The Tacoma times. [volume] (Tacoma, Wash.) 1903-1949, 1916-10-18


they'd fill Denver street. You
say the Wire-Silver has turned
out pretty well?"
Very we'll indeed, I believe.
Flemister seems to have money to
burn"
HE always has, his own or
somebody else's. The way he got
the Wire-Silver would have made
Black Beard, the pirate, turn
green with envy. Know anything
about the history of the minne?"
Lidgerwood shook his head.
We'll, I do; just happen to.
You know how 1t lies-on the
western slope of Little Butte
ridge"
Yes"
THAT is where 1t lies now. But
the original openings were made
on the eastern slope of the butte.
They didn't pan out very well, and
Flemister began to look for a vic
tim to whom he could sell. About
that time a man, whose name ]
can never recall, took up a claim
on the western slope of the ridge
directly opposite Flemister. This
man struck 1t pretty rich, and
Flemister began to bully him on
the plea that the new discovery
was only a continuation of his
own veing straight through the
hill. You can guess what hap
pened"
Fairly WE'LL" said Lidgerwood.
"Flemister lawed the other man
out"
HE did worse than that; he
drove straight into the hill, past
his own lines, and actually took
the money out of the other mans
mine to use as a fighting fund. |
don't know how the courts sifted
it out, finally. But Flemister put
the other man to the wall in the
end. There was some domestic
tragedy involved, too in which
Flemister played the devil with
the other mans family; but ]
don't know any of the details"
At luncheon Lidgerwood was
made known to the other men,
bers of the private car party. JEFF
ferris, the curly-headed collegian,
laughingly disclaimed relationship
with anybody; but Miss Carolyn
Doty confessed that she was a
cousin, trice removed, of Mrs.
Brewster.
When the table gathering was
complete, Eleanor Brewster and
Van Lew sat together and were
apparently absorbed in each other
to the exclusion of all things ex-
traneous. Jefferis still had Miss
Doty for a companion.
Following dispersal after the
meal, Lidgerwood strolled out to
the observation platform Of the
Nadia. Miss Brewster was sitting
in one of the two platform camp
chairs, and she was alone.
"Sit down and tell me how
you've been enduring the inter
VAL" she said. ut is more than
a year. isn't it,"
Yes. A year, three months and
eleven days" He had taken the
chair besides her because there
seemed to be nothing else to do.
How automatically exact you
are," she gibed. Tomorrow II
will be a year, three months and
twelve days. How many times
have you fallen in love during the
one year, three months and
eleven days?"
His frown was almost scowl
us it worth while to make an un-
ending Jest of it, Eleanor"
"A jest?-of your falling in
love? No, my dear cousin, sew.
eral times removed, no one would
dare to jest with you on that sub
ject."
Il think you were born to tor.
ment me-" he rejoined gloomily
why did you come out here
with your father? You must
have known that l was here"
mot from any line you have
ever writtenn," she retorted.
still, you came. Why? Were
you curious2"
why should I be curious, and
what about?-the Red Desert
I've seen deserts before"
81 thought you might be curl
Gus to know what disposition the
Red Desert was making of such q
failure as l am" he said evenly
81 can forgive your bringing oil
the other man along to be an on
locker. 1t was hard enough to
lose you without being com )nlled
TO stand By and see another man
win you"
Size did not answer him. In
stead, she whipped aside from
that phase of the subject to ask
a question of her own.
What ever made you come out
here, Howard?"
ITO the superintendency of the
Red Butte WESTERN" You did.
Listen: A few days ago a bully
stood up in this place and shot at
me. What I did made me under
stand that I had gained nothing
in a year."
shot at your" she echoed.
"Tell me about it. Who was It?
And why did he shoot at your"
His answer seemed to be indi-
rection itself.
"How long do Won expect IN