The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1937-09-16

| quietly from the room, ana Tor once
| her uncle seemed glad to have her
go.
Here they're setting out to put
the hooks to me-" Horse Dunn said
at hunting a strangle holt on
my brand. And it's a shameful
thing that this should come onto us
because somebody rubbed out may
be the most worthless character
that ever rode the Red Hills range"
"You know the manner" said Old
Man Coffee.
Whats his name matter?" Horse
Dunn exploded. Ellis name was Lon
Magoon-and what of it? A COW
thief-in small, cheap way. He'd
go around on different ranges, and
he'd steal a beef here, and another
there; skin 'em and sell 'em to
some butcher a hundred miles away
for half price"
Horse" said Coffee, "who would
have killed this MANI"
Anybody" Horse Dunn roared.
"Any cowman with enough CUTS to
rub out a COW thief! l ought to've
killed him myself last time I caught
him with the carcass of a "a cow!"
did you know he was operating
on this ranger"
whats the difference if I did or
not? We know it now. Billy, you
take that saddle, and kick it under
my bunk!"
"You better turn it in to the sher-
iff, Horse" Coffee said. you'll be
suppressing evidence if you keep it
here"
Damned if I will" Horse Dunn
said. "All they want is to hang
this thing on the 94-on me. You
think 1 called you in to help 'em?
No, by God!"
Tulare Callahan was small man,
very wiry, with cheerfully hard
face. He had relieved Steve Hur-
ley, who for three days had kept
an eye on the state of affairs at the
county seat of Inspiration, and he
now came roaring into the "a lay
out in Horse Dunn's heavy old tour
ing car. He was grinning with the
delight of an action-hungry man
who smells smoke at last.
ST hear Billy Wheeler like to muir
dered guy" said he.
"Billy Wheeler slapped Kid Bend
er with horse" Dunn said. "You
come all the way back here to
| tell us that?"
81 thought maybe you might
want to hear the upshot," Tulare
said. "The sheriff's coming out to
get Wheeler, either tonight or first
thing in the morning. He's going
to throw him in the Jug"
whats the C h a rye against
Billy" Horse asked.
Assault with a deadly weapon"
BILLY didn't assault him with
anything!"
''The heck he didn't" Old Man
Coffee put in. Didn't he hurl the
Kids horse at him?'
''The town is full of small-time
cowmen and their professional calf
thieves" Tulare reported. Seems
like every guy in the country that
has it in for the ga is swarming into
Inspiration. bet there's 20 guys
that's tried to get themselves made
deputies. If Walt Amos called for a
posse he could easy raise hundred
men,"
$50 they figure to arrest Billy
Wheeler - Dunn said
''They can't hold him." Coffee
said. 81 suppose Kid Bender will
run in Pinto Halliday as witness,
and they'll all lie to beat the cards.
But what good will it do 'em? Mar
ian was there. Billy's got witness
that can make fool of 'em in any
court in the world"
Marian Dunn said, almost under
her breath but very clearly, 81
can't testify"
Horse Dunn looked startled.
"What's that?" he demanded.
81 didn't see anything" Marian
said 81 don't know how the fight
started. Billy just suddenly jumped
his horse at the other horse, and
it went over backward. That's all
I saw"
Horse Dunn turned to her. He
seemed puzzled, but very quiet.
Marian" he said, didn't you hear
Billy tell what happened? How Kid
Bender went for his gum"
The girl said, eyes, heard him."
"I've known Billy Wheeler since
he had to shin up horses leg to get
on. You think he'd lie to us here?"
emo; I didn't say thought he
lied"
'Then what's to stop you from
backing him up?"
In the girls eyes showed some
thing Billy Wheeler had never seen
there before. Her face was as gen.
tie and lucid as the face of a child;
but though her eyes were troubled
there was sober strength behind
them as immutable in it's way as
the rocky will of Horse Dunn.
81 can't swear to something /
didn't see."
Horse Dunn looked at her, then
turned away and let his hands fall
in gesture of utter futility. His
eyes turned to Billy Wheeler. "You
see?" he said. "You see?"
Old Man Coffee broke the awk-
ward pause. "Look here" he said.
| There's something about this
don't get. Yesterday you shot Link
Bender through the arm, Horse,
right before the sheriff's eyes. Moth
ing comes of that. How is it the
sheriff lets that pass, yet jumps in
with both feet the minute Billy
Wheeler raises his hand in self de-
fense?"
"You want to know the answer?"
Horca Dunn dam andad ola didn't