The diamond drill., 1920-03-06

Save rs two rooms at the hotel
She turned to her cousin. who was
standing big-eyed at her elbow.
what Is II. Katel Has anything
happened 70 Uncle Luck?"
She swallowed lump In her throat.
Dads gone. Bob. Nobody knows
where. They say--the liars-that he
robbed the w. x s. Express company"
Suddenly her face went down into
her forearm on the table and sobs be-
gan TO rack her body. The boy. stag
gered at this preposterous charge.
could only lay his hand on her shoul-
der and beg her not 20 cry.
It'll be all right. Kate. Walt till
J Uncle Luck comes back. He'll make
'em sick for talking about him."
His cousin nodded. choking down
her sobs. "of course. It--itll come
ont all right-as soon as he finds out
what they're saying. Saddle two
horses right away. Bob"
"Sure. Wen soon find where he is.
bet you"
The setting sun found their journey
less than half done. Kate was tor
tured with anxiety. Deep within her
something denied that her father could
be gone out os world so good. And
II he We're alive. Curly Flandrau
would find hlm-Curly and Dick be-
tween them. Luck Cullison had plenty
of good friends who would not stand
by and see him wronged.
Any theory of his disappearance
that accepted his guilt did not occur
10 her mind for an instant. The two
had been very close TO each other.
Luck had been I'm the habit of saying
smilingly that she was his major domo.
his right bower. Some share OF his
lawless temperament she inherited,
enough to feel sure that this particu-
lar kind OF wrongdoing was impossible
for him. He was reckless. sometimes
passionate. but she did not need to re-
assure herself that he was scrupulous-
ly honest.
This brought her back to the only
other tenable hypothesis-foul play.
, And from this she shrank with a quak-
ing heart. For surely II his enemies
wished 10 harm him they would de-
stroy him, and this was a conclusion
against which she fought desperately.
The plaza clock doomed ten strokes
ms they rode into Saguache. Macken-
zie was waiting for them on the steps
OF the hotel.
Have they-has anything been--7"
The owner of the Fiddleback shook
his grizzled head. mot yet. Didn't
you meet Curlyi"
"No."
"He rode out to come in with you.
but II he didn't meet you by ten he
which he had written list of his
debts. You'll notice they run TO Just
little more than twenty thousand.
found this ia his bedroom the day he
disappeared. Turn that envelope over,
Miss Culison. Notice how he has
written there half dozen times In a
row. $4,000 and just below II twice.
w. 4 S. Ex. Co. Finally, the one
word. Tonight"
She read IL all. read II with a heart
heavy rs lead and knew that there he
had left in his own strong, bold hand
writing convincing evidence against
himself. Sull. she did not doubt him
In the least. but there could be no
question now that he knew OF the In
tended shipment. that absent-mndedly
he had totted down this data while he
was thinking about 1t In connection
with his own debts
The sheriff wags on tightening the
chain OF evidence In voice that, for
all It's kindness. seemed TO her re-
morseless as fate. 1T turns out that
Mr.. Jordan OF the Cattleman's Nation.
al bank mentioned this shipment TO
your father that morning. Mr.. Gull
lison was trying TO raise money from
him, but he couldn't LET him have II.
Every bank In the city refused him a
loan. Yet next morning he paid of
two thousand dollars he owed from a
poker game"
HE must have borrowed the money
from some one." she said weakly.
THAT money he paid In twenty-doI-
lar bills. The stolen express package
was In twenties. You know yourself
that this is a gold country. Bills amt
so plentiful"
The girls hand went to her heart.
Faith In her father was n rock not to
be washed away by any amount of
evidence. What made her vince was
the amount OF circumstantial testi-
mony falling into place so inexorably
against him.
'Ts that all?" she asked despairingly.
II wish II were. Miss Culllson. But
it's not. A man came round the corner
and shot at the robber as he was es-
Gaping. His hat fell OF. Here II Is"
AS Kate took the hat something
seemed 20 tighten around her heart. II