Browning chief. [volume] (Browning, Mont.) 1941-1953, 1943-04-02
W.Nu. RELEASE

| '
on Tom Cough"
You don't see a man wearing a
new hat every day, Cody. Early
Bill, before he checked in his chips,
told Doc Joe and the Judge how he
had whanged away at the hombre
that potted him; how he had shot
the feller's hat off. He said, Watch
out for man with hat with a
hole in it, or a man without any
| hat at all, or man with a brand
new hat Now climb on your pony
and let's travel"
And at the ranch house, while Cal
Roundtree and Cole Cody were CIV
| ing their attention to Waldron and
i Tom Cough, Aunt Jenifer was busy
ing herself in her own fashion. She
scurried post-haste to her own room,
closed the door and was going to
lock it when she discovered there
was no key in the lock. She hurried
to AIMS room adjoining. The door
was closed but unlocked; no key
there either
But she thought, that Waldron
mans door is locked. He's got a
key. There ought to be others some
where. So, carrying her lamp, she
went prowling through the house,
key-hunting. She looked at all locks
en- PEASANT, she opened all drawers
in tables and dressers, she ran her
fingers along cupboard shelves. She
came to closed closet and opened it
to peer inside, and, of all places,
found key in the lock within the
closet.
She tried it in her own lock; it
fitted and she shot the bolt home.
She locked herself in and went to
AIMS door, the farther one opening
upon the corridor. 1t fitted there,
too. Another hmf! 1t seemed as
though all the locks in the house
were the same. And right then the
inspiration and the temptation
assailed her to try her key on still
another door. If it worked on these
locks, why not on Rance Waldron's?
She scurried to that door through
which Waldron had passed so many
times, always locking it behind him.
And the key fitted the lock, and
the door opened! She was thrilled
with a sense of adventure and was
also just mite frightened.
She entered bedroom that was
in considerable disorder She
glanced at the bed itself with it's
covers dragging on the floor; then
around the room until her eyes came
to full stop at table on which
there were some papers and a couple
of penciled account books. She
Tipped over pages: Cattle bought
and sold; numbers in the various
herds, cost and sales prices; that
sort of thing for the most part.
Among the scattered papers was a
new letter signed by Andy Jenkins.
1t said:
"Deer Bill, I done my job all
right, better than you specialized
what l mean is l got the whole ten
thousand and am bringing it with
me only am staying a day with
my relations and will ketch the
stage next day.
Yours truly,
Andy Jenkins
$50 that's it," Aunt Jenifer num-
bled to herself THAT Waldron dew
il found this letter and got busy, him
and the man he's been hiding in
here all day. No wonder he wanted
to get rid of US
She crumpled the tell-tale letter
in her hand and hurried into the
other room and tried the door lead
ing to the outside; again the key
fitted. She closed the door again
and began taking stock of this sec
ond rooms contents. There was a
splotch on the floor: rug had evil
IDENTIFY been drawn to cover it, then
its edge turned over by careless
foot as the two men departed And
that spot looked to Aunt Jenifer like
a blood smear So she leaped to
the same conclusion that had Of
fered itself to Cody and Roundtree.
On the next step she was already
decided. She would unlock the out
side door again, leave it unlocked,
but closed. make her retreat through
Waldrons room, slip out of his door
that led into the corridor, lock that
door and carry her key off with
her. Then when he came home and
found his outer door unlocked he
would have something to think
about; when he missed the Jenkins
letter which he had been too great
fool to destroy or hide, he'd have
still more matter for thought.
But there wouldn't be the vaguest
hint to make him think that this had
been an inside job. And even though
for one reason or another he did
get the idea that Aunt Jenifer had
had something to do with it, he
couldn't really be convinced-and
he'd be mighty careful about speak
ing of it to her, for fear of tipping
his hand. And watch her play inno-
cent tomorrow!
Now she wanted to hurry faster
than ever, for she kept telling her
self that she was in den of muir
derers. Yet she kept telling her
self also that now was her one and