The Oakley herald. [volume] (Oakley, Idaho) 1908-1961, 1924-02-08
BY VICTOR ROUSSEAU
Copyright by W. q. Chspma,

| Wlnton gulped, but managed TO IL
tain an aspect Of tolerable indifference
did the De Witt stone happen to com
out of the Big Malopo claimr he in
quired.
Look here, young man, you know
more than you're pretending" an
swered the other In disgust. 'srhinl
you're smart, don't your l don't know
what your game is, but take a word o
advice and don't play innocent Il
Malopo, because It don't go DOWN."
He left Winton In disgust and saun
tered back, only pausing to kick thu
native, who had the misfortune to in
tercept him. back into the road again
Winton saw the situation, as hi
thought, precisely. If his claim hac
actually proved valuable, De Witt, who
had unloaded the shares upon the un
suspecting Archie, must be kicking
himself savagely at that moment He
resolved to be very cautious and to say
nothing to anybody about his business
He learned the location of the coach
Office from the station agent, and
strolled across the market square to-
ward it, stepping among the recumbent
oxen. Now he began to perceive signs
of prodlgious activity in Taungs. The
market square was filling up. Auction
GERS were putting up thin, miserable
donkeys and broken carts, which
brought incredible prices. Indian ped
dlers, old clothes men, hawkers of "ice-
cold" drinks poured out from canvas
bottles suspended In the sun, to lose
heat by evaporation, swarmed among
the crowd Of bidders. Occasionally a
man on horseback, in flannel shirt and
wide-brimmed hat of felt, his worldly
goods packed in his saddle-bags, and
humping at his steed's TANKS, came
Looping by, riding toward the west.
Many of the OK wagons we're already
upon their way, making their first
march before the heat of noon.
Winton pushed his way through the
throngs and found the coach Office,
near the northeastern corner of the
square, surrounded by crowd of APP
plicants, among them his travelling
companions of the two days and nights
spent in the train.
The coach, a huge affair, containing
seats for sixteen, with an immense
leather boot at the back for baggage,
stood at the side of the Office; In the
rear a half-dozen mules, which had
been led from their stables, were TAX
ing their last roll in the dust and scat
tering clouds upon the bystanders.
Winton heard passenger offer twen-
ty pounds for ticket to little one
eyed man, who rejected his proposal
scornfully. The fare was ten POUNDS
the little man had bought some seats
on speculation, and was receiving Of
fers with astonishing disdain and ar
rogance.
Twenty poundsT he repeated sar-
castically, splitting into the dust. |
"Gemmen here offers twenty pounds for
a seat as far as Malopo. Come. gem
men, shame him Only one stage a
day, and all the seats booked weeks |
ahead. Who says ffty?"
"Fiftyr' cried a stalwart old pros
pector at Winton's side.
SuOulcQ dlOluCl.
"Sixtyl Who'll raise sixty2 Seven
ty? Thank you, sir. Eighty Seventy
fve? He was holding out the ticket
to WInton, who shook his head indig-
nantly.
Just then his eyes Lit upon pair
who attracted and arrested his atten-
ton Immediately. One was an old
man, apparently in his late sixties, with
his occupation as prospector stamped
all over him, In the hungry eyes, sun
and staring, his calloused
hands; the other was girl, dark
haired, about three-and-twenty and of
singular and rather exotic beauty, who
stood beside him, her arm drawn
through his own.
1t was not so much the contrast be-
.ween the two that struck winton as
he reversal of their natural roles, In
hat the girl seemed to be the leading
,pirir. There was something indica-
i've of protectiyeness in her finely
modelled face, her gesture The man,
IN the other hand, looked like one
broken by misfortune; his hands shook.
Is with palsy, and he glanced up into
he face of his taller daughter from
ime to time with appealing helpless
less.
tits fortunate that got ticket for /
-ou, father, when I left Malopo," said
he girl.
She had evidently come into Taungs
|
0 meet her father. Winton wondered
Who she was, and what she was doing
lone In Malopo, unless her father lived
here habitually.
Eighty 70 shouted the ticket-holder. I
Winton realized that
he man was addressing him again. He
ad declined to pay seventy-five with
ldignation. But now, before he quite t
ealized what he was doing, he nodded. Q
IL the while he was watching the girl t
nd the old man.
I'm bid eighty-fve. Who says
inety? Eighty-seven ten, then. For I
,e last time, gemmen Going at
ghty-fve, which is sin and scan v
-going-gonel It's yours, g