The Miller press. [volume] (Miller, S.D.) 190?-current, 1923-01-25

smiled now; the whole circle of faces
was dark and intent, their eyes gilt
tered through narrowed lids, their lips
set. The mir was charged with sus-
pense. The moment Of crisis was near.
Sometimes the men glanced at their
leaders face, and what they saw there
filled them with a grim and terrible
eagerness. Sipron was beginning to
rGn true to form. His dark passions
were slowly mastering him. For a no.
ment they all sat as IL entranced in
a communion of cruelty, and to Bruce
they seemed like a colony of spotted
rattlesnakes such as sometimes hold
their c~ommunions of hatred on the
sun-blasted cliffs.
All AT once Simon laughed-a sharp,
hoarse sound that had, in its over
tones, a note of madness. Every man
in the room started. They seemed to
have forgotten Bruce. They looked at
their leader with a curious expectancy.
They seemed to know that that wild
laugh betokened but one thing-the
impact of some terrible sort of inspi-
ration.
AS they watched, they saw the idea
take hold of him. The huge face dark
ened. His eyes seemed TO smolder as
he studied his huge hands. "We'ye
decided to be merciful, after ALL" he
said slowly. But neither Bruce nor the
clansmen misunderstood him or were
deceived. They only knew that these
words were simply part of a deadly
jest that In q moment all would un-
derstand. Instead of filling you full
of thirty-thirty bullets. as better men
than you have been filled and what we
ought to do-we're just going to let
you lay out all night--in the pasture
with your feet tied and your hands
behind your back"
No one relaxed. They listened, STAR
ing, for what would follow.
You may get a bit cold before
morning." Simon went on, but you're
warmly dressed, and a little frost
won't hurt you. And I've got tt.e place
all picked out for you. And we're even
going To move something that's laying
there so II will be more pleasant"
Again he paused. Bruce looked up.
1.-THE thing that's lying there Is a
dead yearling calf. half ate up. 1t
was killed last night by the Killer
the old grizzly that maybe you've
heard OF before. Some of the boys
We're going to walt In trees tonight by
the carcass and shoot the Killer when
he comes back after another meal
something that likely won't happen un-
til about midnight If he runs true to
form. But II won't be necessary now.
We're going to haul the carcass away
down wind where he won't smell 1t.
And we're going to leave you there In
It's place to explain to him what be-
came of It,"
Bruce felt their glowing eyes upon
him. Exultation was creeping over the
clan once more their leader had done
himself proud. It was such sugges-
tons as this that kept them In W OF
him.
And they thought they understood.
They supposed that the night would
be of the utter depths Of terror to the
tenderfoot from the cities, that the
bear would sniff and wander about
him. and ~perchance the mans hair
would be turned quite white by morn
ing. But being mountain men, they
thought that the actual danger OF at
tack was not great. They supposed
that the Unborn fear of men that all
animals possess would keep him at u
distance. And, If by any unlikely
chance the theft of the beef carcass
should throw him into such a rage that
he would charge Bruce, no harm In
particular would be done. The a
was a FOlger, an enemy of the clan,
and after once the telltale ropes were
removed, no one would ask questions
about the mutilated, roken thing
that would be found next morning In
the pasture. The story would carry
dowp to the settlements merely as a
fresh a~trocity Of the Killer, the last
and greatest Of the grizzlies.
But they had no realization of the
full dreadfuIness of the plan. They
hadn't heard the more recent history
OF the Killer-the facts that Simon
had just learned from Dave. Strange
and dark ~conjecturing occupied ST.
mons mind. and he knew-in a mo-
ment's thought-that something more
than terror and ~indignity might be
Bruce's fate. But his passion was ripe
for what might come. The few signif-
icant facts that they did not know
were merely that the Killer had al
ready found men out, that he had
learned In an ~instant's meeting with
Hudson beside Little river that men
were no longer to be feared, and
worse. that he was raving and deadly
from the pain Of the wound that
Bruce's bullet had inflicted.
The circle of faces faded out for
both Of them as the eyes Of Bruce and
Simon met and clashed and battled In
the silent room.