Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1917-06-28

You mean that she might hear Of
of Miss COrona?" he suggested.
you've roped it down, at least" said
the friendly enemy. "Stantonn tell
her-he'u tell her anything and every
thing that might make her turn loose
any little bit Of information she may
have about you. AS l said a minute
ago, I'm hoping she hasn't got anything
on you, john
Smith was still facing the window
when he replied. I'm sorry to have
to disappoint you, Starbuck. What
Miss HIGHLANDER could do to me, if she
chooses, would be good and plenty"
The ex-cowboy mine owner drew s
long breath and felt for his tobacco
sack and rice paper.
"An Of which opens up more talk
trails" he said th0ughtfully. "Since
you wouldn't try to take care of your
self, and since your neck happens to
be the most valuable asset TimanyOni
High Line has, just at present, I've
been butting in, as told you. Listen
to my tale of woe, if you haven't any
thing better to do. Besides the Miss
Rich-ranches episode there are a
couple of others. Want to hear about
'em?"
Smith nodded.
'All right. A little while past din
ner this evening, Stanton had a hurry
call to meet the Nevada Flyer Tailed
onto the train there was private lux
ury car, and in the private car sat a
gentleman whose face you've seen
plenty Of times in the political car
ICONS, usually with cuss-words under
it. He is one Of StantOn'S bosses; and
Stanton was in for a wigging- and got
1T. [ couldn't hear, but / could see
through the car window. He had STAN
ton standing on one foot before the
train pulled out and let Crawford
make his getaway. You guess, and
I'll guess and We'll both say it was
about this Escalante snap which is
aiming to be known as the Escalante
fizzle. Amt it the truth?"
Again Smith nodded, and said, $50
on"
"After number five had gone Stanton
broke for his autocab, looking like he
could bite a nail in two. | happened
to hear the order he gave the shower,
and I had my cayuse hitched over at
Bob Sharkeys joint. Naturally, I
ambled along after Crawford, and
while I didn't beat him to it, I got
there soon enough. 1t was out at Jeff
Barton's rOadhouse on the Topaz trail,
and Stanton was shut up in the back
room with a sort of tin-hOrn bad man
named Lanterby.'
"You listened?" said Smith still
without eagerness.
Fright you are. And they fooled me.
Two schemes were on tap: one point
ing at Williams and the dam, and the
other at you. These were both last
resOrts;' Stanton said he had one more
string to pull first. If that broke
well, I've said it half a dozen times
already, John: you'll either have to
hire a bodyguard or go heeled. I'm
telling you right here and now, that
bunch is going to get you, even if it
costs money!!
"You say Stanton said he had one
more string to pull: he didn't give it
a name, did he?"
"No, but I've got notion of my
own" was the ready answer. Hes
trying to get next to you through the
women, with the Miss Rich-pasture for
his can opener. But when everything
else fails, he Is to send a password
to Lanterby, one Of two passwords.
Williams means dynamite and the
dam; Jake means the removal from
prospect, isn't it?'
Smith was jabbing his paper knife
absently into the desk blOtter. "And
yet we go on calling this a civilized
cOuntry!' he said medftatfvely. Then
with a sudden change Of front: "Tm
in this fight to stay until I win out
or die out Billy; you know that. AS I
have said, Miss Verda can kill me off
If she chooses to; but she won't choose
to. Now let's get to work. It's pretty
late to rout a justice Of the peace
out of bed to issue a warrant for us,
but We'll do it. Then We'll go after
Lanterby and make him turn states
evidence. Come on; let's get busy"
!. But Starbuck, reaching softly for
chair-righting handhold upon Smiths
desk, made no reply. Instead he
snapped his 1.-THE body out of the chair
and launched it in a sudden tiger
spring at the door. To Smiths aston
ishment, the door, which should have
been latched, came in at Starbuck's
wrenching jerk of the knob, bringing
with it, hatless, and with the breath
startled out of him, the new stenogra-
pher, Shaw.
"There's your states evidence" said
Starbuck grimly, pushing the half
dazed door listener into a chair. "Just
put the anger a couple Of inches into
this fellow and see what you can find"
Richard Shaw had an exceedingly
bad quarter of an hour when Smith
and Starbuck applied the thumbscreWs
to force a confession out Of him. New
ertheless, knowing the dangerous
ground upon which he stood, he evaded
and shuf1ed and prevaricated under
the charges and questionings until 1t
became apparent that nothing short Of
bribery or physical torture would get
willing to offer the bride, and since