Lincoln County leader. [volume] (Toledo, Lincoln County, Or.) 1893-1987, 1911-02-03

caid and drew back carefully behind
the bole Of the opposite poplar.
? 1t was the Warwick Lodge surrey,
and 1t stopped at the gate. Two men
got out and went up the path, and an
instant later, Kincaid followed stealth
lily.
Gordon waited for the next gas-fare,
and by the light of it he threw the
breech-lock of the repeating rifle to
make sure the cartridge was in place.
Then he, too, passed through the wick
ct and went Ito stand in the shadow of
the slabfloored porch, redolent of
memories. He had forgotten the les
eser vengeance in the thirst for the
greater-that he had come to fling
their misfortunes into the faces of the
father and the son, and to tell them
that the work was his. He heard only
the voice of the savage in his heart,
and that was whispering, xiii kill"
1t was close on midnight when the
door giving on the porch opened and
the two men stood on the threshold.
The younger of the two was speaking.
It's quieter than usual tonight
That was good move-getting Lud-
low and the two Helgersons jailed.
was in hopes we could snaffie old Ca
leb with the others. He pretends to be
peacemaking, but as long as he Is loose
these fools will hang to the idea that
they're fighting his battle against u.s."
1T is already fought" said the older
man, dejectedly. My luck has gone
When Henniker puts us to the WALL
we shall be beggars."
The young mans rejoinder was an
exclamation of contempt
You've lost your nerve. What you
need most is to go to bed and sleep
Walt for me till I've made round Of
the guards, and We'll go home. Better
ring up the surrey right now"
He left the porch on the side near
est the furnace, and Gordon saw an
active figure glide from the shelter of
flask-shed and go in pursuit. He
followed at a distance. II was needful
only that he should know where to find
Farley when Kincaid should have
squared his account
The leisurely chase led the round OF
the great gates first, and thence
through the deserted and ruined coke
yard to the foot of the huge Stag dump,
cold now from the long shutdown.
Tom looked to see Farley turn ba ok
from the toe of the dump. There were
no gates on that side of the yard, and
consequently no guards.
But the short cut to the office was
up the slope of the dump and along the
railway track over which the drawings
of molten Stag were run out to be
spilled down the face Of the decliv-
ity. There had been no Stag drawing
since the new "blow-in" earlier in the
day; but while he was watching to
keep Farley in sight in the intervals
between the gas flares, Gordon was
conscious Of the note Of preparation be-
hind him: the slackening Of the blast
the rattle and clank Of the dinkey To-
comotive pushing the dumping ladle
into place under the furnace lip.
Farley had taken two or three
scrambling steps up the rough scanned
declivity when the workmen tapped the
furnace. There was a sputtering roar
and the air was filed with coruscating
sparks.
1AOik tlio StiCdih VI ihOllCu HldllCI
began to pour into the great ladle, a
huge eight-foot pot swung on fitting
trunnions and mounted on a skeleton
flat-car; and for Gordon, standing at
the corner Of the ore shed with his
back to the Stag drawers, the red glow
picked out the man scrambling up the
miniature mountain Of coooler scoria-
this man and another man running
swiftly to overtake him.
He looked on coldly until he saw
Kincaid head off the retreat and face
his adversary. Instantly there was a
spurt of fire from a pistol in Farley's
right hand, a brief flash with the re-
port swallowed up in the roar from the
furnace lip. Then the two men closed
and rolled together to the bottom of
the slope, and Gordon turned his back.
When he looked again the trampling
note Of the big blast engines had
quickened to Its normal beat, the blow
hole was plugged with its stopper of
damp clay, and red twilight born of
the reflection from the surface of the
great pot of seething Stag had succeed
ed to the binding glare. Where there
had been two men locked in struggle
there was now only one, and he was
lying quietly with one leg doubled un-
der him. Gordon set his teeth in an
CRY disappointment. Had Kincaid
broken his compact?
The first-long- drawn exhaust of the
dinkey engine moving the Stag kettle
out to its spilling place ripped the ST.
lence. Gordon heard-and he did not
hear: he was watching the prone fig-
ure at the dumps toe When It should
rise, he meant to fire from where he
stood under the caves of the ore shed.
The thought contemplated
nothing picturesque or dramatic. II
was merely the dry thirst for the blood
of a mortal enemy.
The pufiing locomotive had pushed