The Coolidge examiner., 1935-05-17


~Uh huh she jusi said that her
and her father was auay
Thanks" Kentucky moved up
ward exchanging monosyllables
here and there as he wormed hls
way toward the room above Water
terman's hail was packed. bulglnS
wlih people.
AZ n plain table sat sheriff Floyd
Hopper. looking bedeylled: at the
end ~ the table sat the coroner.
who was also the sherif-s brother
There was Give Pierson. the banker
who must step into Mason's shoes :
bis face was an unwholesome gray.
and a muscle IN the side of bis face
kept twitchlng. FOR In the last
three days be bad hardly slept.
Near him was Bob Elliot. who had
gnmbied the future of his cow out
81 upon the backing which Mason
would have given him. bat which
De could no longer expect.
And there was Ted Baylor 81 the
Running NJ. aud the owner of the
Lazy Deuce. and the Circle Five.
aud the Z--men who could cut a
thousand beef steers from their
herds IN a weeks notice. but nigh,
easily be set back % their begin
nlnes u Mssons death should cause
the bank 60 close its doors: and
many others
Lee Bishop. the hlocky. almost
bgrly foreman % the Ear Hook.
vas 10 the witness chair. very red
In the face from public speaking
and the heat
Il was going out to The pump
house. carrying a couple ~ pals
of bot water from the Kitchen. Z"
be was saying. i aimed 20 thaw
ont the pump Then ! seen this
hump IN the snow-fkouEht maybe
calf had drified In and fell down.
I wen, out and looked and II was
old Irousldcs-I mean John Mason.
'iiow long did you think be had
been deadg"
lie wasn't lying there around
one O'Clock. when We left the home
ranch. And there wasn't any snow
under him. II begun showing around
two o'clock. out there"
Then you fgnre Mason had this
accident between one aud two
O'Clock =
THAT amt what | said. only
said there WAS no snow under him I"
Sheriff Floyd Hopper exhibited
annoyance. Lets not quibble over
words What We want is TO Get
done. here"
~well." Lee Bishop went on with
an unnecessary air OF siuhbornness.
Il turned him over. and / saw that
he'd been shot. His gun was IN
his hand-that long-barreled .45 be
always carried 10 take q pop AZ a
coyote with IL II be should see a
coyote"
lis this the gunT said the sher.
iff's brother. turning toward a clut.
tered window ledge nj one side. A
deputy handed the coroner the re.
quired weapon. Bishop identified
IL We'll" he went on. Il sent up
a long yell but nobody answered /;
and ! took out and run for the
house.
Kentucky Jones had been search.
Ing all the room for sight OF Jean
Ragland. and now be was surprised
TO discover her so near the focus
Of interest that be had missed her
In searching too far away. She
was sitting beside her father. the
big stoop-shouldered owner OF the
Bar Hook. The two sat almost IN.
der a window ledge where a deputy
kept his eye upon a muddled col.
lection OF exhibits.
The sheriff was bombardlng Lee
Bishop with questions OF little
point. as that cutoff trail between
the IS and the Bar Hook often
usedT"
Almighty little!" II was the FIRST
emphasis Bishop had used.
Kentucky's eyes sought Jean Rag
land again. Suddenly he perceived
that she had leaned back so that
she could peer between the stand
ing deputies and was looking d.
rectly az him. He smiled at her
but her face did not change.
Then suddenly he was aware that
she had signaled him TO draw near
er. IL had been the faintest mar
rowing OF an eye. the slightest in
clination of her head; yet he knew
absolutely, as she again averted her
face. that a signal had been con-
yeyed.
Deeply puzzled. he began to
work his way along the side OF the
hall. The sheriff. he noticed. was
perspIringly pushing ahead with his
questions, evidently very conscious
of his far-gathered audience. The
sherifrs brother. the coroner, was
nudging him. but he was barging
ahead, as Kentucky Jones presently
reached a point not more than three
yards from Jean Ragland
He was trying TO catch Jean Rag
lands eye as a sound Of scuffllng
and contention broke forth in the