Coulee City dispatch. [volume] (Coulee City, Wash.) 19??-19??, 1936-01-23
CHAPTER w
The Whip Hand.


The girl licked her fingers and
turned to stare generously at the pieces
of moose dangling in the smudge-fire
smoke. She spoke to Garth almost
civilly:
I've no need to rest like Dad. Do
l have to wait for another piece?"
Certainly not. But you've let the
cookire go out. Keep this one going,
and you can use it. Better cut another
spit. Mind the knife edge, if you don't
want to lose finger"
She showed she could be deft enough
when she chose. One stroke of the
knife hacked off willow twig, two
cuts sharpened the end. Grasping the
bottom of the uncut second liver, she
sliced up lengthwise, all the way to
the rawhide thong. She poked the
green wood from the near edge of the
fire, piled on dry sticks, and crouched
down to hold her spit over the blaze.
Garth had at once begun to make
catgut. 1t would be needed to sew the
moccasins. He was intently at work,
and the girl was still more intently
cycling her meat, when HuXby came
striding between the spruces.
The once elegant engineer was
smeared with mud from his midbody
down to where the rock milk water Of
the ford had drenched the bog slime
from his shoes and leather aviator
trousers. Snags had scratched his
10 nv
one sleeve.
Worst Of all, his bare face and neck
was a swollen mass of Mosquito-bite
welts and the bleeding wounds Of
deer-fy stings The skin had already
begun to puff and discolor.
At sight of the mans condition,
Garth picked up his rifle. Even the
most cold-blooded, calculating schemer
can be tortured into crazed violence.
Miss Ramill glanced up from her
cooking, and uttered a startled cry.
1t awakened her father from his doze.
He sat erect to start at Huxby.
"My Cd, Vivian, what's happened?
You look like something the car
brought home"
"Those id pests" Huxby cursed.
LEFT my neadnet. Hey, you airplane
thief, fetch me drink. Jump lively"
Garth lifted his rifle. "Put up your
hands. No, don't reach for your pistol.
Up with them, or III wing you-That's
it. Now hold them there while Mr..
Ramill takes your pistol. I've had
enough of your threatening"
The millionaire looked at Garth's
cool gray eyes, and heaved himself
upon his feet to shuttle around behind
Huxby's shoulder. He pulled open the
leather jacket and drew the automatic
pistol from it's hgh-sung sheath.
Holding the butt forward, he brought
the weapon to Garth.
keep it yourself" Garth told him.
"You can give it back to him soon as
he gets over this fly madness. There's
your headnet, HuXby. Better stand in
the smoke till you get it on"
The tormented man first ran TO lie
down on the rill bank Between deep
drinks, he doused his bitten face in q
pool and dashed the gratefully cool
water over the back of his neck. The
moment he stopped, the pests buzzed
at him again. He ran to the smoky
side Of the fire without stopping for
his headnet.
For the first time since Garth had
met Lilith Ramill she showed consid-
GRAFTON for someone else than herself.
Her second piece Of liver had been
cooked enough to be eatable. She tore
1t In two and gave half to her fiance.
Its good, Vivian. Try it. You
must be famished."
Her unexpected graciousness Gained
his half-craZed mind.
"Why, Lilith-you roasted this your
self! 1t will taste doubly delicious"
He forced laugh. "But l couldn't
take the food out of your mouth"
I'll soon cook more. There's plenty. I"
Garth caught Mr.. Ramill's hungry
look. and shook his head. Not vet
for US, SIR. Well pack in some more
OF the meat before the wolverines
get It."