Elbert County tribune and Elbert County banner., 1920-11-05
By
HOLWORTHY
H ALL
*
oopyrishs ~
Do1a. Asad = o.. Ina

|
at once he seemed to collapse; his
head hung low. and his breathing be-
came stertorous. His cheeks pufred
Queerly.
Hilliard sprang to him. RUFUS
Call the officel Get the house doc
tori"
Cullen had raced to the bathroom
for a glass Of water; he raced back
again. spilling half of 1t. HiIliard was
chaflng the brokers' wrists. The three
men strained at the unwieldy. unresist-
Ing bulk. while leaden fear clutched at
| their hearts.
The house physician hustled In to
find the broker lying on the bed in a
profound coma his refexes had gone
from him; he couldn't be reused. There
was no need of stethoscope.
"order an ice bag" said the man of
medicine sharply. He himself was rat
Ting among his vials for the calomel
Rufus was at the telephone.
Anything I can do?" asked HIlliard
earnestly. His suspicious had crys-
talized; and he was bitterly aware
that the broker had planned not JUS
tice, but some new brand of perfidy;
nevertheless. the man was unquestion-
ably in danger-and revenge could
wait
"Nothing-Just give me plenty of
room"
As the three 'tood watching pain
fully. Cullen put out his hand to Hill
Hard. and spoke under his breath.
"Henry-+when did he conner"
"Only just now. An hour ago."
Hadn't he told your Or hadn't
you heard?'
"Heard what?"
Cullen motioned to Waring.
"Give 1t to him, Rufus oh,
| see; see"
The law student. without a word.
produced yellow blank and thrust
1t at Hilliard. He flashed glance of
lndescribable contempt at the supine
broker; his eyes had lost some of
their anxiety.
"oh. the big crook ~ he said boy
ishly. THE big crook"
"Sh-h-h RufusI' Still, Hilliard, at
heart, agreed with him to the letter.
The boy stood close to the
masquerader.
I'm sorry. Hilliard 1t came
at four this afternoon we'd
been hunting for you ever since :"
Hilliard wasn't interested.
"Pll wait until"
Cullen signed to him peremptorily.
Read 1t, 1 tell you'll It'll give
you n slant on himv'
Hilliard peered over the foot of the
bed; Harmon was still lying inert. The
physician nodded sidewise.
Nothing for you to do he said
grimly; and Hilliard, only partly aware
Of what he was doing. gave heed to
the yellow blank.
The fourth telegram of the day was
from Butte. Mont, addressed to War
ing.
Arrived here last night after delay
| In Chicago. This mornings papers con-
tain information as follows: THE
faulted vein on XLNC property ad-
Joining Silverbow claim number one
has been located about twenty feet
from Silverbow boundary. Indications
are ore body running at least eighty
per cent average and some places high
as twenty. Also some zinc and silver
and traces of manganese. This evil
IDENTIFY extends well into Silverbow.
where the greatest values are uEdoubt-
edly lying. and judging from records
of old MING vein it's tremendously
big strike Understand MING own
ers Offering large sum. said to be well
over half-million, for a controlling in
terest / strongly advise all of you to
get aboard for as much as Hilliard
will let go. Am sending this from Of
flee of Cooley, Benjamin < Russell,
who will not send separate report un-
less you want 1t. This is wonderful
news and mine is sure winner. even IL
only fraction as large as reported.
Please show this message to Hiliard.
Sig. ]. ]. ARMSTRONG"
Hilliard sat down in the nearest
chair. The lump in his throat was
choking him; the moment was so big
that his feelings were primitive; his
expression of them We're very simple.
He only smiled: the meaningless, vacu-
Gus smile of an infant. That smile en-
braced the entire universe; It was in
dicative of happiness so limitless, so
perfect, that 1t was almost foolish. So
Harmon. knowing from his own sources
of the sudden strike. had rushed to
Syracuse TO pose as a man of honor I.
So Harmon had wanted to meet War
ing-and find Z Waring had yet heard
the news, and. If he hadn't, stop the in
vestigation by apparent frankness and
ready restitution. So Harmon had
been eager to destroy the contract, to
promise Hilliard anything and every
thing. to repay the money that was
subscribed already-and then. as sole
owner, to take an enormous profit for
himself.
No one In the whole world-and
least of all, Waring and Cullen-could