The Challis messenger. (Challis, Idaho) 1912-current, 1923-11-14

Il see; the papers were all In your
possession; not above doctoring them,
we're your
what the hi Is that TO your
mot a great deal to me. perhaps
but Of some Importance to a couple Of
women know-one Of them q friend
Of mine. Old Tom Meager left an
invalid widow, whom you fellows have,
believe, robbed Systematically. and
then there IL the girl Bob forced into
marriage. You didn't suppose knew
about all this. l imagine-well, I'm
going to get to the very bottom Of II
before we are through But just now
I want to use the two of you Wen
find out between US just what Manuel
did have hidden away In this mole
Line up there against the wall; face
about the other wayI Now listen: I've
got both guns, my Owl, and the one
Clarity threw away; they are cooked
and within three feet Of your backs
I can't possibly miss you, and If you
make one move, except as l tell you,
I'm going to let drive Are you ready"
Ready for what?"
ITO do as I order All right, then |;
light that lantern. Meager. Now
there is plenty of light for me to see
you by at this distance Move for
ward SIGNIFICANTLY, you keep your
hand Cd the wall. and you, Meager,
take hold of Garrity's sleeve; now
don't forget; u you do it's sure fatal
Go on slow, step at 4 time"
They advanced some ten or twelve
steps down an opening scarcely wide
enough for the two to pass abreast,
Kelieen's gaze wandering from the
backs of his prisoners to the gray
walls on either side. The light flick
cred, yet revealed no opening, until
they came to the very end, and fronted
the solid rock Even then, for an In
slant, Kelleen failed to perceive the
narrow cleft to the left beside Meager,
but the latter, excited by the discov-
ward, holding it at arms length, above
a rough stone slab which half barred
the way.
ifs frel Look therei" he cried
excitedly. almost dropping the light
Clarity craned his neck to see, both
men so wild at the sudden discovery
as to lose all thought of everything
eise. Even Kelleen, revolver In hand,
and fully awake to the danger of his
position. pushed forward far enough
to gain a partial glimpse within Mea-
ger started to climb over, but the
Judge stood moionfess, breathing
hard, his hands gnpped on the stone,
his eyes glaring about the oddly
shaped room, probably originally 4
cavern formed by water, but enlarged
by the efforts Of men The whole
apartment might have measured If
teen feet by ten barely high enough
10 stand erect n the walls varicol-
ored and sparkling in the rays Of the
nplifted lantern At the farther eI-
tremity lay a pill. of debris. scattered
rock and powdeted stone, as though
resting just as they fell after an ex-
plosion, the entire end almost totally
covered Protruding from this pile,
clearly revealed how that Meager had
found footing Inside, and held the
blazing wick higher. was the white,
CHASTITY skeletoa of a man, his bones
still covered with bits of ragged CLOTH
Caught by falling rock, he had been
pinned there helpless until he died
The three men scarcely saw all this
or gave it thought, for there, imme-
diately in front. and all about them,
unarranged, scattered In heaps, lying
where they had been thrown care
lessly over that outer barrier of rock,
rested the miscellaneous spells of 4
thousand robberies, the sack Of
churches and towns: jewels torn from
booty of crime from midnight raids.
and the burning of cities-the hidden
treasures OF old Manuel Gomez 1t
was unbelievable, staggering. What
suffering, what death, what cruelty and
torture did these things pictured And
weslth-we4Ithl Who could even cal
culate its value? Bloodstained. crime
gotten, the fruits Of fifty years of out
lawry, here was gathered. in one vast
heap, wealth to make the mind Of man
helpless to grasp its value
Garrity, digging his fingers franti-
cally into the stone, unconscious of
what he did. his eyes blazing with
sudden. uncomfortable madness
dragged himself over the barrier. He
had lost all reason. all fear: with q
mad cry he gathered up into his arms
all that he could grasp-golden cruct
fix, chaliced goblet. great silver link
glittering with pearls. jeweled bodice
blazing in the nght-laughed like .
flend as he Rugged them close, thee
staggered on In wild ecstasy, string
of oaths breaking from his HAl
Something tripped him and he fell
his arms flung blindly out; gripping
hand struck the lantern from Meager's
grasp. fiinging 1t, still blazing. a half.
dozen feet away. An instant ther1
was silence, q mere flicker of light
which shot along the floor as though
on a trail Of powder-then a glare and