The Meridian times. (Meridian, Idaho) 1909-1938, 1921-12-30

once, Stannle-Dear.
Did /? She was gasping a bit when
she got up rather unsteadily to go
back to the cabin across the dump
head and wouldn't stay another min
ute, though begged and pleaded with
her.
mo, indeed, Bluebeard man." she
said with that queer little gurgle of a
laugh. 'T--I think / have found out
what / wanted to. Goodby." And
then, after / thought she was clean
gone, she turned back to say, airily:
ooh, yes had almost forgotten what
I came over here to tell you. You
mustn't sell the Cinnabar, Stannie; not
for any price that anybody might offer
you. Goodby, again."
Can you beat it2 When the good
Lord made women He doubtless had
many patterns; but ] do believe the
mold was broken and thrown away
after this Jeanie girl had been fash
Toned. For solid hour or more / sat
on that slab bench at the shafthouse
door in sort of bewildered daze, won
dering II had been asleep and dream
ing, or If the bedazzling thing had
really happened.
At breakfast the next morning every
thing passed off as usual and FOR any
thing that jeanne said or looked there
needn't have been any bench beside
the shafthouse door and the dream
theory / had been playing with might
have been the sober fact. An hour
later, after had gone across to the
mine, Fullerton came over to dig me
out, as before
Forty thousand this morning." he
announced as clipper as an English
sparrow over an unexpected heap of
street sweepings. Say, Broughton,
can you afford to let your capital
shrink at the rate Of ten thousand dol
lars day? If you should ask me, /
should say not"
"You never miss what you haven't
had," shot back. "There are no
takers on the floor this morning"
Right-o; it'll be thirty thousand to-
morrow, you must remember. At that
rate you'll be owing me quite chunk
OF money by this time next week.
That's about all have to say-ex-
cepting one more little thing: No more
chlnny little tete-a-tetes in the star
light, old man, or shall be Obliged to
put the CAD to you; the railroad CAD.
you know"
1t made me so boiling hot to have
him admit, thus BADLY, that he had
Deen spying upon jeanne and me the
previous evening that could scarcely
see straight.
"That will be about enoughp r
Parked. Il told you the other day
that there were limits, and you've
walked up and looked over the edge
TWO or three times. You may think
you have as many lives as a cat, but
I doubt 1t"
He laughed and threw back the Ia
pei OF his coat to show me regula-
uon s,x-gun slung by shoulder strap
under his left arm.
You pulled hammer on me yester-
DAY" he said, letting the laugh lapse
INTO grin that showed his fine mouth
1ui OF teeth. land you probably didn't
know that you would have been a dead
man before you could swing 1t. Oh.
yes; could do 1t, and any coroner's
jury In the Red desert would acouit
me- dangerous lunatie-self- defense
you know. That's word to the wise
ana 1t ought to be sufficient. But 7
have better life-insurance policy than
any that the six-gun could write me
you're In love with Jeanne Twombly--
IN spite of that girl back East and he
cause you are, you are not going to
make her widow before the fact
you're not selling your mine for forty
thousand-cold cash--this mornings"
Not this morning or any other
morning"
Good. I can afford to stick around
mere few days longer, guess-at
the rate of ten thousand dollars n div.
so long" And he picked his way out
oil the clutter of the shop and went
across TO the cabin--and Jeanne.
Later, along in this same day, while
| was standing at the shaft mouth and
staring down ut the water TINT WINS
keeping me out of my heritage, Dad /
dy Hiram came up.
Still a-puzzlin' over 1t, Stannie7s
ne asked, in the sympathetic tone that
ne Always used when he spoke of the
Great Disappointment,
Ihere's nothing to it, Daddy. /
Sioonled' Bullerton has me by the
neck, and he knows it."
nut.
iopFe heard 'em say at curiosity
Nii'ea a cat" he said, out of the cor.
her OF his mouth; well, the CATS a.
comm. Skip out o that other door,
stal,iie' and hit for the timber. I'll
Neten up with You in little SPELL"
Il didn't Enntx-