The Red Cloud chief., 1917-09-13
Copyright by Chas. scribner's Sons
CHAPTER XVIII.
The Arrow 70 the Mark.

his habit was, upon the work In hand,
was still deep In the voucher-audltlng
when the office door was opened and
a small shocked voice said: "Oh,
wO0hi how you startled me! / saw
the light, and I supposed, Of course, 1t
was cOlonel-daddy. Where is he?"
Smith pushed the papers aside and
looked up scowling.
"He was here a minute ago, with
Stillings. Said he'd be back. You've
come to take him homer
She nodded and came to sit In q
chair at the desk-end, saying:
"Don't let me interrupt you, please.
I'll be quiet"
II don't mean to let anything inter-
rupt me until I have finished what I
have undertaken to do; I'm past all
that, now"
II have heard about what you did
last night"
"About the newspaper fracas? You
don't approve of anything like that, Of
course Neither did I, once. But
there is no middle way. You know
what the animal tanners tell us about
the beasts. I've had my taste Of blood.
There are a good many men In this
world who need killing. Crawford
Stanton is n Of them, and I'm not
sure that Mr.. David Kinzie isn't an
other"
II can't hear what you say when
you talk like that" she objected, look
Ing past him with the gray eyes
yelled.
do you want m to lie down and let
them put the steam roller over me 2" he
demanded irritably. as that your
ideal Of the perfect manT
"What l said, and what I meant,
had nothing at all to do with Timan-
yoni High Line and Its fight for life,"
she said calmly, recalling the wander
Ing gaze and letting him see her eyes.
Il was thinking altogether Of one
mans attitude toward his world"
THAT was some time ago." he put
In soberly. "Tve gone a long way
since then, Corona"
q" know you have. Why doesn't
uauuy come "a
Hell come soon enough. You're
not afraid to be here alone with me,
are your
"No; but anybody might be afraid
of the man you are going to be-"
His laugh was as mirthless as the
c%reaking Of a rusty hinge.
"You needn't put 1t in the future
tense. I have already broken with
whatever traditions there were left to
break with. Last night I threatened
to kill Allen. and, perhaps. I should
have done 1t If he hadn't begged like
a dog and dragged his wife and chill
dren into It,"
Il know" she acQuiesced, and again
she was looking past him.
And that isn't all. Yesterday Kin.
zie set a trap for me and bated 1t
with n Of his clerks. For q little
while 1t seemed as II the only way to
spring the trap was for me to go
after the clerk and put a bullet
through him. 1t wasn't necessary, as
1t turned out. but II 1t had been"
"Oh. you couldn't" she broke In
quickly. II can't believe that of you ~
"You think l couldn't? Let me tell
you OF q thing that I have done.
Night before last Verda Richlander
had a wire from a young fellow who
wants to marry her. He had found
out that she was here In Brewster
and the wire was to tell her that he
was coming In that night on the de
layad Flyer She asked me to mee'
him and tell him she had gone to bed
He is a miserable little wretch; a sori
of sham reprobate; and she has never
cared for him, except to keep him dan
Cling around with a lot of others.
told her I wouldn't meet him. and sh,
knew very well that I couldn't NEE
him-and stay out Of Jail. Are yol
ustening2"
'T'm trying to-"
ut was the pinch, and I wasn't bill
enough-in your sense of the word-t,
meet 1t. I saw what would happen
II Tucker Jibbey came here, Stanton
would pounce upon him at once; an,
Jibbey, with a drink or two under hi
: belt, would tell all he knew. I Tough
1t all out while I was waiting for tn
train. It was Jibbey's %effacement, o
the end of the world for me, and 70
Timanyoni High Line"
Dexter Baldwin's daughter was no
Of those who shrek and faint at tn
apparition Of horror. But the gra
eyes were dilating and her breath wa
coming In little gasps when she said
II can't believe 1t! You are not. &C
ing to tell me that you met this ma
as a friend, and then"
mo; 1t didn't quite come to a mul
der in cold blood, though I thought |
might. ! had Maxwell's runabout. an
! got Jibbey into II. He thought I wa
going to drive him to the hotel. Afte
ue got out Of town he grew suspicious