Browning chief. [volume] (Browning, Mont.) 1941-1953, 1946-08-09
CHAPTER vi

II. In SnerlH talked some, TOO,
when we were goin' to look for tn
place where Jordan jumped the
creek. I amt askin' questions. You
sit down an eat"
SherWin sat down. you're good
man." he said chokingly.
I'm DID," said Mcdowell quiz
ideally. II amt dead set on pun
ishing other folks
Except Jordan" said Sherwin.
Mac laughed. well, maybe! Eat,
son, you may have a long hike. You
can't take tn trains; Cutler'l have
your picture up in EN-"
"You said a while ago-when you
were tending my arm-that-Miss
Keller was to marry Stenhart. Is
that true?"
Mcdowell considered, pulling on
his pipe. 1--WE heard Jim say so.
You don't like Stenhart?"
Hes my cousin" Sherwip said
IN flat, emotionless voice.
The old man started and took his
pipe out Of his mouth. "Goshl" he
calculated, and stared at the young
man dumbly.
"He's my cousin and his testimony
sent me to Jail for life," said Sher-
win, and his voice shook. "He lied.
He lied me out of the way for fear
I'd break our uncle's will. He got
everything"
AN you're accused of KILN tn
uncle because he'd cut you off, amt
that it," Mac leaned his elbows on
the table, looking across it at the
Swallowed face of Sherwin.
The latter nodded. 1.-THE old sto-
ry,' he said shortly. "Uncle was
killed in the garden. He was stabbed
while he slept on the old bench by
the cedars. I'd just found him when
Max came in the gate; he'd been
up the street at the newsstand. He
swore l had the knife in my hand.
It was perjury but he got away with
1t. Uncle and l had had a differ
ence the day before, and people
knew of it. That went against me,
and Max sWore me into Jail for life.
That's ALL"
Mac was silent for a while, then
he gruntad. did you tell Jim about
it?"
Sherwin laughed bitterly. "He
wouldn't believe me if l did! The
jury didn't. I've served eight years,
l was twenty-five when l was SEN
fenced. Ever been in jail?" he
asked ironically.
Come mighty near it once, son.
Punchin' rogue's head got me ar
rested, but somehow tn Judge kind
er agreed with me that it needed
punchin'."
ITS like being in hell-to shut
4 healthy man up behind stone
walls for life," Sherwin said bitter
ly. II won't be taken if can help
it; I'd rather die-only I've got
something to do first"
The old man looked across under
the lamplight again; something in
the white face opposite moved him
deeply. Sherwin was a stranger, he
was an escaped convict, yet
Don't do it. son." old Mac said
gently.
Sherwin, startled, raised his
bloodshot eyes to his. "You know"
II reckon I dol"
Sherwin rose and began to walk
about the room. II came out here
to find him. He wasn't in his usual
haunts in the city-so they told me
and I'd tracked him patiently,
tracked him to Keller's ranch, when
I stumbled into your accident and
motored you here. 1t was pure luck,
thought, to get here so easily-with-
out credentials, tool"
Mcdowell nodded. Hes gettin'
well an he's sure to hang around
Jane"
Sherwin said nothing, but his
hands clenched until the nails bit into
the palms. In the silence the little
room seemed full of James pres
ence. Again he saw her eyes change,
saw her recoil! A shudder ran
through him, fury leaped up in him,
he remembered Stenhart's white
face, his cowardly cry: Don't let
him kill mel" Again he paced up
and down.
Old Mcdowell rose slowly,
stretching his uninjured arm.
9Th sheriff'u be around here for
a spell, maybe thirty-six hours. You
can't hardly miss him if you try to
get out now; some of 'em will meet
up with you. l tell you what I'll
do-you come along with me now,
before moonrise. an I'll fix you up.
I've just been figurin' it out"
Sherwin stopped in his pacing and
looked at him, strangely touched.
"How about Keller? He wanted me
to get out at once"
"You amt goin' to stay on tn
ranch; you follow me-" Mac picked |
up the food-pack and opened the
door.