The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1936-05-28
CHAPTER XVI-Continued


Jim and the others did draw back.
1t would not do to get too close to
those clicking teeth, those blazing eyes.
"Why. he's hurt! Look at that leg !!
Here, Tip. :" Again Jim tried to
get near but a shrill raging and the
flashing of those strong, white teeth
set him again in retreat.
Mad. I tell yOuse"
Here, Tip! Let's see."-Ezra Adams
trying, now, but the dog drove him
back, too.
Advice. warnings, speculation; con-
fusion. And then Nan Downer pushed
through the circle.
whats wrong?.. Oh! Tip! Why,
Tip. - The tail Topped heavily,
the dirt smeared tongue lOlled; the
dog painted and whined. The girl
dropped to her knees beside him and
he put his nose in her lap. The
eyes closed and Tip drew a quiyering
sigh. He had come to Nan at last.
Now he could be touched; now the
hurt could be examined.
Broken" gasped Ezra. And t.
Good Lord, sergeant, this dogs been
shOt!'
The words echoed from a dozen
threats Shot"
He was with Kerry Nan cried.
HE was with Kerry, 1 am sure Z.
Ezra! Where is Kerry? Where is E. :"
That" snapped the policeman, sis
what we've got to find out! Come on,
you trailers! Look! You can see ev-
cry step he took in this rOad?'
Midafternoon, now, and his head
rolled drunkenly as Young fought off
that cloud of darkness. He could not
hold it much longer. The cabin was
beyond his range Of vision.
He had one cartridge left. He re-
membered that. For weeks, it seemed,
his intermittent firing had kept West
within that cabin. He had only one
more shot to fire, and he could not see
the bead of his sight. That was all
blurred, like other matters: pain and
sickness and his manner of getting
here. -.
His face dropped heavily against the
stock. He was so weary. He wanted
to sleep just a moment o.. just
a second. One little wink of re-
spite. -.
And then he knew that for ever so
long voices had been in his ears.
Voices, saying over and over: Here he
went Or was it just once that
the words had been said? Just once?
Here he vent" 1t must have been
Jim Hinkle saying that. Jim's voice,
saying it just now, just once! q.
Here he went"
And Jim was standing there in the
road, bent over, with a group around
him. And Nan with her hand on
Jim's shoulder, and the sound of glass
breaking. -.
Glass breaking! Window glass break
ing before the thrust of a rifle barrel
through the pane; tinkling as it spilled
over the sill. And a man with his
shoulder slammed tight against the
window casing sighting that rife, and
Tod West, that, taking his final toll.
One, two, three. -. They'd drop there
in the road before the crash of his re-
peating weapon. One, two, three.
West in sight, exposed to Young!
Oh, how well Kerry could see now.
He could see the bead Of his front
sight, could see it fash true against
that bulky breast and the recoil did not
hurt, that time. He did not even think
of HQ saw that other rifle har-
rel fly upward, saw Tod West spin
about, back to the window. Saw
him stand there a moment and then,
in the terrible silence, saw him disap-
pear with the crash which loosed
torrents of cries and words and sounds
of running feet. -.
Then Kerry Young put his cheek
down on the cool, moist earth and drew
q long breath.