Mountain Home Republican. [volume] (Mountain Home, Idaho) 1915-1946, 1921-03-26


$50 you thought you could gyp Red
Carnehan and get away with 1t You
little fool p
She attempted no reply. The first
spasm of CONSERVATION passing, the
faculty of concentrated thought re-
turned. She entertained not the faint
est hope of escaping her fate at the
hands Of Red Carnehan. Whether she
lived or died, she conceived, didn't
matter But 1t was otherwise with
Mario. Him she must save somehow,
by some heroic exercise Of wit and
spirit
Yet In the beginning she cast about
in vain for ruse or vile that might
serve. Alone, defenseless, in the COM
pany of man armed and determined,
murder In heart and mind: man In
sane with jealousy and hatred. Tike
bred of sheer fear, the fear of - as
sassin living moment by moment In
the shadow of arrest; what could she
do against 81 III odds?
She could think of nothing, positive
ly nothing. And yet she knew, there
must be some way out. If only she
could find 1t
She knew herself to be clever, far
cleverer than Red-as she had once
boasted to his face. Her wits had
yet ito fail her, however extreme or
exigent the occasion. Give her time
to think and she could circumvent
him. But now that one essential ele-
ment. time, was lacking. Impossible
to guess how soon Mario might return.
And then there was Reds Impotence
to be reckoned with
Her look of trapped animal faded;
in It's stead her face reflected CON
centration of thought amounting al
most to abstraction. She seemed to
consider Carnehan out Of fathom-
less composure, as she might one fac
tor In an engrossing problem in whose
solution she was vitality interested.
This change in her annoyed the man
intolerably. Not only was any SEM
blance of indifference offensive, but
he had learned to distrust the girls
moments of thoughtfulness. If his in
telligence was not of high order, he
had at least cunning, with acumen
enough to feel and fear the finer met
tie of her mentality. Instinctively he
sought an outlet for his evaporation
in a burst Of lurid blashphemy
"Whynt you say sometime" he con-
Guided, gesticulating wildly with the
pistol. "What you standin' there for,
dumb's a cat. Whyn't you try to come
clean by lyin'"
She responded quietly: whats
the use? Even if I told you the truth
1t wouldn't do any good. You've made
up your mind"
"You said it. Tn wise, and I've
got you where / want you. If you
think you can put anything over on
me now-well, try it. That's all; try
1t. wish you would"
She shrugged YEARLY, then inquired
in tone of moderate curiosity:
"Wheres Inez waiting for your
"How d'you know" He. was OBJ
viously posed. whats Inez got to
do--?'"
you know well enough 1T was her
that told you I was here"
"Well -. What If she did,"
"Nothing-only she brought me here
first"
Like HI"
"Yes"-the girl ignored the inter
ruption-"I didn't even know where
he lived. no more'n I knew where to
look for you So 1nez framed me,
just to put me In bad with you"
"Ah, telTt to Sweeney"
"Ask Charlie, If you don't believe
me-ask him after he comes to at
Sing Hos tomorrow. He'll tell you he
promised to meet me there tonight
and bring me to you. But when /
got there Charlie was dead to the
world Inez said she'd show me the
way to where you and Leo was laying
up; and when I said all right, she
brought me here left me at the door
and blew. And then y. What could
I do? didn't know where to find you
and I was cold and wet and tired"
Her statement carried conviction. |
Against his wish the man believed
her; and because 1t was against his
wish he was the more irritated and
chose to deny his belief. His glare
was ugly
80 that's the stall, is itY
"You ask Charlie. He'll tell you
the truth-you needn't look to- get ii
out of Inez-only hell tell you too
late"
What do you mean, too late?"
"Too late to stop you making a
d--n fool of Yourself"
"How's that? How'm goin' to
make d--n fool out Of myself?"
81 don't know yet; but I hope you
don't think I'm such a fat as to think
you've come here tonight just for Il
friendly talk"
you're dead right there ~ His |
laugh rang with brutal scorn. "IH
say ! didn't come for no friendly talk |
with him and you"
swell I. What did you come for?' |
She confronted him with sullen, yet
fearless eyes. His own shifted. He
had little stomach for plain speech.
The instinct Of his kind was strong |