The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1927-03-25

WluuoW OpeulnS, anu HdSlSulHS "
the door with a second lantern, ran
in to secure the dogs just as Selwood
reached Pardaloe. He sat astride a
PROSTATE defender, his bony fingers
fastened on the mans windpipe. Sell
wood understood too well what that
meant. Catching a lantern from
SCOTS hand, he held 1t on the mans
distorted features under Pardaloe's
hand. "Let loose, Bill! Let loose, I
tell you! You're killing him."
"Dash 1t, John,' protested Parda-
loe, struggling to get away from the
gamblers hands, "that's what Tn
trying to dole me alone-he tried
to plug me! Who is he? Atkins !"
he exclaimed, as Selwood held the.
lantern closer to the mans swollen
face.
"Get your knee out of his chest.
Bill" demonstrated Selwood. "Can't
you see he's slipping? He can't
breathe"
With many r%eproaches aimed at
Selwood for unwarranted interior
ence, Pardaloe, shaking himself loose,
baffled and cycling his prey, stood by
till Selwood, bending over the gasp
ing man, saw he was coming to, and
started to drag him forward to throw
him out.
Pardaloe barred his arms. "Stand
awayw he exclaimed in a hoarse
growl. "Stand away, John! You
throw'd your'n out. 1 throw mine"
He picked up and carried Atkins
forward bodily. Selwood turned to
help Scott with the dogs. These had
Big Haynes, greatly embarrassed, be-
hind two big boxes in a corner-and,
held back by Scott, they were tearing
to shreds with fiendish delight the
blanket Haynes had slept in. Haynes.
called loudly for quarter, and as Sell
wood went forward again, Scott,
while he held the dogs, advised
Haynes to hustle out the back door.
The party was over.
1t vas the work of only a few min
utes for Selwood to regain his room
back of the gambling hall. He slipped
out of his rig and began to wash up.
Within fifteen minutes he was back
at the post he had left on hour ear
lier, with the few sitters around him
who had gathered at the last table
where faro was being dealt that Sun
day night.
Hardly ten minutes later three men
appeared at the open doors of Sell
woods place. Starbuck, accompanied
by Atkins and Bartoe, walked into
the hall and stood for a moment
they were there for-to see whether
he was missing from his ordinary
post. He impassively pressed the
case spring and kept an untroubled
eye on the layout. His visitors lin
gered only a moment, but 1t was past
the closing hour, and while the last
of the players struggled out, Star
buck came in again.
"What have your barn DULLES been
up to tonight, Selwood?" he demand
ed, without preliminary.
Selwood asked what he meant.
0ldIUuSh lOAu vi lit dlldCh Ou ll0
store. atkins and Bartoe hold a bill
Of sale for that STOCK" he declared,
Indignantly. "Things have come to
a pretty pass In Sleepy Cat when legit-
innate owners are to be chewed up
by dogs and thrown out into the
street. This thing has got to stop, oil
you'll have to move your %headquar-
ters out of this town." Selwood par
ried with civil answers the questions
roughly asked, and met untroubled
the threats roughly made, and asked
only an occasional question himself.
Have you heard any talk Of Vigil
lantes organizing in Sleepy Cat" he
asked. 81 don't know much about 1t.
But the little talk / heard here a few
minutes ago about some kind Of a
fight at FLYERS store was that the
Vigilantes had got after the men who
had robbed Fyler and tried to kill
him. There's no use your talking to
me about my men; they do as they
please-you know that. Talk to
them,' he suggested, while Starbuck,
very angry, continued to blow off.
"BartOe says there were half a
dozen or more men in it-and they're
in the store yet, he says" Selwood
thought Pardaloe and one Indian in
possession must be making a good
deal of noise, but he said nothing.
There's going to be a cleanup in
this town before long," added Star
buck significantly. "Folks that are
making trouble ought to get ready
for it."
Meaning just whom, Starbuck?"
asked Selwood, practically.
Meaning whoever's behind all this
rowing that's going on here lately"
"Well, Starbuck," returned Sell
wood, with some slight appearance of
fatigue, you know, or ought to know,
that I'm the man that threw Atkins
and Bartoe into the street tonight;
they ought to know it; If they don't,
tell them so. OF course, / wouldn't
have done it, If I'd known there were
friends Of yours in the store. If 1t
hadn't been for me, they would have
been hanging to telegraph poles by
this time-that's the fact. And tell
them the next thing like that Fyler
job they try to pull off, they will be
hanging to the poles-that's the
plain, straight, everyday English of
it."
Starbuck had never been faced
quite so bluntly. Selwood never had
shown his hand quite so carelessly-
parted with his caution quite so COM
pletely. But a woman stood between