Gilpin observer., 1909-07-29
SYNOPSIS.

Murray Sinclair and his gang of wreck
ere were called out to clear the railroad
tracks tracks at at Smoky Greek. Mccioud.
clair and his men in the act Of looting
the wrecked train. Sinclair pleaded in
small sum-a treat for the men, McCloud
discharged the whole outfit and ordered
the wreckage burned. McCloud became
acquainted with Dicksie Dunning, girl
OF the west. who. came to look at the
wreck. She gave him a message for Sin
President Bucks Of the railroad, Of Nc
Clouds brave fight against gang of
crazed miners and that the reason
his high office. McCloud arranged to
board at the boarding house of Mrs. Sim
clair Gr the ex-foreman's deserted wife.
Dicksie Dunning was the daughter of the
late Richard Dunning, who had died of a
broken heart shortly after his wife's
demise. which occurred after one year of
married life. Sinclair visited Marion Sim
clair's shop and fight between him and
GGeCioud was narrowly ayerted: Smoky
McCloud prepared to face the situation.
President Bucks notified Smith that he
days and finally got the division running
in fairly good order. He overheard Dick
sle criticising his methods. to Marion
an open switch. Later a passenger train
Tas held up and the express car robbed.
Of 5hs sand.s ha
Whispering Smith was to hunt the des-
psradoes. Bill Dancing. road lineman.
sent to hunt the bandits. A stranger, ap-
parently with authority. told him TO go
ahead; Dancing was told the stranger
preached Sinclair. He tried to buy him
ON but failed. He warned McCloud that
risd forcibly into Lance Dunning's pres
sncs Dunning refused the railroad a
right way. he had already signed for.
ARRAY Dicksie met MeCloud on lonely
trail to warn him his life was in danger.
his hat. Whispering Smith reported that
Du Sang. one OF Sinclair's gang. had been
assigned to kill MeCloud. He and Smith
ed Du Sang and told him to get out of
Medicine Bend or suffer. Du Sang seemed
so TO 'Ss hm beg
cause of an injunction issued TO Lance
Dunning by the United States court.
CHAPTER xvI.-continued.
The Crawling Stone river is said to
embody, historically. all Of the de-
ceits known to mountain streams. Be-
low the Box Canyon 1t plows through
a great bed OF yielding silt, its own
deposit between the two imposing
lines of bluffs that resist its wander
ings from side to side of the wide val
ley. This fertile soil makes up the
rich lands that are the envy of less
fortunate regions in the Great Basin;
but the Crawling Stone is not a river
to give quiet title to one acre Of its
own making. The toll Of its centuries
spreads beautifully green under the
June skies. and the unsuspecting set
tier. lulled into security by many
years Of the rivers repose. settles on
its level bench land and lays out his
long lines of possession; but the Sioux
will tell you in their own talk that this
maa is but a tenant at will; that in
another time and at another place the
stranger will inherit his fields: and
that the Crawling Stone always comes
back for its own.
The winter had been an unusual one
even in a land Of winters. The sea-
sons fall of snow had not been above
an average, but 1t had fallen in the
spring and had been followed by ex-
cessively low temperatures throughout
the mountains. June came again, but
a strange June. The first rise Of the
Crawling Stone had not moved out
the winter frost, and the stream lay
bound from bank to bank. and for hun
dreds Of miles, under three feet Of ice.
When June opened, backward and
cold, there had been no spring. Heavy
frosts lasting until the middle OF the
month gave sudden way to summer
heat, and the Indians on the upper
valley reservation began moving back
into the hills. Then came the rise.
Creek after creek in the higher noun.
tains, ice-bound for six months. burst
without warning into food. Soft winds
struck with the sun and stripped the
mountain walls of their snow Rains
set In on the desert, and far in the
high northwest the Crawling Stone
lifting It's four-foot cap OF ice like
bed OF feathers began rolling II end
over end down the valley In the Box.
40 feet of water struck the canyon
walls and ice-floes were hurled like
torpedoes against the granite spurs:
the Crawling Stone was starting after
its own.
When the river rose. the earlier talk
OF Dunning's men had been that the
Crawling Stone would put an end to
the railroad pretensions by washing
the $50 miles OF track back to the
Peace river. where It had started This
much in the beginning was easy to
predict; but the railroad men had
turned out In force to fight for their
holdings. and while the ranchers were
laughing. the river was flowing over
the bench lands In the upper valley.