Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1925-01-15

One of them was coming toward him
with stealthy footsteps. Lee guessed
that it 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 ire as
soon as it made the first hostile move
ment, as soon as it raised its weapon
to cover him.
And then In amazement, he let the
muzzIe of his automatic drop. For the
figure vas not coming toward him, II
was going toward the girls tent.
And 1t was the girl herself
Had she then some secret under
standing with the two ruffians, ana
had the episode of the evening at the
hotel been performance staged Tor
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 as
miss the credibility of his surmlse.
The only possible explanation at
which he could arrive was that the
| girl had gone to the confederates with
his own story, had taxed them, and'
of course had been persuaded that hls
tale was false. Probably they had
convinced her that they were friends,
and that he had designs upon her.
Mystifed and Inundated, Lee went
to sleep at last with his ears attunesi
| 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 wild
animals no enemy could surprise him
while he dozed
/ But there was no iced for these
precautions for nothing disturbed him,
and 1t was the sun, blinking on the
edge of the horizon, that awakeneu
him the next morning.
The girl was already cooking her
breakfast outside her tent when he
emerged, and she returned mis- saluta-
ton with a stiff little bow, keeping
her face averted.
! Lee attended to his horse and then
prepared his breakfast He had nm
lshed before Pierre and Shorty came
on the scene. They looked as If 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 wonderful If we
couldn't fix up this little misunder-
standin' / guess you're barkin' up
the wrong tree, amt you?"
i "Meaning?"
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
Now I dunno where you're bound for
and i don't care, but give you the
best tip you ever had eff you don't
like trouble, which 1 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 ii.
IF there's no gold in Stony range
why are you prospecting here?'
I "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 doing."