The Snowflake herald., 1918-04-26


His forearm came up with a jerk.
Two shots rang out almost together.
The cashier sagged back against the
wall and slowly slid to the floor.
The guests of Mrs. Selfridge danced
well into the small hours. The Cali
fOrnia champagne stimulated a gayety
that was balm to her soul. She want
ed her dinner-dance to be smart, to
have the atmosphere she had found in
the New York cabarets. If everybody
talked at once, she felt they were hav-
ing a good time. If nobody listened
to anybody else, it proved that the af-
fair was a screaming success.
Mrs. Wally was satisfied as she bade
her guests goOd-by and saw them pass
into the heavy snow that was again
falling. They all assured her that
there had not been so hilarious party
in Kusiak.
One old-timer, a trifle lit up by rea-
son of too much hospitality, phrased
his enjoyment a little awkwardly.
'It's been great, Mrs. Selfridge.
Nothing like it since the days of the
open dance hail."
Mrs. Mallory hastily suppressed an
internal smile and stepped into the
breach. "How do you do it?" she
asked her hostess enviously.
my dear, if you say it was a sue
cess"
'What else could one say?"
Genevieve Mallory always preferred
to tell the truth when it would do just
as well. Now it did better, since it
contributed to her own ironic sense of
amusement Macdonald had once told
her that Mrs. Selfridge made him think
of the saying, Monkey sees, monkey
does" The effervescent little woman
had never had an original idea in her
life.
Most of those who had been at the
dance slept late. They were oblivious
OF the fact that the storm had quick
ened again into bowling gale. Nor
did they know the two bits of news
that were passing up and down the
main street and being telephoned from
house to house. One of the items was
that the stage for Katma had failed to
reach the roadhOuse at Smiths Cross
ing. The second bit of news was local.
For the first time since Robert Milton
had been cashier the bank had failed
to open on the dot.
Macdonald was no sluggard. 1t was
his habit not to let the pleasure of the
night before interfere with the busi-
ness of the morning after. But in the
darkness he oversight and let the town
waken before him. He was reused by
the sound of knocking on his door.
"Who is it?" he asked.
TITS me-JOnes-Gopher Jones. Say,
Mac, the bank amt open and we can't
rouse Milton. Thought I'd come to
you, seeing as you're president of the
In three minutes Macdonald Joined
the marshal and walked down with
him to the bank. He unlocked the
front door and turned to the little
~ANNN IAA6lI Ilou
Better wait here, boys. Gopher and
will go in. l expect everything is
all right, but We'll let you know about
that as soon as we find OUT
The bank president opened the door.
ct the officer enter, and followed him
self.
The sun had not yet risen and the
blinds were down. Macdonald struck
1 match and held it up.
Banks been robbed" he announced
quietly.
Looks like" agreed Jones. His
'oice was uneven with excitement.
The Scotch-Canadian lit another
match. In the flare of it he saw that
he steel grill cutting off the alcove
vas open and that the door had been
blown from the safe.
The marshal clutched at the arm of
he banker did you see-that?" he
His finger pointed through the dark
less to the other end of the room. In
the faint gray light of coming day
Macdonald could see huddled mass
IN the floor.
"There has been murder done. I'll
get a light. Don't move from here,
Jones. want to look at things before
We disturb them. There's no danger.
The robbers have been gone for hours"
By the light of another match the
prOCcnd fho room into thp
sitting room of the cashier. Presently
lie returned with lamp and let its
light fall upon the figure lying slumped
against the wall. A revolver lay close
% the inert fingers. The head hung