The Ordway new era., 1921-10-14
More NJ the game Of

smoke upward More N the game VI
blufr perhaps" he suggested.
arm inclined to think So" thought
fu,Iv said Dale. "Well. wen nvoio
trouble as long as we decently can.
and when we can no longer get around
n wen call In as much of the law
,s we can get. and meet 1t halfway.
Eth, Hayesi"
"Sure." nodded the mining expert
Dale was on his way TO the new
siding the following morning, when he
met Henderson Con-. Again Dale was
forcibly reminded of stories he had
hoard and read of Mississippi river
steamboat gamblers of the long ago.
Con stepped out of the trail, smiled
and spoke with apparent good humor'
Dale passed him without word
Then the shyster coal man calied
out. Ready to sell yetf'
The Moreland Coal company's mhh'
acer halted and faced about with
puckering of his browS.
For a fair price, yes"
Just what would you call q fair
price,"
"Oh, somewhere between two and
three hundred thousand promptly.
Con shifted, and the corners of his
mouth came down.
.sYou don't want much. You won't
| get it from me-"
81 don't want 1t from you
Dale turned and went Cn. He was
sorry that he had stopped to talk with
the fellow.
That afternoon he again met Con
in the trail. The bare sight of the
shyster made him very angry now, and
his right hand fell upon the butt of
the big revolver on his hip. Con was
about to sidestep in the laurels, when
Dale caught him roughly by the arm.
See here" he said sharply. you've
about cut your little swath. We've
had enough of you. You can't get this
coal at any price. and the sooner you
get yourself out of this country the
better and safer it will be for you.
To be plain. I'm pretty apt to thrash
you the very next time see you. Now
move on
Con went off laughing wiclSedly.
"Oh, all right, Dale; go ahead and
build the little road for me 20 he said.
Late that night every sleeper in the
valley of the Doe was awakened by Il
great, rumbllng explosion, which was
/ followed almost Immediately by an
/ other great, rumbling explosion. Be
| fore The reyerberations had died
away, Bill Dale had dressed himself
and was standing on the vine-hung
front porch. and he was only few
seconds ahead of John Moreland,
Then there came the tearing sound
Of a heavy explosion miles to the east
ward
DO We know what it is" inquired
| the mountalneer
They've stolen our dynamite from
the tobacco-barn and blown up the Of
flee and supplies building and the com
missary building; also they've blown
up the big trestle near the siding,
Dale answered.
ATS my guess. too" said More
land.
Within the next half hour Dale and
Hayes, Major Bradley, and the men
folk of the Morelands and the Little
fords had gathered around the wreck
of the two big, unfinished frame build
ings. Dale blamed himself much fol-
having left dynamite unguarded IN the
tobacco-barn-but nobody else blamed
him for it.
ITS time TO let the law in he said
when he had viewed the jumbled mass
OF broken planks and timbers by the
light Of lanterns. He turned to stal
wart Luke Moreand
You get on my horse and ride tt
Gainesville for the sheriff. Tell hin
he can get the best posse In the worlt
right here, If he needs one. It's the
proper thing, isn't it, inajori"
Yes" said Major Bradley. ITS th,
proper thing. You've got real grev
ance now. But fancy Goff had moth
ing TO do with this; he Is shrew,
enough TO know that thing like thI.
would cook his goose. Gofr has beer
playing bluff game all along, yo,
know. Some Balls or some Torreys
perhaps mixture of both, have don,
this without Gof5s knowing nnythin.
about 1t. I'd have Sheriff Flowers ar
rest several of the Balls and severa
of the Torreys, and try TO scare ,her;
into turning states evidence to saw,
themselves"
The major finished In a low tone
because of the probability for caves
troopers, and in this he was wise.
Wen do that" Dale decided.
He faced Hayes. his right-haud man
, and began to give orders like a vet
eran general manager. The men wer
to take their rifles with them TO worl
, IN the morning, but they were to fir,
no shot unless 1t was in defense O
, llie or nrnnertY In tho ,nnrnin.x a..a,.,