The St. Johns herald., 1921-08-11
CHAPTER XIV.
The Story of a Plot.

It was Macklin, burning with fever, delirious, yet partially conscious once more, uttering sounds which could hardly be distinguished as words, and struggling vainly to lift his body into an upright position. Througk the dusk of the place he stared duly into Shel- by's face, at first without recognition ; then his eyes exhibited terror and he enGeavOred to wrench away, covering back against the rock wall, as though he beheld a ghost. The horror he felt gave volume to his voice.
 Good God l" he shrieked. "Am dead? Is this hellY
 ''No, Kid" and Shelby held him firm ly, his tone full Of sympathy, "eve-y- thing is all right. Lie still and don't worry"
 But who the h.--l are you2 Ain't you Tom Shelby?" he laughed wildly. "LOrd, no; he's 6eadI"
 "That is where you are wrong, my boy. I'm Shelby all right, but a long ways from being dead"
 "You, Saelby? Didn't he get youT'
 'Well, yes, he got me, but not quite strong enough. I failed to stay got. You ;:e down. and be still. Here, take c7ink of this."
 The fellow did as he was ordered, his hands shaking so that Shelby had to hold the bottle to his lips. Even as he drank greedily, his eyes never de- serted the others face; until the girl, creeping silently up behind, came also into his range of vision. Her presence seemed to give him a sense of reality.
 "Say, this is too much for me-" he said huskily, but lying back quiet, ''the two of yer here. Just what's happened enyhOw? It YVES Pancha, wasn't it, who hauled me out O that cabin. Well, where's Pancha? an what the h-l is this place Pm in?"
 "Let me tell him, Tom," broke fl. Ol- ga, pressing forward, and lifting his head into her lap. "He will believe me, and he is afraid of you yet. You can hear what I say, MT. Macklin?"
 He nodded, gasping, his eyes on her face.
 'Then listen closely. It will only take a moment to explain. You were shot"
 'Yes. yes." he stuttered, q know; she did it."
 "oh, you saw, then, who fired. It was all a mistake, and she was so sorry. The bullet was meant for In- dian Joe Laud, but you stepped in the way"
 "Pancha tried to kill Laud?"
 "Yes; it was all on account of me. You-you carried me off because you believed had the right to some mon- ey; didn't your"
 His eyes frightened, but still with the dull glow of fever in them.
 Sure; you got it comin', too. But what's that got to do with Joe Laud? He wasn't noway hooked up on this game"
 "Oh, yes, he was. I'll explain all that. You told something to a man named Matt Hanley once."
 "AIe! maybe I did. when we was drunk tergether over at Gerlasche. I'd just found out bout it then. But he never remembered-Hanley didn't"
 "Yes, he did. and he kept watch on you ever since; he and a fellow. S.a- gin. They were somewhere up the val ley the night you brought me in here, and they knew what was up. They followed, meaning to get you put out of the way somehow, so they could get hold of me themselves. I guess they didn't have brains enough to make 1t. don't know exactly what happened, but after Slagin got killed"
 "H-l was that what that guy came to the cabin for?"
 "We suppose so; at least that was what caused Hanley to tell the story to Indian Joe Laud, and get him to take a hand. They tried to get the Mexican. Pancha's brother, to help them, but something brought on a quarrel, and Laud killed him. An In- dian boy told Pancha, and she went crazy over you both. That was what brought her to the cabin"
 "An' that oP devil come there to get me, did he7"
 "Yes, but first he tried to learn all he could; things Hanley didn't know. so he could make the job worth while. Then Pancha tried to shoot him, and got you."
 He struggled to speak.
 ''Say, lift me up little more. That's it; something seems to fill up in my throat. You sure she didn't hear noth.