The Meridian times. (Meridian, Idaho) 1909-1938, 1920-12-10

| ~ he's amin ter COM through the
other way"
"What'll we do, then--ride onf"
After bit; it's early yet, an may
be it'll do no harm to lie quiet awhile.
But we kin light up, an be COM
Portable"
He struck match, following the
flame In his hands, revealing the
bearded face of man of fifty, shad-
owed beneath a soft hat brim. Be
yond him appeared the obscure out
line of the other, mere smudge. A
moment the two puffed away content
eddy, Shelby not verturing to move
muscle.
SAY, Hanley, I've alters played my
hand the best / knew how, but do
like ter know what the game is Tn
playin' at. What do yer know, any
how?''
The other chuckled in his beard
rustling his feet in the leaves.
Easier ter ask about than explain,
Hank," he answered slowly, specially
as there is things I don't just cotton
to myself. Mostly l pulled the facts
out of that Kid MaclIlin when he was
drunk, cause he wanted me to help
him. But 1t seems he's only hired fer
the job; it's that guy we're waitin' for
who has got the real dope, and like
wise the long-green."
"Churchil's his name, amt itT'
THAT'S the duffer; some big Teller
down. East; Virginia, as | understand
Judge Cornelius Churchill; the
whole story goes hi of long
ways back,
He leaned his head against the tree
trunk behind him, putting away at
the cigarette between his bearded
lips, the dull glow barely touching his
face. The younger man leaned for
| ward waiting.
"Well," he said impatiently, "that
amt all of it; what started the rump-
us1 What's the idea of stealin' the
girl? An just whar do you an me
come ln?" A..
swell, as / figure it, we've got to
make our own medicine. You saw that
outfit go along afore dark-Macklin
an the four reds?' .
Sure; they had woman with
'em?" .r-.a. ~
"That's the ticket, an they was
bound for Wolves hole. I thought
maybe they'd camp down here, but
they didn't-tust kept movin'. Well.
that's one thing you an I laid out here
| for, to get line on MackIin. The
other thing is that this yere Cornelius
Churchill is about due also, an is
most likely to blow In along this same
trail. 1t Is my notion to have word
privatelike with that gent before Joe
gets to him-seeF"
Cant say that do, Hanley, exact
ly. What's it all about-the girl?"
MOSTLY, I reckon, an HI of n
slice of money down East. This is
how the Kid blew it to me. 1t seems
an army officer named Carlyn bout
the time the Civil war closed ran
away with a Rose Churchill down in
Virginia. and married her. All he
cared for was the girl, an he never
even knew she was rich, only that her
family objected to him, an that thev'd
have to skip ont. l reckon, maybe
she didn't know it herself at the time
nor the rest O the Churchill family,
for they didn't make no great effort
to find her for some while. Then,
when they opened Will. they discOv
cred that most all the Churchill for
tune had been left to this Rose. and
they naturally becom mighty inter
ested. Cornelius. as | understand
was the brother of Roses father an
the property was put in his hands as
trustee on behalf of the girl. Maybe
he was a straight enough guy general.
~ speaking, hut he had expected TO
get most of this dough after the girl
skipped out, an was consequently al.
mighty hot. Naturally he wanted to
keep the stuff an he didn't make no
great effort to locate the hereSs. Bv
the time he did learn who she had
married, Rose died, leaving daugh-
ter BY the terms of the will if she
died childleSs the entire estate revert.
ed to Cornelius, and he wasn't the
sort o guy to lose that kind O. bet"
An this soldier never suspected
pothing?" =.
MOI thihS. lie was a colonel nv
this time, out at some frontier post
and left his baby to the care of some
relatives in the East. There wasn't
no fuss made. an so Churchill sorter
let affairs slide along. He had the use
OF the money, an begun to think
there never would be no trouble. OF
course he kept line on the husband
but lost trace of the kid entirely"
; Yer mean the colonel never even
knowd he'd married rich grip"
so II seems. reckon she didn't
even know it, his wife. But after
! awhile some inkling of the truth must
J have reached him, for he went Fast
and began to make inquiries throngh
lawyer. When Churchill heard about
: Tbs he got scared. reckon he'd
W 1 xrrfAk IL.