The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1925-10-23
CHAPTER III. (Continued)

drunken descent to the Scales, then
breasted the sluggish human current
to Sheep Camp. .'. .
A group of men were reading
notice newly posted upon the wall
Of the log building which served as
restaurant and hotel. and after
scanning it Pierce explained:
Its another call for a miners
meeting. We're having quite time
with cache-robbers If we catch
them we'll hang them"
The Countess nodded. Right
They deserve it. You know we don't
have any stealing OH the inside
Now. then. I'll say good-by." She
paid Pierce and extended her hand
TO hin. Thank you for helping me
across. I'll be in Dyea by dark"
Il hope we'll meet again" he said,
with slight flush. 5-.
The woman 1av01ed him with, one
Of her generous. friendly smiles. II
hope so, too. You're a nice boy. I
ike YOU" Then she stepped into
The building and was gone.
"A nice boy" Phillips was panied
A boy! And he the sturdiest packer
on the pass. with perhaps one ex-
eeption! That was hardly just to
him. If they did meet again-and
ne vowed they would-he'd show her
he was more than a boy. He expert
.nced keen desire to appear we'll
in her eyes. to appear mature and
forceful. He asked himself what
kind of man Count Courteau could
be; he wondered if he, Pierce Phil
lips, could fall in love with such
woman as this, an older woman, a
woman who had been married. 1t
: would be queer to marry countess,
he reflected.
As he walked toward his tempo
rary home he beheld quite gath
ering of citizens. and paused long
enough ia note that they were being
harrangued BY the confdence-man
who had fist initiated him into the
subtleties Of the three shell game.
Mr.. Broad had climbed upon raised
tent platform and was presenting an
earnest argument against capital
punishment Two strangers upon
the fringe Of the crowd were talk
ing. and Pierce heard one of them
saw:
''Of course he wants the law to
take its course, inasmuch as there
isn't any law. He's one Of the
gang" {,
THE surest wav to flush a covey
Of crooks is to whistle for old Judge
Lynch" the other man agreed.
Listen to him.
Have they caught the cachc-rob-
bers?" Phillips made bold to inquire.
NO. and they won't catch them,
with fellows like that on the COM
mittee. The crooks hang together
and we don't. il had my way that's
just what they'd do-hang together.
id start in by bending limb over
that rascal"
Phillips had attended several Of
these indignation meetings and, re-
membering that all of them had
proved purposelcss, he went on
toward the McCaskcy brothers tent.
He and the McCaskeys were not the
closest of friends, in spite of the
fact that they had done him a favor
"a favor, by the way, for which he
had paid many times over-nevcrthe-
less they were his most intimate ac-
quaintances and he felt an urgent
desire to tell them about his unusual
experience. His desire to talk about
the Countess ,Courteau was ire
sistible.
But when he entered the tent hi.
greeting fell fat for Joe, the older
McCaskey, addressed him sharply,
almost accusingly:
Say. it's about time you showed
up"
whats the matter?" Pierce saw
that tho other brother was stretched
ont in his blankets and that his. head
was bandaged. "Hellow he cried
what ais Jim? Is he sick?"
sick? Worse than. Sick" Joe
,rrumbled: THAT money Of yours
lis to blame for it. It's wonder
he isn't dead"
my money? How" Phillips was
iboth ,nystifed and alarmed. !.
:, Jim raised himself in his blankets
and said. irritably: after this vor
can nsn your own pay-car, kid. I'm
through. d'you hear?"
Speak out. What's wrong?"
Jim was stuck up, that's what's
wrong. That's enough, isn't it?
They bent a six-gun over his head
tnd grabbed your coin. He's got a
dent in his crust the size ,of "a
,saucerw =.
! Phillips face whitened slowly.
|"My money! Robbedr'i he gasped
."Jim' Who did it? How could
jyou let them?"
The Younger McCaskey fell back
weakly. he waved a. feeble. gesture
at his brother. "Joe'll tell YOU
l'm dizzy; my head amt right yet"
! "A stranger stopped him-asked
him something or q other-and an
iother guy flattened him from be-
hind. That's al he remembers.