Cleveland County herald., 1918-04-25

 whispered.
 His finger pointed through the dark ness to the other end of tine room. II. the faint gray light of coming day Macdonald could see a huddled mass on the floor.
 "There has been murder done. I'll get light. Don't move from here. Jones. want to look at things before we disturb them, There's no danger. The robbers have been gone for hours"
 By the light of another match the mine-owner crossed the room into the sitting room of the cashier. Presently he returned with lamp and let It's light fall upon the figure lying slumped against the wall A revolver lay close to the inert fingers. The head hung forward grotesquely upon the breast.
 The dead man was Milton. His em- ployer saw nothing ridiculous In the twisted neck and sprawling limbs. The cashier had died to save the money entrusted to his care.
 Macdonald handed the lamp to the marshal and picked up the revolver. AfcIy CudlIDCI WdS lOdOcu.
 "They beat him to 1t. They were probably here when he reached home. My guess is he heard them right away. got his gun, and came In. He's still wearing his dress suit. That gives us the time, for he left the club about midnight. Soon as they saw him they dropped him. wouldn't have had this aII fy, hn of
 "How much was there in it?"
 q don't know exactly. The books will show. I'll send Wally down to look them over."
 "Shot right spang through the heart looks like," commented Jones, follow. ing with his eye the course of the wound
 "Wish I'd been here instead of him." Macdonald said grimly. His eyes soft- ened as he continued to look down at the employee who had paid with his life for his faithfulness. 'It wasn't an even break. Poor old fellow! You weren't built for job like this, Robert Milton, but you played your hand out to a finish. That's all any man can do."
 He turned abruptly away and began examining the safe. The silver still stood sacked in one large compart- ment. The bank notes had escaped the hurried search of the robbers, but the gold was practically all gone. One sack had been torn by the explosion and single pieces of gold could be found all over the safe.
 Macdonald glanced over the papers rapidly. The officer picked up one of dozens scattered over the floor. It was mortgage note made out to the bank by a miner He collected the others. Evidently the bandits had torn off the rubber, glanced over one or two to see if they had any cash value, and tossed the package into the air as a disgusted gambler does a pack of cards.
 The bank president stepped to the door and threw it open. He explained the situation in three sentences.
 q can't let you in now, boys, until the coroner has been here," he went on to tell the crowd. "But there Is one way you can all help. Keep your eyes open. If you have seen any suspicious characters around, let me know. Or if anyone has left town in a hurry or been seen doing anything during the night that you did not understand at the time."
 A man named Fred Tague pushed to the front. He kept feed corral near the edge of town. q can tell you one man who mushed out before five o'clock this morning-and that's Gid Holt"
 The eyes of Macdonald, cold and hard as jade, fastened to the man. "How do you know?"
 '"That dog team he bought from Tim Ryan We'll he's been keeping 1t in my corral. When I got there this morning it was gone. The snow hadn't wiped out the tracks of the runners yet, so he couldn't have left more than fifteen minutes before"
 You don't know that Holt took the team bimself?"
 Come to that, don't. But he had a key to the barn where the sled was. Holt has been putting up at the hotel. l reckon 1t Is easy to find out if he's still there."
 Macdonald's keen brain followed the facts as the nose of bloodhound does trail. Holt, an open enemy of his, had reached town only two days be- fore. He had bought one of the best and swiftest dog teams in the North and had let slip before witnesses the remark that Macdonald would soon find out what he wanted with the out fit. The bank had been robbed after midnight. To file open the grill and to blow up the safe must have taken sev. eral hours. Before morning the dogs of Holt had taken the trail. If their owner were with them, it was safe bet that the sled carried forty thour sand dollars in Alaska gold dust.
 CTO BE CONTINUED)
 The Reason Why.
 sIn this railroad case, want to aSlh