Evening journal., 1922-02-06
Continued from Our Last Issue
CHAPTER XVI


the lean. tanned driller in charge Of
operations was wise, with an uncanny
knowledge the newcomer could not
fathom. For eight hours at al
stretch he stood on the platform
and watched a greasy cable go slip
ping into the earth.
This spclt romance to Jed Burns,
superintendent Of operations, though
he would never have admitted 1t.
He was sitting sand through his
fingers when Dave came To Bob
Hart. present as Crawford's personal
representative. he expressed an opin-
ion
Right soon now or never. Sand
tastes. feels. looks, and smells like
oil But you can't ever be sure. An
oil prospect Is like a woman. She
viii or she won't, you never can tell
which. Then. IL she does. she's
liable to change her mind"
Dave shifted the pleasing. pungent
odor of the crude oil sands. His
friend had told him that Crawford's
fate hung in the balance. Unless
OH flowed very soon in paying guam
titles he was ruined man.
After his shift was over. he rode
10 town with Bob.
"Got to look for an engineer for
the night tower" Hart explained as
he drew up in front of the Gusher
saloon
The place hummed with the tur-
buleni life that drifts to every wild
frontier on the boom. Faro dealers
from the Klondike. poker dealers
from Nome roulette croupiers from
Leadville. were an here TO reap the
rich harvest to be made from in
vcstors. field workers and operators.
Bob found his man at a faro table.
While the cards were being shufiled.
he engaged him to come out next
evening TO the Jackpot properties .
While Dave was standing close to
the wall he caught sight Of Steve
Russell
The cowpouncher looked up and
waved his hand.
Bob Joined them. After a mo-
ments conversation Russell drew
them 10 a corner.
rsay. you heard the news. Bob ?"
81 can tell you that better after
know what it is" returned Hart with
a grin.
"Thc stage was held up al Cotton
wood Bend this morning and robbed
OF $4,000. The driver was killed"
'Whose money was it2"
Brad Steelmans pay roll and a
shipment Of gold for the bank"
ANY idea who did it?"
...lnt I .trarfa toll ssntt Vttrn
men were in the job. They're whis-
perrin that En- Crawford was one"
"Crawfordl Some Of steelman's
nne work ntha trumor, TN bet.
Tha's plumb foolish talk. What evil
dance does he claim p demanded
Hart.
"Em deposited ten thousand with
the First National TO pay off a note
he owed the bank. Rode into town
right straight to the bank two hours
after the stage got in. Then, too,
seems one Of the hold-ups called the
other one Crawford
"A plant" said Dave promptly.
They claim the second man was
Dave here"
limp What time d'you say this
hold-up took placer"
Must "a been about eleven"
Lets Dave out. He was fifteen
miles away. and we can prove il by
al least six witnesses"
Good. l reckon En- can put in
an aiibi. too"
"rn bet ne can" Hart promised
this with conviction.
where Is Crawford now?" asked
Dave 'He hasn't been arrested. has
hes"
mot yet But he's bein watched"
Wed better go to his house and
talk with him." suggested Hart.
Maybe he can give as good an .alibi
as you Dave"
you and I win 20 straight there,
decided Sanders.
Joyce opened the door to the
knock Of the young men At sight
of them her face ut.
"Oh I'm so glad you've comet"
size cried. tears in her voice She
caught her hands together in a con-
ulsive little gesture.
Her father was sitting in a big
chair one leg thrown carelessly over
the arm. He was smoking a cigar
co.nposedly
Come IN. boys" he called.
Reckon you've heard that I'm a
stage rustler and a murderer"
Just now said Bob. "They
a Cidnt arrest your"
Not yet Sit down. and I'll tell
it to you."
lie had gone out TO see a home
ste9der about doing some work for
him. on the way he had met John
son and Purdy, near the Bend, just
before he had turned up a draw
leading 10 the place IN the hills
owned by the man whom ne wanted
to see. Two hours had been spent
riding to the little valley where the
hester had built his corrals and hi
log house, and when Crawford ar.
rived neither he nor his wife was a
b6me- He returned to the road
{ without having met a soul since h,
f had left it. and from there jogge,
on back to town. On the way N
fired twice at rattlesnake.
you never reached the Bend
then. at all" said Dave.
mo. but / can't prove I didn't
The old cattleman looked at tie en-
OF h. cigar thoughtfully. "Nor
cayn't prove I went out to Die
Creins place in that three-fou
hours not accounted for"
"Anehow. you can show wher
you got the ten thousand dollars Vol