The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1942-07-09
By EUGENE CUNNINGHAM
wMU. RElcAsE,
! EUGENE CUNNINGHAM

long, shrill cry lifted above the roar
of the shooting:
They're down in the canyon! Be-
hind usl Look outi"
Apparently, not all of the rustler
defenders had taken to the guard
rocks and shelves above the floor.
Ducking, lodging, men began to APP
pear straight ahead of the three.
In the van he saw a big, dark man,
with hulking double of him close
behind. He leveled his carbine at
Latimer, saw him fall with the shot,
shifted aim to, the runner who had
jumped aside and fired again.
The first fury of the charge slack
ened. The fight became series of
Individual battles, between Con,
Martina, and Step, each hugging his
shelter, and men of the other side
similarly covered. The advantage
was even. But there was yelling
outside where the cowboy line was.
Over the concentration Of hunting
targets without exposing himself,
Con heard the Indian-like yipping.
He moved to the side and peered
around his boulder, looking down the
barrel of his carbine. A Ratchet
face was exposed twenty feet away.
above pistol. Con fired at Gloomy
Megeath and the face disappeared.
Up from a rock, as if stung, jumped
the lanky, yellow-haired Saint West.
to drop again under the thunder Of
guns. Something exploded in Cons
skull
From the fiat ground behind his
boulder, Con felt himself falling.
cts certainly cold for this time of
year." he said politely to someone
beside him. ''It seems to be getting
into my throat, too. Hard to talk.
Wonder what I'll land on ;"
He saw Janet come up to the train
in Wild Horse and she looked at
him and touched Nevil's arm.
'That is a murderer from Texas"
she said. "Be very careful about
HIM"
She stepped through the train and
that seemed strange to Con. He
wanted to tell her that he was-But
who was he? He tried to remem-
Der, but Uncle Hugh only looked at
him with blank face and refused to
answer. Aunt Hetty shook her head.
You're Mr.. Norris sisters boy.
Con-"
She had never called Uncle Hugh
anything but Mr.. Norris. But some
body, somewhere, knew who he was.
A fat, cheerful man, with round,
red face like a balloon, wiped his
hands on a f1our-sack apron-no, his
hand! For where his left arm should
have been was shining steel hook.
Con forgot to ask him about his
name. Something else was much
more important. He stood by the
corral in the Broken Wheel door
yard and looked all around him, even
squatting to examine the ground
close to the butts of the logs.
81 want Billy Turtle!" he yelled.
"Con! Conf"
But that was just dream. He
opened his eyes and found a wall
ahead Of him, cool-looking wall of
buff plaster. Faces came between
him and the wall, Topeka's and the
Doctors and Janet's and Mrs. Tent
sons. They all seemed happy about
something. Even Topeka was grin
ming.
A hand touched his forehead and
he knew that he had been asleep
and someone had been humming
close by. The hand was taken away
and he opened his eyes.
"Sonnyi" Mrs. Tension said soft
ly. Sonny, are you awaken"
"Sort Of" he answered thickly,
and fell asleep again.
When he walked in the room again,
the hand was still on his forehead.
But Janet looked down at him. He
smiled when she smiled.
"You - you know me?" she
breathed.
Trouble has been," he said care
fully, "that you didn't know me. In
spite of all my telling"
Then he remembered the Canyon.
what happened-at the fight!"
he demanded. Did"
Thanks to you and Step and Mar
tino Palafox, Helligo Canyon is just
a place, now. You came so close to
getting through it all without