The Wenatchee daily world. [volume] (Wenatchee, Wash.) 1905-1971, 1909-01-13
CHATTER Nv.

FINDING hard into Florence from
~ Sweetwater ranch, Bud Lane
hunted up Buck Mckee at his
\ l. favorite gambling joint and in
white heat Of Indignation informed
him in detail Of everything that had
passed between Payson and himself.
At once Mckee inferred that the writ
er of the letter was none other than
Dick Lane Realizing that Payson
was already informed of his villainy
and that in a very short time Dick
Lane himself would make his appear
ance on the Sweetwater. the half
breed concluded to make bold move
while he yet retained the confidence OF
Bud.
Bud" he said II know the man
who is sendin' the money to Payson.
It's Dick. yer brother"
But" stammered Bud, his brain
whirling. but if that's so you lied
about the Apaches killing him-and
you-why. you-must have been the
renegade, the devil who tortured pros
pectors."
"Why. Bud. Dick never wrote all
that dime novel nonsense about the
man who stood by him towel. not
the very last. fer Dick has managed
somehow TO pull through. Probably
he wuz saved by the rurales that
wuZ chasin' the band that rounded Us
up No; it's Payson. Jack Payson, that
made up that pack Nv lies jeS' to keep
you away from me- the man that wuZ
last with Dick. an SO may get on to
Jacks game an block it,
Game. What game?" asked Bud
bewildered
why. you told me it yerself-to
marry Dicks girl an live on Dicks
hard earned money"
But Dick borrowed the three thou
sand Of Jack" objected Bud.
We'll. the dollars he borrowed have
oil gone. hain't they? And the money
he's sendin' back Dick dug out Nv the
ground by hard work, didn't he?
Leasta ways. Payson hadn't ort to use
the money to rope in Dicks girl. 1t
ort to be KEEP from him. anyhow. till
Di; k comes on the ground his own self.
That I'll hold up the weddin'. all right.
IL know Josephine. 1t d be easy to
steer her into refusin' to let Echo go
into mortgiged home"
Simple minded Bud readily accepted
the willy half breeds explanations and
surmises and fell into the trap he was
preparing This was to hold up the
express agent and rob him Of the mon
ey PaysOn was expecting. on securing
which it was McKee's intention to flee
the country before Dick Lane returned
to denounce him. To ascertain just
when the money came into the agents
hands and to act as cover in the rob-
berry itself an accomplish was needed.
For this purpose no man In all the
Eweetwater region was better adapted
than Bud Lane Frank and friendly
with every one, he would be trusted
by the most suspicious and cautious
official in Pinal county. The fact that
he had chosen Buck Mckee as an as
sociate had already gone far to re-
habilitate this former bad man" in
the good graces of the community.
hoped to escape suspicion of any kind
In the homicide he contemplated
For it was murder-foul, unprovoked
murder-that was in the black soul of
the half breed He intended to in
criminate Bud SO deeply as to put it
beyond all thought that he would con-
feSS.
Young Lane, passionately loyal to his
brother was ready for anything that
would delay Payson's marriage TO
Echo Allen. Together with the wild
joy that sprang up in his heart at the
thought that his brother was alive
was intwined a violent hatred against
his former employer. In the fierce tur-
bulence within his soul, generated by
the meeting of these great emotions.
he was impelled to enter upon q mad
debauch. in which Mckee allotted and
joined him
Filling up on bad whisky, they rode
through the streets of Florence veil