Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1909-03-02

fortably aware of that presence in the
back room, but he had to know the
truth.
who is the MANI"
Hes your friend. He's" Stark paus-
ed, gloating over his enemy's suspense.
eco on"
Hes everybodys friend. He's the
shining mark of this whole country. He's
the benevolent renegade, Squaw-man
Gale"
John Gale?"
Gaylord is his name, and was fool
not to know it sooner"
allow did you discover tms! inquired
BurreIl, lamely. What PROOF nave
The disclosure had not affected the sol
dier as stark expected, and his anger
began to lift itself.
1 "That's neither here nor there; the
, mans a murder; he's wanted In Can
/ fornia. where 1 came from; he's peen
indicted. and there's a price on his head.
He's hidden for fifteen years. out ne
! hang as sure as / stand here.
! Enclosures of a complex nature had so
| crowded on Burrell in the last few hours
that he saw himself the center OF a most
unfortunate and amazing tangle innings
were difficult enough as it was, but TO
have this man appear and cry for justice
this man above all others!-it was
/ complication quite unlocked fora MD
eous mockery. He must gain time Tor
thought. One false step might ruin all.
, He could not face this on the spur or
the moment; so, Struggling his shoulders
with an air of polite skepticism. he as
sumed a tone of good-natured raillery.
| Fifteen years? Murder? John Gale a
murderer? Why, that's almost-pardon
me if I smile-Tm getting sleepy. what
proof have your"
'.Proofr' blazed the gambler. Proof!
Ask Gaylord! Proof! Why, the woman he
murdered was my wife!"
1t was Burrell's turn now to fall inco-
herent. and not only did his speech for
sake him, but his thoughts went madly
veering off into a wilderness where there
/ was no trail, no light, no hope. What
! kind of a coil was this? What frightful
bones were these he barred? This man
| was Bennett! This was Necia's father!
| This man he hated, this man who was
| bad. whose name was a curse throughout
| the length and breadth of the west, was
the father of the girl he loved! His head
began to whirl, then the story of the
| trader came back to him, and he re-
membered who and what the bearer of
] these later tidings was. He raised pair
| of ewes that had become furious and
| bloodshot, and suddenly realized that the
man before him, who persisted in sad
ding upon Gale this heinous crime, was
| the slayer of Necia's mother; for he did
not doubt Gales story for an instant. He
| found his fingers writhing to feel the
creatures throat.
| 'Proof!' Stark was growing. "How
much proof do you need? I've followed
/ him for fifteen years. I've tracked him
with men and dogs through woods and
deserts and mining camps. I've slept on
| his trail for five thousand miles, and now
| do you think I'm mistaken? He killed
my wife, 1 say, and robbed me of my
/ little girl That's her in his house. That's
her he calls Necia. She's my girl-my
/ girl, do you understand I'll have
his life!'
| 1t was hate that animated him, and
nothing more. He had no joy in the find
1 ing of his offspring, no uplifted thought
| of justice. The thirst for revenge, per-
| sonal, violent, utter, was all that prompt
4 ed this man; but Burrell had no inkling
yet of the fathers well-shaped plans, nor
how far-reaching they were, and could
/ barely stammer:
| "So You-you know"
''Yesl She wears the evidence around
I her neck, and if that isn't enough can
| furnish more-evidence enough to smoth-
er YOU My name isn't Stark at all; 1
| changed il years ago for certain reasons.
1
| my privilege and my own affair." Her
name is Merridy Bennett"
II don't suppose you know I'm going
to marry her." said the Kentuckian, ir-
relevantly."
NO" replied the other; Il wasn't
aware of the fact"
well, l am. I'll be your son-in-law."
He said this as if it were the statement
of an astonishing truth, whereat Stark
| grinned, a mirthless, disquieting sort of
| grimace, and said:
There's a lot of things for you and
me to settle up first. For one thing, 1
want those mines of hers"
| "Why?"
well, I'm her father, and she's not of
age"
I'm think it over"
''Tu take them, anyway, as her next Of
kim"
Burren did not follow up this statement,
for its truth was incontrovertible, and
showed that the fathers ill-will was too
tangible a thing to be concealed so he
continued:
Wen adjust that after Gale is at
tended to; but meanwhile, what do you
want me to do?"
ST want you to arrest the man who
killed my wife. If you don't take him
the miners will. I've got following in
this camp, and I'll raise crowd IN 10
lminutes-enough to hang this squaw-man,
or batter down your barracks to get him.
But 1 don't want to do that; want to
go by the law you've talked so much
about; I want you 10 do the trick"
At last Burrel saw the gamblers dew
ltry. He knew Starks reputation too well
to think that he feared a meeting with
Gale for the man had lived in hope of
that these fifteen years. and had shaped
his life around such a meeting; but this
indirect method-the Kentuckian felt
flash of reluctant admiration for man
who could mould a vengeance with such
cruel hands, and even though he came
from the land of feuds. where hate is
precious thing, the cunning strength Of
this mans enmity dwarfted any he had
ever known. Stark had planned his settle
ment coldly and with deliberate malice;
moreover. he was strong enough to stand
aside and let another take his place, and
thus deny to Gale the final recourse of a
hunted beast, the desperate satisfaction
that the trader craved. He tied his enc
my's hands and delivered him up with
his thirst unsatisfed-to whom? He thrust
a weapon into, the hand of his other enc
nv. and babe this other enemy use 1t;
worse than that, forced him to strike the
man he honored-the man he loved. Bur-
raU never doubted that Stark had care