The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1927-03-11
CHAPTER vi

Sunday in Sleepy Cat was not the
best day Of the week; usually Ii was
the worst; but Sunday morning early
was fairly quiet, and on this Sunday
Christie, in trouble, was abroad early.
The sun vas car an hour high
when she fastened up-street from the
tent camp toward Doctor Carpy's
hotel. Slender in figure, light of foot,
alert, almost swift In action, Christie
looked neither TO the right nor the
left, and the few men stirring at that
hour caught none Of her glances.
The front door Of the hotel was
open. She entered the narrow hall
with the caution OF the inexperienced,
and looked through another open door
into the office, which was empty.
Christie when she walked in and
halted in perplexity at the desk
which consisted only Of a shabby
piece of old counter and a half-empty
cigar-case containing with a few
cigars an abundance Of old bills rem
dered the proprietor for merchandise
had and delivered.
But on the counter stood the din
ner-beIl, and Christie, after some look
ing about and some hesitation, seized
and rang it.
Startled at the noise it made,
Christie set 1t down in %trepidation
and waited for results. For a moment
there were none; then men, some In
oooEz onI ~, a1orInco ea~,a Hao-1
ed and some unshaven, but all very
much face-washed and with hair very
wet and ~plastered, began appearing
from nowhere, or, rather, from every
where-at the doors and through the
windows Christie saw them coming,
some slowly, some eagerly, but all
with great accord, toward the en-
trance to the dining-room across the
hall. The doors were closed, but one
a~dventurer, more bold than his fell
lows, pushed open the door, walked
in, and the rest trooped heavily In
after him.
Christie heard a woman's voice and
one not pitched In an amiable key:
Ready? No! It's not ready and
went be ready for half an hour yet.
Who rang that bell?"
Christie felt like dropping through
the floor. Very positive steps were
coming rapidly her way. The next
moment she was faced by a stern
looking woman.
Did you ring that bell?"
Christie felt it would be useless
to deny. 81 didn't know it was the
dinner-bell," she explained. IT want
Doctor Carpy."
what for?"
For my father"
"Well, he's not here. There was a
fight this morning down in the River
quarter. A man got shot. He's down
there. What's the matter with your
father?"
Each question was chopped of with
a mental TX, and the question flung
with about as much consideration as
a bullet.
MY father" retorted Christie re-
sentfully, initiating and beginning to
feel the harshness Of her questioner.
needs a DOCTOR. He was robbed last
night and beaten!" She spoke her
words with due feeling; but If she
expected to make any impression
with the news, OF TO arouse sympathy
for her anxiety, she was disappoint-
ed-stories of Christie's sort meant
little to Margaret Hyde; she had be-
come too Injured to the violence Of
a frontier town.
IF you want the doctor you'd bet
ter wait here till he comes back"
she snapped. As she spoke the two
women heard a heavy step on the
porch, and the lei moment Doctor
Carpy walked in.
He threw down his bag and threw
of his hat with the air of a tired
man. Then sitting down as his
housekeeper left the room, he heard
Christie's story. Her father had been
called out Of the tent late the night
before, set on by two men, robbed
Of all his money, brutality beaten
about the head-and she had not
dared leave the tent to hunt up the
doctor till after daylight.
Without discussion, Carpy told her
to wait n minute till he could get
a cup OF coffee and he would go with
her.
But the cook had oversight, the
coffee was not ready. Carpy NUT
tered somewhat and sputtered, rum
mayed about for some bandages, and
was ready to go with Christie.
Selwood kept a room at .Carpy's
Hotel" as 1t was locally known, and
usually slept there, but his hours
were irregular and he did not often
appear in the dining-room before
noon This Sunday morning he was
up early and walked down TO the
River quarter on his way to Tracy's
tent. Near the bridge he saw Christie
coming up from the tents with Doc
tor Carpy. He would have passed
them. and preferred TO do so, without
comment, for he was In no mood