American Falls press. [volume] (American Falls, Idaho) 1907-1937, 1921-04-29

They wasted no words. Bert flung
aside the blankets. lighted a candle
and placed II out of the reach of the
night wind. His face looked swarthy
and deep-lined in its light.
"WellY" he demanded. "What did
you fnd?"
"Nothin'," Jim Gibbs answered gut
turally. III you ask me what | found
out, l might have somethin' to an
swer."
Then" and Bert, after the man
! ner of his kind, breathed an oath
"What did you find outg"
His tone, except for an added note
of savagery, remained the same. Yet
his heart was humping a great deal
louder than he liked to have II. RealiS-
ing that the SHOWS were at hand, he
had sent Gibbs for II last search of
the body, to find and recover the evil
dence that Hildreth had against him
and which had not been revealed either
on Hildreth's person or in his cabin.
He had become increasingly appre-
hensive about those letters he had
written Hildreth. and certain other
documents that had e In his pos
session. He didn't understand why
they hadn't turned up. And now the
SHOWS had started, and Jim Gibbs had
returned empty-handed, but evidently
not e~mpty-minded.
1--WE found that the body's been UNI
covered-and men are already search
in for clues, And moreover think
49,. 41w,1 thAYtn - He nnnGRd
weighing the effect Of his words. His
eyes glittered with cunning. Rat that
he was, he was wondering whether the
time had arrived to leave the ship. He
had no intention of continuing to give
his services 10 a man with a rope
moose closing about him. And Grams
ton, knowing this fact, hated him as
ne hated the buzzard that would claim
him In the end, and tried to hide his
apprehension.
$50 on. Blat II out" Cranston or
, dered. "Or else go away and let me
Sleep"
. II was a bluff but II worked. III
Gibbs had gone without speaking,
Cranston would have known no sleep
|. that night. But the man became more
, fawning.
: "rm tellin' you, fast as | can" he
went on, almost whining. u went to
. the cabin. just as you said. But
= didn't get a chance to search It"
:, "Why not7" Cranston Numbered
. His voice re-echoed among the snow
l. wet pines.
am tell you why! Because som'
one else-evidently n cop-was nj
ready searchin' IL. Both of us know
there's nothin' there, anyway. View
gone over II too many times. Afte
a while he went away-but | didn'
~ turn back yet. That wouldn't be Jlr
is Gibbs. Swallowed him, just as you
se want me to. And he went straigh
Of back TO the body"
~ "Yes.' Cranston had hard wor
or curbing his Impotence. Again GLIB
h? eyes were full Of ominous speculi
es lions.
On "He stopped ut the body, and II We
M plain he'd peer there before. He WEI
nd crawling through the thlckets, looki
he for clues. He done what you and n
never thought TO do-lookin' all Il
w way between the trail and the bod
III He'd already found the brass shell yS
iii told me to get. At least, It WASH
M there when | looked, after he'd gon
You should've thought OF 1t befoI
III But he found somethln' else n who
I'M lot more important-a roll Of pape
Nw that Hildreth had chucked into an 0
iii pine stump when he was dyin'. II W
lNb your fault, Cranston, for not getti
IUh them that night. This detective sto
lWv and read 'em on the trail. And y
INV know-just as well as l dO-wh
they were"
"D-n you, | went back the ne
III morning, as soon as ! could see. A
VA the mountain lion had already be
NV there. | went back lots OF times sin
And that shell amt nOthlng-but
lIN the time / supposed l put II I'm
VII pocket. You know how It is-a fell,
I'm throws his empty shell out by habit
III Gibbs eyes grew more intent. WI
I'm was this thing? CranstOn's tone.
TN stead Of commanding, was aim
IN pleading. But the leader caught hi
MS self at once.
Il don't see why L neeu 10 eApi
Is any of that TO you. What ! want
" know is this why you didn't sh
and get those papers away from hin
For an instant their eyes BATH
4 : But Gibbs had never the strength
N his leader. II he had, Il would HI
" been asserted long since. He sucl
Dali in his breath, and his gaze fell aw
It rested on Cranston's rife, that
some manner had been pulled
was across his knees. And at once he
ston cowed. lie was never so fast wit
the gun as Cranston.
be Blood on my hands, eh-same
on yOursT' he mumbled, looking do
IF a "What do you think ] want, a r
ance around my neck7 These hills are
ould but the arm Of the law has reached
ston before, and II might again. You ml