. her way"
said the elder Marlborough. slowly. " It's
but a drunken fight in wan o the camps
does: bit of a stindy among the bys.
and this crooking his forefnger sug-
gestively.
ought to have lived in the stone age.
when man pulled his enemy to pieces
with his bare hands. If it comes to that.
there are easier ways-and safer. A pre-
mature blast in rock cut; weak coup
In the way of a pulling engine-they tell
me he is always indifferent 20 his per-
sonal safety. But never mind the fashion
of It: the point I'm making is that If
everything else fails, Ford mustn't live
to be the head foreman Of the outfit
Penf1eld's face was ashen, and he was
cravenly thankful that the lamplight was
dim and that his chair was in the
sh" dow. This was more than he had bar
gained for: more by the price of mans
life
Eckstein was lifting himself by painful
inches from his chair. A silence as of
the grave had fallen upon the two Mac
Morroghs. 1t was the senior partner who
broke it.
"'Tis as We say. Misther Eckstein. a
mana safe man. that'n do what he's
told to do-will be at Ford's heels till
this thing do be settled And now for
yourself: tits betther that We kape dark.