The Huttig news., 1916-07-08
A CHAPTER XXI K
 The Sunset Gun
C'

NIT. COTCWTlSHt Sat DdCh III HIS CHdiI, and once more Brouillard saw in the sandy gray eyes the look which had been in the sons eyes when the dere- lict fought for freedom to finish killing Stephen Massingale.
 It's a pretty dangerous thing to try to hold man up unless you've got the i drop on him, Brouillard," he said sig nifieantly. I've got you covered from my pocket; I've had you covered that way ever since you began te buck and rear on me couple of months ago. One little wire word to Washington fixes you for good and all. If l say the word, you'll stay on your job just as long as it will take another man to get here to supersede you.'
 Brouillard laughed
 "The pocket drop is never very safe. Mir Cartwright. You are likely to lose too much time feeling fsr the proper range. Then, too, you can never be sure that you won't miss. Also, your assumption that I'm taking an un- armed mans chance is wrong. l can kill you before you can pull the trig ger of the pocket gun you speak of kill you so dead that you won't need anything but coroners jury and a coffin How long would it take you to get action in the Washington matter, do you think?"
 Eve told you; you have just about week longer to live, at the farthest."
 q can better that" was the cool reply. q have asked you to do cer tain thing tomorrow night. If you don't do it, the Spotlight will print, on the following morning, that letter I spoke of-the letter from my friend in the bureau of land statistics. When that letter is printed everybc dy in Mirapo- lis will know that you ard your accom- piices are plain swinGlers, amenable to fhe criminal law and from that mo- ment there will never te another real estate transfer in the Niquoia valley"
 The promoter rose slowly out of his 1 chair and stood leaning heavily with i his fat hands, palms downward, on the | flat-topped desk His cheeks were puffed out and the bitten mustaches l hristled like the whiskers of gray old 1 leader of the timber wolves.
 "Brouillard," he grated huskily 'does this mean that you're breaking with us, once for all?"
 ' Tt means more than that; it means that have reached point at which am ashamed to admit that there was ever anything to break"
 ssrI,l. baJx i thing along as much as or more than anybody else in this town; and there are men right here in Mirapolis- plenty of 'em-who will kill you like rat in a hole If you go back on them as you are threatening to. Don't you know that? ?"
 The younger man was balancing the paper cutter across his finger.
 That is the least of my worries" ]" he answered, speaking slowly. "I am all sorts of moral coward, I suppose; I've proved that often enough in the past few months. God knows. But I'm not the other kind. MT. Cartwright"
 "Then I'll take a hand!" snarled the tyrant at bay "l'll spend a million dol lars, if have to. blacklisting you from one end of this country to the other! I'll fix it so you'll never build any thing bigger than hog pen again as long as you live, I'll publish your rec ord wherever there is a newspaper to print it!" He pounded on the desk with his fist-T'u do it-money can do it! More than that, you'll never get a smell of that Chigringo mine-you nor Dave Massingale!"
 Brouillard tossed the paper-knife in to half-opened drawer and squared himself at the plotting pad.
 That is your challenge, is it?" he said curtly. 50 he it. Start your machinery. You will doubtless get me. not because you have money, but because for time I was weak enough and wicked enough to climb down and stand on your level. But if you don't Are you going? One thing more-and it's kindness; get your son out of town before this Massingale matter comes up for adjustment. It will be safer"
 'Is that all you have to say?"
 Pretty nearly all, except to tell you that your time is growing short. and you and those who are in with you had better begin to set your houses in or der. If you'll come over here at eight o'clock tomorrow night prepared to do the square thing by David Massingale, I'll withhold the publication of that