The Ekalaka eagle. [volume] (Ekalaka, Mont.) 1909-1920, 1912-11-15

flnger frozen to the trigger, but not a
chamber discharged"
Yes? Then that settles it. and it
must have been foul play" cried Cam
eron, owning a doubt in its dismissal.
And we mustn't lose a single minute
in getting On this blackguard's tracks,
Yet it was midnight before the little
cavalcade set out upon a ride Of over
thirty miles, for arrangements had to
be made for a telegram to be sent to
the Glenranald coroner first thing in
the morning. and to insure this 1t was
necessary to disturb the postmaster,
who occupied one of the three weather
board dwellings which constituted the
roadside hamlet of Clear Corner. A
round moon topped the sandhills as the
trio rode away. 1t was lei its almost
dazzling zenith when they refined up at
the scene OF the murder. This was at
a point where the sandy track ran
through a belt Of scrub. and the ser
geant got off to examine the ground
with Hardcastle, while Tyler mounted
guard in the saddle. But nothing Of
Importance was discovered by the pair
on foot, and nothing seen or heard by
their mounted cOmrade.
They found the station still astir and
falntly aglOw in the yelled daylight of
the moon. A cluster of the men stood
in a glare at the door of their hut. The
travellers hut betrayed the like symp-
toms Of excitement. At the kitchen
door We're more men with pannikins
and odd glimpses Of a frelit, whitecap-
ped face within. But on the broad
veranda sat two young men. their backs
30 4 closed and darkened window. and
behind the window lay all that re-
manned Of an elderly man, whose
brown, gnArIed face was scarcely rec
o"nizable by the newcomers In it's
strange smooth pallor, but his criz-
zlel beard weirdly familiar and still
crisp with lingering life.
The coroner arrived in some thirty
hours. which had brought forth moth
Ing new. His jury was drawn from
tn" mems hut AMI rabhiters' tents. and
after Il prolonged but inconcluSive in
~NeStI@atI"n the inquest WAS adjourned
for a week. But the seven days were
AS barren as the first and Il verdict
against some person unknown Il fore
gone result. This did not satisfy the
many who were positive that they
knew the person, for Stingnrre had
been seen Il hundred miles lower down.
doubtless on his way back TO Victoria
and with his appearance altered in Il
t"lIta!c manner. But the coroner
thought he knew better than ANYBODY
else and had his way, Notwithstanding
the manifest feeling on the long veran-
da where he held his court.
50 jurors and spectators driftel back
to IIu and tent and n"i@hboriny sta
ton, the oroner started in his buggy
70" Gi"nranald, and last Of all the DO
lice departed. leading the horse which
llarir;,stlc had ridden honc from their
barracks and leaving him at poncr
nee more with his two young mon.
l;ut OF III" SuIattcr the time had told.
His t9hl" had been tuIl to overflow
in@ through it all, and II" sank into ii
long chair.
u think We mi"ht have II drink he
said. with :; Wry smile. IT, Evans. who
fetched til" iocautrr from The store.
ih" iarkrro" WAS Called from Il stable
which had b"r"lu" .Au@"an during the
week. ana the three were still mildly
/. tipplin@ when HE >torrkrcprr came to
+, his feet.
, Good Lord he cried; II thought
we'd seen the last Of the plucky po'
: licc,"