Carolina watchman. [volume] (Salisbury, N.C.) 1871-1937, 1935-03-15
NUMBERING cold
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in her voice that drained his blood
Her lips lowered close to his; hel
hair almost brushed his face with {
tingling lure that took his breath
Appalled, at what he had almost
done, he held her crushed finger.
between his hands till he could wir
back some degree of sense. 81
think it would be safer" he plead
ed, ito be u~nlucky."
She looked at him with an oddly
Swallowed, reflective smile, as if the
scruple intrigued her, or he hac
brushed some chord of memory
Suppose I were to offer you and
your partner an outfit, a job and a
big stake in the Yukon, would you
trust your luck?"
"Whether | would or not" he
he said, my partner wouldn't
"He doesn't know what the stake
is" Rose countered. YOU'RE going
North to look for gold. I can put
it in your way in one throw
There's a fool in camp who's due to
lose a gold mine-one that isn't his
to lose. l can't tell you any more
Just now, except that the game is
worth the risk. You're, running
some risks anyway as drifters in a
camp where you've made an enemy
of the range boss"
He could make little of that,
except to wonder if Fallon was in
,volved in the mysterious gold secret
she spoke of. And, while their
hands were tangled, she drew a ring
from one of hers and slipped it mis-
chievously on the tip of his little
finger.
At the moment a thud on the
wharf above them froze them both.
A dark figure doomed with a bulky
menace in the dusk. Maitland
thought of Fallon, but a flare from
the fire revealed an apparition
much more disturbing to him just
then. Speeds apparent size was
due to a roll of blankets on his
shoulder.
The outlaw came down the sand
and dropped his burden near the
fire, still regarding the girl. After
a moment he walked over to the
horse and held the stirrup for her,
with a gesture that was polite but
~implacabfe.
She waited before mounting, re-
turning his stare with a look of in
terest.. Lady" he said, pointing
north, sup there is All-Alaska and
of the Yukon Territory. If that
amt a big enough huntin' range
for you and me and my pardner to
keep untangled in, it's too damned
bad. But when I ask you to get the
He'll out of our camp, l mean stay
out"
Her laugh was a ripple of spon-
taneous music, She mounted easily,
and looking back at Maitland,
touched her fingers to her lips. The
horses hooves ground softly in the
sand, and she vanished.
Speed threw a fresh log on the
fire, and after kicking it into flame,
he drew from his pocket a new bag
of Urban, rolled a cigarette and
lit it with a brand from the fire.
Seems like this man Garnet likes
to gamble" he observed at last
"What he don't know about calm
a pair of deuces gives us the pom
Ichos and smokes"
Maitland scarcely heard him
HI half-opened his hand to look at
Roses ring, and shut it agair
quickly, as if he were holding
witch's bond.
1t was not till they turned If
that Speed alluded to the subject
that troubled him. From where
SET" the Westerner observed mus
ingly, (which is lookin' at the SKY
this man Fallon listens like foul
good aces to beat, if not five. Hi
havin' traces of catamount ane
curly wolf in his pedigree, I dom
question. But he's got somethin
else that makes a bunch of hard
rock, dartmouth miners answer hi
jerk line. A quick hand, a coo
head, and enough ornery CUTS tt
swing a twenty-four horse span o:
Nevada mules through the gates o:
He'll, if him and Satan had a feud
Offhand, I'd reckon that crossin
that man in any game was a kine
of hair-line play.
whats his sequence with tn
woman I don't just get. Mayb
none, you think. But it looks tt
me like a young buck, say from