The Bridgeport times and evening farmer., 1922-06-03

out of his hand and threw IL IN Ihe
corner Of the room.
you fool" he whispered quickly
as he pinioned Mcclure in his chair,
do you want to add another murder
to what's on your conscience?"
But Mcclure had already ceased to
resist him. Peter hadn't been too
gentle with him. The man had col
lapsed. A glance at his face showed
his condition. So Peter poured out
glass of whisky and water which he
poured between his employers lips.
Then he waited, watching the old
man. He seemed really old now to
Peter, a hundred at least, for his
sagging facial muscles seemed to re-
veal the lines of every event in his
life-an old man, though scarcely
sixty. yet broken and helpless. He
came around slowly, his heavy gaze
slowly seeking Peters
"What-what are you going to
do?" he managed at last.
Nothing. I'm no b1ackmailer."
And then, playing his high card. I've
heard what Hawk said about Ben
Cameron" said Peter. Now tell me
the truth
At the sound of the name Mcclure
started and then his eyes closed for a
moment.
You know-everythfng," he NUT
tered.
Yes, his side" Peter lied Whats
yours?"
Mcclure managed to haul himself
upright in his chair, staring up at
Peter with bloodshot eyes.
He's lied to you. If he said done
it." he gasped, relapsing into the
vernacular of an earlier day. ''1t was
Hawk. He stabbed him in the back
III q
thing to do with the ki1lin'. I swear
it-~
Peters lips set in a thin line.
so Hawk Kennedy killed Ben
Cameron!" he said.
He did. I swear to Cod"
And then you cleared out with all
the water, leaving Hawk % die. That
was murder-cold-b looded murder"
'fMy God. don't Methodist the old
man moaned. IF you only knew"
We'll. then-tell me the truth
Their glances met. Peters was
compelling. He had. when he chose,
an air of command. And there was
something else in Peters look. inf1exf-
BILE as it was, that gave MCGUIRE cour-
age, an unalterable honesty which
had been so far tried and not found
wanting.
You know - already" he STAN
mered.
Tell me your story said Peter
bluntly.
There was a long moment OF hest
tation. and then:
Get me a drink Nichols TIL trust
you. I've never told it to a living
man. I'll tell-In tell it all. It may
not be as bad as you think.
'tTbis-this thing has been hanging
over me for fifteen years. Nichols
fifteen years. Its weighted me down,
made an old man of me before my
time. Maybe 1t will help me to tell
somebody. It's made me hard -
silent, busy with my own affairs, bit
ter against every man who could hold
his head up. 1 knew it was going to
come some day. I knew it. You can't
pun anything like that and get away
with it forever. I'd made the money
spending it in my life. I'm a lonely
man. Nichols. I always was. NO
happiness except wheen I came back
to my ghters-to Peggy and my
poor Marjorie ="
Mcclure was silent for a moment
and Peter, not taking his gaze from
his face patiently waited. Mcguire
glanced at him just once and then
went on, slipping back from time to
time into the speech of a bygope day.
II never knew what his first name
was. He was always just Hawk to
US boys on the range. Hawk Ken
nedy was a bad lot. I knew it up
there in the San Luis Valley, but
wasn't no angel from heaven myself.
And he had a way with him. We
got on all right together. But when
the gold mine up at the Gap petered
out he quit me-got beaten up in
fight about a woman. I didn't see him
for some years. when he showed up
in Pueblo, where l was worlSin' in a
smelter. He was all for goin' South
into the copper country. He had
s9me money-busted a faro bank, he
said. and talked big about the for
tune he was goin' to make. All, he
could talk, when he had something
on his mind .. had some
money saved up, too. and SO I quit
my job and went with him down 70
Bisbee, Ariz- I wish to God I never
had. I'd gotten pretty well straight
ened out UP in Pueblo. sendin' money
East to the wife and all But
wanted to be rich 1 was forty-five
and I had to hurry. But I could
do it yet. Maybe this was my chance
That's the way I thought That's
why 1 happened to listen to Hawk
country.
We'll, we got an OUTFIT in Bisbee
and set out along the Mexican Dor
der. We had a tip that led us out
into the desert. 1t was just a tip,
that's all. But it was worth follow
ing up. 1t was about this man Ben
Cameron He'd come into town all
alone, got supplies and then go out
again next day. He let slip some
thing over the drink one night. That
was the tip we were followin' up. We
struck his trail, all right - askin'
questions of greasers and Indians.
We knew he'd found somethin' good
or he wouldn't have been so quiet
about il.
II swear to God I had 10 idea of
harmip' him. / wanted to find what
Ben Cameron had found, stake our
near him and get what I could. May
be Hawk Kennedy had a different
idea even then. I don't know He
never said what he was hinkin'
about.