Meade County news. [volume] (Meade, Kan.) 1900-1918, 1912-01-11
CHAPTER TX.

Nathaniel Letton was talking when
the door opened; he ceased. and with
his two companions gazed with con-
trolled perturbation at Burning Day
| light striding into the room. The free,
swinging movements of the trail-trav'
eler were unconsciously exaggerated in
that stride of his In truth, it seemed
to him that he felt the trail beneath
his feet.
"Howdy, gentlemen, howdy." he re-
marked, ignoring the unnatural calm
with which they greeted his entrance.
He shook hands with them in turn,
striding from one to another and grip
ping their hands so heartily that Ma
thaniel Letton could not forbear to
vince. Daylight flung himself into
massive chair and sprawled lazly. with
an appearance of fatigue. The leather
grip he had brought into the room he
dropped carelessly beside him on the
| floor.
I've sure been going some" he sigh
ed. I'VE sure trimmed them beautifully.
1t was real slick Ind the beauty of the
play never dawned on me till the very
end. 1t was pure and simple knock
down and drag out And the way they
fell for it was amazin'."
Letton made dry sound In his
throat. Dowsett sat quietly and walt
ed, while Leon Guggenhammer strug-
gled into articulation.
HI In hn
said.
Daylight's black eyes flashed in a
pleasant way.
Didn't |, thought" he proclaimed,
jubilantly And didn't we fool EN-!
was teetotally surprised never
dreamed they would be that easy.
And now" he went on. not permit
ting the pause to grow awkward. we
all might as we'll have an accounting.
I'm pullin' West this afternoon on
that blamed Twentieth Century He
tugged at his grip got 1t open, and dip
ped into It with both his hands But
don't forget, boys, when you-all want
me to hornswoggle Wall Street anoth'
err futter all you-all have to do is
whisper the word. I'll sure be right
there with the goods"
His hands emerged, clutching q
great mass of stubs, check-books, and
brokers' receipts These he depos
tied in a heap on the big table, ant
dipping again, he fished out the strag
glers and added them to the pile He
consulted a slip of paper. drawn from
his coat pocket and read aloud;
Ten million twenty-seven Thousand
and forty-two dollars and siXty-eigh
cents is my figurin on my expense
OF course that-alls taken from tn,
winnings before veal get to figurin
on the whack-up. Where's your fig
ures? 1t must a been a mighty BIZ
cleanup"
The three men looked their bepu7
| element at one another The man wa
| bigger fool than they had imagir
| ed. or else he was playing a gam
| which they could not divine.
| Nathaniel Letton moistened his lip
! and spoke up
Harnish, before the full accounting ca
to be made Mr. Howison is at work upo
it now We-ah-as you say. it ha
been a gratifying cleanup. Suppos
S, we have lunch together and talk
IT, over. I'll have the clerks work throug
r. the noon hour so that you will hay
n ample time to catch your train"
Ii Dowsett and Guggenhammer man
d, tested relief that was almost o.
S. vious. The situation was clearing
~ was discoucerting under the circur
d stances, to be pent in the same roo
e. with this heavy-muscled, Indian-lil
Sc man whom they had robbed. They r
ne membered unpleasantly the many sto
If les of his strength and recklessness.
RS Letton could only put him off lor
ne enough for them to escape into the p
1t Iced world outside the Office door. 9
be would be we'll; and Daylight shove
all the signs of being put of
lis I'm real glad to hear that" he sal
lis Il don't want to miss that train. al
10, you-all have done me proud. gent