The Ely miner., 1943-02-25
CHAPTER XIV

Cole Cody was first to awake the
next morning. He slipped quietly
out of bed, dressed and tiptoed to
his door, stepping through it, pock-
eting the key and going straight to
Rance Waldron' room. He tried the
knob, found the door unlocked and
went in.
Waldron was gone and, obviously,
whether or not for good and all, did
not plan an immediate return, for
he had stripped the covers from both
beds, his and Tom Coughs, carry
ing them with him.
Cody lifted his shoulders in high
shrug. The chances were that Wal
dron had gone to join Tom Cough at
the abandoned cabin where they had
been last night, and could be found
when and if wanted.
Well, the first thing was breakfast.
He hadn't gotten beyond the stage
of bacon-slicing when Jenifer Ed
wards came in, "spick and span"
in new blue dress. She gave him
smile that had warmed many
heart in her day, and presented him
a bright nod along with her Good
morning, Cole Cody!" and then add
ed cheerily, men are good for some
things, the Lord knows what mostly,
although of course they come in
handy at rescuing yelping danes in
distress, but III be darned il III
have any man tinkering with my
stove. Scat until breakfast is
ready"
He had brought ample armfuls Of
wood from the woodpile, breakfast
was ready, piping hot and fragrant
with the aroma of coffee floating far
and wide, when little Ann Lee put
In her appearance.
They sat at the kitchen table with
its bright red oilcloth. Aunt Jenifer
remarked in an off-hand sort of way,
'"I miss our other boarder, Mr..
Rance Waldron. What news of hIElI,
Mr.. Cody?"
''I won't answer" Cody told her,
looking stern, ''as long as you stick
to that business of Mistering me.
That's fat"
'I apologize, Bill Cole Cody" she
told him. What I meant to ask,
Cole, is whether you by any chance
happen to know anything of the
whereabouts of Mr.. Rance Wal
dron?"
Gone" said Cole Cody.
I'm not surprised that he's
gone" said Aunt Jenifer, ''but III
be mighty surprised if he doesn't
show up again. He is dead set on
getting this ranch and all that goes
with it, and I've a notion that'u be
pile of cash money"
After breakfast Cody brought Cal
Roundtree up to the house, and the
four of them discussed the situation
brought about by the departure of
Waldron, with enough bedding for
two, and the inference that Waldron
and Tom Cough, whom they all
judged a killer, were sticking to-
gether.
II was wrong and you was right
last night, Cody. We'd ought to
have hung the two of them right
then and there. Later, you're 60
ing to see, there'u be hell a-pop-
ping, if the ladies will excuse the
swear words" said Cal reiectively.
''You were the one who wanted
to hang them, sooner or later"
Cody reminded him. Even yet
think we were right in keeping hands
off until we could dig up some sort
of evidence"
Maybe so," agreed Cal some
what morosely. Then he frightened.
"That greaser friend of yours, Por-
firio, is like a bloodhound; he's got
his teeth, so to speak, IN the idea
that it's quite a job for a man to
make a hat disappear in a hurry;
to make it vanish off the face of the
earth for good and all. He says a
hats hard to burn In a great big
hurry; maybe a piece of the brim
will burn and the fire will 60 out.
You can throw it away, into a patch
of brush, but if a mans got eyes
like Porfrio says his eyes are when
he's praying in his heart to avenge
a friend like that old-like Early Bill
was-he can see every horse track
and every boot track, and a black
hat hidden In the bushes. And he
says if you dig a hole and bury
hat, no matter how you scatter
leaves over the place, eyes like Por-
firio's are going to notice something
funny about it. And even if you
stuff a hat under a rock, there'u be
some little something to show that
the rock was moved. And Poririo
Is going to find that hat or spend
the rest of his life hunting it,
Later on that same forenoon, Doc
Joe and the Judge drove out to the
ranch in the Judges top buggy.
Arrived at the ranch house they
made a brave noise of pounding at
the front door; without waiting for
anyone to answer, they opened it
and came with a sort of martial
stride into the living room where the
conference was still in session: as
one man they swept off their broad
brimmed, ragged old Stetsons.
''We come to greet you at this
early, pearly hour" said the Judge
sonorously, because we have been
thinking of you, talking of you, pom
dering the problem of the two wills
drawn up by that old scion of sin,
Early Bill Cole"
in fact, ladies and gents" put
IN Doc Joe, his words slicing into
the Judges flow Like a sharp knife
through butter, ''our hearts were so
much with you, our every thought
so much bent upon your welfare, we
sat I'D all night We did didn't u,a