The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1925-05-08

The priest laid hand on his shout
der "Ye Gamma do that, lad" he an
swered. There's ma court in the land
would convict him. In the first Place,
though We meant only to save the
lassie from him, there's ma jury would
believe 1t. They'd say that compact
by which We were to get his wife for
the mine stinks in the sight o. heaven.
AVE. and they'd say We arrested him
to get the wumman. Aye, and, fur
thermair, We Gamma shame her by
bringin' her into court as witness.
Ma, lad. ye'll cen ha' to let it go.
"Ye fought guild fight for her, lad,
but there's naething more to do. Nor
can We arrest him for hootch-sellin',
for that wud be meexin' up public
duty WI private vengeance. Yell see
it, lad, when We grow COOL"
The shrewd, hard, common sense
seemed to turn Lees heart to stone.
He knew Father McGrath was right.
There was nothing he could do.
He could not even attempr the
arrest of Pierre and Shorty for the
| dynamiting without bringing the whole
story into publicity. And he knew
well enough that, prima facie, 1t looked
simply like an attempt on his part to
possess himself of the wife Of another
man.
| Then there was the discredit that
such a case would bring on the police.
But as he stood there, feeling his
last hopes gone, Leboeuf laid down
his skillet and came toward them. The
old man had overheard all that had
passed.
Listen, Messieurs," Leboeuf said,
now / can tell you what l know. l
lave known Jim Railway under many
other names, since, when he was a
young man, he first came into this
district to sell drink to my people.
"Messieurs, many years have gone
by-twenty years-since he came TO
Lake Misquash, where my people had
their tepees. He was a friend to us.
He trapped, and, If he sold little
whisky, that was between ourselves,
you understand. Monsieur. And he
was my friend.
zone day we both start to take the
furs from our trap lines. His line
runs east and mine runs west. i
leave my woman in my tepee. A
young wife, Messieurs, much younger
than myself. In one week / return.
My tepee is empty. My woman is
gone. So, too, my furs.
Later l learn. She has gone with
Railway. He keep her six weeks.
Then he drive her away into the for
est She dare not return to her. own
people. So she go south to the cities
of the white people. Long search for
her, but / never find her. You know
what happens to our women in the
cities of the white men, Messieurs.
"Then my heart becomes hard, like
stone. AS for her, she is nothing
to me no longer. But some day find
Railway again, and then / kill him.
"Well, Messieurs, many years ago l
come here. / work for my master,
Mr. Pelly. He trusts me. He tells
me the secret that he has come here
TO hide. He shows me the mine that
he has found. And for years we work
it together. taking out the gold. He
want me to take a share, but gold is
nothing to me, now that / have the
revenge in my heart. 1t shall be all
for him. and Mam'zelle Joyce some
day.
"Then Railway comes. My people
4. l.
wrong, but my master tells them to
| forgive, and because they love my
master, they do not injure him. So the
peace is laid upon me also.
But l tell my master what Rath-
way did to my woman, and he turns
back in time to save Mam'zelle Joyce
from him. He shoots him through the
arm. And Railway smiles and tells
him he has learned the secret that
can bring my master to die.
after that my master is as his SER
want. And again 1 say, let me kill
him, and again my master says no.
And he obeys Railway in fear, only
he would never show him the mine,
which is for Mam'zelle Joyce.
Might after night Railway follows
us, but always he loses US at the
rocking stone. for he cannot come near
enough to discover the secret without
being seen. Then Mam'zelle Joyce goes
away to school, and after that Rath-
way gives my master no peace. And
at last he betrays him, thinking that
when my master has been hung for
the murder, the mine becomes Mann
'zelle Joyce's, and he will marry her
and it will be his own.
"And so policeman comes here
that was during the war. But my
master could not be found, for he was
dead already. You see, Messieurs,
Railway thought perhaps he would
not be hung after all, since it was so
long since my master killed his enemy,
and so the mine would not be his; and
so-he murders him."
"What's thatT' cried Lee, starting
toward Leboeuf.
"He kills my master, Monsieur"
| you saw this?"
"Yes, Monsieur. 1t was near the
rocking stone. Railway had followed
him and demanded knowledge of the
entrance. He threatened him with
his revolver. My master drew his
and Railway fired My master dropped
dead. Railway flung his body over
the cliff into the mine not knowing
that it was the mine. He thought
that it would never be found"
Lee turned TO Father McGrath.
I'm going to save her now" he cried
exultantly. II am authorized to take
any necessary action in connection
with Pelly's death, and / propose to