Marble Hill press., 1917-08-30
CHAPTER xvl-(csniinysdl


whose affairs brought iN,m in contact
With him fagi.i q man suddenly grown
years Older and harder tuuly lHb
hatshly J,,'alnrIal, not 20 Say qg.F
r,.lsnmr mHn Who seemed tu has,
parted. ln The short slaer ~ s.uslr
night with 600 ~ the hgwan.f.Us HHas
hilltirs which BE- had shaNu 90 such o
mafNrd dr.r,.y ia The rr.Fs.g. #.Us gud
trhnnnrins ~ the irrigation rFulvgt
-wr'Nr sn' oHr young Napoleon ~
nnAurr nu tie tolnEs1g slide at last
was n" way IN which Mr Crawford
stanton p'ns,i IL fur the h'i"W"lri
Iaiy NJ their luncheon 10 The ll"phFa
sufe. "k,Ug., u about e. throw HIN
over. aud all this talk about h"'rh'
work on the Dam j. getting his goat.
They're telling ii around town this
morning that yuu can't s't near him
without r.,klnE fight. old Man Back
us went up a. hi, Office 10 behalf ~
4 bunch ~ the scared stockholders.
aud Smith abused him first aud then
throw him oui bod. 'y-hurt him pretty
sayagely. they say.
The large lniy's accurately pcncIlcd
eyebrows went ~ 10 mild surprise.
bad tcmpcrY' she qusriri
-Bad temper or an nru'c attack ~
'rattlrItlS:' you can take your choice.
suppose be- hasn't. hy any chance.
auarreled with Mls, Rchlaader over
niGhtI-'r has hct'
The fai ludy shook her diamonds.
Il should say not. They were a' lunch.
"rn together iu the ladies ordinary u
cam, down few minutes ago
Thus the partner - Crawford Stan.
ton, JOY. and sorrows. EV' gn iU'ls.
lhln nu'uN..r In fh" small dining room
uHHy,>iuir> might have drawn other
conclusions Sm'h and the daughter
of the iHwrygy,NI.ir magaate had @
small tahIc 90 themselves. and II the
tax were not precisely GUarrc,>om"
Il leaned that way NJ times.
~ have never seen you quite 50 hru-
tai md impossible a> you are today.
Montague. You don't seem like the
.tmr man. Are you going 60 reconsider
AMI take me ont 70 the Baldwin ranch
this afternoon"
"And let you parade me there ms
your latest acquisi;iou?-ueyer In this
world"
More brutality. Positively you are
grttng me into frame u mind In
which Tucker JIbbcy will seem Ike n
blessed relief Whatever DO you sup
pOse has become OF TuckcrT
How should know"
"If he had come in last night. and
you had met hm--aS asked you to
In any such heavenly temper MS you
are i>salglng now, might think you
had murdered him
Il was doubtless by sheer accident
that smith. reaching at the moment
for the salad oil. overturned his water
glass. But the small accident by no
means accounted for the sudden gray
lag of his face under the Timanynnl
wind tan-for that or for the shaking
hands with which he seconded the walt
cr's anxious efforts to repair the dam
age. When they were alone again, the
m0mentary trepidat!on had given 0'ace
TO a renewed hardness that lent n
biting raSp to his voice.
"Kinzie. the suspicious old banker
hat I've been telling you about, is de-
.ermlned to run me down he said,
changing the subject abruptly. "Tve
got II pretty straight that he Is plan
ming to send one Of his clerks TO the
Topaz district to try and hnd your IA
ther. in the hope that he will tell what
he knows about me"
Does this Mr.. Klnzie know where
father Is to be fOund?'
"IIe doesn't; that's the only hitch
Miss verda's smile across the little
table was level-cyed.
II could he lots of help TO you. Mon
tagus In this fight you are making II
you'd only let me-" she suggested.
"I'll fight for my own hand was the
grating rejOlnder 81 can assure you,
right now, that kinzie's messenger will
never reach your father--alive.'
"ooh !" shuddered the beauty, with n
little lift OF the rounded shoulders.
"How utterly and hopelessly primitive
Let me show you much simpler alter
native. have map of the mining
district. you know. Father left II with
me--in case should want to comInu'
nicnte with him
smith looked up with smile which
vas a mere barring OF the teeth.
"You wouldn't get Ia mans way
with any fne-spun theories OF the ult'
mate right and wrong. would your You
wouldn't say that the only great mar
ia the man who loves his fellow men
and all thatf'
Again the handsome shoulders were
lifted, this time In cool scon.
"Are you quoting the little ranch per
son7" she inquired. Then she answered
hrs query. The only great men wortf
speaking OF are the men who win. Fo'
the lack Of something better to do, I'm
willing to help you win, Montague
Most naturally. am the one wh'
would know where my father Is to b'
found. And I have changed my mint
about wanting to drive TO the Bald
wins. Well compromise on the play