The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1937-11-25
She was silent. and after m,

how those shots at you are mixed
up with these other shootings; it
would be too big coincidence if
the shots at you and the killing of
the men were separate, yet hap
pening at the same time"
ST can see that, all right"
"But the shots at you eliminate
nearly every suspect we have. Take
Val Douglas. He hasn't proved very
dependable, Marian. He's been
caught in lies as to where he was.
Even just now, when he was sent to
Pahranagat to check up Bob Flagg,
it seems from what Coffee says that
he didn't even go near there Some
times I've suspected Val. Even if
he didn't kill Flagg to rob him, still
he might have killed him by mis-
take, thinking it was somebody else.
But one thing is certainly plain
Val Douglas would never fire on
you"
NO" Marian said, "Val could
never do that"
"Or take Link Bender-a hard,
bitter, violent man. Once he was
boss of all this range, until Horse
Dunn took hold. Link Bender might
go to any length to put down the "a.
But he controls this kid sheriff, and
through the sheriff he's bearing
down on the "a through this killing;
and he's getting away with it. His
whole way of attack is orderly and
thought out. He wouldn't try any
such crazy thing as shooting girl"
cts pretty hard to see in what
way I could stand between Link
Bender and his plans"
"The same thing applies to Pinto
Halliday; he's a shifty crook, but
he isn't crazy. Sam Caldwell is an
other that it doesn't fit in with.
"The thing just won't fit togeth-
er, will it?"
Marian, it's in my mind that I
know who killed Bob Flagg."
"Billy! If you know that"
There's one man in that Inspira-
ton crowd that is too savage bitter
to wait for Link Bender's plan to
pan out. That man is Rufe Deane.
Rufe Deane blameS Horse for the
death of his son, years ago."
eyes," Marian said, GIVE thought
of him."
"Rufe Deane tried to raise a mob
in Inspiration to see that the 81
people never got away from there.
| If he had started in time, there'd
have been lynching before mid
night. He threw down his deputy's
badge because he thought the sher-
iff was going too easy with Horse.
And when you testified for me at
the hearing-Rufe Deane was look
ing at you like wolf waiting. Mar
| ian, believe Rufe Deane is one
man that's crazy enough and bitter
enough to try to kill you-to get
back at Horse for the death of young
Deane."
BILLY, if you're right-if you can
prove that"
"That's just the trouble. Suppose
Pm right--Rufe Deane did it. We're
no better off than we were in the be-
ginning. You see, Marian, there's
two parts to these killing cases. One
thing is to find out who did it and
why. The other thing is to prove
| it and get conviction. I haven't
one single thing to show against
Rufe Deane; and until / can show
evidence, it won't matter how sure
I may be in my mind"
When he looked at her it was
past his power to imagine how Rufe
Deane or anyone else could ever
look down the sights of a gun at
Marian Dunn; she was so gently
and sweetly made, so precious in
his eyes. He didn't believe in Horse
Dunn's creed of gun justice, for he
| thought that the use of violence out
side the law was costly thing, de-
feating its own purposes in the end.
But he knew that if ever he faced
Rufe Deane with anything like a
decent proof in his hands, he would
destroy the killer as he would de-
stroy sidewinder or a vinegaroon.
'I'n never be able to believe in
Gods world that anyone would set
out to hurt you," he said. yet
somebody has tried. What natural
ly comes to mind is that some
body, some enemy of Horse Dunn,
| has gone out of his head But
hard as it is to believe, there is one
other possibility we have to take
account of-that without knowing it
you've heard something, or seen
something, which would give away
the Short Creek killer-if you re-
membered it, and recognized it for
what it was"
She said, give thought of that"
Marian, if you can remember
seeing anything-a rider in the dis
tance-some horse coming home at
a strange time-one of the guns
missing from it's rack here in the
house-even an empty shell that you
thought nothing of-that one thing
might give us the answer!"
"I've racked my brain over and
over; but 1 can't think of any,
thing, Billy"
'Not even a chance word, over
heard somewhere"
She shook her head. BILLY, l
just can't remember anything that
would answer the purpose at ALL"
She pressed her palms against her
eyes for a moment; then lifted her
head sharply, shaking out her loose
hair. ''It's no use. This isn't the
first time I've tried to remember;
I've been trying hard for two days"
81 thought it would most likely be
hopeless" he admitted. "Pll have
to 60 to Flagstaff"
81 know. I've seen that coming
I'm ready to stay here alone; with
out you or my uncle, l mean"
Marian, if I could get you to pull
out of here, until this is over
| "This is my outfit, Billy. 1t
shouldn't be my outfit; it should