The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1932-11-18
CHAPTER IX-Continued

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Lands lowered his pistol, but held
1t in readiness. "Why did you stop
here?' he asked.
The man jerked his head toward
the open cowl of the car, where dis
connected ignition wire offered the
reason for a stop.
go ahead and fix it." said Lands
CURLY. Then he picked up the
dropped rifle by the barrel and struck
it against boulder, SCATTERING the
stock. "Just to keep you yaps from
getting careless with somebody else, "
he snapped, tossing the two pieces of
the disabled weapon into the tonneau
of the flivver. "Now couple up that
wire and get out of here And do it
q'aek"
While the men were working at the
wire, he motioned to Wally.
A'Look in the car and see if they've
got any more artillery" he said; and
he and Markham followed it up to
where the 'Tennesseeans" had parked
the roadster.
They waited beside the road until
after the car had limped on around the
next gulch looping. Then they got
into their own car and headed for
Brewster.
SWELL" Markham said, after they
had left the scene of their late adj
venture a mile or more to the rear,
As,r,Ho Te, hot ",
the gulch what is left Of the Fleet
wing?"
Il couldn't be sure. But It was, an
Eight. You saw that much, didn't
your"
Markham nodded. "Next, what's
the answer to the two men in the
fiivver? Have you figured that out?"
'No; though l. more than half be-
lieve they were lying. It's lucky for
them that I wasn't sure.''
"Gosh % said Markham with a
laugh. "A little while ago said
something to the effect that you might
be lacking few of the red corpus
cles. l take it all back-every last
word of it. Why have you never
shown me the fighting side of you
before, Owen? You haven't, you
know.
Landis' smile was a mere tighten
ing of the lips.
you've heard the old saying Be
ware the wrath of a patient man,
haven't you? I'm patient, Wally-
too id patient, guess. AS l said,
I'm fed up. From this time on, by the
Lord Harry, 1 fight for my own hand
I've been robbed and eandbagged and
shot at, and the next man that tries
1t is going to get the best I've got in
the box!"
Gosh ~ said Wally again; and this
time he did not laugh.
On the flight down the mountain
nothing happened until they were on
the stretch approaching the side road
leading to Canby's mine. Here, how
ever, there was near accident. AS
they ran down they saw a heavy truck
backing out of the road leading to
the NINE Markham sounded his
horn, but the driver of the truck held
on in way to place the heavy vehicle
fairly across the highway.
1t was too late to stop, and Mark
ham did the only thing there was to
do if collision was to be averted ;
stepped on the gas, and with a quick
twist of the wheel whipped the road
ster around the rear of the backing
truck with no more than inches to
spare between a deep roadside ditch
and the trundling menace.
No word was spoken until they were
speeding over the mesa road toward
the city. Then Markham said, 1--WE
ought to have shot that truck driver,
Owen. 1t would have been justifiable
homicide, don't you think?"
II don't think; / know" was the
gritting reply. "That was one OF
Canby's trucks; saw the name Qua
vapai mine on it as we came up. It's
running in my mind that We'll have
to kill few people out here, yet, be-
fore we're through, Wally. And by
heavens, I'm telling you. right now, II
they keep on asking for it, they'll
get It'll"
GHApTEP x