The Snowflake herald., 1918-03-29

sidestepped and retreated. More than
once their heavy blows crashed on
his face. His eyes dared not wander
from them for an instant, but he was
working toward a definite plan. AS he
moved his feet were searching for the
automatic he had dropped.
One of his feet, dragging over the
ground, came into contact with the
steel. With a swift side kick Gordon
flung the weapon a dozen feet to the
left. Presently, watching his chance,
he made dive for it.
Trelawney, followed by Northrup,
turned and ran. One of them caught
Macdonald's horse by the bride. He
swung to the saddle and the other man
clambered on behind. There was a
clatter of hOofs and they were gone.
Elliot stopped over the battered body
that lay huddled at the edge of the
water. So badly had the face been
beaten and hammered that it was not
until he had washed the blood from
the wounds that Gordon recognized
Macdonald.
Opening the coat of the insensible
man, Gordon put his hand against the
heart. He could not be sure whetneI
he felt it beating or whether the throb-
bing came from the pulses in his finger
tips. AS well as he could he bound up
the wounds with handkerchiefs and
stanched the bleeding. With ice-cold
water from the stream he drenched
the bruised face. A faint sigh quiv-
cred through the slack, inert body.
Gordon hoisted Macdonald across
the saddle and led the horse through
the ford. He walked beside the animal
to town, and never had two miles
seemed to him so far. With one hand
he steadied the helpless body that lay
like a sack of flour balanced in the
trough of the saddle.
Kusiak at last lay below him, and
when he descended the hill to the sub
urbs almost the first house was the one
where the Pagets lived.
Elliot threw the body across his
shoulder and walked up the walk to
the porch. He kicked upon the door
with his foot. Sheba answered the
knock, and at sight of what he car
ried the color faded from her face.
Macdonald has been hurt-badly,"
he explained quickly.
"This way" the girl cried, and led
him to her own room.
Get Diane-and a DOCTOR" ordered
Gordon after he had laid the uncon.
scious man on the white sheet.
While he and Diane undressed the
mine owner Sheba got a doctor on the
telephone. The wounded man opened
his eyes after a long time but there
was in them the glaze Of delirium. He
recognized none of them. All night
he raved and his deIirious talk went
back to the wild scenes of his earlier
life. Sometimes he swore savagely
again he made quiet, deadly threats :
but always his talk was crisp and
clean and vigorous. Nothing foul OF
Shiny came to the surface in those
hours Of unconscious babbling.
The doctor would make no promises
"He's mighty sick man. The cuts
are deep, and the hammering must
have Jared his brain terribly. If II
was anybody but Macdonald, wouldn't
give him a chance" he told Diane
when he left in the morning to get
breakfast. "But Macdonald has tre
mendous vitality. OF course If he lives
it will be because Mr.. Elliot brought
him In so sOOn."
Gordon walked with the doctor as
far as the hotel. A brown. thin
leathery man undraped himself from
chair In the lobby when Elliot opened
the door. He was officially known as
the chief of police of Kusiak. Incl
dentally he constituted the whole no
lice force. Generally he was referred
to as Gopher Jones on account of his
habit of spasmOdic prospecting.
II got to put you under arrest. Mr.
Elliot" he explained.
What fOrT demanded Gordon. sur
prised.
''Doc thinks it will run to murder
I reckon"
The field agent was startled. "Yor
mean-Macdonald?,
The brown man chewed his uuit
steadily. "You done guessed it,
That's absurd, you know. What
evidence have you got?"
"First off, you'd had trouble with
him. It was common talk that wheH