The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1935-10-31
CHAPTER IV-Continued

[
But Will had spent no energy in
vain direct pursuit. He had cut
| straight for the steam mill down the
Valley, to wait for Seth there; and
Humphreys after while guessed this.
He said TO Bart, himself reluctantly
preparing to depart:
Bart, you got a gun in the house?
There's a wild bull in the woods down
where we're working, been bothering
the men. I'm mind to shoot him."
Bart said: 1--WE got an old revolver
that throws heavy slug, if you can
hold it straight. You get near enough
and you could kill an elephant with
it."
LET me have that" Seth proposed.
| ''This bull, he comes right up around
the mill. 1 can get near enough to
him without no trouble at ALL"
So Bart produced the revolver, an
ancient model, in heavy holster
stained by years Of use. Got quite a
history, that gun has," he said proud
ly. Fellow out in Denver found a
dead man in a gulch in the mountains
one day, with this gun on him and a
bullet through his head. He sent the
gun to me. Triggers mighty light Sim
gle action. You have to cock it."
| Seth hefted the weapon, sighted it,
made sure it was loaded. much
obliged" he said. "I'll fetch it back to
YOU"
And he got into the truck, and laid
the pistol on the seat beside him, and
went on his way.
The man was afraid! He was as big
as viii Ferrin; not quite so tall, but
heavier. Nevertheless, just as a dog
| fights best in it's own yard, so does a
man in the wrong fight poorly. Seth
wanted no fight with Will Ferrin; and
| his very fears gave him a false cour-
age, a pseudo-ferocity. He gritted his
teeth and shook his head and vowed
| that Will had better not try to lay a
hand on him.
He drove down the Valley road and
! turned into the rough wood track that
| led to the clearing where the steam
mill was set beside a spring brook that
| furnished water for the boilers. The
mill was working, the mill crew gath
cred in the shed.
But Seth did not see Will anywhere
| about, and knew deep relief. There
was at one side a shed of rough boards,
rooted with tar paper, with a dirt
| floor, in which the truck was custom
arily stored against the weather. Its
doors were swung wide. and Seth
/ furpo6 tho trI1cL into tbic cbad
But as he did so, Will Ferrin came
suddenly out from behind one wide
flung door, and leaped on the trucks
running board, by Seth's very elbow.
His countenance was .affrighting. Seth's
| foot missed the brake, pressed the
] throttle instead; then he found the
brake and jammed it down. The truck
leaped ahead, tried to stop, skidded
sidewise; the right rear wheel broke
partly through one wall, the front mud
guard burst into the opposite wall.
And VIII, in silent, deadly purpose,
caught Seths throat with both hands
to drag him to the ground.
Seths hand found the ready pistol;
he thumbed the hammer back AS the
weapon came into his sight,, Will re-
leased Seth's throat with his left hand
and grabbed at Seth's wrist that held
the gun. The two men were falling to-
gether as the pistol exploded. Will
felt the heavy ball pillow into his leg
below the knee, crashing through the
bone with a shocking impact.
But he did not loose the grip ne
had.
The mill was sixty or seventy yards
away, and the saw, at the moment of
the shot, was whining through log;
but Luke Hills was beyond the mill.
by the brook, and his ears were clear
of the saws close proximity. He
heard the shot, and came numbering
up the bank, shouting the alarm to
the others. The men came to the shed
door, and saw viii and Seth down in
a locked grip, and Willis leg was hide
Gus. But the muzzle of a heavy pis-
tol pointed toward them from the
ground, wavering in the tight grip of
two opposing hands, and this was
enough to deter the boldest for a mo-
ment. They lodged aside, peering eau
tiously; and by the time they found
courage to draw near, Seth was dead.
But Will, despite his wound, was
alive; and Luke knotted a bit of rope
around Willis leg, and twisted it with
a stick. There was a babble of COM
mands and advice and argument. For
Seth, clearly, there was nothing to be
| done.
But we got to get help for Will,
here, mighty quick" Luke pointed
out.
One of the other men remembered
Marin Pierce. Two boards secured to-
gether by crosspieces served as a rude
litter. They set out to carry VIII
through the woods to the old woman's
house.
1t was thus that Jenny saw win
again, horne on rough litter impro-
yised Of fresh sawed boards still red