The Ely miner., 1916-02-11


door, Outside the men waited eagerly,
their brows still lowering. their faces
dark and sullen, yet expectant.
Men," cried the oil king, slight
tremor in his voice despite the effort
made at control. "Ive 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 roar, roar of such
menace as even he had never heard
before. A roar and then q wild, in
sane rush forward.
Came the crack of revolver. He
shuddered at the sound. Never be-
fore had he heard the sound of 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.
w.
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
per.
Quick thinking had 1t 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 1t up instantly, q
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 astonishment as
they came away, 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 what? 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.
1.-TWO men-and gun, boys" he
declaimed shrilly. LET 'em 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, exultantly shrilling a defiance
| toward the two in command.
| In command no longer. For two
men and gun had been Offset by this
| crowd and a rifle.
Quickly Brown Joe made out 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, 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 rush at the
door. I'll keep his aim wild with the
rife"
Without hint of disobedience they
fell into the suggestion. MSblike 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 panied that such thing
should happen. Brown Joe saw the
hesitancy and let out wild whoop of
exultation.
81 got him-winged him"
You're a dirty, brown liar" thun-
dered back Grady from the cabin.
But his retort was drowned by the
cheer from the mob, as they picked
up the log again and lunged toward
the Office door.
"Short jabs, boys" yelled the leader,
punctuating his howl by a rifle shot.
Manfully they stood to their work,
ramming, ramming against the door.
It was sagging at the upper corner
now, sagging heavily.
| And then, even as they exulted, it
slapped back into place, REINFORCED
from inside.
Easily as mob is encouraged, 1t
becomes discouraged quite as readily.
They dropped the log and stared at
| one another, then fell back to Brown