Glacier County chief. [volume] (Browning, Mont.) 1931-1940, 1939-08-18
CHAPTER In-Continued

Kay's hands were clasped in her
lap, her figure racked by dry sobs.
"Oh, Kirk f. it was so awful 4. :"
Lay off that. I'm trying to be
kind, but you won't let me-"
She said, xviii you 60 away?"
mo. That'd be dumb play. Then
they'd know l did it."
"But if you stay in Beverly :"
1--we got to. And you've got to
play along with me-" His hand fell
on her wrist. you've got to; seer"
His voice frightened her. The kind
illness had gone from it. 1t had be-
come the sort of voice he had used
with Harvey jackson. Cold. Bit
ter. Inviting no argument.
She said, 81 don't understand :"
Murder is murder" he explained
| fatty. "a man can only be hanged
once. Does that tell you anything?"
"Then listen. You saw something
tonight. You know don't bluff. If
you open your mouth to anyone
you'll get the same dose jackson
got"
Calmly. Quietly. Just like that.
If you say word to anybody, I'll
kill you, too. She was like one
hypnotized but the recent trag-
edy had been too wildly scared on
her young brain to admit of doubt.
I'm soaring you because you
need to be scared" His tone was
conversational. 81 want you to real
ize just what you're up against"
"But Kirk you Couldn't"
''No?" He laughed mirthlessly. "a
man will do heap of things to
save his own hide. You're just a
kid. You're all shot to hell by what
you just saw. You're figuring you've
got to talk to someone. Right?"
She said nothing; made no ges-
ture. He continued.
you'd be likely to tell your ia
Their. Or this Hamilton guy. I'm
warning you !. don't!''
Still she did not answer.
Here's why" he went on. "And
don't want to make it any tougher
on you than can help. Only you've
got to understand. For your own
sake" His hands were tight on the
wheel. ut won't be safe for any,
body to know what happened to-
night. If you tell your old manor
Barney Hamilton-they'n try to do
something about it. That won't be
healthy for them"
"But they had nothing to do with
it."
They'll be in it the minute you
spill word. And remember what
said before: they can't kill me
any deader for killing three men
than for killing one"
That damnable logic again. Cold
statement of cold fact.
'I'd do it. You saw enough to-
night to know / would. So for their
sakes you keep 'em out of it."
A pause, and then, "And one more
thing. Maybe you'll figure that if
you squealed I'd be thrown in Jail
and everybody would be safe. Well,
that don't 60, either. My dice-deal-
er, Dan-I've enough on him to
hang him twice over. If wanted to
get someone and couldn' ton ac-
count of being in jail-he'd do it for
me. And be glad of the chance"
They passed big white house set
far back from the road. A planta-
ton. Kay saw people on the broad,
high veranda; heard snatches of
laughter and the syncopation of
jazz orchestra playing in some gay
New York night spot and in
truding into this southern tragedy
through the loud speaker of radio.
"Put yourself in my place." said
Kirk. Then you'll know I'm not
bluffing."
She could put herself in his
place; that was the staggering
thing. She knew that he was telling
no less than the truth. She, of all
persons in the world, had reason to
know that he was deadly and cold
FLOODED. She felt terribly young and
clone.
This" Kirk said, els between
you and me. There are liable to
be questions. And you're not to
know the answers. Is that perfectly
clear?"
She said, II can't think :"
you'll have time enough for
that" His words were close-clipped.
But whatever you think-always
remember this, anyone else who
knows about this is going to find
himself in lot Of trouble"
Beverly Is bisected by State High
way No. II which runs due east and
west and digresses only briefly at
Monument Square to circle the
venerable two-story brick court
house which stands solidly and sol
EMMY under benevolent old oak
trees.
At either end Of the town on this
highway are new and impressive
archWays, designed By leading car
penters and Haunting 70 the tourist
work sediments eoIlabornted q b.
rkpminlnt membcys q tlhe local
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