The Evening statesman. [volume] (Walla Walla, Wash.) 1903-1910, 1909-04-11

up may WORK QOuDle.
! Huh! No chance. The soldier was
out all night alone with that half
breed girl, and anybody can see she's
crazy about him. What's the answer
Have you got your eye on her tooY'
"Sure! Do you blame meY'
'.No, but she's too good for you. Bet
ter stay OUT the gambler advised.
AS a matter Of fact, 1 don't like her
father any better than you like her
lovers
'sWeli, IT'S mutual. I can see Gale
hates you like poison"
and / don't intend to see him and
his tribe hog all the best ground here
abouts.'
They've already done it. You can't
stop them"
Eyes, l can stop them" said Stark.
81 want the ground that sIrl has
staked. and I'm going to get it. 1t lies
next to Lees, and it's sure to be rich.
Ours is SO far away it may not he
worth the recorders fees. This creek
may be as spotted as coach dog. so
! I don't intend to take any chances"
| ''She made her locations legally"
said Runnion.
"You leave that to me. When will
| the other boys be here?'
Tomorrow morning. l told them to
follow about four hours behind and
not to run in on us till we had finished
| They'll camp few miles down the
creek and be in early
you couldn't get but three, eh?''
That's all 1 could find who would
agree to give up half"
Can we count on themY'
HUH! the other grunted. "They
worked with me and Soapy Smith on
the Skagway trail"
| "GOod-fve against three, not count
ing the girl and the lieutenant" Stark
unused. "Well. that will do it, He
outlined his plan; then the two re-
turned to the cabin to find Lee cook
/ ing supper.
PoleCn had finished several pipes
ard after supper sat in the shadows in
the open doorway apparently tired and
detected, though his eyes shone like
|
other. Half unconsciously he heard
! Stark saying:
This girl was about your size, but
not so dark. However, you remind me
of her in some ways. That's why it
puts her in my mind, suppose. She
was about your age at the time-nine-
teen'
! "Oh, I'm not eighteen yet" said Ne
cia
| well, she was a fine woman any
how, the best that ever set foot in
| Chandon, and there was great deal
Of talk when she chose young Bennett
! over the Gaylord man, for Bennett
had been running second best from
the start, and everybody thought it
was settled between her and the other
one. However, they were married
quietly
The story did not interest the Cana
dian. His mind was in too great agi-
tatiOn to care for dead tales His
heart burned within him too fiercely,
and be felt too great desire to put
his hands to work. AS he watched
| Burrell and Runnion bend over the
| table looking at little can of gold
dust that Lee had taken from under
his bunk his eyes grew red and blood
shot beneath his hat brim. Which one
| of the two would it be? he wondered.
! From the corner of his eye he saw
Gale rise FROM Lees bed, where he
had stretched himself to smoke, and
| take his six shooter from his belt,
then remove the knotted bandanna
from his neck and begin to clean the
gum his head bowed over it earnestly,
his face in the shadow. He had ever
been a careful and methodical man,
reflected POleOn, and evidently would
not go to sleep with his firearm in bad
condition.
Nobody imagined that Gaylord
would cause trouble Stark was say
ing, for he didn't seem to be a jeal-
GUS sort, just stupid and kind of heavy
witted. But one night he took advan-
tage of Benefits absence and sneaked
up to the house." The story teller
paused, and Necia, who was under the
spell of his recital, urged him on:
Eyes, yes. What happened then?
Go on!' But Stark stared gloomily at
his hands and held his silence for a
full minute, the tale appearing to have
| awakened more than fleeting inter-
est in him.
ut was one of the worst killings
that ever happened in those parts" he
continued. Bennett came back to find
his wife murdered and the kid gone"
"Oh!" said the girl in a shocked
voice.
Eyes, there was deuce of time
The town rose up in body, and We
you see, l happened to be there-we
followed the man for weeks. We
trailed him and the kid clear over into
the Nevada desert, where we lost
them"
"He died of thirst in the desert may
be- he and the little one"