White Bluffs spokesman. [volume] (White Bluffs, Wash.) 1907-1938, 1932-08-04

l
here county. Understand, I'm jest tell
in you what happened. Hank he got
this anonymous letter tellin' him that
Miss Ann Clifford was the person who
shot Tom McArdle." Simp spread his
fat hands in disclaimer. Like I said
before, l don't know thing but what
Hank told me. Course I've done heard
rumors about reasons she might have
for not liking Tom. I reckon you all
heard 'em, for that matter. Jas Stark
says he heard her warn Tom never to
show up at the sheep ranch again, or
If he did she'd fill him plumb full Of
lead"
'The sheriff went out to the sheep
ranch and had talk with Miss Ann"
Doctor Sanders contributed. "She
wasn't hardly civil Good as told him
to get busy and prove it If he could"
Funny she didn't welcome him
more cordial" the young man an
swered with obvious sarcasm. you'd
think she would ask Hank to stay to
dinner when he come out merely to
inquire If she murdered a man from
the chaparral. can't understand her
being sharp about a iii thing like
that"
| Didn't know she was friend Of
| yours, Wills or wouldn't a-mentioned
it." This from Simp.
"She isn't Far as know she's got
| no friends. You can put me On record
right here as sayin' that this country
I, bo,. to fhncn %hrncI
| girls on the sheep ranch"
give had notions that way myself
at times" Lyn said, backing his broth
err. '@Just because old Clifford was a
| stubborn cantankerous old son-of-a-
| gun don't prove his nieces weren't nice
| girls. Me, I got no use for sheep
| man, but you got to treat women
| human"
Because some darned fool writes an
anonymous letter we've got to- begin
, prosecuting those two lone women
again. We're certainly in fine bust
ness" Wilson spoke with heat.
"No use to get all het up, boy. We
Amt persecutin' her none,' Simp' OBJ
jected 1--WE amt even sayin' she did
it. Maybe she can prove an alibi. It's
no penitentiary offense to talk, Wills"
"By Cad, it ought to be- for when
you talk about a woman you damn her
good name. What do we know about
this? 1 don't suppose for minute
she did it. But say for argument she.
did. Say she killed man, though I'd
bet my boots she didn't. All right.
What kind of a man? How'd she
come to do it? Why? What had he
done to her or to those she was like a.
mother TOT"
"We're not discussing the justifica-
tion." Doctor Sanders replied.
NO. you're just hintin'. Come to-
that rye killed two-three men myself.
So have you, Simp. An you, Bas-
| ford.''
81 never did," Shell sputtered indig-
nantly.
Sure you have. Murders in the.
heart. Thas where it is. You don't
have to pull trigger to kill a man..
| You can kill him in yore thoughts It's
| SEEM red. It's bein' so crazy mad
| you'd do it in a minute if you seen al
| chanct."
"Oh, well!''
Curt Quinn let down his chair and
got to, his feet. "The boys right, at
that. Give the girl a chance. 1t amt
a square deal to go aching round about
this onless there's some real evidence
| If Jas Stark claims to have anything
up, his sleeve let him play the card"
"You're d-n whistlin"!" Wilson
/ turned amiably on Simp, his smile rob-
| bling the words Of their sting. "Why,
YOU burned old toughfoot, where did
| you head in from. You claim yore
names Simp Shell. Maybe at that it
is. We amt askin' questions about
what yore, oncet name is. We're givin'
YOU the benefit of the doubt, old-timer:
Not even inquirin' what penitentiary
i you registered at, If any"
Simp, sputtered. "See' here, boy,
tha's fghtin' talk if you only knew it."
Wilson'S grin was friendly and dis
arming. II don't really reckon they
got the, goods on you enough to, put
you behind bars. Likely you were too
smooth to get caught. My point is
| that lit amt man-siZe Job to sit here
on yore roosts Cabling about one poor
woman who has had the cards stacked
against her in this game of life
@You make yore point stick out like
sore thumb, Wills" Quinn admitted
without rancor "An' before you be-
gin on my pedigree moves this Cos
sips aid society stands adjourned"
The motion appeared to be carried.
Lyn passed into the post office, but
Wilson stayed to talk of cattle and
water holes and the fail roundup. He
felt awkward and ashamed at his de-
Tense of the weak, as though he had
been advertising his virtue. In this
cynical old world 10 man likes to be
caught doing good.
(TO BE coNTINUED.)