The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1921-02-11

! could find ii
She knew herself TO be clever, far
cleverer than Red-as she had once
boosted TO his face. Her wits had
| yet to 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 reckohed with !. -.
Her look of a trapped animal faded !;
in its stead her face reflected con-
| centrati0.i of thought amounting al
| most to abstraction. She seemed TO
| consider Carnehan out of fathem-
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. Instinctiyely he
sought an outlet for his evaporation
in a burst of lurid blashphemy.
"Whyn't you say somethin'?" he con-
Guided, gesticulating wildly with the
pistol What you standin' there 1or,
dumbs cat Whyn't you try to come
clean by lyin'?"
She responded quietly: whats
the use? Even if told you the truth
it wouldn't do any good. You've made
up your mind"
"You said it. I'm wise, and I've
got you where I want you. If you
think you can put anything over on
me now-well, try it. That's all: try
it. l wish you would"
She shrugged YEARLY, then inquired
| in tone of moderate curiosity :
where's Inez waiting for you?"
"How d'you know" He was OBJ
viously posed whats Inez got to
do-?"
You know well enough it was her
that told you 1 was here"
"Well :. What if she did,"
"Nothing-onIy she brought me here
first"
Like IL"
.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 Inez framed me,
/ just to put me in bad with YOU"
"Ah. teIl't 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 I
/ 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 :. What could
| I do? / didn't know where TO find you
/ and l was cold and wet and tired"
Her statement carried conviction.
| Against his wish the man believed
| her; and because it was against his
wish he was the more irritated and
chose to deny his belief. His glare
was ugly.
$50 that's the stall, is it?"
you ask Charlie. He'll tell you
the truth-you needn't look to get it
out of Inez-onIy he'll tell you too
late"
What do you mean, too later"
"Too late to stop you making a
d-n fool of yourself"
Flows that? How'm 1 goin' to
make a d-n fool out of myself?"
81 don't know yet; but 1 hope you
don't think I'm such fat as to think
you've come here tonight just for a
friendly talk"
you're dead right there!" His
laugh rang with brutal scorn. "I'Il
say didn't come for no friendly talk
with him and you"
well =. 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
in him, to kiln, if he could, what he
feared. But to declare his purpose
openly in anticipation, to discuss it
in cold blood with an intended victim.
was more than he had bargainec for.
| Inarticulately reSentful of such
squeamishness in himself, he looked
furtively aside, licking his lips, and
discovered the decanter of Madeira
which Mario had left unsupported on
| the table, after opening it for Leonora.
/ Carnehan brimmed an ordinary
/ drinking glass with the wine and
drank it in one long draught. grateful
for its pungent warmth. deiuded by
| its mellow smoothness.
Now, Madeira may not wisely be
taken on top of rye whisky. Con-
scious of reinforced bravado. the man
leaned against the table, his back to
| it. leering truculently.
What did I come for? Oh, / dun
no. What d'you think?'
you've threatened me often enough.
| il you ever caught me with him
/ again =. =.
! He nodded in a heavy humor "You
| got that right, kid No girl of mine can
pass me up for any stool pigeon or
| dick that ever lived"
eHe isn't"
"And get away with it. You wait
you'll seel"
She shut her eyes. In spite of her.
self she shuddered. He laughed with
qualification, and her eyes reopened
OF a sudden, passionately unafraid.
seeking first the pistol in his hand,
| then his face