The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1924-10-10


better"
as he going to quit, too? Just be-
cause I've come? Has he any love
for Bayne Trevors?"
Maybe you'd better ask Carson"
In flash she was on her feet and
called loudly. "Come here, will you?
There was little silence, low
sound of laughter, then Carsons
sharp voice answering: "Tm coming!
Judith went back to her chair.
She did not speak until Carsc as
wiry form slipped through the door
way. Then with the old cattleman's
shrewd, hard eyes upon her she
turned from clip full of papers she
had been looking through and spoke
to him quietly:
"You used to work for the Granite
Canyon crowd, didn't you, Carson"
"Yes'm," he answered
Cattle foreman there for several
years?"
"Yes'm."
Helped clean out the Roaring
Creek gang, didn't you, Carson9"
Carson shifted bit, colored under
her fixed eyes, and finally admitted:
"Yes'm."
Haven't had a real first-class fight
for quite bit, have you. Carson? Not
since that cash on your jaw healed
Not since you and Scotty Webb mixed
with the Roaring Creekers?'
Carson rubbed his jaw, flashed a
quick look at Bud Lee as though fol
moral support, looked still further
embarrassed. and finally choked over
his brief: Nom"
Judith sat smiling brightly up al
his hard features. "Pve heard dad talk
about that" she said thoughtfully. 81
guess I've got at least one real man
on the ranch, Carson. Oh, don't dodge
like that! I'm not going to put my
arms around you and kiss you on the
top of your head. But l do. love 9
| man that loves a fair fight. =. Lee
here, has given me his promise to
stick on the job for ten days or so
to give me time to get some one else
to look after my horses"
"Yes'm," said Carson, lingering his
pipe and looking down.
For few moments the girl sat still
now and then flashing a quick, keer
look from one to the other of her two
foremen. Then, abruptly, her eyes or
Carson, shevsnapped: you've found
out, more or less recently, haven't you
that Bayne Trevors is a crook? You've
perhaps even guessed that he's beer
taking money from me with one HAND
and from the Western Lumber with
the other?"
"Yes'm," said Carson, 81 doped il
up like that"
why" cried the girl, "he's fired al
of the old men and heaven knows
how many of his sort he's put in theil
places! Help me clean 'em out, Car
son! Where will we begin? I've
chucked Trevors and Ward Harmon
Who goes next, Carson?"
Benny the cook" said Carson
gently. AN I'd be obliged, ma'am, il
! you'd let me go boot him off'n the
ranch.'
That's talking" she said enthu
siastically. you can attend to him
Any one else"
Carson shook his head. 81 got my
suspicious" he said. But that's al
I'm dead sure on
1.-The others can wait then. Now
I'm taking a gamble on you and Lee
You have all kinds of chances t
double-cross me. But I've got to tel
you something: Trevors is trying tC
sell me out to the Western Lumber
people. He is one of their crowd anC
has been since they bought him VI
six months ago. The ranch, outside
the stock we've got running on it, Is
worth a clean million dollars if it Is
worth nickel. Well, the Western
Lumber company has offered US ex
actly two hundred and fifty thousand
| One-quarter of what it's worth! They
know we're mortgaged; they know the
| interest we have to pay is heavy
they know that Pollock Hampton
| for one, is a spender who knows moth
| ing about big business; they think
that /, because I'm girl, am a fool
1t looks to them like melon easy
to cut and ripe for the slicing."
She paused a moment, frowning
thoughtfully at the floor. Then sud
denly she lifted her eyes to Carson's
saying crisply: "Trevors took time al
the end TO tell me something. That
something was that he was going to
make me sell. He even threatened
if l hadn't come to my senses before
the ranch was dry in the summer, to
burn me out ~
''The burned polecat ~ whispered the
cattle foreman.
Nov then" cried Judith, you've
got your first job cut out for you. Let
Bayne Trevors or one of his gang set
foot on Blue Lake land and I'll tell
you what l think of you, Carson! Or
is the job going to be too big for
you?"
Carson smiled deprecatingly. "rd
like to see 'em try it, he said in that
soft, whispering voice which upon oc-
casions was characteristic of him. 81
sure would, Miss Judy!''
That's all this morning, Carson, -