The Snowflake herald., 1918-04-05
lat Elliot is to hlame.n

That's how it looks to me- agreed
Strong. "Tm for a wide-Open Alaska,
but that don't make it right to put this
young fellow through for a crime he
didn't do. Fact is, like him. He's
square. So I've come to tell you some
thing"
He smoked for minute silently be-
fore he continued.
"Tve got no evidence in his favor,
but bumped into something a little
while ago that didn't look good to me.
You know room next him at the ho-
tel. I heard noise in his room, and
l thought that was funny, seeing as he
was locked up in Jail. So / kinder
listened and heard whispers and the
sound of some one moving about.
There's a door between his room and
mine that is kept locked. ! looked
through the keyhole, and in Elliot's
room there was Wally Selfridge and
another man. They were looking
through papers at the desk. Wally
put a stack of them in his pocket and
they went out, locking the door behind
them"
"They had no business doing that"
burst out Diane. "Waily Selfridge isn't
an officer of the law"
Strong nodded dryly to her. "Just
what / thought. SO / followed them.
They went to Macdonald's offices. AT
ter while Wally came out and left the
other man there. Then presently the
lights went out. The man is camped
there for the night. VIII you tell me
why?"
"Why?" repeated Diane with her
sharp eyes on the miner.
Because Wally has some papers
there he don't want to get away from
him."
"some of Gordon's papers. of
course"
"You've said it,"
"All his notes and evidence in the
case of the coal claims, probably" con-
tributed Peter.
maybe. Wally has stolen them, but
he hasn't nerve enough to burn them
till he gets orders from Mac. So he's
holding them safe at the Office"
guessed Strong.
'It's an outrage"
"Surest thing you know. Wally has
fixed it to frame him for prison and to
play safe about his evidence on the
coal claims"
''What are you going to do about
it?" Diane asked her husband sharply
Peter rose. "First I'm going to see
Gordon and hear what he has to say.
Come on, Strong. We may be gone
quite a while, Diane. Don't wait up
for me if you get through your stint
of nursing"
Gopher Jones let them into the ram
shackle building that served as a Jail,
and after three dollars had jingled in
the palm of his hand he stepped out
side and left the men alone with his
prisoner. The three put their heads
together and whispered.
'Ill meet you outside the house of
Selfridge in half an hour, Strong" was
the last thing that Gordon said before
Jones came back to order out the Wis
itors.
AS soon as the place was dark again,
Gordon set to work on the flimsy
framework of his cell window. He
knew already it was so decrepit that
he could escape any time he desired,
but until now there had been no rea-
son why he should. Within a quarter
of an hour he lifted the iron-grilled
sash bodily from the frame and
crawled through the window.
He found Paget and Strong waiting
for him in the shadows of pine out
side the yard of Selfridge.
'..To begin with, you walk straight
home and go to bed, Peter" the young
man announced. you're not in this.
You're not invited to our party. l
don't have to tell you why, do II"
The engineer understood the reason.
He was an employee of Macdonald a
man thoroughly trusted by him. Even
though Gordon intended only to right
a wrong, it was better that Paget
should not be party to it. Reluctant
ly Peter went home
Gordon turned to Strong. ST owe
you lot already. There's no need for
you to run risk of getting into trou-
BILE for me. If things break right,
can do what I have to do without
help"
"And if they don'tw Strong waved
an impatient hand. "Cut it out, Elliot.
I've taken a fancy to go through with
this. / never did like Selfridge any
how, and | amt got wife and / don't
work for Mac. Why shouldn't I have
some fun?"
Gordon shrugged his shoulders. "AIl
right. Might as well play ball and get
things moving. then"
The little miner knocked at the door,
Wally himself opened. Elliot, from the
shelter of the pine, saw the two men
in talk. Selfridge shut the door and
came to the edge of the porch. He
gave gasp and his hands went trem-
bling into the air. The six-gun OF the
n