The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1935-06-28

general ulSdSLer. AS AhSAC
prompt and bold decisions Of Bob FL
lots threatened S8 now promised
| to make the Bar Hook the focal point
of the sequel. Whatever could be said
| against Bob Elliot, he was proving now
that he could make decision that
popped like a blacksnake whip. The
68's first drive of cattle was already
spread all over the middle Of the Bar
Hook range, cutting heavily into the
feed that the Bar Hook Herefords
would need long before the spring.
Yet, now, Of all times in his career,
Campo Ragland chose this to go into
what appeared to be black and hope
| less funk.
The boss of the Bar Hook was habit
ually red-eyed now, and the curve OF
his forehead was no longer bland
majestic sweep. He looked as If he
| might at any moment spit red hot peb-
bles. Campo's unaccountable vacilla-
ton was breaking the morale Of his
riders.
The day after the inquest Kentucky
Jones got back from the mornings
work before the rest. He found Jean
in the kitchen.
Her eye quickened instantly as Ken
lucky Jones came In. "Are the others
back?"
"Not yet"
"Come here" she commanded. 81
have to talk to you"
"Just a second" He went to the
phone and belled the gunsmith at Wa
| terman.
Old Mark Ferris, Wolf Bench gun
smith for more than twenty years,
knew most of the guns in the Water
man rimrock; and Kentucky had talked
| to him the day before in an effort to
| trace the ownership of the gun found
| in lack Sanders hand. 1t had seemed
to him odd that lack, who owned no
| gun belt, should have been carrying a
gun; and he had been led to wonder If
lack could have been forewarned, and
had perhaps borrowed the weapon.
| IF this were true, he wanted to know
| whose gun lack had borrowed. There
| fore he had set Ferris searching
through his records for the serial num-
Der of the questioned gun, in the hope
that the old gunsmith could recall to
whom the gun had been sold.
Presently Mark Ferris voice came
over the wire, querulous and faint. II
can't find any record Of that gum" he
said. II don't believe / ever sold that
gun, Kentuck."
"You must have sold It," Kentucky
| insisted. "Look here, Ferris-this is
no joke! Look again, will your'
"All right"
Kentucky hung up and went to sit
opposite Jean at the table where she
was at work.
81 suppose by this time" she began
"you have no end of theories about
what happened here"
II used to know an old lion hunter
name of Old Man Coffee" Kentucky
told her. whenever killing or some
thing had everybody else balled up
they used to send for Old Man Coffee
He didn't always unravel the trail; bui
he seemed to see through lot OF
things that fooled other folks. And
once I asked him how he did it.
"He said he made things easy for
himself by never having theOry-he
just kept hunting up facts, and when
he had enough to give him the answer
there wasn't any theory about 1.-THE
knew. Me, l think Old Man Coffee's
way was a good way"
She stopped work and studied him.
81 can't make you out" she said at
last. "You mean-you have no idea
of your own who killed Mason-or
lack Sanders-or why?"
"Child," he said, show long is It 60
ing to be before you tell somebody
anybody-what you known
She looked at him suddenly as she
answered; and he knew that she lied
to him. bravely, and with open eyes
II haven't the least idea what you
mean," she said.
Gall right. But I ought to tell you
this-if stay here much longer, I'll
know who killed Mason-and why"
"You-you're sure of that?"
'The facts have are very few" he
said. II don't know where they lead.
But already / know they lead clear
straight trail. The facts are too distinct
and clear to be pointing more than one
way. Those two men killed at the same
time, but by two different callbers of
guns; this house being searched: the
fact that the two were killed at almost
the same time, but were found lying
nearly sixty yards apart-each thing
stands out sharp as the slot Of "a deer
in the snow. When those facts are final
ly fitted together nobody will ever be
able to blur them SO that there's any
doubt"
IF you're going to turn yourself into
a spy" Jean began hotly. She stopped,
checked by the steadiness of his re-
| gard.
Kentucky Jones said gently, "Who
are you shielding, Jean?"
She Strengthened and stood looking
| out through the clear space in the
middle of the frosted pane. Her face
was passive, but her head was up with
/ AnA~ q