Montpelier examiner. [volume] (Montpelier, Idaho) 1895-1937, 1920-06-11
CHAPTER v-contInusd.


Williams pondered. Hardlnge's
statement impressed him as truthful.
But he played his last card with all
the GOODNESS of a poker player who
has been called for his flnal chip.
"Thls other fellow, HardInge, he
jerked his thumb toward the interior
Of the cell-'he's British subject
and q stranger here, who thinks he
owes ne something because pulled
him out of a train wreck near Ell Pas0
on the way down. AS British sub
ject yourself you won't mind notifying
the British ambassador he's here-will
you-no matter what happens to met"
II certainly will not" angrily snap
ped the syndicate agent. what the
devil do you take me fora fOOl7"
NO." drawled the American. with
elaboration that brought a red flush
to the Englishman's face. mot fool,
Hardlnge, but a cold-blooded. calcu-
lating dog who viii deliberately plan
to murder a rival to gain his ends.
Go on with your fake court-martial,
you white-livered beast I'd rather
welter In my own blood a thousand
times than give you the satisfaction Of
putting over a thing like this-to rob
with their confidence and money.
Shoot-and be damned to your
He turned to savagely resume pac-
ing his cell.
His furious anger at first kept him
from realizing the peril which Har-
dinge had depicted. He tried to be
lieve that such an atrocity would never
be permitted, even under the official
sanction of a provisional government
such as the EngIishman had declared
to exist.
Then he suddenly remembered the
indignation In Ell Paso the night he
had last started for Fl Tigre.
Men In the hotel were discussing tbs
latest dispatches from Washington
ordering all Americans to leave Mex
leo forthwith, after turning over t.
| the American consul In their locality l
list Of the property they left behind.
Everyone thought the story I'm
probable at that time. It sounded al
together too ridiculous for belief Blu
now, in the fetid cell, with Hardinge'I
threats still ringing In his ears, tn
mine-0wner realized that 1t must b.
true.
Because Of this. the more he ana
lyxed the situation the more he feI
sure Hardinge had voiced no idl'
threat. II a New York gunman viii
kill a man for a thousand dollars, VIII,
should Hardinge get squeamish now
when his prize was i've miIlions7
The syndicate agent had neve
shown an Oversupply Of conscience
and he would run little danger In /,
country where anarchy had replace,
law and no one knew from one da,
to another what might come next.
Bucks thoughts leaped back to tn
property. he recalled the covetOu
look on the face OF Manuel Pachec
the day Williams had personally fol
lowed a small "yug-hole" OF ore int
! a chamber which had PANIED out
cold fifty theusand-a sheer accidents
discovery made while drifting dow
en- the main lead"
No one could say how much Z
Tigre would ultimately pan out.
He believed 30 thoroughly in IN
property that he already regarded him
self as an embryonic millionaire. Il
was almost in striking distance Of tn
hve-hundred-foot level.
The great vein was constantly wid
ening and growing richer. Once int
the main ore-bOdy the values would b
fabulous.
As he thought II all over he curse
himself for his fatuous blindness
Pacheco had undoubtedly been draw
Irg double pay all the time he Ia
been foreman. a Mexican IL aIway
en- uncertain. freaeherOHs proposition