The Ely miner., 1929-11-22

there ny people who talked of murder
as calmly and as comfortably as II
they were discussing moss RISES, very
quiet did not seem naif quiet enough.
They went into the other room Of
the cabin and stayed there for q few
minutes could not hear what they
were saying. but ! did not bulge an
inch. After 1 heard them passing the
window, and was sure that they had
left the cabin. | remained, very quiet,
In the chest for about five minutes
longer before climbing out of 1t.
was progressing toward home,
shivering in every bone. limping. since
both my legs had gone to sleep, when
Sam, riding his bad-tempered bronco
named Wishbone, came up behind me
and dismounted.
"Corns bad. MaryT he questioned.
"Want to climb up on Wishbone and
have me lead him?'
when | go TO meet DEATH" l told
him, 81 sha'n't go on the back of
nasty-tempered bronco. Considering
that everyone on the Desert Moon is.
ar this minute, In mortal danger of
their lives, all your tghthearted Jest
ting seems pretty much out of place"
l told him. then, about the packages
Of explosives hidden under the shelf.
| mad not told him about my climbing
in with them; so was in no way pre-
pared for his actions.
He stopped. He dropped Wishbone's
bride. He put both his hands on his
stomach and leaned over and burst
into uproarious laughter. "Ho-ho-ho,"
it rolled out. seeming to fill the entire
valley.
Fireworks" he gasped 81 got
them for Martha. Going to surprise
her on the Fourth. Sent for them
months ago. Hid them up there.
Ho-ho-hoI | told You to stop pussy
footing around. Mary. Ho-ho-hoi DO
not look for wrong and evil. you will
find them If you do"
With as much dignity as a heavy
woman. with both of her legs asleep,
could muster, | turned and left him.
His words and his actions had GER
tainly given me one decision. From
this time on. would tell Sam Stanley
nothing.
When got back to the house, John
was driving up the road In the sedan.
He had been to Rattail for supplies
and for the mail. He tossed the mail
bag out to me and drove around to the
kitchen door to unload There was
letter for Gaby, postmarked France.
About month before this. Gaby
had received another letter that was
a duplicate of this one; the same gray
paper, the same sprawling handwrit-
ing. Instead Of taking it indifferently,
as she did other letters, and reading
1t wherever she happened to be, she
had snatched it out of my hand and
had run off to her room. All that
evening she had seemeI to be preoc-
cupied, and worried. Sending only
two letters In close to two months, it
seemed to me that whoever had writ
ten them did not write unless he
or she had something of importance to
say. | was still puzzling over it. when
Gaby came into the room.
Sure enough, she snatched 1t out of
my hands, just as she had done with
the other letter. and ran straight up
stairs with it.
When John and Danny came in, a
few minutes later, went upstairs.
Habit stopped me at Gaby's door for
minute, with my ear to the keyhole.
Family, sounds don't come plainly
through our thick doors, l heard the
portable typewriter that she brought
with her when she came to the ranch.
click, clicking away.
| was tuckered and tired. So, after
teiephoning some instructions to the
kitchen, took plenty of time to tidy
myself up: dawdled in my bath, and
l cut my corns, and rubbed hair tonic
into my scalp. But, when on my way
downstairs again. stopped for a sec.
ond at Gaby's door, the typewriter was
still going. There was nothing TO be
made out of it, so | went along. II
was fortunate that l did. because, be-
fore had reached the top Of the
stairway, Gaby's door flung open and
she called to me. with something In
her voice that made me shake In my
shoes
| turned and looked at her. Her
face wore an expression that was not
human; an expression that would
have made any decent woman do as
| did, and turn her eyes quickly away.
"Tell Danny to come up here" she
said.
! hurried off downstairs. and de-
Ivered the message to Danny who
was with John In the living room.
"Whars the matter, Mary?" John
questioned. when Danny had gone up
stairs. You look as If you had seen
a ghost"
81 think" answered. shat | have
the ghost of Sin."
"Doggone that GIRL" he said. 81
wish she were in Jericho"
"Gaby, you meanT
you're darn right She's causing
all the trouble around here"
"What trouble?" I asked. just for a
feeler.
81 don't know-exactly. She keeps
Danny miserable. But that isn't it, or
not all of it. Don't you seem to feel
trouble around here. all the time?
thought everyone did. / do, Gosh
knows"
81 know" l said. 81 feel 1t, too. /
think Sam does, though he won't alto
gether admit 1t. Just the same, John,
there isn't a thing we can put our
fingers on. is there?"
81 suppose not. Sometimes, though,
when | see Danny looking as she
lonEad x-hop che zyont upcfo;rS fr,cf