The Adair County news., 1918-02-06

The doctor would make no promises
"He's a 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 ire
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 Pc
| lice force. Generally he was referred
| to as Gopher Jones on account of his
habit of SpaSmOdic prospecting
81 got to put you under arrest, Mr.
Elliot" he explained.
'What for? demanded Gordon, sur
| prised.
"Doc thinks it will run to murder
reckon"
The field agent was startled. "Yor
Notwithstanding"
The brown man chewed his GuiC
steadily. you done guessed o."
"That's absurd, you know. What
evidence have you got?''
''First off, you'd had trouble with
him. 1t was common talk that wheI
you and Mac met guns were going tc
pop. You bought an automatic re
volver two days ago. You was seer
practicing with it,"
Gle had threatened me-"
"TOU want to be careful what yOr
say, Mr.. Elliot. It will be used against
you" Gopher shot a squirt Of to
bacco unerringly at the open door OF
the stove. "You was seen talking
with Trelawney and Northrup. Money
passed from you to them"
Il gave them a loan Of ten dollars
each because they were broke. Is that
criminal?" demanded Gordon angrily
THAT'S your story. You'll git 6
chance TO tell it to the jury, shouldn't
wonder. Mebbe they'll believe it. Yor
never can tell"
believe it! Why, you muttonhead
I found him where he was bleeding tc
death and brought him in"
THAT'S what 1 heard say. Kinder
queer, amt it, you happened to be the
man that found him?'
Nothing queer about it. was rid
ing in from Seven Mile Creek camp
Gordon was exasperated, but not at all
alarmed.
$50 you was. While you was out at
the camp you asked one of the boys
how big the pay roll would be-"
docs that prove 1 was planning a
hOld-up? Isn't that the last thing !
would have asked if I had intended
rObbery?"
Don't ask me. amt no psychoIo-
gist. All know is you took an inter
est in the bank roll on the way
I'm here for the government inves-
tigating Macdonald. L was getting in
mountaineering my pay Can you
understand that?"
Gopher chewed his cud impassiyelv.
"Sure 1 can, and been earning mine.
By the way, how come you to be beat
up so bad Mr.. ELLIOTT"
Il had a fight with the robbers"
"Sure it wasn't with the robbed?
! That split lip Of yours looks to me
! plumb like Macs John Hancock"
Elliot flushed angrily. "Of course if
! you intend to believe me guilty"
Now, there amt no manner o. use
in gettin' het up, young fellow. Meb-
! be you did it; mebbe you didn't. Any
how, you'll gimme that gat you been
toting these last few days."
GOrdOn's hand moved toward his
hip. Then he remembered.
! Il haven't it. l left it"
/ "YOu left it at the Forthwith one
| shell empty. That's where you left
it," interrupted the officer.
: yes. I fred at Northrup as he
. rushed me-"
/ 'Um-hu," ossented Jones, impudent
unbelief in his eye. "At Northrup or
/ at Macdonald"
"What do you think 1 did with the
money, then? Did eat it?'
; 'NOt SO you could notice it. Since
you put it to me fiat-fOOt, you gave
it to your pardners. You didn't want
it. They did. They have got the
horse tOO-and they're hitting the
high spots to make their getaway"
Elliot was locked up in the flimsy
Jail without breakfast. He was furi-
Gus, but as he paced up and down the
narrow beat beside the bed his anger
gave way to anxiety. Surely the Pag-
cts could not believe he had done such
a thing. And Sheba-wOuld she &C
cept as true this weight of circum-
stantial evidence that was piling up
against him?
1t could all be explained so easily.
And yet-the facts fitted like links of
, chain to condemn him. He went
over them one by one. The babbling
tongue of Selfridge that had made