The Raymer enterprise., 1918-01-17
Copyright by Chas. scribner's Sons
CHAPTER XVII.
The Arrow to the Mark.

Inc ARROW 70 the MARK
Smith, concentrating abstractedly, as
his habit was, upon the work In hand,
was still deep In the voucher-auditlng
when the Office door was opened and
q small shocked voice said: "Oh,
wooh how you startled me! | saw
the light. and supposed, Of course. 1t
was colonel-daddy. Where Is he?"
Smith pushed the papers aside and
looked up scowllng.
"He was here a minute ago, with
Stilllngs. Said he'd be back. You've
come to take him homer
She nodded and came to sit In a
chair at the desk-end, saying:
Don't let me interrupt you. please.
I'll be quiet"
u don't mean to let anything inter-
rupt me until I have finished what /
have undertaken to do; I'm past oil
that, now"
II have heard about what you did
last night"
about the newspaper fracasi You
don't approve Of anything like that. Of
course. Neither did |, once. But
there Is no middle way. You know
what the animal tanners tell us about
the beasts. I've had my taste OF blood.
There are good many men In this
world who need killing. Crawford
stanton Is one OF them, and I'm not
sure that Mr.. David Kinzle Isn't an
other"
II can't hear what you say when
you Talk like that" she objected. look
ing past him with the gray eyes
yelled.
do you want me to lie down and let
them put the steam roller over me?' he
demanded Irritably. "Is that your
ideal of the perfect mani"
what | said. and whit l meant.
had nothing at all to do with Timan-
yonl High Line and Its fight for llfe,r
she said calmly. recalling the wander
Ing gaze and letting him see her eyes.
II was thinking altogether OF one
mans attitude toward his world"
'That was some time ago." he put
In soberly. "I've gone a long way
since then, Corona"
II know you have. Why doesn't
daddy come backT
Hell come soon enough. You're
not afraid to be here alone with me,
are your
"No, but anybody might be afraid
Of the man you are going to be-"
His laugh was as mlrtbless as the
creaklng of rusty hinge.
"You needn't put II in the future
tense, have already broken with
whatever traditions there were left to
break with. Last night / threatened
to kill Allen, and, perhaps, should
have done II II he hadn't begged like
a dog and dragged his wife and chill
dren into it
II know" she acquItseed, and again
she was looking past him.
"And that Isn't ALL Yesterday Kin
zie set trap for me and bated 1t
with one Of his clerks. For a little |
while II seemed as II the only way to !
spring the trap was for me to go
after the clerk and put bullet |
through him. It wasn't necessary, as
1t turned out, but II It had been
"Oh, you couldn't" she broke In
quickly. Il can't believe that OF your
"You think I couldn'tf Let me tell
you OF thing that l have done.
Night before last Verda Rlchlander
had wire from young fellow who
wants to marry her. He had found
out that she was here In Brewster,
and the wire was to tell her that he
was coming In that night on the de-
lnyed Flyer She asked me to meet
him and tell him she had gone to bed.
He Is miserable little wretch; sort
OF sham reprobate; and she has never
cared for him, except to keep him dam
Cling around with a lot OF others. /
told her wouldn't meet him, and she
knew very well that | couldn't meet
him-nnd stay out Of Jail. Are you
listening?"
I'm trying to-"
1T was the pinch. and I wasn't big
enough-in your sense OF the word-to
meet II. saw what would happen.
II Tucker Jlbbey came here, Stanton
would pounee upon him at once; and
Jibbey, with drink or two under his
belt, would tell oil he knew. | fought
II all out while was waiting for the
train. 1t was Jlbbey's effacement, or
the end of tie world for me, and for
Tlmanyoni High Line"
Dexter Baldwin's daughter was not
Of those who shrek and faint at the
apparitlon of horror. But the gray
eyes were dilating and her breath was
coming In little gasps when she said.
II cant believe IL You arc not GO
Ing to tell me that you met this man
% a friend. and then
"No: 1t didn't quite como to a mur-
DER In cold blood. though | thought II
might. had Maxwell's runabout, and
! got Jibbey Into II. He thought l was
ouing to drive him TO the hotel. After
~ ept - r town be grew suspicious,