Worcester Democrat and the ledger-enterprise. (Pocomoke City, Md.) 1921-1953, 1937-11-05
CHAPTER Is

Well-pkanCeu laulS dUVuI IiIS chShSAA
syndicate, the plausibility and sense
of honesty established by the fail
ure of the main line of test pits, the
surprise of finding gold where no one,
even Bruce Kenning, had expected it,
thus absolutely precluding the posi-
bility of gold-bearing sands in the
territory where Mckenzie Joe had put
his faith.
1t was easy to reconstruct the rest
of the picture. They had played on
Joes taciturnity and his dislike for
them. Kenning evidently knew his
breed; quick disgust, the desire to pull
out and go on, once relations had be
come intolerable. So Mckenzie Joe
had gone. And Bruce Kenning had
continued, surreptitiously, to dig
where Mckenzie Joe had dug; mining
and geological experience had told him
that Mckenzie was right. Then, with
the river bed discovered, q quantity
of screened gravel had been taken to
the worthless test pit on the bench
land and dumped there. No wonder
the bottom of the pan, when Jack had
washed that sample, had been covered
with gold. And now the real discov-
cry was in the hands of Bruce Ken
ming. Jack Hammond had signed it
over that afternoon. He knew that
already the transfer had been record
ed.
Suddenly Hammond crouched, alive
to his surroundings. He was within
fifty yards of Mckenzie Joe's working.
A faint sound, borne by the brisk
wind, carried the rasping of the old
ladder as someone began an ascent of
the shaft. A shadowy, burdened fig
ure appeared. Hammond called Bruce
Kenning's name. With that, the fig
ure reached the surface, threw the
heavy sack of gravel from his Shout
ders, strove to run, stumbled, then
turned, weakly suppliant.
Don't hurt me-" he begged, I'm
not Kenning."
Hammond caught him, lifting him
clear of the ground. For an instant,
he held the man shaking in his power
full grasp. Then, with half fling,
he gave him freedom.
81 told you never to cross that
Alaskan Incl" he growled. It was
Lew Slade, almost groveling as he
strove to back away, to reach dis
lance from which he could run for
safety. But Hammond moved with
him, pace for pace. Hear me? 1
told you not to cross that Incl"
"But l haven't been bothering
Jeanne. Honest to God, 1 haven't.
She doesn't even know Pm in the
country
"What are you doing in this test
pit?"
"Just getting out a little gravel"
''To make cement with, l suppose.
How long have you worked here?"
He tried to frame lie, but he was
too frightened.
"Since night or two after your
partner left"
"And you work for Bruce Ken
ming, don't you?" The big hands
caught again at the shoulders of the
trembling man. Don't lie-you work
for Bruce Kenning.'
"Yeh-I work for him."
"You helped him salt that shaft
over on the bench land too, didn't
you?"
81 don't know what he did with the
gravel l took over there"
"But you did carry gravel for him."
give been working for him, amt
II" r.
"Where's Kenning now?"
Lew Slade looked up.
"Ain't he at his house?"
"You know he's not there"
"But don't. Honest to God, don't.
He said he was going to be there"
Hammond threw the man aside and
turned again for the hill. A light was
burning in Kay's cottage; he could
see her shadow as she passed a win
dow. But strangely, the sight of her
held no poignancy for him; instead,
there was something of the same dis
gust which he felt for Lew Slade
Then he went on to Kenning's cabin
1t was dark and no one answered his
knock. Loosening the leather latch
he walked within, stumbling about the
two rooms. Kenning was not there
At last the light of Whoopee lured
him.
He did not find the man Game
keepers merely stared at his question