White Pine news weekly mining review. [volume] (East Ely, Nev.) 1910-1920, 1915-07-11

q scrimmage."
Monroe stared at him irresolutely q
second. then moved decisively to the
door. Outside the men waited eagerly,
their brows still lowering, their faces
dark and sullen. yet ~expectant.
Men," cried the oil king. q slight
tremor In his voice despite the effort
made at control. I've just tried the
phone and It's out OF or"
A hoarse laugh that had nothing of
mirth in it halted him. Then he
leaped back into the Office. hurriedly
tossing the bolts into place. as the
laugh grew into a roar, a o of such
menac as even he had heard
before. A oar and then q wild, in
sane rush forward.
Came the crack of q revolver. He
shuddered at the sound. Never be-
fore had he heard the sound of a gun
In fields within his dominion. He
looked around to see Pat Grady,
chuckling silently to himself, as he
squinted through the aperture beside
the cupboard which concealed the win
dow, his right hand firmly gripping
the revolver he had found In Payne's
room-Payne, whose ~delinquence was
the cause of all this.
~.
Brown Joe laughed aloud as he
stuck the pliers in the waistband OF
his trousers and clambered laborious-
ly down the telegraph pole. Above
him dangled the wires to the city. the
wires along which the message Of
Monroe was futilely seeking way.
He had seen his opportunity for re-
venge when, peering furtively through
the mess hall window he saw there
was no chance for the promised sup
per.
Quick thinking had It been that led
him to the phone wires. thinking in
spired within his cunning brain by the
master of evil himself. And now he
would go back and complete the work.
AS he rushed toward the group
about the office door he caught the
laugh that greeted Monroe's an
nouncement of his inability to get Los
Angeles on the wire. He knew that
laugh might be turned in either di-
rection. He took it up instantly, a
wild yell of hatred and defiance burst
ing from his throat. He grinned to
himself as the workmen caught that
yell up and lunged toward the man
who seemed mocking them.
Then he whirled back, staggering
slightly, but quickly righting himself
from the blow that had tossed him
round lightly. He pressed his hands
to the place where the blow had fallen.
staring at them in establishment as
they came away, a red sticky smear
upon them.
And then the rage that he had so
cunningly controlled leaped up and
overwhelmed him. He had been shot,
had been shot by the same man who
had knocked him down and then dis.
charged him from the place without
even giving him opportunity to get his
pay check. and for what2 Because
he refused longer TO tolerate the vile
food that was served him.
With little whimpers OF anger shril-
ling from his brawny throat. more like
an animal of the African jungle than
human being was he as he gathered
the men together behind the mess
hall. planning with them how to cap
ture the office and take revenge upon
the pair within.
Two men-and a gun boys" he
acclaimed shrilly. Let EN- use up
that bunch of cartridges and they
won't amount to two whoops. Draw
their fire while -
He did not finish. turning and duck
ing the leaden messenger which was
sent from the Office toward him. In
a few moments he reappeared with a
rifle, waving it triumphantly above his
head, e%xultantly shrilling a defiance
toward the two in command.
In command no longer. For two
men and a gun had been Offset by this
crowd and a rifle.
Quickly Brown Joe made from
where the fire came. carefully plug.
ging away at the aperture. disturbing
and at the same time drawing the fire
of Grady. And always did his lips
move in careful count, a slow smile
distorting his face evilly as he real.
lied the supply of bullets must be get
ting low.
There's a big timber round the
other side of the shack" he suggested
His fire is getting weak now. Get
that timber and make a rush at the
door. I'll keep his aim wild with the
rifle"
Without a hint of disobedience they
fell into the suggestion. Mobilize they
had been led into this affair and now
all the wild, unthinking. ungovernable
impulse of mob spirit was upon them.
Swiftly Grady discharged his revol-
yer in their midst. One man fell and
they stared at him wonderingly,
brutishly 'pained hat such a thing
should happen. Brown Joe saw the
hesitancy and let out a wild whoop of
AUt.lfatfN.