The diamond drill., 1922-01-07

your cabin ana stay out OF the fight.
Nobody wants TO hurt YOU"
That put II pretty squarely up to
me. too, so turned to the old man at
my side.
"It's good advice. Daddy" said |:
"and this isn't your quarrel. You'd
better duck while you can"
Daddy Hiram made no reply at all
10 me; didn't pay any attention to me.
Instead. he stood up on the door-sill
and shook his fist at Bullerton.
II been lookin' for you and your
kind Of crowd for year back.
Charley Fullerton. and drawIn' pay
for doin IL" he shrilled. "Stannie.
here. says II you want this mine you
can come and take it, and, by gum
mics, ! say them same identical
words 1"
"All right said Fullerton again.
But it's only fair to say that we out
number you six 10 one. and we've got
the law. and few deputy sheriffs, on
our side. You two haven't as much
show as a cat In hell without claws.
and when the circus is over, you1l
both so TO jail. II there's enough left
OF you TO stand the trip" Then. as he
was turning to 90 he Tipped the deed
into the air so that II fell at our feet.
"You may have that" he sneered.
"We'd like nothing better than TO have
you produce IL in court"
II didn't seem just fitting to let him
have the last word, so I pitched a
small ultimatum OF my own after him
as he herded his two scoundrelly look
ing witnesses" into the downward
road.
zone thing more. Bullerton," called
out. "Your flag OF truce holds only
until you get back TO your army. II
you or any OF your men are In sight OF
Cinnabar property ten minutes after
you reach your camp, we open fire."
Since the truce was thus definitely
ended. we retired into our fortress and
put up the bars. AS we were closing
the doors and making everything snug
l asked Daddy what kind of human
timber Bullerton was likely TO have
I'm his army, and II there were any
chance that his boast about having
deputy sheriffs In the crowd was TO be
taken at its face value.
"There's nothin' TO the deputy brag.
Ike Beasley is the chief deputy for
this end o. the county, and he'd be
here himself II that was a posse COM
mytaters down yonder. AS for what he
has got, there's no tellin'. Most likely
he's picked up fistful O. toughs and
out-o'-works down In Angels. There's
always plenty o. drift O that kind
hangin' round minin camp"
"Fighters?" l queried.
"Oh. yes; reckon so-if fightin'
comes easier than workin'."
With the doors shut and barred
climbed up on our breastwork to bring
my eyes on level with one OF the high
window holes. The ten-minute ultima
tum interval had come 10 an end. but
the raiders were making no move 10
vacate the premises. on the contrary,
their cooking fire was now burning
brlskiy and they were apparently maxi
ing leisurely preparations to eat. II
fairly made me schoolboy furious 10
see those fellows calmly getting their
noon meal ready and Ignoring my
warning.
"Hand me up one OF those dynamite
cartridges" | barked at Daddy HI
ram and when he complied, lighted
match and stuck IL 10 the split end
of the fuse. There was a fzz. a cloud
OF acrId smoke 10 make me turn my
face away and cough, and then
frenzied yell from the old man.
Throw II - good-gosh-to-Frlday -
throw IT,
contrived to get II out through the
window opening in some way, and lost
my balance on the earth bags doing it.