The Elk Mountain pilot., 1918-05-16

OOWu III tu0 1NOu0 SuCh Auluc, yOu
mean1 It did seem to be raining
hammers as went down the shaft"
admitted his friend.
"Were the hammers dropped on pur-
poser
Gordon looked at him with grim
smile. "YOur guess is just as good az
mine, Peter. What do you think7"
Peter answered seriously. 81 think
1t isn't safe for you to take the chances
you do. Gordon. I find a wrong i'm
preston about you prevalent among
the men. They are blaming you for
stirring up all this trouble on the out
side. and they are worried for fear the
mines may close and they will lose
their jobs. tell you that they are in
n dangerous mood"
"Sorry, but I can't help that"
"You can stay around town and not
go out alone nights"
81 dare say can, but I'm not going
to-"
II think you had better use little
sense, Gordon. / dare say I am exag-
geratIng the danger. But when you
go around with that jaunty devll-may-
care way of yours, the men think you
are looking for trouble-and you're
likely to get it."
"Am II"
81 know what I'm talking about.
Nine out Of ten of the men think you
tried to murder Macdonald after you
had robbed him and that your nerve
weakened on the job. This seems to
some of the most lawless to give them
a moral right to put you out of the
way. Anyhow, 1t is kind of justifica-
ton, according to their point Of view.
I'm not defending 1t, of course. I'm
telling you so that you can appreciate
your danger"
"You have done your duty, then,
Peter"
"But you don't intend to take my ad-
vice2"
'Tll tell you what I told you last
time when you warned me. I'm going
through with the job I've been hired
to do, just as you would stick 1t out
in my place. 1 don't think I'm in much
danger. Men in general are law-abid-
ing. They growl. but they don't go as
far as murder"
Peter gave him up.
The next issue of the Kusiak Sun
Elliot. The occasion for 1t was
press dispatch from Washington to the
effect that the pressure of public opin-
ion had become so strong that Win
ton. commissioner of the general land
office, might be forced to resign his
place. This was blow to the coal
claimants, and the Sun charged In
vitriolIc language that the reports Of
Elliot were to blame. He was, the
newspaper claimed. an enemy to all
those who had come to Alaska to earn
an honest living there. He was a
snake in the grass, and rs such every
decent man ought to hold him In scorn.
Elliot read this just as he was leav-
ing for the Willow Creek camp. He
thrust the paper impatiently into his
coat pocket and swung to the saddle.
Why did they persecute him7 He had
told nothing but the truth. nothing not
required Of him by the simplest, ele-
mental honesty. Yet he was treated
as an outcast and a criminal. The In
Justice Of 1t was beginning to rankle.
He was temperamentally an opti-
mist, but depression rode with him to
the gold camp and did not lift from his
spirits till he started back next day for
Kusink. The news had been flashed by
wire nll over the United States that he
was n crook. His friends and relatives
could give no adequate answer to the
fact that an Indictment hung over his
head. In Alaska he was already con-
victed by public opinion.
In the late afternoon, while Gordon
was still fifteen miles from Kusiak.
his horse fell lame. He led 1t llmping
to the cabin of some miners.
There were three of them, and they
had been drinking heavily from jug
of whisky left earlier in the day by
the stage-driver. Gordon was in two
minds whether to accept their surly
permission to stay for the night, but
the lameness of his horse decided him.
Not caring to invite their hostility,
he gave his name as Gordon instead Of
Elliot He was to learn within the
hour that this was mistake number
two.
From n pocket of the coat he had
thrown on a bed protruded the news
paper Gordon had brought from Ku-
siak. One of the men, n big red-head-
ed fellow, pulled 1t out and began sulk-
fly to read.
While he read the other two bick-
cred and drank and snarled at each
other. All three of the men were in
that stage Of drunkenness when a
quarrel is likely to flare up at mo-
ment's notice.
"Listen here" demanded the man
with the newspaper. "Tell you what,
boys, I'm going to wiring the neck Of
that pussyfooting spy Elliot If ever
get a chanct"