The Calumet news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 1907-1938, 1911-07-26
THE TANNING OF
RED BUTTE WESTERN
BY
FRANCIS LYNDE
Copyright, 1910, by Charles Serb
ner's Sons.
Continued from page TWO

Continued from page TWO
The listener under the floor had
sensation like that which might be
produced by a cold wind blowing up
the napo OF his neck.
There is no such thing as luck"
rasped the other voice. MY time was
short-after I found out that Lidger-
wood wasn't coming on the passenger.
But managed to send word TO Mat
thews and Lester. telling them TO
make sure OF Williams and Bradford.
We could spare both of them, If We
have to-"
"Goodw said Flemister. "Then you
had some such alternative in mind as
that have just been proposing2'
mo" was the crusty rejoinder. 81
was merely providing for the hun
dredth chance. l don't like your alter
native"
"Why don't you"
"Well, for one thing. it's needlessly
bloody. We don't have to go at this
thing like a bull at a gate. I've had
my finger on the pulse of things ever
since Lidgerwood took hold The dope
is working all right in a purely natu-
raj way, In the ordinary run Of things
1t will be only a few days or weeks
before Ldgerwood will throw up his
hands and quit. and when he goes out
I go in. That's straight goods this
time"
"You thought IL was before" sneer-
ed FIemister. land you got beautiful
" left" Then, You're talking long
on 'naturals' and the ordinary run of
things but I notice you schemed with
Bart Rufford to put him out Of the
fight with q pistol bullet"
Judson felt a sudden easing OF
strains. He had told McCloskey that
he would be willing TO swear TO the
voice of the man whom he had over
heard plotting with Rufford in Cat
Biggs' back room. Afterward. after
he had sufficiently remembered that a
whisky certainty might easily lead up
to sober perjury, he had admitted
the possible doubt. But now Elem
ister's taunt made assurance doubly
sure. Moreover. the arch plotter was
not denying the fact of the conspiracy
with "tbe killer"
"Rufford is a bloodthirsty devil
like yourself" the other man was say.
ing calmly. CAS- have told you be
fore. I've discovered Lidgerwood's
weakness. He can't call a sudden
bluff. Rufford's play-the play 1 told
him to make-was TO get the drop on
him, scare him up good and chase him
out OF town-out of the country. He
overran his orders and went to Jail
for It."
"WeI1?" said the mine owner.
"Your scheme as you outlined II to
me In your cipher wire this afternoon
was built on this same weakness Of
Lidgerwood's. and l agreed to it. AS
l understood II. you were to toll him
up here with some lie about meeting
Groheld. and then one of us was to
put pistol in his face and bluff him
into throwing mp his Job. AS 1 say,
agreed to It. He'll have to go when
the fight with the men gets hot
enough, but he might hold on too long
for our comfort"
"Well?" said Flemister again, this
time more impatiently, Judson thought.
"He queered your layout by care
fully emitting to come on the passen-
ger. and now you propose to fall back
upon Rufford's method. 1 don't APP
prove"
Again tho mine owner said, 'why
don't your" And the other voice took
up the question argumentatively.
First. because It is unnecessary, as
/ have explained. Lidgerwood is off,
cially dead right now. When the
grievance committees tell him what
has been decided upon he will put on
his hat aud go back to wherever II
was that he came from"
.'And secondly" suggested Flemis-
ter, still with the nagging sneer in his
tone.
'The secondly is weakness Of
mine. you'll say. Flemister. want