THE 8EMI-WEEKLY TRIBUNE, NORTH PLATTE, NEBRASKA,
THE
VTI fir ffftM
An Alaskan Love
Story
By
William Macleod Raine
Copyright, William Maclcod Itatne.
TRAIL
ii u n ivss. v i
CHAPTER XVIII. I the wny home she was strangely silent I to forgot tho clinrms of other women. I "Meaning that Mr. Gldcou Holt Is
10 ti,0 fnint feminine perfumo of her was tho owner?"
A New Way of Leaving a House. Tho days grew nhort Tho last river wafted to his brain. Ho felt a beslcg- "You'vo done guessed it," admitted
Tho sureo of disgust with which boat before tho freeze-up had long Ing of tho blood. tho miner complacently.
Shcba had broken her engagement to since gone. A month earlier tho samo Stepping behind tho chair In which He had a right to bo proud of tho
narry Macdonald ebbed away as tho steamer had taken down In n mall sack she sat, ho tilted back tllo head of lus- team. It was a famous one even In
nws passed, It was Impossible for tho preliminary report of Elliot to his trous bronze, and very deliberately tho North. It had run second for two
ar to wait upon him In his Illness nnd department chief. Ono of tho passen- kissed her on tho Hps. yenrs In the Alaska sweepstakes to
hold any renutrnanco toward this big, iters on that trip had boen Selfrldge. For n moment sho gave herself to Macdonald's great Siberian wolf
riemental man. Tho thing he had dono sent out to counteract tho Influence his embrace then pushed him back,
Might be wrong, but tho very open- of tho evidence against tho claimants rose, and wnlked across tho room to a
esH and frankness of his relation to submitted by the fleld agent. An In- llttlo table. With fingers thut trembled
Motcctso redeemed It from shame. Ho formation hod been (lied against dor- slightly flho lit a cigarette. Sheathed
neither a profligate nor n squaw- don for hlghwny robbery nnd attempted in her close-fitting gown, sho mado a
hounds. Tho leader. Butch, was tho
hero of a dozen races nnd a hundred
savage fights.
"What In Halifax do you want with
tho team?" asked Elliot, surprised,
mnn.
This was Dlano's point of view, and damning facts against him were
In time It became to a certain extent brought to tho attention of officials In
that of Sheba. One takes on tho color high places whero tho charges would
murder. Wally was to see that tho strong carnal nppcnl to him, but there wholo outfit must have cost a
body. In spite of his terror, of his
flaccid will, ho had to keep tho faith.
Ho was guardian of tho bank funds.
At all costs he must protect them.
His forearm camo up with a jerk.
Two shots rang out almost together.
Tho cashier sagged back ngainst the
wall and slowly slid to tho floor.
Tho guests of Mrs. Sclfrldgc danced
well Into tho small hours. The Cali
fornia champagne stimulated a gaycty
that was balm to her soul. Sho want-
of one's environment, and the girl from
Drogheda know In her heart that Me
tectsc and Colmac were no longer tho
real barriers that stood between her
tied the Alaskan. Sho had been dis
illusioned, saw him more clearly; nnd
was between thcra, too, n close bond
of tho spirit. He mado no apologies,
no explanation.
Presently sho turned nnd looked at
him. Only the deeper color beneath
her eyes betrayed any excitement,
"Unless I'm a bad prophet you'll get cohtract, have your
k M. A aa wnaa Man MB. DL .1.. I '
do most good. Tho details of tho story
wcro to bo held in reserve for publicity
In enso tho muckrako magazines should
try to mnko capital of tho report of
EllloL
Kuslak found much time for gossip
Ihoneh she still rccocnlzcd tho auullty during tho long nlchts. It knew thnt
of blcnoss that set him anart. her snlrlt Macdonald had ono on tho bond of crction superu. it numittcu com-
dld not now do such complete homage Elliot In splto of tho scornful protest pHclty, reproached, warned and at the
tn it. MnrA nnd mnro her thonchts of hn -vnuncer mnn. Tho ciisn ncnlnst samo time Ignored. Never before had
contrasted him with another mnn. the Held ngent was pending. Pursuit b" called him by his given nurae. Ho
Macdonald did not need to bo told of the miners who had robbed tho big took 't " token of forgiveness nnd
that ho hnd lost ground, but with tho mine-owner had long ago been dropped,
dogged determination that had carried Somewhere In tho North the outlaws
him to success he refused to accept lay hidden, swallowed up by tho great
tho verdict. Sho was a woman, there- whlto waste of snow.
foro to bo won. Tho habit of victory Tho general opinion was that Mac
was so strong In him that ho could seo was playing politics about tho trial of
so alternative. his rival. Ho would not let tho enso
Tho motor-cur picnic to tho Willow como to n Jury until tho tlmo when a
Greek camp was a case In point. Shcba conviction would hnvo most effect In
S1d not want to go, but sho went. Tho tho Stntcs, tho gossips predicted. They
picnic was a success. Macdonald was
en outdoor man rather than a parlor tho return of Wall? Selfrldiro.
ne. Ho took chargo of tho luncheon, whispers touched closely tho personal tic Turitan with no knowledge of tho
Ht the Arc, nnd cooked tho cofreo with- affairs of Macdonald. Tho report of worm.
out tho least wasto of effort. In his his enencement to Sheba O'Neill hnd In front of tho Scattlo & Kusink Era-
hlrt sleeves, tho neck oncn at the hmn iinniiul. hut it wnn nnMPf.il Hint porlum tho Scotsman stopped. A lit-
throat, ho looked tho embodiment of ho was n constant guest at tho homo ,tl0 mnn who had h,a bnck to h,m wns
small fortune."
"Some dust," admitted Gideon proud
ly. Ho winked mysteriously at Gor
don. "I got a use for this team, if
anyone was to nsk you."
"naven't taken tho government mall
tho answer you want when Shcba
comes bnck, Colby."
He thought her reply to his Indls-
renunciation,
Why wns it not Gcnevicvo Mallory
that ho wanted to marry? Tho mine-
owner carried with him back to his,
otiico a senso or the futile irony of
life. A score of men would hnvo liked
to marry Mrs. Mallory. She had all
tho sophisticated graces of life and
much of tho natural charm of an un-
usually attractive personality. He had
"Not so you could nottco It. I'll tell
you what I want with this team, as the
old sayln' Is." Holt lowered his voice
nnd narrowed slyly his little beadlike
eyes. "I'm going to put n crimp In
Colby Mncdonnld. That's what I aim
to do with It."
"How?"
The miner beckoned Elliot closed
and whispered In his car.
CHAPTER XIX.
In tho Dead of Night
While Kuslak slept that night the
wind shifted. It came roaring across
tho range nnd drove before it great
nAiitlillHM rtlnmlti linnnllw 1 r rl rt r vxtttK
did not know that ho wns waiting for n.y -to speak : the wlnfcor. W
tho return of Wally Selfrldge. Tho "Is fancy had flown in pursuit of n lit- . . . fl,. - t. n n.
roar of tho wind filled the night Be
fore morning heavy drifts had wiped
out the roads and sheeted the town in
virgin white unbroken by trails or fur
rows.
With tho coming of daylight the
masculine vigor. Diane could not of tho Pagcts. Young Elliot called lmrB
....,i i tn. tin n.,ain ' x. . II ... mnn turned, nnd Mnmlnnnlrl ronnfmlrprl I icmpcsi nunieu. iusiuK goi iuiu iiu
Pd havo fullcn fathoms deep in rosa nt tho Pay Streak saloon of three Pudcntly. Well well I If it ain't the
e with him." to ono on Mac. b,g mgl. ,llm8elf-and. ntln' to
help mentioning It to her cousin.
"Isn't ho a splendid human animal?"
Sheba nodded. "He's wonderful."
"If I Were a llttlo Irish colleen and
be hd dono mo the honor to enro for
we,
leva
Tho Irish colleen's eyes grow reflec
tive. "Not if you had seen Peter first,
D!. There's nothing reasonable about
girl, I do believe. She loves or clso
she just doesn't"
Diane fired a question at her point
Wank. "Have yon met your Peter? Is
that why you hang back?"
The color flamed Into Sheba's face.
thereto; A?most any day one" or oer turned, and Macdonald recognized - s "gelf" out
oi mo two men couiu uo seen wiin .
Shcba on tho street Thoso who wnnt- He lo, Gld. Aren't yon off your
,1 tn tnlrn n cnnrilno nhnnnn nn tVio I USUftl beat tt blt7 110 OSkcd.
inn u,w ihnt nriiia wnm nffrtr,i ani. Tho llttlo miner looked him over Im
I
"Drop That Gun," Came the
Sharp Command.
Low,
Sheba rebelled impotcntly nt tho
situation, Tho mine-owner would not
take "No" for an answer. Ho wooed
her with a steady, dominant persist
ence that shook oven her strong
will. There was something resistless
In tho way ho took her for granted.
Gordon Elliot had not mentioned lovo
to her, though thero wero times when
know if I'vo got permission to travel
off the reservation."
"I reckon you travel where you want Bll0VClca. stores opened
from tho heavy blanket of whlto that
had tucked It in. By noon tho busi
ness of tho town was under way again.
That which would have demoralized
tho activities of n Sputhern city made
dwellers. Boads wcVe cleared, paths lnB eood time. If nobody listened
nhoveled. Rtnrni, onTnnrl. Children In to anybody else, it proved that tho af-
cd her dinner-dance to be smart, to
havo the atmosphere she had found In
tho New York cabnrets. If everybody
talked at once, she felt they were hav'
to, Gld samo ns I do."
"Mnybeso. I shouldn't wonder If
you'd find out quite soon enough what
Pm doing hero. You never can tell,"
tho old mnn retorted with a manner
that conccnled volumes,
Thoso who wero present remembered
tho words nnd In'tho light of what took
place later thought them significant
"Anyhow, it is quito a social event
for Kusink," Macdonald suggested
with a smilo of irony,
Without more words Holt turned
bnck to his bargaining. Tho big Scots-
parkas nnd fur coats trooped to sahool
and studied through tho short after
noon by the aid of electric light.
Dusk fell early and with it camo a
scatter of more snow. Mrs. Selfrldge
gavo a dlnner-dnnce at the club that
night and her guests came in furs
of great variety and much value. The
hostess outdid herself to make the af
fair the most elaborate of the season.
Nobody in Kusink of any social im
portance was omitted from tho list of
invited except Gordon Elliot. Even
tho grumpy old cashier of Macdonald's
fair was a screaming success.
Mrs. Wnlly was satisfied as she bade
her guests good-by and saw them pass
into the heavy snow that wns again
falling. They all assured her that
there had not been so hilarious a party
in Kuslak.
One old-timer, a trlflo lit .up by rea
son of too .much hospitality, phrased
his enjoyment a little awkwardly.
It's been great, Mrs. Selfrldge.
Nothing like It Blnco the days of the
open dance hall."
Mrs. Mallory hastily suppressed an
Of course not You do Bay tho most i,0r heart fluttered for fear ho would
wtrngcous things, ui." ho did not wnnt any moro comnllcn-
They had driven to Willow Creek tlons. Sho wanted to bo let alone. So
fcver tho river road. They returned Whcn an invitation enmo from her
fey wny of tho hills. Macdonald drew uttlo friends tho nustcds, signed by nil
op in iront 01 n cnoin 10 nu tno ram- three of tho children, asking her to
tor. como nnd visit them nt tho enmn hnrk
Ho stood listening beside tho car, 0f Kntmn. tho Irish clrl Jumned at tho
. wmur .mrau ... ..in ........ pun e- cnnnco to escape for a tlmo from tho :,-: ,; "X " Tlir," " , rr"" r.:Vr.: , Z":. : breach. "How do you do
atlmaai a M aa n 0 I maihm a r laiaaaa ai a, I a 111! L. a & I J lflll.LI.il J ni.II Ll.U V.UillIli:i J a. III IIIKIII I I IIII1IIH lllilll Fill II1IIU.I WII.I'II I
uuumm. V " u" a" UCC,SIOn D?lK 10r-CCU UPn I1Cr- l.o hnnlr Whlnh rnnh-nl! nn,1 ,7V"iV.V ."""' " '"'SZa OSkcd 1
fiouHO. xnure wnuu uiu sounu 01 a Sliolin nlwlcorl Iipp pmmln tn fnrrov . """"" " l """""s a jjciouuucu
thud, of n irronn. nnd then ihn rrnsh ,.nn ..r .!.. promptly forgot that old Gld existed. to break his custom nnd nDDear In a
of 'breaking glass. Tho wholo window O'Neill was nblo to slln' nwnv on tho no 0,(1 maa concluded his purchnso msty old dress suit of the vlntngo of
frame Boemcd to leap from tho sldo Utniro unnoticed either bv Mncdonnld nna.ar?V0 UP to tno notci ponina one -95.
ef tho house. Tho head nnd shoulders or nniot. Tho only other nassencer 01 tno Dcst d0B teams in Ainsun. Tho grizzled cashier his name was
f a man projected through tho broken wns nn elderly woman going un to UIUCn nsIca a question or tno por- Robert Milton left tho clubhouse,
w enriv ror nia rooms, it wna Rnntwni?.
"Second floor. That's his room up but tho wind had died down. Contrary
there," tho man answered, pointing to to his custom, ho had taken two or
three glasses of wine. His brain was
seven eighteen ninety- excited so that ho knew ho conld not
bank-an old bachelor who lived by to 8,le nnd Btewf n,t0
I. iilM J V" M .
hor hostess enviously,
'My dear, If you say it was a suc-
Class.
Tiio man swept himself frco of tho
debris nnd started to run. Instantly
cess
"What else conld ono say?'
Gonevlevo Mallory always preferred
to tell the trutn when it would do Just
as well. Now it did better, since it
contributed to her own Ironic sense of
amusement. Macdonald had once told
her that Mrs. Selfrldge made him think
of tho saying, "Monkey sees, monkey
eo him. .,... tt ....'... .i. 1.1 , nino tho mti minor .hmitf nn. oinor, tt ,1ni,i,i a ut does." Tho effervescent uttio woman
I I'llllTl. 1111 III IIIIL'lll Willi llllll II 1 1 lirillT I - -w ww a w a a a a v. uvaaa maa . DlLLIIi aV-AU Va..AUWU 1.U A, I.UU UUU - ..... a
"Gordon!" crleil Dlnne. from Wlnton. commissioner of tho eon. Elliott appeared nt the window. Quixote" by tho stove for nn hour or Had never nna an iaen m ner
Out of tho houso poured n rush of -, .nml onip H,nnn.iini? raiint non.i. "Well, I'll bo hanged I What uro you two. llfe-
wen. They too pulled up abruptly at ,ng nn investigation of th charges doing here. Old-Timer?" Arrived nt the bank, ho let himself Most of thoso who hnd been at the
mBiu ui oiutuonuiu ami nis bucbw. nirnlnst him. "Onct I knew n man lived to he n I into his rooms and locked tho door. He uunce B.ept mic xi.uj uuviuu
A sardonic mirth gleamed In tho ni.ii u o.n.tn.,o. crrnntinn miniiinn- hlo own imHinPRR." Dnonn.i tn nnnn thn .ir n' fnn of tho fuct that tho storm had quick-
eyes of tho Scotsman. "Do you al- cned ncaln into n howling gale. Nor
the Katma camp to tnko n plnco as
cook.
Tenter on thft nnmn dnv Wnllv Sol.
he pulled up in his stride, as amazed frl,,KOi coming In over tho ico, reached' n window,
to seo tnoso m tno enr ns tney wcro 10 KBink with imnortnnt news for his you
ways como out of a houso through tho ROintion When ho learned that Sheba
whu, air. wiuoil- 110 nsneu. i,n,i ift town. Tin hm nlwnvn fmin.l
"Only when I'm In n hurry." Gor- ,t vcry pica8nnt to drop ln for n chnt
don pulled out a handkerchief nnd wlth hcTf nnd sho BttW t0 it tlmt he
MbbCd at Some glaSS-CUtS on hlS face. m tin -nmn fHonrtlv wlrnmn nnw
"Don't let us detain you," said the thnt n rlvnl hnd nnncxcd his scalp to
Alaskan satirically. "We'll excuse you, hor flicndor wn!st. For Mrs. Mallory !
wnce you must go." aia not concedo defeat. If the Irish.
-i m not in sucn a nurry now, in Rrj couj(1 D0 eliminated, sho belloved
xci, u you re going 10 kubiqk, 1 minis Bj10 WOuld yet win.
ni ask you for a lift," returned tho
geld agent coolly.
"And your f rcnds-ln-n-hurry do
taey want a lift too?"
Big Bill Mncy camo swaying for
ward, both hands to his bleeding head,
"lie's a spy, curse htm. And ho tried
to kill me."
"Did ho?" commented Mucdonnld
His hostess looked up at him with n
mocking llttlo smile.
"Rumor says that sho has run away,
my lord. Is It truo?"
"Yos. Slipped awuy on the stage
this morning"
"Thnt's a good Blgn. Sho was afraid
to stay."
1 "via no?" commented Mucaonnia it wna n nnrt nt n,n iMinn h.tnnn
Vrenly. "What were you doing to him?" them thnt Mm. Mniinrv wn to dvn
"He can't sneak around our claim him tho benefit of her ndvlco ln his
wider n raise nnme," growled ono or wooing of her rlvnl. Sho seemed to
tko miners. "We'll bent his head oft." tnko It for granted that ho wbuld at
"I'vo had notions like that myself int murrv Shebn nftor wonrlni? nwnv
omeuraea, nsscniea mo mg bloi- tho rigid Puritanism of her resent
Kan. "nut I think we had nil bettor
leave Mr, Elliot to tho law. no has
Uncle Sam back of him ln his spying,
and none of us are big enough to buck
ment
Macdonald had never liked her so
well as now. ner point of view was
so sane, bo reasonable. It asked for
tbo government." Crisply Macdonald ao injDossIblo virtues in n mnn. Thorn
poke to Gordou, turning upon him wn3 something restful In hor genlnl,
old, hostile eyes. "Got ln if you're dcrislvo understanding of him. She
In8 to." had n silent 'dlvlnotion of his moods
Kluot met mm eyo to oye. "i ve and ministered indolently to them.
cnangeu my miua. rm going to waiK. do you think so? Ought I to fol-
fj.nars up 10 you." low her?" ho asked.
Gordon shook hands with Diane ana sho showed n row of norfoct teeth
Jlheba, went into tao house for his n n low ripplo of nmusomcnt. Tho sit-
coat, and walkod to the stable Ho uatlon nt least was plquaut, even
brought out his horse and turned it though it wns nt her expense,
loose, then ho took the road himself "No. qiVo the girl time. Cntch her
for Kusink. Irapulso on tho rebound. She'll bo
A couple of miles out tho car passed bored to death nt Kntraa nnd she will
klm trudging townward. As they come back docile."
whnn n sonnrt fitnnnofl him hnlfronw CHCa again lniO HOWUIIB giUB.
The cashier stood rigid, still crouched, d'd tncy know the two bits of news
waiting for a repetition of tho noise. were pnK uy uu uuwu u.
it nomn nnoo mnnv-tho im nnu .n. main street and being telephoned from
tnn nt n flip house to house. One of the Items was
Qhlnora nil Attrr, thn cr.tr. nt Mil. IUIU U1B BlUKB 1UI ftUUUU 1IUU laucu w
h r, tho hnnr nt .. n reach the roadhouso nt Smith's Cross-
tho roots of his hair. Somebody was he e?"d bU,f DVl Tx ml
i,i,f f, oi . ., For the first time since Robert Milton
oimTOwi, rnoia tn, K-io rr had been cashier tho bank had failed
V A I Hit f V VWAO V A UUA(jtUi a AaV
was a scholarly old fellow, brought up
ln New England and cast out to the
uttermost frontier by tho malign trag
edy of poverty. Adventure offered no
nppcnl to him.
But though his knees trembled be
neath him and the sickness of fear
was gripping his henrt, Robert Mil
ton hnd in him tho dynamic spark that
makes n mnn. Ho tiptoed to his desk
and with shaking fingers gripped the
revolver thnt lay In n drawer.
Tho cashier braced himself for tho
to open on tho dot.
Macdonald was no sluggard. It was
his habit not to let the pleasure of tho
night before interfero with the bus!
ncss of tho morning after. But in the
darkness he overslept and let the town
wnken before hlra. Ho wns roused by
the sound of knocking on his door,
"Who Is it?" he asked.
"It's mi Jones Gopher Jones. Say,
Mac, the bank ain't open nnd we can't
rouse Milton. Thought I'd come to
ashed down tho road he waved a
Hiccrful and nonchalant greeting.
1 Sheba had been full of gayety nnd
?!?. h.tt her mood was changed. All
Her scarlot Hps, tho long, unbroken
lines of tho sinuous, opulent body, the
challengo of tho smoldering eyes, the
warmth of hor laughter, all invited him
plunge, then slowly trod across the vou. 88 yu're Psldent of the
.... .... I .ftnhnnn"
rnnm to tno inner. locxea uoor. Tne D"'
palsied fingers of his left hand could
Bcarco turn tho key.
It seemed to him that the night was
alive with the noise he mado in turning
tho lock and opening the door. The
hinges grated nud tho floor squeaked
beneath the fall of his foot as ho stood
at tho threshold.
Two men wero ln front of tho wire
grating which protected tho big safe
thnt filled tho alcove to the right. One
held a fllo nnd the other n candle.
Their blank, masked faces were turned
In three minutes Macdonald joined
the marshal and walked down with
him to the bank. lie unlocked the
front door and turned to the llttlo
crowd that had gathered.
"Better wait here, boys. Gopher and
I will go In. I expect everything Is
all right, but we'll let-you know about
that ns soon, ns we find out."
The bank president opened the door,
let the officer enter, and followed him
self,
Tho sun had not yet risen and the
For a Moment She Gave Herself to His
Embrace.
grinned, the llttlo man! "Como down toward Milton, nnd each of them cov- nds were down. Macdonald struck
aua I'll tell you all about it, boy." ercd him with n weapon,
In half n minute Gordon was bestdo "W-what aro you doing here?"
him. After tho first greetings the quavered tho cashier.
young man nodded toward tho dog "Drop that gun," came the low,
team. shnrn command from ono of them.
Somo old ancestral Instinct in the
bank cashier rose out of his panic to
destroy him. Ho wanted to Uo down
"How did you pcrsundo Tim Ryan to
lend you his huskies?"
"Why don't you tnko a paper and
keep up with the news, son? These quietly ln n faint. But his mind as
a match and held it up.
"Bank's been robbed," ho" announced
quietly.
"Looks like." agreed Jones. His
voice wns uneven with excitement
The Scotch-Canadian lit nnother
match. In the flare of it he saw that
the steel grill cutting oft tho alcove
was open nud that tho door had been
Tho marshal clutched at tho nrm of
tho banker, "Did you see that?" h
whispered.
His finger pointed through tho dark
ness to the other end of the room. Io
the fnlnt gray light of coming day,
Mucdonald could seo b huddled maw
on the floor.
"Thero hns been murder done. Til
get n light Don't move from hero,
Jones. I wnnt to look nt things befor
wo disturb them. There's no danger.
Tho robbers have been gone for hours.1
By tho light of nnother match th
mine-owner crossed tho room Into tho
sitting rdom of tho cashier. Presently
he returned with n lnmp nnd let lt
light fall upon the figure lying slumped;
ngainst the wall. A revolver lay close-,
to tho Inert fingers. Tho head hung;
forwnrd grotesquely upon tho breast ,
Tho dead man wns Milton, nis em
ployer saw nothing ridiculous in tho
twisted neck nnd sprawling limbs. Th(
cashier had died to save tho money,
entrusted to his care.
Macdonald handed tho lamp to tho
marshal and picked up tho revolver.
Every chamber was loaded.
"They beat him to it. They wero
probably here when he renched homo.
My guess is ho heard them right away,
got his gun, nnd came ln. Ho's stllL'
wearing his dress sultw That gives ua
the time, for ho left tho club about
midnight Soon as they saw him they
dropped him. I wouldn't have had this
happen for all the money ln the safe.
"How much wns thero in it?"
"I don't know exactly. The books
will show. I'll send Wnlly down to
look them over."
"Shot right spang through tho heart,
looks like," commented Jones, follow
ing with his eye tho courso of tho
wound.
"Wish I'd been here Instead of him,"
Mucdonald said grimly. His eyes soft
ened ns he continued to look down at
the employee who had paid with his
life for his faithfulness. "It wasn't an
oven break. Poor old fellow I Yon
weren't built for n Job like this, Robert
Milton, but you ployed your hand out
to n finish. That's all any man can
do."
Ho turned nbruptly away and began
examining the safe. The sliver still
stood sacked in ono large compart
ment Tho bank notes had escaped tho
hurried search of the robbers, but tho
gold was practically all gone. Ono
sack had been torn by the explosion
nnd single pieces of gold could bo
found all over the safe.
Macdonald glanced over tho papers
rapidly. The officer picked up one of
dozens scattered over the floor. It was
a mortgage note made out to the bank
by n miner. He collected the others.
Evidently tho bandits had torn off tho
rubber, glanced over one or two to
seo if they had any cash value, and
tossed tho package Into the nlr as al
disgusted gambler docs a pack of
cards.
The bank president stepped to thd
door nnd threw it open. He explained
tho situation ln three sentences.
"I can't let you ln now, boys, until
the coroner has been here," he went on!
to tell tho crowd. "But there Is ono
wny you can nil help. Keep your eyea
open. If you hnvo seen any suspicious
characters around, let mo know. Oc
if anyone has left town in a hurry
or been seen doing anything during the
night that you did not understand at
the time."
A man named Fred Tague pushed to
the front Ho kept a feed corral near,
the edge of town. "I can tell you ond
man who mushed out before Ave o'clock
this morning nnd that's Gld Holt" 1
Tbo eyes of Macdonald, cold and
hard as jade, fastened to the man.
'How do you know?"
"That dog team he bought from Tim
Ryan Well, he's been keeping it in
my corral. When I got there this
morning it was gone. Tho snow hadn't
wiped out the tracks of the runners
yet, so he couldn't havo left more than
fifteen minutes before."
"You don't know that Holt took tho
team himself?"
"Como to that, I don't But ho had
a key to the barn where the sled was.
Holt has been putting up at the hoteL
I reckon It is easy to find out it ho's
still there."
Macdonald's keen brain followed tho
facts as tho noso of a bloodhound does
n trail. Holt, nn open enemy of his,
hnd reached town only two duys bo
fore. He had bought one! of the best
nnd swiftest dog teams ln tho North'
and had let slip before witnesses tho
remark that Macdonald would soon
find out what he wanted with the out
fit The bonk hnd been 'robbed after
midnight To file open the grill nnd to
blow up the safe must have taken sev
eral hours. Before morning tho dog
of Holt had taken the trail. If their
owner were with them, it was a safo
bet that the Bled carried forty thou
sand dollars In Alaska gold dust
(TO BE CONTINUED.) ,
huBkles don't belong to Tim.'
sorted Its mastery over the weakling blown from the safe.
The Reason Why.
"In this railroad case, I want to ask
thnt man n direct question." .
"Don't nsk him anything direct
Don't you know he's a director?" '
Machinery and equipment for a tiu
nery capable of handling 100 hides
dally Is needed In China.'