The Dolores star., 1920-11-05

Queerly.
Hilllard sprang to him. "Rufus,
oall the otiicel Get the house doc.
tori" N'e
cullen had raced to the bathroom
ior glass Of water; he raced hack
again. spilling half of it. billiard pas
chahhe the brokers' wrists. The three
men strained at the unwieldy, unresist-
ing bulk. while leaden fear clutcbed Mt
their hearts.
Inc house physician hustled in TO
hnd the broker lying on tho bed In a
profound coma; his refle1es 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
tllng among his walls for the calomel.
aufns was at the telephone.
anything can do?" asked Hilliard
earnestly. His suspicious had crys-
ta'ized; and he was bitterly aware
that the broker had planned not JUS
'ice' but some new brand of perfidy
nevertheless, the man was unquestion-
ably In danger-and revenge could
wait.
"Nothlng-just give me plenty Of
room"
AS the three stood watching pain
fuIly, Cullen put out his hand to Hill
lard. and spoke under his breath.
"Henry-when did he Gomez"
only just now. An hour ago."
Hadn't he told you? Or hadn't
you heard?"
Heard what?"
Cullen motioned to Waring.
Give 1t to him, Rufus Oh,
| see; ! see"
The law student, without n word,
produced n yellow blank and thrust
1t at Hilllard. He flashed glance of
indescribable contempt at the supine
broker: his eyes had lost some of
their anxiety.
"Oh, the big crook" he said boy
ishly. 1.-THE big crook"
"Sh-h-h! RufusI" Still, Hllllard, at
heart, agreed with him to the letter.
The boy stood close to the
masquerader.
I'm sorry, Hilliard 1t came
ut four this afternoon we'd
been hunting for you ever since :"
Hlliard wasn't interested.
'Tll wait until"
Cullen signed to him peremptorily.
"Read 1t, tell you! It'll give
you n slant on him !"
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 NLNC property adj
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.
dently extends wei! into Silverbow,
where the greatest values are uEdoubt-
edly lying. and judging from records
of old NLNC vein it's tremendously
big strike Understand NLNC own
ers Offering large sum, said to be well
over half-milion, for 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 It, This Is wonderful
news and mine Is sure winner even If
only fraction as large as reported.
Please show this message to Hilliard.
Sig j. j. ARMSIRONG.
Uilliard 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 were very simple.
He only smiled; the meaningless, vacu-
GUS smile of an infant. That smile EN-
braced the entire universe; 1t was In
dicative of a happiness so llmitless. 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
So Harmon had wanted to meet war
inc-and find e Waring had yet heard
the news, and, If he hadn't. stop the In
yestigation by apparent frankness and
ready restitution. So Harmon had
been eager to destroy the contract, to
promise Hllliard 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
,eost of all, Waring and Cullen-could
have remotely fathomed the thoughts
that were eddying In billiards brain.
Thev were not for his own nggran-
dIzement; they were for the cnllens
md Durants and for the others who
.,oa poyar know the acid Of diSillu-