The Tomahawk., 1918-03-14

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 q DOCTOR" ordered
Gordon after he had laid the unc0n-
scious man on the white sheet.
While he and Diane undressed the
mine owner Sheba got doctor on the
telephone. The wounded man opened
his eyes after long time, but there
was in them the glaze of delirium. He
recognized none Of them. All night
he raved, and his delirious 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 or
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 it
was anybody but Macdonald, I 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
1t 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
a 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 po-
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 for?' demanded Gordon, sur
prised.
"Doc thinks 1t will run to murder,
I reckon"
The field agent was startled. "You
mean-Macdonald?'
The brown man chewed his quid
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 when
you and Mac met, guns were going to
pop. You bought an automatic re-
volver two days ago. You was seen
practicing with it."
"He had threatened me-"
"You want to be careful what you
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.'
II 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 a
chance to tell it to the jury, shouldn't
wonder. Mebbe they'll believe 1t. You
never can tell"
"Believe it! Why, you muttonhead,
1 found him where he was bleeding to
death and brought him in.'
'"That's what heard say. Kinder
queer, amt it, you happened to be the
man that found him2''
"Nothing queer about 1t. I 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-"
"DOes that prove was planning
Isn't that the last thing I
would have asked If had intended
'Don't ask me. amt no psycholo-
gist. All I know is you took an inter-
est in the bank roll on the way"
"Tm here for the government inves.
tigating Macdonald. 1 was getting in
formation-earning my pay. Can you
that?'
Gopher chewed his cud impassively.
"Sure I can, and been earning mine.
By the way. how come you to be beat
up so bad, Mr.. Elliot?'
II had q fight with the robbers"
"Sure it wasn't with the robbed?
That split lip Of yours looks to L2e
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.