The New era-leader. (Wagner, Charles Mix County, S.D.) 1911-1912, 1911-08-11
cHAPTER ".
An Cd Acquaintance.

An Cd Acquaintance.
The Carson City lookup was an inn.
pfovised affair, although a decidedly
pppular resort. It was originally q
two-room cabin with gable to the
erect, the front apartment at one
tllne a low GROCERY, the keeper sleep
mg in the rear room. Whether sud
zen death, or financial reverses, had
zen the cause, the community had In
eome manner become possessed of the
'property, and had at once dedicated
to the comnionweal. For the pur.
'pose thus selected. it was rather well
Adapted, being strongly built, easily
|guarded, and IN the outskirts Of the
own. With iron grating over the
windows, the back door heavily spiked,
md the front secured by iron bars,
my prisoner once locked within could
probably be found when wanted. On
he occasion of Keith's arrival, the
~portion abuttfng upon the street was
occupied by a rather miscellaneous
ossembly-the drunk and disorderly
elements conspicuous-who were
ewaiting their several calls to appear
before a local Justice and make an
9wer for various misdeeds Some were
pacing the floor, others sat meodily
On benches ranged against the wall,
While a few were still peacefully slum-
Aering upon the floor II was a frowsy,
'0isreputable crowd, evincing but mild
curiosity at the arrival Of a new pris-
oner, Keith had barely time to glance
4bout. recognizing no familiarity of
ace amid the mass peering at him, az
Ne was hustled briskly forward and
thrust into the rear ROOM, the heavy
door closing behind him with the snap
of a spring lock.
He was alone, with only the faint
est murmur of voices coming to him
Through the thick partition. It was a
room some twelve feet square, open
70 the roof. with bare walls, and con-
Raining no furniture except a rude
bench. Still dazed by the suddenness
|of his arrest, he sank down upon the
seat, leaned his head on his hands,
and e~ndeavored to think. It was diff
ficult to get the facts marshalled into
any order or to comprehend clearly
the situation, yet little by little his
brain grasped the main details, and
he awoke to a full realization Of his
condition, Of the forces he must war
against. The actual murderers of
those two men or the trail had had
their suspicious aroused by his. ac-
tfons; they believed he guessed some
thing of their foul deed, and had de-
termined to clear themselves by
charging the crime directly against
him. It was a shrewd trick, and IL
they only stuck to their story, ought
to succeed. He had no evidence, 9TH
err than his own word, and the marshal
Had already taken from his pockets
the papers belonging to the slain
man. He had not found the locket
hidden under his shirt, yet q more
thorough search would doubtless re-
veal that also.
Even should the s come to trial,
how would it be possible for him to
establish innocence, ~and-would It
ever come to trial? Keith knew the
character of the frontier, and OF Car.
son City. The inclination of its citi-
zens in such cases was to act first,
and reflect later. The law had but
slender hold, being respected only
when backed by the strong hand, and
primitive instincts we're always in the
requiring merely a leader
to break forth In open violence. And
in this case would there be any lack
of leadership? Like a fash his mind
reverted to Black Bart" There was
the man capable of melting a mob. II,
for some unknown reason, he had suf-
ficient interest to swear out the war.
rant and assist in the arrest, he would
have equal cause to serve those fell
lows behind him in other ways. Nat
urally, they would dread a trial, with
its possibility of exposure, and eagerly
grasp any opportunity for wiping the
clean. Their real security from
discovery undoubtedly lay in his
death, and with the RED Light"
crowd behind them they would ex-
perience no trouble In getting q fol-
lowing desperate enough for any pur-
pose.
The longer Keith thought the less
he doubted the result. It was not then
q problem OF defence. hut Of escape.
for he believed now that no oppOr-
tunity to defend himself would ever
be allowed. The arrest was merely
part Of the plot Intended To leave him
!