The Oakley herald. [volume] (Oakley, Idaho) 1908-1961, 1924-05-02

came here that I'd kill Haigf Or thi
|, girl here7 No. Not for a minute
fou-but not them II wasn't l tina
did this thing. or planned 1t. No
Haig eitherl It's this thing-this ink
and-paper devil-that planned 1t all
anG is doing II DOW. | can see thu
anybody can but a fool.
TITS as simple as can be. though
for years." he explained. that l coult
fool it. This thing here" he said o.
Jasper Haig again. thought so. too
Nothing doing We did always what
II planned for us to dom the end
like nowl
But" ne said, now rather boast
| ingly-speaking in the manner OF a
man who talks a great and terrible
secret finally out loud. in spite of who
or what may hear 1t. there's some
! thing else In this now. It's had us
always. But now I've got it, too
When we're gone" he cried out bold.
ly, when this is all over--it will be
gone itself In fifteen seconds. now,
the Gorgam Trust will be dead-dead
as we are !"
Stanford Gorgam, standing rigidly
like a soldier at attention, could see
quite clearly that the end had come
whatever it was to be.
But at that time an unexpected hap
pening interviewed Suddenly, without
any intimation of life, the body of the
girl behind his opponent raised itself
from the floor and staggered, urcer.
tainly. but with a surprising rapidity,
toward the hall door from behind
which still came the whispers of peo-
pie and the growing of the dog.
An acute change in the situation
had been created by this act.
"Stopl" called Hasbrouck Ruther-
ford.
1t was confusing development to
mind not exactly In condition for
quick decision-after twenty-four hours
of persistent drinking. If he turned to
fire at her, he exposed himself to the
enemy in front
"stopl" he cried. but still the OBJ
toward the locked door regardless-to
let in that crowd outside and the dog
She staggered but did not falter. II
was necessary to do something. Has
brouck Rutherford fired one shot
missing. For before he turned, the
other man was on him. He had only
time to turn again and shoot him some
where in the body when the door was
opened and that crowd and that id
dog was in The situation was now
entirely reversed.
Like brown projectile the dog was
on him. 1t was an ugly thing vicious,
wiry; 1t must have weighed seventy
five pounds. He fired and missed it.
Fortunately, though. the brute itself
missed its aim In a way. 1t caught
instead Of flesh the breadth of the
coat upon his shoulder, too lightly to
holland struck, confused for a sec
ond. against the wall
He started to fire again at the beast,
but before he really could recover
himself to do so, the thing was up
again. 1t tore at his extended hand.
unfortunately, and he lost his weapon
1t fell gathering on the floor.
There was nothing to do now but to
escape from this thing, for that crowd
on the other side of the room could
never interfere In time TO save him
from it, probably-even If they tried
to. The unmangled hand of Has
brouck Rutherford was on the knob
of the outside door into old Daniel
Gorgam's private passageway. He
opened II with what quickness he
could, managed to start through it.
But unfortunately the dog came with
him. The spring lock clicked behind;
he found himself at the head of those |
long white stairs, that bare, empty |
spiral staircase, with nothing but one |
hand for defense-and that half-mad |
dog upon him. Caught like rat with |
a weasel at the entrance of a stone !
No wonder Hasbrouck Rutherford |
cried out so hoarsely that they heard
him through the thick door, with that
great beast at his throatl
They found him when they came in.
far down at the bottom of the shiny
stairs, great. loose bulk against the
outside door-the dog standing ever
him.
They're that way" said the English
servant who had lifted him, comment
ng afterwards, those dogs I've seen
hem in the old country. They never
ouch thing that's dead :"
"Tle must have fallen backward
when the beast jumped at him-from
ust near the top" said the other to
whom he spoke, discussing the prob
Utilities OF what no man actually saw.
"What could you expect?" asked the
'ther. "a heavy man like that-strik-
ng backward on his neck"
But whatever may have been the
xact and unanticipated cause of Has
rouck Rutherford's own death, his
prophecies concerning the extinction
f the Gorgam Trust had nor yet been
UTILIZED. In fact. very singular sltu-
ton had been created by his las
ct. The two chief active agents.
10 phvcfoa1 brain and ho1v ca m |