The White Pine news. [volume] (Ely, Nev.) 1906-1910, 1909-12-12

"You saddled your dirty work on me,
Ben Stark, and I've carried it for IF
teen years, but tonight l put you out
the way you put her out. An eye for
an eye!"
IT didn't kill her, said the man.
$50? The yellow is showing up at
last. l knew you were a coward, but
didn't think you'd be afraid to own ii
to yourself"
Look here" said Stark %curiously,
'do you really think I killed Merridy?'
ST know it. A man who would strike
a woman would kill her--if he had the
nerve"
Stark had now mastered himself and
smiled.
my hate worked better than
thought. Well, well, that made 1t hard
for you, didn't itT' he chuckled. "a
supposed, Of course, you knew"
"Knewr' Gales face showed emo
ton for the first time. "Knew what?"
His hands were ~quivering slightly.
"She killed herself"
$50 help you God?"
$50 help me Godv
There was a long pause.
"Why?"
"Say, it's kind of funny our stand
ing here talking about that thing, isn't
1t? Well, If you want to know, l came
home early that night. I guess you
hadn't been gone two hours. And the
surprise did it more than anything
else, I suppose. sne hd6Hs nrepared
a story. 1 got suspicious, named you
at random and hit the nail on the
head
Gales face was like chalk, and his
voice sounded thin and dry as he said
"You beat her; that's why she did
It,"
Stark made no answer.
1.-THE papers said the room showed
/ struggle"
When the other still kept quiet Gale
insisted:
Didn't you?"
At this Stark famed up definantly.
well, / guess I had cause enough.
| No woman except her was ever untrue
to me-wife or sweetheart"
"You didn't really think
"Think hi! / thought so then, and
think so now. She denied 1t, but
"And you knew her SO well too. I
guess you've had some bad nights
yourself, Bennett, with that always on
your mind
81 swore I'd have
-"and so you put her blood on my
head and made me an outlaw" After
IN instant, "Why did you tell me this,
nnyhowT
tits our last talk, and l wanted you
to know how well my hate worked"
"Well, l guess that's ALL" said Gale.
So far they had watched each other
with ~unwavering. unblinking eyes,
straining at the leash and taut In every
nerve. Now, however, the traders
fingers frightened on the knife handle,
and his knuckles whitened with the
grip, at which Stark's right hand
swept to his waist, and simultaneous
ly Gale lunged across the table. His
blade fickered in the light, and a gun
spoke-once, twice, again and again.
A cry arose outside the cabin; then
some heavy thing crashed in through
the door, bringing light with it, for
with his first leap Gale had carried
the lamp and the table with him, and
the two had clinched in the dark.
Burrell had waited an instant too
long, for the mems voices had held so
steady, their words had been SO vital
that the finish FOUND him u~nprepared;
but, thrusting the lantern into Poleon's
hand, he had backed off a pace and
hurled himself at the door. He fell to
his knees inside and an instant later
found himself wrestling for his life
between two raging beasts. The lieu
tenant knew Doret must have entered,
too, though he could not see him, for
the lantern shed a sickly gloom over
the chaos. He was locked desperately
with John Gale, who flung him about
and handled him like a child, fighting
like an old gray wolf hoary with years
and terrible in his rage. Only for the
lanterns light Gale would doubtless
have sheathed his weapon In his new
%assailant, but the more fercely the
UrdueT Tue iuOTc tcudClOuSly
the soldier chung. AS 1t was, Gale car
ried the lieutenant with him and
struck over his head at Stark.
Poleon had leaped into the room at
Burrell's heels to receive the impact OF
a heavy body hurled backward into his
arms as If by some irresistible force.
He seized it and tore 1t away from the
thing that pressed after and bore down
upon 1t with the ferocity Of a wild
beast. He saw Gale reach over the
lieutenant's head and swing his arm,
saw the knife blade bury itself in what
he held, then saw it rip away and felt
a hot stream squirt into his face. Do
ret glimpsed Burrell rising from his
knees, his arms about the traders
waist, and the next instant the COM
batants were dragged apart.
The lieutenant wrenched the drip
ping blade from Gales hand. II no
longer cleaned, but was warm and
slippery in his fingers. Poleon held
Stark's gum, which was empty and
smoking.
The fight had not lasted a minute.