The Holly chieftain., 1923-07-12

printed ITSELF on the lesser manhood
Of the Jumpers as finger leaves its
print In clay. They shifted back q
little from Plimsoll. circling out as
they might have moved from man
marked by pestilence. He stood trying
to OUTAGE Sandy. to keep his eyes
steady.
'You pack yore gun under yore coat
flap" said Sandy. II don't know how
quick you can draw but / aim to find
out"
He handed one Of his own guns to
Mormon, announcing his action lest
Plimsoll might mistake 1t.
SNOW, then" he went on, Il once
told you looked to you to stop any
gossip about Molly Casey. Same time
Butch Parsons an Sim Hahn got huht.
You don't seem able to sabe plain talk
an Tn tired Of talkin' to you, Jim
Plimsoll. Me, I'm goin' to roll me q
cigarette. Any time you want to you
can draw. I'm givin' you the aidge on
me. II you don't take that aidge, Jim
Plimsoll, I'm givin' you till sun-up ter
morrer mornin' to git plumb out of
camp. An to keep driftin,." =
Deliberately Sandy took tobacco
sack and papers from the pocket Of
his shirt, his fingers functioning auto
matically. precisely, his eyes never
shifting from Plimsoll's face, measur-
ing by feel the amount Of tobacco
shaken into the little trough Of brown
paper.
The group gazed at him fascinated.
Plimsoll's face beaded with tiny drops
Of sweat, his hands moved slowly up
ward toward his coat lapels, touched
them as Sandy twisted the end of the
cigarette, stayed there, shaking slight
ly with what might have been eager
ness-or paralysis. For the look in the
steel-gray eyes Of Sandy Bourke, half
mocking, all confident, spurred the
doubts that surged through the gam
bler's chance-calculating mind, while
he knew that every atom Of hesitation
lessened his chances.
His own hands were close to his
chest. His right had but few inches
to dart, to drag the automatic from Its
smooth holster. Sandy's hands were
high above his belt, rolling the ciga-
rette. They had four times as far to
go. However, Plimsoll knew that II
anything went wrong with his perform
ance, II he failed to kill outright, that
nothing would go wrong with Sandy's
shooting. Buff he did not take his
chance and, failing 1t, did not leave
"Gimme a match, Sam" Sandy's
voice came to Plimsoll across gulf
that could never be bridged. He
watched the fiane. pale In the SUM-
shine. watched 1t lift to the cigarette
and then a puff of smoke came into
his face as Sandy flung away the burnt
stick and turned on his heel. Murder
stirred DULY in Plimsoll's brain at the
sneers he surmised rather than read
on the faces Of his followers. His de-
feat was also theirs. But the moment
had gone. He knew he lacked the
nerve. Sandy knew It and had turned
his back on him.
His prestige was gone. His boon
companions would talk about It Nor
mon gave Sandy back his second gun
and Sandy slid 1t into the holster. He
exhaled the last pun Of his cigarette
before he spoke again to Plimsoll.
"Sun-up, ter-morrer. You can send
TO- yore stuff here any time you've a
mind to. Fo' a gamblin' man, Plimsoll,
you're id pore Judge Of a hand"
Plimsoll strobe OF down the hill
alone. The men who had come with
him hesitated and then crossed the
gulch. They had severed connections
with the J. P. brand for the time, at
least. The three partners walked back
toward the tunnel.
"We got to stay on the claims" said
Sam. "If they happened to think Of
1t they might heave stick Of dyna-
mite in our midst afteh It's good an
dahk. A fiyin' chunk of dynamite is a
nasty thing to dodge, at that"
II don't think 1t likely, Sam. Camp
knows, or will know, what's been hap
penin'. II dynamite was thrown they'd
sabe~ who did It an don't believe the
crowd 'ud stand for 1t. w'udn't won
der II Jim Plimsoll forgets to send TO-
that tent an stuff Of his. Hope he
does"
"What do we want with it," de-
manded Mormon.
''Nothin', with the stuff. Well set 1t
out beyond the lines come dusk. But
the tentll come In handy. We didn't
bring one erlong."
'You don't aim TO- us to sleep In II,
do your asked Mormon.
''Don't believe we'd rest well II we
tackled 1t. But 1t mightn't be a bad
scheme II we give the gen'ral idee that
we are sleepin' in 1t. put lantern
in the car when we stahted. Fetch
that erlong too, will you, Mormon7"
It was late afternoon before Nor
mon reappeared, bearing camp out
fit, part Of which was carried by West
lake. Sandy and Sam had repitched