The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1932-08-05
Copyright by william Macleod Rains

julie. He's not the only man that's
lookin' for Wills Mccain"
Her startled eyes fastened to his.
"What do you mean"
what d'you reckon mean? I'm
a Stark, no matter what the old man
says-an' he's q Mccain an on top of
that he's done me dirt. I'll fix him,
sure as he's foot high. But keep 1t
under yore hat. amt gettin' out any
bills about it. Not nome"
She was torn by conflicting emo
tons. That Jasper had spirit enough
to fight his own battle, If he really
meant ii and would not weaken when IL
came to the test, was news that warmed
her blood. The danger in which her
father stood might be averted if her
brother met Mccain first. Yet this
was cold comfort. After the first flush
of gladness for Jasper she knew by the
chill that drenched her heart how
dreadful il would be if any of her
family killed Wilson Mccain or were
killed by him.
"Isn't there any way out, Jas-any
way a; all but this?" she cried, almost
in a wall. do we have to start this
this awful feud? Surely there must
be some way / could stop it if / only
knew how"
Yellow lights cleaned like sinister
beacons in his cold eyes. mo way.
The McCanns started this an it'll have
to go through now"
Julia turned back toward the hotel
with sick foreboding in her heart.
Phil was blabbing calf when his
father came out to the porch.
"Going to Mesa, son. Hook up the
team for me, won't you?"
The boy, before he went to the
stable. lodged for a moment into the
kitchen. Julia was making pies.
Hes going to Mesa" he said
quickly.
Julia at once unfastened her apron.
"Keep him here till I'm dressed" she
told him, and moved in her swift light
way to the bedroom she used.
While Phil, with the assistance of
wrangler, was hitching to blackboard
the half-broken colts his father drove,
a rider logged up and stopped to pass
word. The man worked for an outfit
down the river
"Lo, Redl" Phil greeted him.
How they coming"
"No complaint, as oil man Peters
said when his third wife died. Every
thing fine an dandy with your"
Red eased his weight in the saddle
to relax stfffened muscles and rolled
a cigarette.
"Miz Rollins ies' got back from Los
Angeles, and she happened on piece
Of news out there right interestin',"
he volunteered. "She was takin' care
of her daughter whilst an interestin'
event was occurrin'. They was a
nurse there to meet the lii stranger
the stork was bringin', an it seems
she was hired awhile ago to look after
Nora Clifford, one o. them sheep-ranch
women. The Clifford girl she had
hard time of it an died-her an the
baby, too Folks have kinda figured
they was something wrong when the
oldest sister come back alone. There's
been right considerable talk"
Phil flushed angrily. why don't
folks mind their own id business"
he blurted out. "We're in big business
when we pick on some lone girls an
make their life hell for them" The
generous indignation of youth famed
in him.
"Tha's right, too" agreed Red.
81 knew Nora Gifford-some. She
was mighty sweet gifl The lobo wolf
that ruined her life had ought to be
hunted down an shot in his tracks"
"Y'betcha!" agreed Red with the
easy variability of the cowpuncher.
"Dry-gulchin' wouldn't be none too
good for him"
From his hip pocket he dragged
sack of smoking" 81 seen wills Nc
Cam as / come up the road" he said,
in carefully casual voice. HE was
fixin' the head gates of that ditch rum
MIN along the ridge to his fathers
place."
Fright now?" asked Phil instantly.
swell, it's a good four-five miles
from here. Say an hour ago."
Matthew Stark came out from the
house and swung across the yard
toward the stable with his strong
bow-legged stride. As usual he car
ried rifle. He had not covered twen-
ty yards before Julia appeared
"Oh Dad !" she called.
Stark stopped, waiting for her. But
before she could frame her request he
refused it.
"No, you can't go to town with me.
l don't care how many dofunnys you
got to buy. No use you pesterin' me
either. You amt going. That's set
tied"
Were out of salt. Dad, and canned
tomatoes. and lots of things"
"You make list. I'll get 'em. Now.
honey, don't you argue with me about
it. 1t won't be mite of use"
She came up close and took him by
the coat lapels. She had always been
the center of his dearest love. In his
heart he thought her the most beauti-
full and wonderful creature under
heaven.
81 want to go-awf'ly," she whis-
pered, her deep dark eyes appearingly
oaruoSf