Vernon Parish Democrat. (Leesville, La.) 1917-193?, 1921-10-06

4
returned empty-handed, but evidently
not empty-minded.
I've found that the body's been I'M
cOvered-and men are already search
in for clues. And moreover think
they've found them" He paused,
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 to a man with rope
moose closing about him. And Grams
ton, knowing this fact, hated him as
he hated the buzzard that would claim
| him in the end, and tried to hide his
apprehension.
go on. Blat 1t out" Cranston or
dered. "Or else go away and let me
Sleep"
1t was a bluff; but it worked. If
Gibbs Lad gone without speaking,
Cranston would have known no sleep
that night. But the man became more
fawning.
"rm tellin' you, fast as 1 can" he
went on, almost whining. II went to
the cabin, just as you said. But /
didn't get chance to search it"
why not" Cranston Numbered.
His voice re-echoed among the snow
wet pines.
"1'll tell you why! Because some
one else-evidently a cop-was al
ready searchin' it. Both of us know
there's nothin' there, anyway. We've
gone over it too many times. After
a while he went away-but 1 didn't
turn back yet. That wouldn't be Jim
Gibbs I Swallowed him, just as you'd
want me to. And he went straight
back to the body"
"YesY Cranston had hard work
curbing his impotence. Again Gibbs
eyes were full Of ominous specula-
tiOns.
He stopped at the body, and it was
plain he'd been there before. He went
crawling through the thickets, lOokin'
for clues. He done what you and me
never thought to do-lookin' all the
way between the trail and the body.
He'd already found the brass shell you
told me to get. At least, it wasn't
there when looked, after he'd gone.
You should've thought of it before.
But he found somethin' else a whole
lot more important-a roll of papers
that Hildreth had chucked into an old
| pine stump when he was dyin'. 1t was
your fault, Cranston, for not gettin'
them that night. This detective stood
and read 'em on the trail And you
knOw-just as we'll as 1 do-what
they were."
Oh you, 1 went back the next
morning, as soon as could see. And
the mountain lion had already been
there. went back lots Of times since.
And that shell amt nothing-but all
the time I supposed put it in my
pocket. You know how it is-a fellow
throws his empty shell out by habit"
Gibbs eyes grew more intent. What
was this thing? Cranston's tone, in
stead Of commanding, was almost
pleading But the leader caught him
self at once.
Il don't see why need to explain
any of that to you. What want to
know is this why you didn't shoot
and get those papers away from him."
For an instant their eyes battled.
But Gibbs had never the strength of
his leader. If he had, it would have
been asserted long since. He sucked
in his breath, and his gaze fell away
1t rested on Cranston's rifle, that in
some manner had been pulled up
across his knees. And at once he was
cOwed. He was never so fast with a
gun as Cranston.
"Blood on my hands, eh-same as
on yours2" he mumbled, looking down.
"What do you think l want, a rope
around my neck? These hills are big,
but the arm of the law has reached up
before, and it might again. You might
! as well know first as last I'm not goin'
to do any kilhn's to cover up your
murders"
"That comes of not going myself.
You fOol-if he gets that evidence
down to the courts you're broken the
same as me-"
"But l wouldn't get mOre'n a year
or so, at most-and that's a heap diff
ferent from the gallows. l did aim at
him"
"But you just lacked the CUTS to pull
the triggerF
81 did, and I amt ashamed of 1t.
But besldes-the SHOWS are here now,
and he won't be able to even get word
to the valleys for six months. If you
want him killed so bad, do 1t your
self"
This was a thought indeed On the
other hand, another murder might not
be necessary. Months would pass be-
fore the road would be opened, and In
the meantime Cranston would have
thousand chances to steal back the
accusing letters. He didn't believe for
an instant that the man Gibbs had
i