The St. Johns herald., 1921-06-30

plug you now; not if yerVe got sense enough to behave yerself. Tomorrow I'll see what Matt HanIey has to say, but till that time yere goin' to be lock- ed up. Coin ter make any row over that program?"
 "Not the least"
 "All right, then. Juan, you take the gents gun; he's better off without 1t. That's right; now feel him over an see if he's got any other weapons. Better stand up, Churchill"
 The ranchman, experiencing the utter futility of any attempt at resist ance, did as he was told, managing to retain the same cool smile on his lips. The murderous eyes of the squaw- man never once deserted his face and Shelby realized that the slightest symp- tom of treachery would prove his un- doing. Laud was in no mood to be argued with.
 "Nice of you to wait until after I'd eaten" he said easily. Tt will give me a comfortable nights rest"
 "Glad you take 1t that way. Clean ed him up, have you Juan? Now, how about that room yonder? Empty, ain't it?"
 "Si, senor," 1t was Pancha who an- swered, opening the door.
 Laud took a step forward and glanced into the apartment. The swift scrutiny apparently satisfied him, for he turned to the prisoner, his revolver g~ Ere action.
 "Go on in," he commanded harshly. "An' tomorrow we'll settle this case"
 Shelby walked past him without so much as side glance, to all outward appearance quite at his ease. Laud closed the door and the prisoner heard him secure it with a stout wooden bar. He stood there motionless, en- deavoring to collect his thoughts, the smile no longer on his lips, ad- justing his eyes to the darkness.
 There was a window high up, but seemingly too small for the passage of his body, yet a slight gleam of star light found its way through the open- ing, which was further barred by two stout wooden stakes. He stepped si- lently across and tested them, finding them solidly embedded in the logs. He felt his way cautiously about the room, which was of small dimensions, con- taining only single stool, and a cot; the floor was puncheon and the walls of log, heavily plastered with mud. The place offered apparently no op- portunity for escape, and Shelby sat down on the edge of the cot discour- aged.
 He could distinguish the voices of the three without plainly enough to determine who was speaking, but their words were indistinguishable. Then the murmur finally ceased, and he thought one of the men had left the house, perhaps both, yet that was hardly likely. Someone remained cer- tainly, for there was movement, and the sound of feet, mingled with the clink of dishes. Pancha was evidently clearing off the table. His thought centered on her. Had he made mis- take in thus suddenly confiding his true story to her ears? Yet, so far as he knew, she had said nothing to in- jure him, and had made no effort to reveal his secret. Indeed her actions had rather expressed fear of Laud, and a certain sympathy for him; sure ly that was what he had read in the depths of her eyes. Yet how could this be accounted for? She must cer- tainly be one with these others brought up probably from childhood in the atmosphere of crime, and cer- Iainly loyal to her brother, if nothing else. What then could possibly influ- ence her to show him the slightest consideration?
 He sat with head in his hands, en- deavoring to solve the mystery, and, out from the dark, possible explana- tion flashed into his mind-MackIin. Could any relation she might have to wish his escape alive? It might; the fact that he was already the hus- band of the woman Macklin planned to marry would quite naturally ex- plain the entire situation under cer- tain conditions. If that rascal had made love to her, and now deliberate ly planned to desert her for another, the Spanish blood would account for all the rest. By heaven; that must be itI He recalled the insistence of her questioning; the flash of her eyes, the threatening gleam of her white | teeth. Unconsciously he had touched | the secret spring, and unloosed the ti- ger. Jealousy was the weapon-a love l turned to hate, the fury of a woman 1 scorned. To get Olga out of her path | forovoy Sha xvo11Id risL cuvfhinO dora