The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1935-09-05

ou tHdt, L III ready any ume. AS lohe
as there's been cattle on the rim, OF
on the Bake Pan either, no brand has
ever leaned any harder against another
brand than the Bar Hook has borne
down on the IS. If Campo's pulled in
his horns, maybe it's because he knows
that the rights of the SS are going
to be backed up for a change"
Campo Ragland spoke for the first
time "Rights!" he said bitterly
"Rightsp'
Sheriff Floyd Hopper said angrily
You're funny one, Elliot, to bring In
talk about rights!'
you said yourself" Elliot answered
''the Bar Hook has folded up"
They all turned their eyes to Campo
Ragland; but the boss of the Bar Hook
was rolling cigarette with slow metic
ulous care, and he did not contribute
any observations.
Sheriff Floyd Hopper swung FESTIVE
ly in his seat. 81 can't understand it,
he said. II can't understand it"
You'll understand 1t now" said
Kentucky Jones. II can tell you exact
ly why Elliot has thought he could
shove his beef all over Bar Hook range
in full peace and comfort"
Bob Elliot said, If the idea is to sill
here half the"
Let him alone. Bob" Hopper
snapped.
Kentucky Jones looked Elliot over
with a cool unfriendly eye. 'T'll tell you
another little thing that happened the
day Mason was killed." he said. "Bot
Elliot and Campo Ragland were rid.
ing the Bake Pan range; and it hap.
pened that they met on that ride"
where did you get this?" Hopper
put in.
Partly" Kentucky said, from Ell.
lot himself" ...
Elliot said, an be id If"
''Will you be still?" said Sheriff Hop.
per. "What then, Jones"
Elliot was armed; Campo Ragland
was not. 1t seems to be a kind of Gus.
tom with the SO to take advantage of a
situation like that-as Lee Bishop and
l found out one day in a little con-
versation we had with Bill McCord.
Naturally I wasn't there when Ragland
and Elliot met; but / can tell you that
what happened was this-Elliot gave
Ragland such a cussing out as you
couldn't expect any man to stand for,
or put up with"
SIS that right, Campo?" the sheriff
demanded.
Campo Ragland gave a grunt which
might have been an affirmative; it did
not appear to be denial.
Campo Ragland," said Kentucky
Jones. "told Bob Elliot that he would
kill him before the day was out"
He's guessing now" said Bob Elliot.
"Yes, guessing" conceded Kentucky
Jones.
Campo Ragland said Unexpectedly,
"Yes, by G-d-but he's guessing
right"
Kentucky Jones nodded. "Sure I'm
guessing right! Up here in the Frying
Pan country there's an old lion hunter
called Old Man Coffee; and he says"
ITO HI with Old Man Coffee" said
the sheriff. what happened then%'
Just at the moment" said Ken
lucky Jones, II can't tell you exactly
what happened then; but 1 can tell
you something different, of very curl
Gus interest. On the wall of this house
used to be chromo-an enlarged snap
shot-of a man sitting on a horse.
You'd look across the room at that lit
tie picture, and you'd say to yourself,
why, Campo has hung up lens study
of Bob Elliot Then maybe you'd look
closer; and you'd see it wasn't Bob
Elliot at all-but a representation of
John Mason"
Sheriff Hopper said, "You mean
you're saying"
bob Elliot knew that sometimes, sit
ting his horse in a certain way and at
a certain distance, he and John Mason
looked strangely alike; and Campo had
promised to kill Elliot that day. Elliot
knew that Campo did not dare to take
a chance on what jury might make
out of that"
you're suggesting that Campo Rag
land killed Mason by mistake, taking
him for Elliot"
I'm suggesting that 1t could be made
to look that way; and that Elliot was
able to hold that over Campo-and that
was why Elliot dared swamp Bar Hook
range"
you mean that he ran a bluff that
he could bring Ragland to trial for the
murder of Mason?"
"You can call it a bluff" said Ken
lucky Jones, looking at Bob Elliot, "or
mail, If you want"
Bob Elliot jerked forward in his
chair as if he would come to his feet.
"Why, On your eyes," he said. "if you
think I'm going to sit here and take"
You'll sit there" Kentucky Jones
said coolly, land you'll take it, and
you'll like 1t. You'll take it because
you're yellow, clear down to the roots.
And you haven't forgotten the night
/ Knocked you kicking and squalling, in
the sheriff's office at Waterman"
Bob Elliot's face went white, and his
eyes took on squirting slant. His
lower lip dropped loose away from his
teeth. why, you"
yellow" Kentucky repeated, "clear
down to the roots"
An inarticulate blasphemy strangled
in Elliot's throat. Sheriff Floyd Hopper
made clutch at .Elliot's belt, but
missed his hold, as Elliot sprang at
Kentucky Jones like quirted horse.
Kentucky hunched low. then straight
ened out the whole length of his body
behind his left hand. There was a ring
ing crack, as if bone had broken.
and an inStant'S confused tanrla Thon