Worcester Democrat and the ledger-enterprise., 1936-03-06

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before big raid. And those with
CUTS enough to go out aren't doin' but
half the work they should" FELTON,
tugged irritably at his tobacco-stain'
ed mustache. "Boy, the way things
are goin' the Rio Verde crowd'll be in
Chamita a month ahead of u.s."
All the while he spoke, Felton's
gaze avoided that of the frontiersman
who remained squatted on bale OF
dusty buffalo robes.
Somehow these Mescaleros have
got to be pacified and held off It'll we
get some troops" he continued, land
well, we had pow-wow last night
and most o. the bosses figger the
cnly way to do it is to keep Ted solid
on our side. They figger he's so crazy
over the NOVEL; girl he won't need
much coaxin'. Fact is, she suggest
ed"
The breath stopped half way to
Ken's lungs, "She suggested what ?"
he demanded sharply.
"She suggested that Ted be given
the job of meat hunter for this road.
We need the meat and need it bad.
You know yourself he stands in with
the PEACHES and-you don't"
The frontiersman's blue eyes mar
rowed perceptibly while Felton's voice
went on.
"Ted lowed he'd take the job, but
he wouldn't work with you nohow. 1t
had to be one or the other of you, he
said. And-and-o what else could
we do?"
Ken looked up with a tight smile.
"Seems like I'm out Of job, eh?"
Miserably FELTON, extended an apollo
getic hand. "Well-er-not entirely.
Ken. Boy, you don't understand what
a terrible fix we're in. Money, lives
everything at stake, we've got to
play safe"
A sunbeam beating in the door
wrought copper lights in Ken's hair as
he got up.
"But are you sure you're playin'
safe?"
NO." growled the construction chief
"I'm not at all sure that onery Ted
won't do us dirt. All depends on how
much the Rio Verde crowd have paid
him, and on how much the NOVEL;
girls crazy about him."
"Is she crazy about him?" Cold as
the grinding of an ice floe was the
frontiersman's voice. FELTON, shrug-
ged, hitched his worn leather belt
higher on his hips and said:
81 can't tell, do know she's all
fired eager to get this road built. She's
always talkin' about it, askin' how
much tracks been laid each day. If
Mescalero Ted can help us build the
road, she'll jolly him along"
"Does she realize" Ken interrupted,
"that that NAL hombre's got a squaw
and a wickieup down on the Sante Fe?
Can't she tell that Ted amt the kind
that would take jollyin' ?"
81 don't know that she is jollyin'
him." FELTON, replied seriously. "I'm
sorry, Ken," he added, laying hand
on the meat hunters shoulder, "this
takin' him on is not my doin' -
"I'd not mind" Ken stated, eff l
thought he'd do you any good-but
I'm afraid he's only plannin' to make
his wipin' out of your crowd more
complete. Them PEACHES have been
quiet too long to behave much longer
a lot of young bucks among
'em that want to take their first hair
and count some"
FELTON, uttered smothered groan.
"That's what Pm scared of, but the
rest won't listen-say, maybe you'd
take job of guardin' the right-of-
way-kind of unofficial like?"
"IIl think about it." Ken replied
moodily. "There goes the noon whis-
tie, you'd better mosey back to town,
I need to do heap O. plain and fancy
thlnkln.
His inner turmoil he realized had in
creased-it was clearer than ever that
Lucia NOVEL; had used him in her
schemes as mere cog, and that she
had lost him his job. Maybe she had
been in with Ted's schemes since the
start. 1t was wonderful how skill
fully she could lie, not only with her
lips, but with her eyes and her being,
for she had seemd strangely content
to rest in his arms the night before.
Why had she come to him so? In
any event, it was not natural.
In his perplexity his long hands
gripped each other until the bones
made small cracking sound.