The Wolf Point herald. (Wolf Point, Mont.) 1913-1940, 1924-01-24

rne woodsman had brought the can
die out OF the room where the dead
robber lay, closed the door and was
dong his best to stop the blood and
rcstorS tn, girl to consciousness. when
the doctor ran In.
a hurried word or two and he was at
the hurt shoulder. The bullet-it was
his irst care. With quick skill he hunt
ed 1t fortunately located it almost i'm
medlately. 1t had just missed the lung,
ranged upward and lodged barely be-
meath the skin at the top of the Shout
der. lie made a small incision and
probed il out.
He had washed the wound and had
1t neaiiy dressed when Aunt Eliza
came rUnning in, followed an instant
later by Mrs. Curry. Hurried and pant
ing. Changing Texie's sOdden gar
ments for dry ones. while the woods
man built a fire in the kitchen stove,
they laid her between warm blankets
In the parlor bedroom.
Picking up the candle, the woodsman
~ fo1So In AAOVh AIl0N OPth tIO dOOi
of the room where the dead robber lay
and motioned for the two men.
Even the doctor started, aghast at
the gruesome, huddled form sprawled
there among the Uttered. blood-spat-
tered money. Uncle Nick's muttered
cry brought the two women running
from the sick room. to gaze with the
others-awed to silence by the tragedy
that had again visited the quiet cot
tage.
The woodsman we'll knew that ques-
lions would be flashing through each
mind-had been since the discovery of
Texie's hurt-knew that each looked to
him for the answer A low moa came
from the parlor bedroom. That last
~treacherous shot-he knew that the
man with the red lock could never
come back. 1t had been a mistake to
shield him; a blunder to trust him
a blunder that was being paid for at a
fearful cost.
The doctor was the first to break the
silence.
What Ices this mean?'-the ques-
ton was half a demand.
1T means-Caleb Hopkins" was the
hard, incisive answer.
The doctor started the two women
caught their breath Uncle Nick swore,
ashamed of it, looked foolish.
This dead man"-the woodsman
dropped a hand toward the huddled
form-"is Black Bogus" The two wom-
en- looked at each other; shrank back.
The Doctors eyes lifted; he drew a
step nearer and gazed hard at the
body. Him and Hopkins and"-Loge
Belden, the man was about to say, but
of the mountain girl, and he
besides, Belden had not shown
himself at the robbery-"they're both
and counterf'iters. Hopkins
would take good money out of the safe
and put counterf'it bills in place of it.
AT was him that killed Pap Simon
Is, Pap Simon run out on i'm
that night while he was changin' the
rouRterf'it FIR good money, and in the
scuffle died of heart disease. That
shet off their game, of course, so they
t. make a clean sweep t'night
and go.
"Hopkins-went t. town and writ
pack a letter T. Texie, maxim out 1t
was from-Ken. The letter said he
was sick in town and wanted 'er t.
come to i'm. So she went, leavin' a
lote with Mis- Curry FIR me. The min
lite / got the note I knowed it was
Hopkins. I'd ben suspicious of i'm
had ben watchin' i'm, so / rode
after 'er as quick as l could-clean t
he city, t. the place where the letter
laid Ken was sick found / was off
he trail rode back as fast as Gray
ock could bring me t. try and pick it
Up.
81 found where Hopkins had headed