The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1937-11-25

morning now"
Without high heels and with her
hair light and loose about her Shout
ders she should have looked small
er, but she did not. He thought
he had never seen her so SHINY tall,
so gravely steady.
Perhaps that was partly the eff
feet of what she wore. Because he
had never seen her dressed as she
was now, he had sudden sense of
how little he knew her, after all;
just as he did not know what she
wore when she slept, how could he
know what went on in her mind
when she was alone-or ever?
She was wearing pajamas, but
their black silk was cut like Rus
sian smock, with a high collar of
soft black silk about her throat, and
close cuffs at her wrists, so that
standing against the dark she was
all a part of the dark, except for
the bright ivory of her face and
hands and the loose simmer of her
hair.
About this costume, which was
strange to him, there was a bar
barrie dignity, as if it were not some
thing to sleep in at all, but the cere-
'monial dress of some forgotten
priestess. 1t was strange to see
this vision here, standing beside a
spare saddle that had been flung on
the floor under tangle of brides on
a wooden peg. Everything around
her was cow country, but she-she
was something else, something love-
ly from beyond the hills-a daugh-
ter of two worlds.
She came and sat beside him on
the bunk. ''Did you find out any,
thing more from Old Man Coffee?
thought you'd get more out of
him if I left you alone"
mot very much. Old Man COT
fees been disappointment to me
in a way. Sometimes l think he
doesn't know anything about it."
81 wonder"
Marian, what are you going to
do?"
What is there for me to do?
One of two things-stay here or go
to Inspiration to be near Horse. Of
course, he ought to be out of there in
a few days."
Il wouldn't count on that, Marian
They can't make a case against
him-not even the beginnings of a
case. They know that. But what
they want to do-and can dds to
tie up the "a finances by making the
case look as ugly as possible.
They'll point out that Dunn was the
main one who would be expecting
Flagg there; and probably make
Flagg's share of the money the mo-
tive. Of course that's ridiculous.
But for their purpose, all they need
to do is to raise the question and
then cause delay in clearing it
up"
Her eyes were on distance be-
yond the walls smoky eyes,
drowsy, even misty on the surface;
but behind them was that continu-
ing deep glow of slumbering fire.
the smouldering light of great re-
serve vitality.
I'D go east now, if l were you,"
he told her. well fight this thing
out, and save out of it what we can
you can count on that. But-this
isn't a good place for you any more.
There won't be anyone here, except
a couple of COW hands to keep an
eye on things. And it would drive
Horse crazy to have you in that
hornets nest in Inspiration"
"But you-?"
"I'l be gone. I have to back
track Bob Flagg a little further. I'll
have to go to Flagstaff; then maybe
down-country. God knows how long
I'll be gone. 1t looks like dim,
crooked trail"
She considered this. ''When are
you leaving?"
"Now-before daylight. I'll send
a note to Horse. l don't even dare
see him in Inspiration, for fear
they'll hold me there on some
trumped-up charge"
They were silent again. Through
the window came to them a cool,
fragrantly clean breeze from the
uplands, with fall tang in it that
promised frosts before long. He sud-
denly thought she might be cold.
There was clean Navajo blanket
on his bed, and he put this about
her shoulders. She smiled family,
but did not look at him or move.
She said, "It will be queer and
lonely here, with you gone"
'But you'll be leaving too"
She shook her head, her eyes far
away. "I'm through with lowering
on the outskirts of my own life"
For moment he wondered what
provision he could make for her
safety here. He no longer doubted
that what she determined to do she
would do, and could not be dis
suaded from. He thought of con-
signing her safety to Old Man Cot
fee, or to the cowboys now search
ing the hills for her; but he was
deeply concerned.
Sometimes / Think Marian
said, ''that the answer to every
thing is to be found right here
here at the 94-and no place else"
He nodded modify. "a man
ought to be able to figure it out, if
he was smart"
''There isn't anything more you
could follow up, here? When time
is so important"
There's one lone, slim possibili-
ty," he said.
''In heavens name, what is it?"
There's one thing in this case
that / can't swallow. 1t stands out
above everything else-one unbe-
lievable thing that couldn't possibly
happen. I'm thinking of those two
shots that have been thrown at
YOU"