Courier Democrat. (Langdon, N.D.) 1891-1920, 1911-08-03

sr,,y - o,- hlI'nAtthN
Tr1rn w-,Sr,,nn had been made
seemed to be the
only possible explanation. But when
he remembered the three invisible
hOrSemcn who had passed him on the
broad mesa he was not so sure about
the mistake.
Most naturally his thoughts went
back to the little episode on the hotel
porch. The passing glance he had Civ
en- to the three men with whom his
smoking room companion had been
talking did not enable him to identify
them with the three who were calmly
discussing his fate at the nearby fire.
but the conclusion was fairly obvious
none the less.
mus far he had been either too busy
or too bewildered to think of asking
questions, but when the more murder
ous of the eXpedients seemed actually
about to prevail he thought it was
time to try to find out why he was to
be cffaced.
Il don't want to seem to interfere
with any arrangements you gentlemen
are making he called across to the
group at the fire, "but if you will kind
~ tell me why YOU think it necessary to
murder me l should be immensely
Obliged
you know mighty good and we'll
why there's one too many of YOU OH
Lost river Jest at this stage O. the
game" SAID the hard faced brigand
who had held the Winchester while
his two accnmplices had endorsed and
bound the victim.
"But | don't" insisted Blount good
naturedly. S far as | know, there
is only one of NEON Lost river or
anywhere else
"Thatn do for you, 1t amt your
put in, nohow." was the gruff decision
of the court.
But Blount was too good a lawyer to
be silenced that easily.
perhaps you might not especially
regret killing the wrong man, but in
the present case 1 am very sure I
should. Who do you think I am?"
THE boss knows who you are, and
that's enough for u.s. said the spokes-
man of the three highbinders.
"The boss?" questioned Blount.
"Yaas; l said the boss. Now hold
your jaw"
Blount caught at the word. In a
flash the conversation with Gantry
ficked into his mind.
"There is only One boss in this state"
he said coolly. land 1 am very sure he
has not given you orders to kill me-"
"What's that?" demanded the spokes-
man.
BlOunt repeated his bit of informa-
ton, adding, perhaps you'd better
ring for Il better connection and ask
your boss if he wants you to kill the
Sol of his boss?"
At this the tall man came and stood
over his prisoner.
"Say, cOmrade, it amt my night for
kiddin', and it hadn't ort to be yourn,'
he remarked grimly. 1.-The boss didn't
say you was to be rubbed out-they
never do. But l reckon it would save
Il heap O trouble if you was rubbed
out. You don't git over into them
woods Oh Upper Lost creek with no
papers to serve on anybody. See?'
A great light dawned ! on Blount,
and with it came the dlScomfOrting
chill of a conviction overthrown. AS Il
theorist he had always scoffed at the
idea that corporations, which are crea-
lures of the law, could afford to be
open lawbreakers. But here was a
very striking refutation of the chart
table assumption.
His smoking room companion of the
Pullman car was doubtless one of the
timber pillagers who had been cutting
on the public domain. To such a man
an agent of the national forest serv-
ice was an enemy to be disposed of as
eXpeditiouSly as possible, and BlOunt
saw that he had only himself to blame,
since he had allowed the man to be-
lieve that he was a government en-
ployee.
Having the clew to the mystery, how
ever, his course was a little easier to
steer.
"My name is Blount, and l am the
son of ex-senator David Blount of this
state" he asserted. "Now, what are
you going to do with me?"
whats that you say?" grated the
outlaw.
"You heard what 1 said. Go ahead
and heave me into the canyon if you
are willing to stand for 1t a~fterward."
The hard faced man turned on his
heel without replying and went back
to the other two at the fire. Blount
caught only a word now and again Of
the low toned, wrangling argument
that followed. But from the overheard
word or two he gathered that there
were still some leanings toward the
sound old maxim which declares that
dead men tell no tales"
When the decision was reached he
was left to guess what 1t was. With
out any explanation the thongs were
taken from his wrists and ankles, and
he was helDed uDon his horse. When