The Western news. [volume] (Libby, Mont.) 1933-current, 1935-06-13

general disaster. The incredibly
prompt and bold decisions OF Bob I'll
lots threatened So now promise1
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 a decision thar
popped like q blacksnake whip Inc
ESSs 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
| aJestic sweep. He looked as II he
might at any moment spit red not PED
| 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. i
! have to talk to you"
"Just second He went to the
| phone and belled the gunsmith at Wa
terman.
/ Old Mark Ferris, Wolf Bench gum
smith for more than twenty years.
knew most OF the guns In the Water
man rmrock; and Kentucky had talked
to him the day before In an effort to
trace the ownership of the gun found
In Jack Sanders hand. 1t had seemed
to him odd that lack, who owned nc
| gun belt, should have been carrying q
| gun, and he had been led to wonder II
lack could have been forewarned, anf
had perhaps borrowed the weapon
II 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 mum
Der of the questioned gun, In the hopt
that the OLD gunsmith could recall t
whom the gun had been sold,
Presently Mark Ferris voice cam,
over the wire querulous and faint :"
can't find any record of that gum h
gun, Kentuck.'
You must have sold it." Kenruck
Insisted. Look here Ferrls-this
no Joke Look again, will your"
All right"
Kentucky hung up and went to 81
opposite Jean at the table where sh
was at Work.
Il suppose by this time" she begar
you have no end of theories abou
what happened here"
Il used to know an old lion hunter
name of Old Man Coffee" kentuck
told her. "Whenever killing or some
thing had everybody else balled VI
they used to send for Old Man Coffe
He didn't always unravel the trail BIT
, he seemed to see through a lot {
things that fooled other folks. An
once asked him how he did IT,
HE said he made things easy Il
himself by never having theory-h
Just kept hunting up facts, and whe
J he had enough to give him the answe
there wasn't any theory about It'll
knew Me, / think Old Man Coffee
: way was good way"
! She stopped work and studied hlr
Il can't make you out" she said |
last You meun-you have no idt
4 Of your own who killed Mason--t
. lack Sanders--or why3"
/. Child" he said, "how long IS 1t &
ing to be before you tell somebody
a anybody--what you know"
: She looked at him suddenly as st
{ answered; and he knew that she liz
f to him, bravely. and with open eye
Il haven't the least idea what yt
mean" she said.
"All right But | ought to tell "
this-if | stay here much longer |
know who killed Mason-and why"
! "You-you're sure Of that?'
: THE facts have are very few
7 said. II don't know where they lea
y But already know they lead Gle
: straight trail. The facts are too dlstin
: and clear to be pointing more than o.
. way. Those two men killed at the sar
. time, but by two different calbers
p guns; this house being searched: L
le fact that the two were Killed at almo
y, the same time, but were found lyi
u nearly sixty yards apart-each Till
W stands out sharp as the slot of de
ot In the snow. When those facts are fin
N ly fitted together nobody viii ever
Id able to blur them SO that there's a
r. doubt"
80 III you're going TO turn yourself IN
,p a spy Jean began hotly. She stopps
RS checked by the steadness of his
ok gard.
n Kentucky Jones said gently, wv
al are you shielding, Jeans'
IN She Strengthened and stood looki
ad out through the clear space In
ut middle of the frosted pane. Her fa
mt was passive, but her head was up W
.ff !, Evn rro,1 40 rrtova apd hpr N air *