The Chesterfield advertiser. [volume] (Chesterfield C.H., S.C.) 1884-1978, 1920-03-04
CHAPTER 10,
An initiated Hat.


common destination.
Trying to do two things at once has
Its disadvantages. A startling head
line caught his eyes just as the cup
was at his lips. Hot coffee, precIpi.
lately swallowed. scalded his tongue
and throat. He set down the cup,
swore mildly, and gave his attention
to the news that had excited him:
"While the citizens Of Saguach
were peacefully sleeping last night, a
lone bandit held up the messengers of
the Western & Southern Express com.
pany, and relieved them of twenty
thousaLi deatars just received from ri
Paso on the Flyer.
Perry Hawley. the local manager
OF the company, together with Len
Rogers. the armed guard, had just re-
turned from the depot, where the
money had been turned over to them
and receipted for. I,awley had un.
locked the door Of the office and had
stepped in, followed by Rogers, when
masked desperate appeared sudden
ly out of the da rkness. disarmed the
guard and manager, took the money,
passed through the door and locked 1t
after him. and vanished rs silently as
he had come. Before leaving, he
warned his victims that the place
would be covered for ten minutes and
at any attempt to call for help they
would be shot. Notwithstanding this,
the imprisoned men riskcd their lives
by raising the alarm"
Further down the page Mackenzie
discovered that the desperate was still
at large, but that Sheriff Bolt expect.
cd shortly to lay hands on him.
lie folded the paper and returned to
his room to make preparation to re-
turn to his ranch. The buzz of the
telephone called him to the receiver.
The voice Of CuliisOn reached him.
THAT you, Mac? I'll be right up.
No, don't come down. I'd rather see
you alone"
The owner Of the Circle G came
right to business. "Ive made raise,
Mac, and while I've got 1t I'm going to
skin off what's coming to you."
He had taken q big roll of bills from
his pocket, and was counting off what
he had lost to his friend. The latter
noticed that 1t all seemed to be In
twenties.
Twelve hundred. That squares u.s.
Mac"
The Scotsman was vaguely uneasy
without definite reason for his anx-
iety. Only last night Cullison had told
Gin ~
advance him a dollar. Now he had
money In plenty. Where had he got
It?
MackenZie's eye fell on a copy Of
the Sentinel protruding from the 9TH
er's pocket. Read about the holdup
OF the w. & 8. express? That fellow
had his nerve with him."
"Shol This holdup games the
easiest yet. He got the drop on them
and there was nothing to it."
How did he know there was money
coming in last night2"
There's always a leak about things
Of that sort. Somebody talks. knew
1t myself, fer that matter"
"You knewl Who told your"
That's secret. Mac. Come to
think Of 1t, wish you wouldn't tell
anybody that knew. don't want to
get the man who told me in trouble"
"Sure / won't" He passed to an
other phase Of the subject. "The Sen
tinel says Bolt expects to catch the
rObber. Think he will2"
mot II the fellow knows his busl.
ness. Bolt has nothing to go on. He
has the whole Southwest to pick from
For all he knows, it was YOU"
"Yes, but"
"Or more likely me-" The gray eyes
OF the former sheriff held a frosty
smile.
In spite of that smile, or perhaps
because Of 1t. Mackenzie felt again
that flash Of doubt. whats the use
Of talking foolishness. Luck? Course
you didn't do 1t. l know you too we'll"
But the trouble was Mackenzie did
not know him well enough. Cullison
was hard up, close to the wall. How
far would he go to save himself? In
his slow, troubled fashion, Mac won
dered If his old side partners streak
of lawlessness would take him as far
as holdup. OF course it would not,
he assured himself; but he could not
get the ridiculous notion out OF his
head.
Mackenzie drifted to the courthouse
He found Sheriff Bolt in his office. The
Scotsman wanted to discuss the rob-
berry, but was shy about attacking the
subject. While he boggled at 1t, Bolt
was off on another tack.
Inside OF quarter OF an hour the
sheriff had found out all he wanted to
know about the poker game, Culison's
financial difficulties. and the news that