Iron County news. [volume] (Hurley, Wis.) 1913-1950, 1924-02-02
VINO swung rbund. to see az lItt

{ MOTEL lie started bow long lts hidA
/ had been there he could not imagine,
but he felt almost as If his thoughts
had been laid bare
The man dropped into the chair be
side him. "And what do you think Of
this country" ne continued fixing
! Winton with his black eyes "Strang-
! er. amt you? I spotted you as soon as
you came In this afternoon.
YES, I'm a stranger" answered Win
I ton curtly.
'"Fhere amt many Americans in this
country yet. but they won't be long
coming You always find EN- where
the money is. said the little man. In
terested in a claimY
II might be" answered Winton. "As
a rule keep my affairs to myself.
"Oh, no oGense," said the little man
hastily Were all here for the money,
aln't we? OF course, you're dead right
to take that stand. You don't know
me and | don't know you. Towns fnll
Of rogues and l. d. 3. men, anyway.
I:That was a smart trick getting away
with the De witt stone, eh?. But the
police will prove too smart for those
/ fellowsif it Amt a lie"
/ Winton said nothing He disliked
the little man intensely He felt an
atmosphere OF stealth and moral un.
cleanness exuding from him, and the
little man was getting on Wintons
nerves by the way he idgeted, first
with one arm and then with the other
then with one leg and then with the
other
This l. D. b. game now-you'ye
heard Of it, | suppose, even though you
are a. stranger? Illicit diamond buy
/ ing-it's as old as the first diamond
claim pegged out in Kimberley. Sew
en- years on the breakwater at Cape
Town TO buy diamonds that way, and
most Of the big men In this country
started in that game. Perfectly re-
/ spectacle now, and they ought 20 have
the convict brand stamped all over
them. But it's temptation. when a
KHftir lab0rer knows more ways of
I hiding stone than any white man
/ could think of Takes ii shrewd com
pound manager to keep tab on them.
4 They used to swallow them, but we
countered that Then they'd cut holes
in their skin and bury them, TIN we
started the medical examination as
well as the daily search. Then they
i hid them IN their dogs and we shut the
dogs out of the compounds There
was one fellow, a dentist, used to stop
their teeth with them And that game
wasn't worked out before they had a
new trick
Yes. Malopo's a queer place" he
continued Between you and me, |
don't believe that De Witt stone was
] picked up here at all De Witt brought
II up from Kimberley and planted it on
the Big Malopo claim That's what
most people are saying. Just an adj
yertlsng trick to boom his stock. and
the same with the stealing. That stone
wasn't stolen
See here T. cried Winton, goaded To
evaporation. what ia the name Of
I thunder do you mean, by calling the
Big Malopo Mr. De Witts7 What has
I AIR, DE Witt to do with it?"
The little man laughed and nudged
Wlnton joyialy in the side The touch
OF his fingers against Wintons coat
was almost ntolerable. Winton moved
his chair away.
Nov It's you who are asking ques-
( tions," said the little man. You know
what you know and | know what !
know. eh2'
tie chucMed, rose up, and walked
away Whatever the object OF his
4 address, might have been. it had sue
ceeded ia singing Winton in hts ten.
derest place. Everybody in Malopo
seemed TO take it for granted that he
Witt already owned the Big Malopo.
Even Ned Burns had taken the stone
TO De Witt. And il had been placed
on exhibition IN the Syndicate bank.
Wjnton WAS raging He meant TO
show Malopo who owned the claim.
and he h,d forgotten all his warnings
about being cautious,
A mob of men from the dining room
came out upon the porch, laughing aud
+ joklng. Inside the hotel Wiufon heard
ryvo in alteration, the subject Of their
dispute being. apparently. one OF the
Mattresses. The meal was over Win
ton rose and looked through the door
way, Then he saw Sheua putting on
her hat beside the cashiers desk.
A maas suoGe tosAey as she LETT the
room. but she walked past him. and
went down the steps before Winton
could intercept her. He followed her.
and as he didAs6she heard ole OF the
men on the porch make a jeS.1r. re-
marx about hfrn 10 a companion.
Winton dId mot heed H. He caught
up with the girl 5f The corner of the
block. Miss Season z" he began.
sShe tggaed and stopped, MIR. Gar
-Estt--' she began.
j "Tou asked me To so away, and ]
dld SO. ! thought you would allow
ME-
+ fNmt is It that you wauty asked
+ Sht)a
Il want to. 5e'p ycu. know that
you are tr{en6ess here. thar You are
dining work WEff. il unS7gfta4 ra ,.,,,,