The Coolidge examiner., 1935-08-30

self"
-Eut yon didn't know how many
hands tha, gun passed through be
sides Ted Raylors. Ted Baylor
might have passed II on to almost
anybody. You couldn't count on him
TO name the gun as Euiot's gun"
"Sure not But that didn't matter
It's McCord's Identification that
counts or course. ii might have
been that the gun bad wound up al
the Bar Hook. and that Elliot
walked ln and borrowed it. the same
rs be did CampU's rifle In that
case. ~ course. there wouldn't have
been any tangible evidence against
Elliot. and we'd have lost out an
around. Bot I figured that the killer
would have shot quick with bis own
gun in Zack's case: and then
showed the same gun into Zack's
hand. He would have been In
hurry to get out OF there about
them
But how did YOU know that the
gun ln Sanders hand wasn't lacks
own gunG Now therc-that was the
iurr~g point of the whole thing
~You didn't see that that wasn't
Zack's gunT'
Can know every gun In the rim
roek7 How could any man guess IL
wasn't his5'
You mean you thought Zack rode
all over Wolf Bench carrying that
gun in his handf"
In his haud7 What you driving
ntT'
lie would have had TO carry Il In
his hand. Sanders had no gun belt"
Kentucky reminded hlm-"he wasn't
even wearing boots And there
wasn't a single pocket In his clothes
that that gun would go lni-
Within mn hour after the show.
down which had thrown Elliot into
the sherin's hands. Hopper had for
gotten bis qualification over the
solution I'm his alarm over the
storm which be was sure would fol
low. Tomorrow word OF the charge
against Elliot would have swept the
rimrock Already Floyd Hopper
could see himself facing .he mob
which be now supposed would wish
TO take the law into their own hands
-mobs made difficult by the M.
noisy but peculiarly efficient pur
posefulness az cowmen who have
made up their minds. II the sheriff
knew his brush poppers-and he
thought be -unpleasantness was
going 20 come down on him IN
sheets and be was already mere 10.
terested I'm plans to smuggle Elliot
70 some far safe confinement than
he was In what had already been
accomplished.
With only few hours margin for
the completion of preventive meas
ures the sheriff bargrri or 10 Water
man. With him went his brother
Doc Hopper. who had been rushed
out meantime 20 administer FIRST
aid: and BIN McCord
Late afternoon found the Bar
Hook locked in that restiye. ex.
hausted quiet which follows any
Kind % explosion. Somewhere In
the house Willie Hclmar sat watch.
fully beside the wounded Elliot. who
propped himself up In bed and
smoked interminably. saying nothing
al all. Ted Baylor bad left. and
Campo had drawn on by himself
and into himself. in what mood no
one knew.
Kentucky Jones sat alone 10 the
biz kitchen. He wanted 10 talk 10
Jean--knew that he must talk 10
Jean: and be dreaded II. FOR he had
no reinotest notion OF what he would
be able 10 say. Now that the war OF
the IS upon Bar Hook was killed al
the source, and the death OF Mason
no longer was IA mystery which hung
over Campo Ragland. Kentucky
Jones found himself comprehending.
as n for the first time. the full
weight Of the burden which Jean
had chosen 20 bear alone.
At one time, he thought. Jean must
have believed her father guilty OF
the murder Of Mason. For him she
had smothered the evidence at once
concealing her fathers supposed In
yolyement and conceallng her
knowledge from Campo himself. To
her Lee Bishop had told story
which he himself did not under
stand: she had known the exact
status OF St Marie and Kentucky
Jones. and the truth about the miss
ing rifle and the picture that was
gone from It's frame. What Ken
tucky had said was true-that every
one had coniided In her. and she had
confded in none. And through every
hour OF those days she most GER
tainly had known that she was car
ryIng In her own hands the lives OF
men who meant more to her than
any others in the world.
ITO BE CONTINUED