The Skyland post. [volume] (West Jefferson, N.C.) 193?-1988, 1940-03-14

~ y - n&8ssI SkSA -
dead. The other came at dusk and
touched her arm shyly with a
little brown hand.
81 not hate you any more. MY
heart it break for you, and for
Lee. I help you fin heem.
Thanks, Josefa." Virginia held
the small hand closely.
In the black tunnel of the
bonanza gaunt. shadow OF
man lay. Years ago Don Luis
reckless mining had turned his
own claim and Matt into
maze of intersecting tunnels, and
through these Lee staggered and
crawled, now fainting, now
stumbling to his feet again, y but
somehow keeping a sense OF
direction in a head which one
which one moment felt like a
lump of lead and the next like
floating feather. He was hunt
ing for a CLEAN of light Or a
breath of cool air, but neither
came.
Presently he lost all sense of
time. He did not know that it was
the noon of the second day which
found him back at the place
where Slanty had left him.
Even as he worked, men were
passing through Turkey Gulch,
less than a hundred yards away.
One of the deputies looked up
at the yawning black hole.
"No chance of anybody hiding
in the old Bonanza, is there?"
Curly shook his head. II was
up there yesterday with the
sheriff. We can't get but a little
ways in. Both tunnels is block
ed by cave-ins.
They rode on. Back in the rub
ble-chokied tunnels the digging
hands had stopped. Lee was sink
ing down, down, into that dead
ening coma of weakness and ex-
haustion.
Long hours of hiding and not
improved Slanty Gano's temper,
and Lawler also was visibly sour
ed. He was stretched out in
dolently, half sittin, half sprawl
ing, just inside of narrow crew
ice some forty feet above the
floor of a secluded little box can
yon. It was a perfect hide-out.
From where he lay on pile of
boughs, Slanty sent jeering
taunt at his fellow fugitive.
eye talk big, but I notice We
keep on skulking. The Circle V
boys has found out that we set
that fire.
1T wouldn't have done nothing
but burn off some grazing if the
wind hadn't freshed up" retort-
ed Lawler sullenly. "And I notice
there's two of us skulking. It's
you them boys are after. You've
done for Lee HOLSTER. Didn't I
hear what they said, passing not
twenty feet away from us"
maybe yell remember that
yore name was mentioned as well
as mine" Slanty arose deliber-
ately and faced his partner with
a hard stare. "Where was We
Wednesday night, Lawler? Got
an alibi?"
Slanty's voice was menacing,
his head was thrust forward and
his eyes bored into the stupidity
staring ones of his slower witted
companion.
Better get your own alibi,"
snarled Lawler, but his voice was
uncertain. Sticking doggedly to
his one idea of ingratiating him
self with Milton Bradish by pill
ing up discouraging losses on the
present owner of the Circle V,
he had spent the night cutting
out a bunch of Virginia's cattle
and wantonly slaughtering them
in remote coulee. There had
been a splash of blood on his
shirt when he had returned in
the early morning, to flee at the
sight of those riding men. He
wore his coat buttoned now to
cover the stain.
Presently Slanty went to
where Lawler lay and put hand
on his shoulder as if to shake
him awake. The sleeping man
did not stir. From a hiding place
inside his shirt Slanty took out
a folded paper and slipped it
cautiously into LAWYERS inner
pocket. Then he arose lightly and
went to the crevice that served
them as a doorway.
Morning sunshine frightened
the secretive little canyon. Down
there two horses were picketed,
we'll hidden from any casual eye,
but only one of them was fit for
travel, I,awler had ridden his