Mexico Missouri message., 1917-10-18

Il
With the president and the chief OF
construction locked up, and the wheels
blocked for the next twenty-four hours
our charter will be gone"
"This world and another. and then
the fireworks" Starbuck threw In,
"With the property ali roped up In a
law tangle, and those stock options of
yours due TO fall in, it looks as IL a
few prominent citizens of the TTman.
yoni would have toAtake to the lhRf1
grass and the tall timber. It sure
does, John"
DO you know, Billy, I have been
expecting something of this kind-and
expecting 1t to be fake. That's why
1 sent Stillings to Red Butte; to keep
watch of Judge Lorching's court. Still
ings was to phone me If Lorching is.
sued an order"
"And he hasn't 'phoned your"
mo; but that doesn't prove any
thing. The order may have been is.
sued, and Stillings may have tried to
let us know. There are q good many
ways in which a mans mouth may be
stopped-when there are no scrupleg
on the other side"
"Then you think there is no doubt
that the court order is straight, and
that this man M'Graw is really q
deputy marshal and has the law for
what he is doiRg2"
"In the absence of any proof to the
contrary, we are obliged to believe II
or at least to accept it. But we're
not dead yet. Billy, it's run.
ming in my mind that we've got to 60
out there and clean up AIR. M'Graw
and his crowd"
Starbuck threw up his hands and
made noise like dry wagon wheel.
"Holy smoke - go up against the
whole United States" he gasped.
Smiths grin showed his strong, even
teeth.
"Starbuck, you remember what ]
told you one night?-the night ]
dragged you up to my rooms in the
hotel and gave you hint of the rea.
son why L had no business to make
"Yep."
"Well, the time has come when ]
may as well fill out the blanks in the
story for you" And with Billy look.
ing straight into his eyes, he did So
At the end Starbuck was nodding so.
berly. "You sure have been carrying
a back-lOad all these weeks, John,
never knowing what minute was going
to be the next. Now l know about
this Miss Rich-pastures. She knows
you and she could give you away if
she wanted to. Has she done it, John?"
No; but her father has. Stanton has
got hold of the end of the thread, and,
while don't know it definitely, it is
practically certain he sent q wire. II
the Brewster police are not looking for
me at this moment, they will be short.
ly. That brings us back to this High
Line knockout. AS the matter stands,
I'm the one man in our outfit who has
absolutely nothing to lose. / am an
officer of the company, and no legal
notice has been served upon me. Can
you fill out the remainder of the or.
der?"
mo, I'll be switched if cang'
"Then I'll ill it for you. So far as
1 know-legally, you understandable
raid has never been authorized by the
courts; at least, that is what I'm go.
ing to assume until the proper papers
have been served on me. Therefore
am free to strike one final blow for
the colonel and his friends, and I'm
going to do it, if 1 can dodge the police
long enough to get action"
Starbuck's tilting chair righted itself
with a crash.
you've thought it all out?-just
how to go at it?"
"Every move; and everyone of them
a straight bid for q second penitentiary
"All right" said the mine owner
briefly. Count me in."
"For information only" was the
brusque reply. "You have a stake in
the country and good name to main.
tain. have nothing. But you can
tell me Il few things. Are our work.
men still on the groundT
"Yes. Ginty said there were only q
few stragglers who came to town with
him. Most of the two shifts are stay.
ing on to get their pay-or until they
find out that they aren't going to get
it."
"And the colonel and Williams: the
marshal is holding them out ut the
damp"
"Uh-huh; locked up in the office
shack, Ginty says"
Good. I shan't need the colonel,
but shall need Williams. Now an.
other question: you know Sheriff
Harding fairly wen, don't you? What
sort of man is he"
Square as a die, and as nervy as
they make 'em. When he gets a war.
rant to serve, he'll bring In his man,
dead or alive"