The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1937-11-18

declared. 1 nave a SOOQ nOLlOn 10
go riding out looking for them, now,
just to make the picture of idiocy
complete!"
Coffee looked as if he wouldn't
put it past her. "Oh, now, wouldn't
go and do that, child"
Coffee" Billy said, zone other
kind of funny thing happened, while
we were out. That hombre that shot
at Marian the other night-he took
another try"
'Damn!" said Coffee. "He come
closer"
KILLED her horse. I got nervous
and let my own pony get loose, and
he stampeded. Later we had to
come back on mule Magoon had
tied up, and horse he stole from
the 94.'
Old Man Coffee turned slowly and
for few moments studied Mari
ans face. "Uh huh," he said at
last.
There was a silence. "What do
you think of it?" Marian said.
81 think" said Coffee, "you bet
ter turn in"
Marian rose slowly. 81 suppose
you're right-I've made enough
trouble for one day, haven't II"
When she was gone Billy Wheeler
took her place on the step beside
Old Man Coffee. "Well, we're slow
ly learning thing or two," he said.
"God knows where this thing leads
to; but it ought to lead some place
pretty soon."
Old Man Coffee knocked out his
pipe, refilled it again, and struck a
new light. In the flare of the match
his bony old face looked more grim
and more sardonic than ever. "It
amt going to lead me no place.
It's led me far enough. I'm
through"
Wheeler did not argue this. Twice
before Coffee had made such hollow
threats; he did not believe the old
lion hunter would actually withdraw
now.
Zone thing I didn't tell you about
Bob Flagg," Coffee said. 81 sup
pose you got right to what know.
Well-here's a little item that's a
peach! Flagg-he bummed his way
into Pahranagat in an empty cow
car"
Wheeler was astounded. "You
sure must be wrong" he declared.
"Why, that sounds crazy He and
Dunn had just sold out the Arizona
ranch, at Dunn's order. Dunn's
share was the biggest, and of course
they couldn't get but part cash but
there was fifty thousand ready mon
ey mixed into the deal. Flagg didn't
have any reason for coming in any
such way as that!"
HE done it, though. It was
hard for me to find anybody /
knew he'd been there at all. Sure
seems like Flagg was taking every
way he could think of to get to the
"a without being noticed" I thought
it was kind of peculiar that Flagg
should come by way of Pahranagat,
which is kind of like sliding in the
back door. Still, that wouldn't mean
anything by itself; some of us old
guys get used to thinking in terms
of saddle work. But this other thing
its queer"
'Well, you must have mistaken
your mani"
"No, l didn't
Wheeler turned thoughtful, they
were silent for some minutes. A
dark and ugly reason for Flagg's
peculiar behavior was taking shape.
"Do you suppose Lon Magoon
could have been a spy, sent to Pah-
ranagat to watch for Bob Flagg?"
ga spy for who?"
"a spy for the men that set out to
kill Flagg. We know who the enc
mics of the "a are. Link Bender
Pinto Halliday-Rufe Dean-even
Sam Caldwell-there isn't a one OF
them that would have hesitated to
shoot man down, if it meant wip-
ing out the "a. We know that those
people, or some of them, got access
to Horse Dunn's mail at Inspiration.
We can figure they knew that the
Arizona outfit was sold, and that
Flagg was on the way here with the
money-money that the "a had to
have to pull through"
81 had that figured out long ago.
Coffee said. 81 figured Cayuse Cay
etano was the cats paw for Link
Bender. Even after Cayetano was
killed, thought maybe they just
killed him so he wouldn't turn
states evidence"
"But you don't think that now"
"Now," said Coffee, ST don't
Think
Throw out the death of Cayuse, -
Wheeler suggested. 'Say that he
was killed simply because he was
too hot on the trail. Throw out the
death of Magoon-say that he was
feared as a distant witness. It turns
back to the enemies of the a."
(Which includes everybody" Cot
fee snorted.
Coffee, have you found out some
thing you're holding back?" Wheel
er asked.
Coffee shook his head. "You know
everything / know so far as I can
think"
'"Then you have some way of read
ing the facts-some way different
from what I've got"
"Maybe. I've quit bothering my
head about it,"
Hell! You'll never make me
think that you're going to pull out
of this case and leave it unsolved. -
There's just one thing about this
case" Coffee admitted, "that / sure
hate to leave mixed up. How come
old Rock and me to get mixed up
about the trail of the killer horse?
I s'pose all the rest of my life
Old Man Coffee's voice was bitter
"I'l never get away from wonder.
ing how come I lost that trail"