The Ocala evening star. [volume] (Ocala, Fla.) 1895-1943, 1911-09-11

Itdhe sure VI " liliduIS anu u
We could spare both Of them. if we
have to-"
"Good.'' said Flemister. "Then you
had some such alternative in mind as
that I have just been proposing?'
NO" was the crusty rejoinder. II
was merely providing for the hun
dredth chance. l don't like your alter
native"
"Why don't your
"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 q purely natu-
raj way. In the ordinary run of things
it will be only a few days or weeks
before Lidgerwood will throw up his
hands and quit, and when he goes out
I go in. That's straight goods this
time"
"You thought it was before" sheer
ed Flemister, land you got beautiful
IL left" Then. You're talking long
on 'naturals' and the ordinary run Of
things but notice you schemed with
Bart Rufford to put him out of the
fight with pistol bullet"
Judson felt 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 a 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 1.-The killer"
"Rufford Is a bloodthirsty devil
like yourself" the other man was say
ing calmly. GAS 1 have told you be-
fore. I've discovered Lidgerwood's
weakness. he can't call sudden
bluff. Rufford's play-the play told
him to make-was to get the drop on
him, scare him mp good and chase him
out OF town-out Of the country. He
overran his orders and went to Jail
for it,
wv elII' said the mine owner.
your scheme as you outlined it to
me In your cipher wire this afternoon
was built on this same weakness Of
Lidgerwoods and l agreed to it. AS
l understood 1t, you were to toll him
j up here with some lie about meeting
Grofield, and then one of US was to
put a pistol in his face and bluff him
into throwing up his job AS 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. l don't ap-
| prove"
| Again the mine owner said. why
don't you" And the other voice took
| up the question argumentativeIy
First. because it is unnecessary. as
I have explained. Lidgerwood is off,
| cially dead right now. When the
grievance committees tell him what
has been decided upon he will put on
bis hat and go back to wherever it
was that he came from"
"And secondlyT' suggested Flemis-
ter. still with the nagging sheer in his
| tone.
1.-THE secondly is weakness Of
mine. you'll say. Flemister. ] want
his job. partly because it belongs to
me, but chiefly because If | don't get
1t a bunch Of US will wind up break
ing stone for the state. But l haven't
anything against the man himself
He trusts me: he has defended me
when others have tried to put him
wise; he has been white to me, Flem-
| fster."
i as that alp queried the mine own
err in the tone Of the prosecuting at
/ torney who gives the criminal his full
length of the rope with which to hang
4 himself
NO Lidgerwood Is Ford's man
If he throws up his job of his own ac-
cord l may be able to swing Ford into
line to name me as his successor. on
the other hand. if Lidgerwood is
SnuUeu out anu tutFe Is Tue Id IlteSt
suspicion of foul play-Flemister I'm
telling you right here and now that
that man Ford will neither eat nor
sleep until he has set the dogs on US"
"You say it is unnecessary. that
Lidgerwood will be pushed out by the
| labor fight" said F'emister My an
| swer to that IS that you don't know
him quite as well az you think you
| do. If he's allowed 70 live he'll stay.
unless somebody takes him unawares
and scares him of, as | meant to do
tonight when | wired you. If he con-
| tinUes to live and stay you know
what win happen sooner or later.
He'll find you out for the double faced
cur that you are, and after that the
| fireworks"
At this the other voice took its turn
at the savage sneering.
"You can't put It al over me that
way. Flemister: you can't. and you
shan't. You're in the hole just as deep
as am. foot for foot
"Oh, no. my friend" said the cooler
voice. ~ haven't been stealing il
carload lots from the company that
hires me- | have merely been buying
little disused scrap from you. You
may say that | have planned a few OF
the adverse happenings which have
been running the loss and damage &C
count of the road up into the pictures
/ A., <nyr