Beverly banner. [volume] (Beverly, N.J.) 1877-1964, 1925-01-16

LnaV fleTFe ana shorty We're planning
mischief; most probably they meant
to attack him as preliminary to over
powering the girl.
And he lay watching them and
grimly waiting for their stealthy onset.
He felt more than a match for the pair
Of them.
Minutes went by, however. The pair
seemed an unconscionable time max
ing their arrangements. and all the
while the discussion. which was just
audible without being ineligible, went
on Lee wondered how long he had
been lying there. 1t was too dark to
see his watch. He wondered why they
there would be a better chance of
taking him unawares.
At last the black shadows separated
One of them was coming toward him
with stealthy footsteps. Lee guessed
that 1t was Shorty, the more courage
Gus of the two.
The figure came slowly on. Lee
aimed the automatic, his finger stead
led on the trigger. He would fire as
soon as it made the first hostile move
ment. as soon as 1t raised its weapon
to cover him.
And then. in Amusement, ne let the
muzzle of his automatic drop. For the
figure was not coming toward him, it
was going toward the girls tent.
And it was the girl herself!
Had she then some secret under
standing with the two ruffians, and
had the episode of the evening at the
hotel been a performance staged for
some particular purpose?
That might almost have appeared
credible, but for the conversation that
Lee had overheard beside the. stove.
In the light of that, Lee had to dis
miss the credibility of his surmlse.
The only possible explanation at
which he could arrive was that the
girl had gone tos the confederates with
his own story, had taxed them, and.
of course had been persuaded that his
tale was false. Probably they had
convinced her that they were friends,
and that he had designs upon her.
AySllncu anu PulllIdLCu, hCc nCAt
to sleep at last with his ears attuned
for any unexpected sound or move
ment and the automatic within his
immediate grasp. Long practice with
prisoners whom he had brought
single-handed out of the wilds had
given him the faculty of sleeping in
as complete watchfulness as a wild
animal; no enemy could surprise him
while he dozed.
But there was no need for these
precautions for nothing disturbed him,
and it was the sun, blinking on the
edge of the horizon, that awakened
him the next morning.
The girl was already cooking her
breakfast outside her tent when he
emerged, and she returned his saluta-
ton with a stiff little bow, keeping
her face averted.
Lee attended to his horse and then
prepared his breakfast. He had fin
lshed before Pierre and Shorty came
on the scene. They looked as IL they
had been drinking heavily the night
before, but they made no movement
toward either him or the girl until the
horses were loaded and ready to start,
the girl briefly declining Lees assist
ance and handling her own gear like
an expert.
Then Shorty came up to Lee.
"See here, pardner, what's the great
idea?" he asked. in tone that was
meant to be conciliatory. "My part
ner and me was wonderin' il we
couldn't FIX up this little misunder-
standin'. 1 guess you're barkin up
the wrong tree, amt your"
'Meantng?"
Meaning as how my pardner and
me don't mean no harm to this young
lady. We're on a prospectin' trip, and
nacherally we don't want no outsiders
buttin' in on our property"
"How about this lady?"
Now, pardner, you got things sized
up wrong. tell you. Eff she's goin'
our way, why, nacherally, we amt
going to purtend not to see each other.
and l don't care. but l give you the
best tip you ever had, eff you don't
like trouble, which l understand you
to say you don't. There amt no gold
in Stony range, and the best thing you
kin do is to beat it back to Little
Falls. That's all about it."
IF there's no gold in Stony range,
why are you prospecting here?"
Say" shouted Shorty, Il guess my
pardner and me knows our business
without no outsider buttin' in. I've
put the cards face up on the table.
Now how about it?"
Nothing doipg."