Western liberal. (Lordsburg, N.M.) 1887-1919, 1918-02-15

IN this thing TO wini You take cure
Of those options, stillings; they're
worth a million dollars ~ somebody.
Lock 'em up somewhere md then for
get where they are. Now I'm going
to hunt up Mr.. Crawford stanton-be-
fore / eat or sleepi"
easy, John hold up a minute I" the
colonel broke in sOothlngly; and Still
lings, more practical, closed the office
door silently and put his back against
It. 'This is a pretty sudden country,
but there Is some sort Of a limit, you
know" the big Missourian went on.
whats your idea in going to Stan
toni"
II mean to give him twelve hours in
which to pack his trunk and get out
of Brewster and the Timanyonl. II he
hasn't disappeared by tomorrow morn
ing"
Stilllngs was signaling in dumb
show to Baldwin. He had quietly
opened the door and was crOOklng his
finger and making signs over his Shout
der toward the corridor. Baldwin saw
what was wanted, and Immediately
shot his desk cover open and turned on
the lights.
THAT last lot Of steel and cement
vouchers was made out yesterday,
john" he said, slipping the rubber
band from a file Of papers in the desk.
IF youn take time to sit down here
and run 'em over, and put your name
on 'em, I'll hold Martin long enough to
flet him get the checks in tonight's
mail. I'll be back after a little"
Smith dragged up the presidents
big swivel chair and planted himself
in 1t, and an instant later he was lost
to everything save the columns of fig
ures on the vouchers. Stillings had
let himself out, and when the colonel
followed him, the lawyer cautiously
closed the door of the private office,
and edged Baldwin into the corridor.
we've mighty near got a mailman
to deal with in there, colonel" he
whispered, when the two were out of
earshot. II was watching his eyes
when he said that about Stanton, and
they fairly blazed. He's going to kill
somebody, If we don't look out"
Baldwin was shaking his head du-
biously.
"He's acting like a locoed thorough.
bred that's gone outlaw" he said. "Do
you reckon he's sure-enough crazy,
BObf"
"Only in the murder nerve. This
/ Hoa1 Wufth fhn nnkfnna rh1v-- AA.A h.Sr
all to the good on the business side,
That was the smOothest trick that's
been turned in any stage of this dodg.
ing fight with the big fellows. It sim.
ply knocks Kinzie's ~rat-gnawing game
dead. If there were only somebody
who could calm Smith down a little
and bring him to reason-somebody
near enough to him to dig down under
his shell and get at the real man that
used to be there when he first took
hold with us"
"a woman?" queried Baldwin, frown.
ing disapproval in anticipation of what
Stillings might be going to suggest.
"a woman for choice, of course. ]
was thinking of this young woman
over at the Hophra House; anybody
a see with half an eye that she has
a pretty good grip on him. Suppose
we go across the street and give hel
an invitation to come and do a little
missionary work on Smith. She look:
level-headed and sensible enough Il
take 1t the way it's meant"
Stillings was a lawyer and had NJ
%scruples, but the colonel had them II
just proportion to his Southern brit
and breeding.
II don't like to drag a woman into
1t, any way or shape, Bob" he pro
tested; and he would have gone on 4
say that he had good reason to be
lleve that Miss R%ichlander's ~infiuenc,
over Smith might not be at all Of tn,
meliOrating sort, but Stillings cut hin
short.
"There need be no dragging TIL,
young woman doubtless knows tn,
business situation; she evidentl!
knows Smith a whole lot better thai
we do. It's a chance, and we'd bette
try 1t. He's good for half an hour O
so with those vouchers"
QTO I'm N~ONJTTNTTEnN