Plentywood herald. [volume] (Plentywood, Mont.) 1908-current, 1932-12-22

hoHH verify u closed her eye
rather than watch the men about theil
fire, eating neisiiy. drinking nofsily
from their bottles which Steve and
Tony had brought from their other
camp. Trying to remain unnoticed In
The shadows vas Grafton Brodie
caught up a big piece of dried beet
and gnawed at 1t like a dog.
TITS been a days work, at that. .
he said with a full mouth. "But we
amt done I noticed how no man has
said a word about how we split what
we found"
There's five of u.s. said Benny
quickly. 1--WE split 1t five ways. even,
like pardners."
Brodie turned on him slowly. stiIl
rending at his meat, still c~lutehing his
rifle and holding 1t SO that no man
might forget that he held 1t.
Think so. Benny" he said ponder
ously. Being as I've worked on this
lay a long time, since / let you others
In on 1t. since | led you to it-thlnk
that's the fair way to split lit Now
suppose you listen to me. You boys
amt mentioned a split because 1t was
none OF your say and o knew 1t.
say, In round numbers-but there's ten
times that-that there's a million dol
lars tucked away here. / get just half
fhat; that leaves half a million, don't
1t? That's five hundred thousand to
split between four Of you. that's over
a hundred thousand for every man
jack OF you. And that's what I call a
fair split"
They growled In their Threats Mt
That. but no man took 1t upon himself
TO speak out definitely though they
glanced sidewise among themselves.
Benny, who always had a thought of
his own, said quietly:
"Wha are you doin' about Gratton7
He'll claim his share, won't he? And.
If you say him no, he'll shoot his face
Off. won't hep
No. said Brodie heavily. aGrat-
ton won't talk. Grafton stole grub.
When grub-stealing was the same as
Sitting a mans throat. He's done.
that's what he Isl" With a swift ges-
ture his gun vas at his shoulder.
A stranglIng cry broke from Graf
toms agonized soul. A hand. wildly
outthrown. caught at Gloria's sleeve.
You, there" called Brodie. stand
aside. Unless you're wanting yours.
too |"
Grafton was pressing tight to Gloria.
seeking futilely to get behind her. He
began to artieulate-to beg-to prom
ise-
Brodie fired. A great reverberatins
roar filled the cavern. Gloria, her
brain gone suddenly numb, felt the
grip on her arm tighten convulsively.
Then 1t relaxed-slowly. Grafton was
sinking
Gloria put her hands over her eyes
and screamed. Again and again her
scream broke from her. She tried to
draw back, to run. But all her strength
was gone. She crumpled and settled
down almost as Grafton had done, and
so close to him that she brushed him
with her knee. She felt the body
witch. She leaped to her feet and
ran blindly, screaming. She struck
against the rock wall and sank down
again.
The wonder was that she did NOT
outright. AS 1t was, her soul
seemed to float dizzily out OF her body
and through an utter dark. She
thought that she was dying. AS though
a vast distance she heard
"Well?" IT was the man who had
done the shooting, his voice ~truculent~
Anybody got anything to say7 Say
II quick, II You have"
There was a silence. Then q shut
ding OF feet. Then an answering
voice, thin and q~uerulous. 1t was
He had 1t coming" he said eagerly.
Any judge would say so. Stole every
pit OF grub when stealing grub Is the
same as cutting a mans throat, just
Ike you said. Brodie. He had 1t com
You done right"
you, Jarrold," demanded Brodie.
Got anything to say?"
mo. Benny's right. He had 1t com
ng. On fool"
And you, BraIl7 And you, Tony:
lot anything to say7 Talk iivelyt"
Brazil and Tony like the others be
ore them, were quick to excuse Bro
lies act. They spoke briefly and re
apsed into silence. Then, beginning
ar away and coming closer with the
peed OF an onrushing hurricane.
heard heavy feet crunching In
he dirt and gravel. A hard hand
her shoulder, jerking her to
er feet.
You, friend" said Brodie. "What
ave you got to say about it,"
Don't forget who she Isl another
dice vas saying. Steve Jarrold's.
Remember what / told you. we got
0 think this out. She came along
nth King"
Brodie turned away from hei. His
lood was not so soon for a woman.
"See she keeps her mouth shut" he
aid threateningly. IF she amt got