The Hays free press. [volume] (Hays, Kan.) 1908-1924, 1921-06-02

4NNNNN
CHAPTER XI.-GardIner has overcome
whatever scruples Rifles had, and the
scheme is simply one or robbery. Harris
and his son are directed to an old cabin
In the mountains. where they are 10 meet
the owner OF the coal mine. There.
while Harris is asleep. Allan. watching,
shoots and kills an intruder (Riles). not
knowing his identity. Gardiner. from the
cabin seeking the money In the dark
ness Allan grapples with him and is shot.
staggering out into the open. Harris.
aroused from deep slumber. seizes Car
diner and in the ensuing struggle bites
his opponents thumb. Eluding him. Gar
diner escapes with the money. Travers,
who knows Gardiner and has suspected
foul play. comes to the cabin and Is
seized and gagged by Harris. Sergeant
Police. sent by the banker from whom
Harris had drawn the $4,000. arrives. and
they convey Allan TO Arthur'S ranch.
where. unknown TO them. Beniah and her
mother are staying.
CHAPTER XII. AIIan's wound is
dressed and his condition declared hope
fuL Beulah and her father. ia mutual
sorrow. become reconciled, and the old
the Harris family. The father sees that
his greed for wealth has blinded him to
the finer things OF life. He, however.
believes Travers is the criminal who shot
Allan and robbed him. Beulah maintains
her faith in her lover and visits him In
his cell There they plight their troth
Travers tells her he Will clear up the mys-
terry when the inquest on the body OF
Rifles is held
CHAPTER xIu.-Gsrdiner is compelled
to attend the inquest and his evidence.
Of course. tends to convict Travers of the
crime. Beulah insists that he uncover
his hands. and when he does so the
marks OF the wounds made by Harris
teeth during their struggle in the cabin
with the robbery and pretends to commit
suicide by swallowing poison In the ex-
element he is left alone and escapes.
Sergeant Grey follows him. finding where
he has fallen to death over a precipice-
Harris sanctions the betrothal or Beulah
to Jim Travers. and the happiness OF the
family is restored A letter from the
lawyer who had been given power to sell
the Harris farm reveals the fact. which
had been forgotten. that the deed to the
original Harris homestead was In the
wife's name and therefore could not be
sold. The $4,000 represented only the
land which had afterward been acquired
by Harris. With the old love and trust
renewed. the pair. with Allan restored to
health. journey back to the Homestead"
OF their youth
With the progress OF Travers' mar
rative all eyes had turned TO Gardi-
ner, but. whatever his inward emo
lions. he Cutwardly showed no signs
OF discontinue. This seems to be a
day of strange tales" he said to the
NOLOllCls anu NAAC iuSl We nave nClAO
is stranger than the first OF course,
it is quite absurd on the face of it.
The suggestion that / would be a par
ty TO robbing Mr.. Harris of $4,000,
and so balk a transaction in which
stood 10 make a profit of more than
twice that amount. is too ridiculous
for discussion. l didn't say so before,
because IL didn't seem to bear on the
case, but l have at home a telegram
which | received a few days ago from
the New York investors, offering me a
personal commission of 20 per cent on
the transaction if / was able to get
this property for them at the price
they had offered. So. from a purely
selfish point of view, you see where
my interests lay. But there are 9TH
er reasons for this fine tale which
you have just heard. To spare the
feelings of some present, l intended
TO say nothing of them. but if must
tell what I know, why, l must tell
what l know. This man Travers was
farm hand working for Harris on
his farm back in Manitoba. Harris is
or waS-well-to-dO, and TraverS ac-
cordingly mustered up an attachment
for his daughter This the young la
dy, il seems, was foolish enough to re-
turn. They"
"That'll do. Gardiner" interrupted
IraVerS, in quiet. vibrant voice.
You are getting away from the sub
ject.''
"on the contrary, I'm getting close
10 the Subject-a little too close for
your comfort, it seems"
Il am not investigating any family
closets" said the coroner "You will
have 10 show the connection between
these matters and the inquiry we are
making"
Il will do that in a moment, sir"
Gardiner returned. But cannot
show the connection until have
shown the events that are connected.
TraverS had trouble with Harris and
had fight with Allan. Then he and
the young lady ran away. They have
both beer in this part of the country
for some time. But TraverS' plan to
inherit the Harris property was up
set on account of the girl quarreling
with her parents, and his ardor seems
TO have cooled of nOticeably But he
was as Keen for the property as ever.
Riles was weakling i'm the hands of
man. like Travers. and no doubt he
betrayed the fact that Harris was
taking his money with him into the
hills. Then the two of them framed
up the plan which has resulted in the
death of one and the arrest of the
other"
During these exchanges the sympa-
thies of the jurors seemed to veer
from side to side. The theories pro-
pounded were so contradictory that
opinions wavered with each sentence
OF evidence. But new bolt was
ready for the shooting.
"Mr. Coroner" said Beulah. rising
and pointing at Gardiner. will you