The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1936-04-30

rose high and higher. He became
almost hysterical in this, his moment
of largest triumph.
At late evening the stream of callers
had petered out. Butch had been
called out to country dance where,
bad whisky had caused trouble and
when no one appeared for quarter of
an hour, Bridger stalked down the
corridor and called through an open
doorway:
"Pll be over at the pool hall, Ma!
If anybody calls, or you hear anything,
just ring me. Them boys'll be all
| right. :"
They'd be all right!
AS soon as the sound of his foot
steps had died away Young was out of
his cell, across the bull-pen and sitting
on the edge of Hollis cot where the
boy lay, face in his arms.
"Buck up, son!" he whispered,
lhand on the lads shoulder. st looks
like a kind of a mess, but we'll clear
it up!"
A shudder travelled the 1.-THE frame
beneath his touch.
what happened" And when the
other made no move: won't you tell
me?"
Slowly Stuart rolled over, and the
faint light from above showed his face
white and drawn.
Damned if 1 known he muttered.
I'D packed up this afternoon. l was
on my way. l didn't want to leave
without some word for Nan. I'd just
started to write a note when in busted
Bridger, grabbed it off the desk and
That's all; except that 1 lost my
head and tried to take 'em all on"
"Then you were actually hauling?"
"Yes,"-bitterly.
"Why| No answer. Stuart contin-
ued to stare at the latticed bars above
him. what was the big idea, Holt?
You don't mean &. 1t can't be-
tensely-"that this yarn Bluejay told
-
Certainly nOt!'
Stuart sat up quickly and drew both
hands across his eyes.
Hell, no! What this is all about.
l can't tell you. l got enough from
Bridger's Boosting to see what they're
driving at And l was off alone all
day Thursday and 1 was leaving and
did start note to Nan with a couple
Of sentences that, maybe, will make it
look a little tough in the beginning.
But didn't kill Cash and didn't bury
anything at Townline and I wasn't
| Ip,, 20
frame me but it's :. That's detail,
now"
Young drew a long and mystified
| breath.
| Detail! Maybe. But Good
Lord, chum, they've got enough stuff
to hold you here until we can blow up
their case. Why, it's worse looking
than I'd figured it could be. -. :" He
scratched his temple briskly. Damn
it all, they've
Where were you, for instance, all
day Thursday, the day Bluejay ap-
parently's ready to swear he saw you
at the cabin?"
"All over hell's half acre."
"Alone?"
| "Alone." .-a--...
"Doing what?"
"Walking"
| walking! . Why, Stuart, aren't
you :" He shook his head hope
lessly.
"And then you get ready to pull out
and write to Nan that you've been risk
| ing all kinds of disaster"
"And didn't I?'-savagely. Didn't
l stay here and eat my heart out and
know all along that it was no use?
That I'm too young and not big enough
for girl like that, anyhow? And then
you"
| Young's head was in a whirL
| But, good Lord, son, didn't she fl.
didn't Ezra :. Why, last Wednesday
night Ezra told me what she said to
him after West had been there and
you'd mixed it with him! She said to
Ezra that she couldn't let anything
happen to you; and she cried because
a mess like that had happened just
| when she just when =. Well. as
Ezra told it to me, just when she'd
fallen in love with you'll"
with mel"
The boys exclamation gave Kerry a
curious feeling; Hollis look, wide,
amazed, shocked, furthered his con-
fusion.
with mer' he repeated and laughed
bitterly. Young, are you blind? Is
old Ezra crazy? Yes, he was there
he came into the office just after she'd
told me that :"
He closed his eyes and his body
shuddered again.
"She took me into the office away
| from the others after West left. She
told me that her heart would be broken
if anything happened to me because
of my loyalty to her. ] :. lost my
head again and begged her to let me
love her. Then she told me that such
a thing was impossible; she didn't say
more. l put it to her. DO you love
Kerry YoungY l asked her and she :.
she just nodded. :. !. That -. that's
all there is to tell you, Young"
He turned away.
Il guess, Kerry, you're as blind as
thought you were All along, ever
since l first saw you and Nan together.
I'd been afraid of it. 1 6. I'd loved
her long time, you see."
Strength drained from Kerry's body.
One knee shook spasmodically. His
throat swelled and a chill like that
induced by fog enveloped him.
"You mean :. she said L. >. Holt,
and you're telling me this."
The other turned away sullenly as
if in collapse. He leaned on one ell
bow, looking away from his fellow
prisoner.