The Knoxville independent. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1894-current, 1918-05-25
CHAPTER XIII.
Holt Frees His Mind.

Macdonald whirled in his tracks.
Old Gid Holt was leaning on his ell
bow with his head out of the win
dow. "You better come and beat me
UP first, Mac" he jeered. I'm all
stove up with a busted laig, SO you can
wallop me good. I'd come out there,
but I'm too crippled to move"
you're not too crippled to go back
to Kusiak with me. If you can't walk,
you'll ride. But back you CO."
"Fine. been worrying about how
to get there. It's right good Of you to
bring one of these here taxis for me, as
the old sayin' is"
"Where have you cached the gold
you stole?"
81 amt seen the latest papers, Mac.
What is this stuff about robbin' bank
and shootin' MiltonT
you're under arrest for robbery and
murder"
"Am II Unload the particulars.
When did do it allf'
"You know when. Just before you
left town" .....
Holt shook his head slowly. mo,
sir. l can't seem to remember IT..
Sure it amt some one else you're
thinking about? Howcome you to fix
on me as one of the bold, bad bandits"
Because you had not sense enough
to cover your tracks. You might Just
as well have left a note saying you did
1t. First, you come to town and buy
one of the fastest dog teams In Alaska.
Why"
''That's an easy one. bought that
team to win the Alaska sweepstakes
from you. And I'm goin' to do 1t. The
team wasn't handled right or 1t would
have won last time. I got to mullin' 1t
over and figured that old Gid Holt was
the dog puncher that could land those
huskies in front. SeeW
"You bought it to make your get
away after the robbery" retorted Mac
donald.
"It's a difference of opinion makes
horse races. What else have you got
against us?"
"We found In your room one OF the
sacks that had held the gold you took
from the bank"
"That's right. I took 1t from the
bank in the afternoon, where I had had
IL on deposit, to pay for the team l
bought. Millions books will show that.
But you didn't find any sack took
when your bank was robbed-if it was
robbed" added the old man signif-
cantly.
"Of course, I knew you would have
an alibi. Have you got one to explain
why you left town so suddenly the
night the bank was robbed? Milton
was killed after midnight. Before
morning you and your friend Elliot
routed out Ackroyd and bought a lot
of supplies from him for a hurry-up
trip. You slipped around to the corral
and hit the trail right into the blizzard.
Will you tell me why you were in such
a hurry to get away, if it wasn't to es-
cape from the town where you had
murdered a decent old fellow who
never had harmed q soulW
"Sure I'll tell you" The black eyes
Of the little man snapped eagerly. Il
came so p. d. q. because that side pard-
ner Of mine Gordon Elliot wouldn't let
me wait till mornin'. He had reason
for leavin' town that wouldn't wait
minute, one big enough to drive him
right into the heart Of the blizzard. Me,
] tagged along"
II can guess his reason" jeered the
Scotsman. "But I'd like to hear you
put a name to it."
Holt grinned mallciously and waved
q hand toward the girl who was pillow
ing the head of her lover. 1.-THE name
of his reason is Sheba O'Neill, tut it's
to he Sheba Elliot soon, looks like"
"You mean"
The little miner took the words tri-
umphantly out of his mouth. he
leaned forward and threw them into
the face Of the man he hated. II mean
that while you was dancin' and philan-
derin' with other women, Gordon Elliot
was buckin' blizzard to save the life
Of the girl You both claimed to love.
He was mushIn' into fifty miles of
frozen hell while you was film up
with potted grouse and champagne.
Simultaneous with the lame goose and
the monkey singlestep you was doin',
this lad was windjammin' through
white drifts. He beat you at your
0wn game. man. You're bear for
the outdoor stuff, they tell me. You
chew up a blizzard for breakfast and
throttle pack OF wolves to work up
an appetite for dinner. It's your spe-
cialty. All right Take your hat off
TO that chechacko who has just whaled
you blind. He has outgamed you, Col
by Macdonald. You don't run in his
class. ] see he is holding his haid up
again. Give him another half-hour and
he'll be ready to 60 to the mat with
you again.
The big Alaskan pushed away fear
that had been lingering In his mind ever
since he had stumbled on that body
buried In the snow yesterday after
noon. Was his enemy going to escape
him, after ail7 Could Holt be telling
fhs true reason why they had left town