The Mellette County pioneer. [volume] (Wood, Mellette County, S.D.) 19??-1971, 1920-06-18
TRAILS
.ss AND STRAIGHT
bee
hay William Macleod Raine
@ W. Dillingham; Company

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. {
lone bandit held up the messengers o.
the Western & Southern Express com
pany, and relieved them Of twenty
thousand dollars just received from l.
Paso on the Flyer.
Perry Hawley, the local manager
Of the company, together with Ler
Rogers, the armed guard. had just re
turned from the depot, where the
money had been turned over 10 them
and rcceipted for. Hawlcy had un.
locked the door Of the office and had
stepped in, followed by Rogers, when
a masked desperate appeared sudden,
ly out Of the darkness, diSarmed the
guard and manager, took the money,
passed through the door and locked it
after him, and vanished as silently rs
be had come. Before leaviu@, 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 risked their lives
by raising the alarm"
Further down the page Mackenzie
discovered that the desperate was still
at large, but that Sheriff Bolt expect
ed shortly to lay hands on him.
10 fnIIa1 tho ,VI ,,..,r,,J .,
his room 70 make preparation TO re-
turn to his ranch. The buzz Of the
telephone called him to the receiver,
The voice of Cullison reached him.
THAT you, Mac? I'll be right up.
No, don't come down. I'd rat.er see
you alone"
The owner of the Circle G came
right TO business. I've made a raise,
Mac, and while I've got it I'm going to
skin off what's coming to you"
He had taken a big roll of bills from
his pocket, and was counting off what
he had lost to his friend. The latter
noticed that it all seemed TO be in
twenties.
Twelve hundred. That squares US,
Mac"
The Scotsman was vaguely uneasy
without a definite reason for his anX-
iety. Only last night Cullison had told
him not a single bank in town would
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 p%rotruding from the 9TH
er's pocket. Read about the holdup
Of the w. & S. express? That fellow
had his nerve with him."
"ShO. 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 night?"
There's always a leak about things
Of that sort. Somebody talks. 1 knew
II myself, for that matter"
"You knew! Who told your"
That's q secret, Mac. Come TO
think of IL, I wish you wouldn't tell
anybody that I knew. / don't want TO
BCl LHt NAL WIZ lOlu liz III louDIC
"Sure l won't" He passed to an
other phase of the subject. "The Sen
tinel says Bolt expects TO catch the
robber. Think he Will"
"Not If the fellow knows his bust
ness. Bolt has nothing to go on. He
has the whole Southwest to pick from.
For all he knows, 1t was you"
"Yes, but"
cor more likely me-" The gray eyes
of the former sheriff held a frosty
smile.
In spite Of hat smile, or perhaps
because Of II, Mackenzie felt again
that flash OF doubt. whats the use
Of talking ~foOlishness, Luck? Course
you didn't do it. l know you too WELL"
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 a holaup. or course it would not,
| ne dSsuIcu HiiuScil DuL ne IDuiu uot
| 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. Boil
was off On another tack.
Inside Of a quarter Of an hour the
sheriff had found out all he wanted tc
know about the poker game, Cullison''
financial difficulties, and the news tina
Luck had liQuidated his poker deb
since breakfast. Moreover, he hat
talked so casually that his visitor hat
no suspicion Of what he was DRIVING
at.
Mackenzie attempted a little sleuth
ing Of his own. 'This holdup fellow
kind Of slipped n over on you las
night, Bolt"
maybe so. and maybe not"
"Got a clue, have your
"Oh, yes-yes." The sheriff locke,