The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1942-04-30

He moved up the side of the build.
ing, along the yard-wide space be-
tween it and the store adjoining,
to squat in the gloom with Winches-
ter across his knees. 1t was still
early, something after ten.
AS the minutes dragged toward
midnight and the passers-by were
fewer, he watched the bank impa-
tiently. He had no plan, except to
startle the gang with his fire, stop
the robbery attempt, bring the town
swarming out and force the Para
mores to run.
Then I'll send word to dear old
Dud," he thought, grinning tightly.
LET him know who put the cookie
burr under his saddle; and how
Saint talked too much and let out
the scheme"
Past midnight, when only a few
lights were shining on the street
and the saloon he watched beside
was quiet, a shadowy figure ap-
peared at the corner of the bank.
Con stood, carbine ready, watching
STRANGELY. Another vague shape
joined the first. Hardly visible, they
seemed to wait as he was waiting.
One by one, the lights of Tivan were
blinking out.
Then dull explosion sounded. Con
swore softly, shortly. They had
moved faster than he had expected,
at the bank. He showed the carbine
out and fired three shots at the Turk
ing men and they disappeared.
From the saloon came yells.
Con ran straight across the street
as men appeared in the doors of the
towns buildings. From that corner
where the men had stood, he could
see in the moonlight a furry of fig
ures at the rear of the bank. They
were busy with horses. He won
dered if they had got the money
from the vault, or if his shooting had
startled them before they had fin
ished.
Between bank and horses a tall
man appeared, running. Con placed
him as Dandy. He was carrying
a sack and Con began to fire at his
legs; saw him pitch forward and
drop the sack. The high, singsong
voice of bud lifted shrilly:
"Hightail! They're onto us! High
tall"
He appeared out of the milling
group, mounted. Con leaned against
the bank wall and fired at him
steadily. The horse went down and
took bud out of sight. Now, from
right and left of the harried rob-
bers, Tivan men opened ragged fire.
From the difference of reports, Con
guessed that snatched-up guns of
all kinds were being brought into
play.
Three riders whirled clear of the
confusion and fairly hurled their
horses forward. Low over the horns.
they disappeared at the racing gal
lop. One horse was down, another
began to trot off, riderless. A man
lifted himself from the ground on
one knee and, as firing continued,
dropped again.
81 think" Con told himself, "that
this is where I roll!"
He edged into the gloom under a
wooden awning and kept close to
the front wall as he worked toward
a corner. Down the side wall of a
store; to the rear where he could
look toward Pancho; then quickly
across the litter of bottles and cans
and trash to the doing sorrel, he
with an amused grin lifting
mouth-corners. Dud had got away.
he was fairly certain.
Out of the darkness of some door
way or passage opposite Pancho, a
man stepped suddenly. He was with
in a yard of Con when he said,
We'll" and automatically Con.
seeing the carbine he carried, piv-
oted and struck him in the face.
The long swing carried all his
weight and the fist connected square.
ly. Back into the shadows the man
fell with no more than short grunt.
He sprawled there and Con, after |
a split-second Of staring, ran across
to Pancho and mounted.
He rode at the walk to a safe dis
lance, then skirted Tivan at the
trot and came at the lope to pick up
the trail of the three survivors of
Dud's raid. He made no effort to
actually trail them. But the general
direction they would take was EASY
to decide, with the Lobos rising to
he northeast.
ITO BE CONTINi ED