The White Pine news. [volume] (Ely, Nev.) 1906-1910, 1909-12-19

Say! What's this about you and
Stark? 1 hear you had a horrible run
In and that you split him up the back
like a quail"
"We had a row." admitted the trad
err. ITS been a long time working
out, and last night 1t came to a head"
"Lord-ee! And to think If Ben
Stark bein' licked! Why, the whole
camps talkin' about it. They say he
emptied two six shooters at you, but
you kept a-comin', and when you did
get to him you just carved your ini-
tials on him like he was a Eastwood
tree. Say, John, he's a goner, sure"
"Do you mean he's-passing out?"
"Oh, no. l reckon he'll get well,
from what l hear, though he won't let
nobody come near him except old Doc.
But he's lost a battle, and that ends
him. Don't you savvy? Whenever a
killer quits second best it breaks his
hoodoo. Why, there's been men layin'
for him these twenty years from here
to the Rio Grande, and every Teller he
v bested will hear of this and begin
to grease his holster; then the first
shave tail desperate that meets him
will spit in his eye just to make a
name for himself. No, sir! He's a
spent shell. He's got to fight all his
battles over again, and this time the
other Teller will open the ball. oh,
I've seen it happen before. You killed
him last night, just as sure as If you'd
hung up his hide to dry, and he knows
It."
"I'm a peaceable man." said Gale on
the defensive. 81 had to do It,"
II know! l know! There was wit.
nesses. This dressmaker at the fort
seer 1t, so l hear"
The other acquiesced silently.
swell, we'll! Ben Stark licked! l
can't get over that. 1t must "a been
somethin' powerful strong to make you
do it, John" When the old man
vouchsafed no more than a nod to a
question the prospector inquired:
where's Poleon? I've got news for
him from the creek"
II don't know. Why"
His laymen have give up. They've
crosscut his ground, and the pay amt
there, 81 luey We uulL WOIh lOI SOOu.
"He drew a blank, ehr'
"Worse'n that-three of them. The
creek is spotteder than a leopard.
Runnion's men, for instance, are into
1t bigger than a house. while PoleQp's
people cant raise n color. 4 call It
tough luck-yes, worse'n tough. It's
hard billed and picked. To them as
has shall 1t be given and to them as
hasn't shall be took even what they
amt got, as the poet says. Look at
Necia! She'll be richer than a cream
puff. Guess I'll step around and see
her."
"She's gone,' said the trader YEARLY,
turning his haggard face from the
prospector.
"Gone! WhereP
"Up river with Runnion. They got
her way from me last night"
"Suiferin' snakes!" calculated Lee.
$50 that's why!' Then be added SIM
ply, "Let's go and git her, John"
The trader looked at him queerly.
maybe / won't-on the first boat!
Pm eating my heart out hour by hour
NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. for some
kind of a craft to come, and so Is Bur-
rell."
whats he got to do with it?' said
the one eyed miner jealousy. Cant
you and me bring her back|
Hell marry her. God, won't there
never be a boat?"
For the hundredth time that morn
ing he went to the door Of the post
and strained his eyes downstream.
swell, well! Them two goin' to be
married." said Lee. "Stark licked, and
Necia goin' to be married-all at once.
I hate to see it, John. He amt good
enough. She could "a done a heap bet
ter. There's a lot of reg'lar men around
here, and she could "a had her pick. OF
course, always bein' broke like a dog
myself. ! amt kept up my personal ap.
pearance like I ought, but I've got some
new clothes now. and you wouldn'e
know me. I bought 'em off a tender
foot with cold feet, but they're the
goods, and you'd see a big improve
ment in me-"
Hes a good man." said Gale, 'bet-
ter than you or me-, and he's all torn
up over this. / never saw a man act
SO. When he learned about it I thought
he'd go mad. He's haunted the river
bank eve since, raging about for some
means Of following her, and If l hadn't
fairly held him he'd have set out single
While they were talking Burrell
came In, and mo Creek saw that the
night had affected the youth even more
than it had Gale, or at least he showed
the marks more plainly, for his face
was drawn, his eyes were sunken as If
from hunger, and his whole body
to have fallen away till his
uniform hung upon him loose, unkempt
and careless.
II can't wait much longer" said Bur-
tell and sank YEARLY into a seat. Al
most the next instant he was ON his
feet again, saying to the trader, as he
had said It a. score of times already:
CONTINUED next Sunday.)