Evening star., 1923-09-09

1 clc Huuultu uilHSeil oii thc " ~
dow sill and looked out while Bull
| calmly rolled a yellow cigarette. OBJ
| serving the cigarette. Pete looked from
| Bull to the sick bed. If Bull got the
| Significance of the look. he ignored IL,
and before he could apply match.
Pete's long right arm shot out like a
' flash. grasping rattail mustache.
hand made cigarette and all in a vice
like grip. With a grinding jerk he
| threw the cigarette to the floor and
! ground it under his heel.
Rat. There's man over there.
sick. You make the air rotten enough
| without lighting up!'
Bull. white with rage, sprang back.
reaching for the gun on his nip, but
| Pete. with his legs wide apart, ana
hands on hips. sneered sarcasticaliy:
| Dog. you can't shoot, got TO De
; dark for you to work.!
! Bulls fingers twitched nervously
! at the bolster, yet he hesitated AS ne
| stood thus, A cunning gleam,came INTO
J his eyes Kinda nasty this mornin'
aint ya?-guess I'll write yer old man
| an tell i'm as how yer all grown up
now in mans clothes" Bull followed
! his words by pulling letter from his
| pocket. which Pete recognized at once
Bull continued: This thing don't read
/ much like a man wrote 1t though.
think l kin add some news to IT. I'm
| comm in again." he continued, ms
| voice lowered almost to snarl as
! when / do, ya'd better be little po-
! lite, If va expect to see papa again
/ Then the door closed behind him. fol-
| lowed instantly by the rattle of dishes
| on n tray. and woman'S voice say :
| ing: "Oh. | beg your pardon, hJiiler. l.
was just taking in something 10 eat:
+; "Well. don't, and yer not goin' IN
| there any more. That goes. Here. AL
| throw this chuck at EN-
| If Butler could have witnessed the
! flash of color in Petes white face, as
! he listened to ~, words. he might not
! the sick room. Alguin obediently
| showed the door open, and placed a
crude tin tray of food on the moor.
! Bring that junk" he ordered. indi-
/ eating the two basins of crimson Wa
| ter beneath the sick bed.
| Pete did as ordered and followed
Alguin out. passing down snort nan :
! way into what proved TO be sort OF
| washroom. once used by the laborers.
He fingered in this room, and on the
way back. as long as possible, but for
, some reason or other the house
seemed deserted and only Aiguin: the
sick man and himself remained OF the
considerable group who had Deeh
there duri % the night.
After feeling hot broth 10 Hawkins
and smoothing as best he could the
j coarse pillows of the bed. he piuhgeo
hungrily into his own plate OF rat
,
down with hot coffee. In spite OF the
hectic shape his affairs had taken. he
was surprised to find that he Still had
a Scmblance of the buoyancy or spirit
that had come to him as he tod ms
| story to Hawkins. Even the SteaNnS
of his letter home failed TO XIII II.
Perhaps il came with the knowledge
that Hawkins had passed the crisis.
| He would not face another oiie. 80,
Swore as he started savage bite. The
bite ended abruptly. however as his
teeth brought up sharply against some
thing in the sandwich dec,deoly VII
ibitable Curiouslv Pete pried the slices
of bread apart and peered between.
Then he started eating as calmly as
possible at another corner! with
pounding heart he looked stealthiiy
about, TO see il he was observed. Al
length. feeling certain he was secure.
he sIipped from between the slices of
bread. a snugly folded bit of brown
paper and read:
"HawkinS cached the fifty thousand
dollars you stole back of Jumbo Point;
ten PAGES due East discovery stake old
Cherry Blossom Claims Destroy ms
Tam"
For a moment Pete gazed. as though
fascinated. at the paper. Footsteps
approached his door. and some one
seemed about TO enter. With a quick
movement he showed the note. remain
der of the sandwich and all into his
mouth washing them down with
coffee, before he turned and raced the
door.
! Four men, three Of whom Pete recog-
inized, entered Baler came first, with
AIeuin and his mate of the day before
following. but the fourth man was a
stranger 10 Pete As they closed the
door behind them Pete observed that
Bulls bravery seemed to increase Win
the size of his gang.
| "Now. we're talliin' business. ne
smirked. and we won't git rough un-
less papa'S boy needs a Spankln All
but the fourth man of the gangsters
Pete observed Hawkins eyes open and
then close quickly. kin yer noun
tain gopher talk YETI" pursued Bull
indicating the bed.
kins as TO the gangsters: dozen
words and his lungs will food with
blood and that'I make you murderers.
Yer not talking bout US, snapped
AIeuin Yer the murderer; four men
an lady saw va do it, an 'ud swear
well" Bull interrupted. he'd better
| be talkin' by tonight blood or no oiood
iWe're runnin' just criss-cross to orders
You'd oughta be takin' nice long ride
now. and yer gopher friend ought to
be pushin' up lilies. Yer too Valuabi bie
| stock to have sittin' purity out mere IT
| the oDen i holds that a deals dea |
I'm fer going strai ght ahead with tn tht
program. But little Phil. here, Bul
nodded his head toward Alguin. says
! yer offerin' new deal. How abou
IT, Before Pete s9Tta room ansWe5 Stopped su II
front of the bed and flashed back e
pete. "Jest a minute. you. Stick VI
yer dukes. I'm lookin' fer a little dry
goods no,,
left nocket and with a smile, more
! like a snarl, extracted a lady's hand
kerchief. AS though. what he hat hat
found confirmed growing suspicion
he turned on Alguin and said deter
minedly: I'm tellin' va again, PM
this is bad business. Orders is orders
If old J. D. finds out were croSsin
him it's Deer Lodge Ter us; ,ho fesd hsd
tbought he saw Hawkins face twitcf
a little at this speech.
Little Phil replied: well. Va asked
him for his deal, didn't you? Lets
have it."
Buller registered half-def1ance ant
half-agreement but said nothing, as M
indicated that Pete should explain Ms
offer. ..,s ,i,tI.
n,ttar of fifty thousand dollars, tina
I'm not caring a hell of a lot about
seeing how things are: You can hav'
liz if YOU play the game.
"Where is it?" asked Butler plainl!
suspicious. - >, safe" pete ban
'erf1; "Don't get funny" Butler. threat
ened. where's 1t now?
That's my game. feee . NV
manner was battling. -
Just supposing for minute thcr
lis fifty thousand dollars in one, pIse e,
. lin the world, what's yer game
Ru,Ier demanded, as though deter
mined to go through with the talk TO
AIguin's sake, though Pete was Ger
tain his fate was already liked II
1.-The leaders mind.
"Just what named to your mic