Show I r ffl t 4WOL14frW4t1 liL f 1 1 I I I CHAPTER T The day following the great stagecoach stage-coach robbery found the patent t pro jxrietor of Collinsons Mill calm and untroubled in his usual seclusion The news that had thrilled the length and breadth ot Gallopers Ridge had not touched the eafy banks of the dried np river the hue and cry had followed the stag road and no courier had deemed it worth his while t diverge as far as the rocky ridge which formed the only pathway to the mill That day Collinsons solitude had been unbroken un-broken even by the haggard emigrant from the valley with his old monotonous monot-onous story < f hardship and privation Th birds had flown nearer to the old mi as If emboldencd by the unwonted unwon-ted quiet That morning there had been the half human imprint of a bears foot in the ooze beside the millwheel wheel and coming home with his scant Kbock from the woodland pasture he had found a golden squirrel beautiful beauti-ful airy embodiment of the brown woods itself calmly seated on his bar counter with a biscuit between its baby hands He was full of his char acterise reveries and abstractions that afternoon falling into them even at his wood pile leaning on his ae so still that an emerald throated lizard liz-ard who had slid upon the log went to sleep under the forgotten stroke But CT nightfall the wind arose at first as a distant murmur along the hillside that died away before it reached the rocky ledge Then i rocked the lops of the tall redwoods behind the mill but left the mill and the dried leaves that lay in the riverbed river-bed undisturbed Then the murmur was prolonged until it became < the continuous I con-tinuous trouble of some far off sea and at last tho wind possessed the ledge i jtself driving the smoke down the stumpy chimney of the mill rattling Ihe sun warped shingles on the roof stirring the inside rafters with cool i breaths and singing over the rough i projections of the outside eaves At 9 oclock he rolled himself up in hiS blan 3cets before the fire as was his wont j and fell asleep I was past midnight when he was awakened by the familiar clatter of bowlders down the grade the usual 1 simulation of a wild rush from without j with-out that encompassed the whole mill even to that heavy impact against the door which he had heard once before I be-fore In this he recognised merely the ordinary phenomena of his experience and only turned over t sleep again I But this time the door rudely fell in upon him and a figure strode over his prostrate body with a gun leveled at his head He sprang sideways for his own weapon which stood by the hearth In t another second this action would have Seen his last and the solitude of Seth Collinson might have remained unbroken un-broken by any mortal But the gun of the first figure was knocked sharp h upward by a second man and the one and only shot fired that night sped harmlessly to the roof With the report re-port he felt his arms gripped tightly behind him through the smoke he saw dimly that the room was filled with masked and armed men and in another moment he was pinioned and thrust into his empty armchair At a signal three of the men left the room and he could hear them exploring the I t other rooms and outhouses Then theo the-o men who had been standing beside be-side him fell back with a certain disciplined dis-ciplined precision a a smoothchinned man advanced from the open door G ing to the bar he poured out a glass of whisky tossed it off deliberately and standing in front of Collinson with his shoulder against the chimney and his hand resting lightly on his hip cleared his throat Had Collinson been an observant man he would have noticed no-ticed that the two men dropped their eyes and moved their feet with a half impatient perfunctory air of waiting j t Had he witnessed the stage robbery Bi9 would have recognized in the j I tttnoothfaced man the presence of the orator But he only gazed at I him with his dull imperturbable pa itienc i I itiencWe i We regret exceedingly to have to i use force to a gentleman in his own ious began the orator blandly but we feel it our duty to prevent a repetition I repe-tition of the unhappy incident which occurred as we entered We desire that you should answer a few questions ques-tions and are deeply grateful that you are still able t do so which seemed i extremely improbable a moment or two ago He paused coughed and leaned back against the chimney How many men have you here besides j be-sides yourself I Nary one said Collinson The interrogator glanced at the I other men who had reentered They nodded significantly I Good he resumed You have told The truthan excellent habit and one that expedites business Now is there a room in this house with a door that locks Your front door doesnt I Xo I Xo cellar nor outhouse j I i NoWe egret that for it will compel us much against our wishes to keep you bound as you are for the present The matter Is simply this Circumstan ces of a very pressing nature oblige us TO occupy this house for a few das possibly for an indefinite period We respect the sacred rights of hospitality roo much to turn you out of it indeed nothing could b more distasteful to our feelings than to have you in your twn person spread such a disgraceful report through the chivalrous Sierras We must Therefore keep you a close i prisoner open however to an offer t It is this We propose to give you 500 < for this property as it stands provided t t pro-vided that you leave it and accompany accom-pany a pac1 train which will start tomorrow to-morrow morning for the lower valley as far a Thompsons Pass binding yourself to quit the state for three months and keep this matter a secret Three of these gentlemen will go with you They will print out to you your duty their shotguns will apprise you i of any dereliction from it What do you < c y Who yer talkin to said Collinson in a dull voice You remind us replied the orator suavely that we have not yet the pleasure of knowing My names Seth Collinson There was a dead silence in the room euid every eye was fixed upon the two men The orators smile slightly stiffened en enedWhere from be continued bland kr 4 Mlzzoun uA very good place to go back to through Thompsons pass J But you havent answered our proposal I reckon I dont intend to sell this Sioose or leave it said Collinson simply sim-ply plyI i trust you will not make us regret re-gret the fortunate terminatibnof your CUttle accident Mr Collinson said the orator with a singular smile May I < task why you object to selling out Is it < the figure J The house isnt miner said Collin on deliberately I built this yer douse fcii roy wife wot I left in Miz zouri Its hers I kalktlate to keep J il and live in it ontil she comes fur 1t Ait 4 when I teUy tat she is dead i l kin reckon just what chance ye have of ever gittin it There was an unmistakable start of sensation in the room followed by a silence so profound that the moaning of the wind on the mountain side was distinctly heard A wellbuilt man with a mask that scarcely concealed his heavy mustachios who had been standing with his back to the orator in half contemptuous patience faced around suddenly and made a step forward for-ward as i to come between the questioner ques-tioner and questioned A voice from the corner ejaculated Yell Silence said the orator sharply Then still more harshly he turned to the others Pick him up and stand him outside with a guard And then clear out all of you The prisoner was lifted up and carried car-ried out the room was instantly cleared only the orator and the man who had stepped forward remained Simultaneously they drew the masks from their faces and stood looking at each other The orators face was smooth and corrupt the full sensual lips wrinkled at the corners with a sardonic humor the who man confronted con-fronted him appeared to be physically and even morally his superior albeit gloomy and discontented in expression He cast a rapid glance around the room to assure himself that they were alone and then straightening his eyebrows eye-brows as he backed against the chimney chim-ney said I I dont like this Chivers Its your affair but its mighty low down work I for > man You might have made it easier if you hadnt knocked up Bryces gun That would have settled it though no one guessed that the cur was her husband I hus-band said Chivers hotly I you want to settle it that way I theres still time returned the other I with a slight sneer Youve only to tell him that youre the man that ran away with his wife and youll have it out together riglt on the ledge at twelve paces The boys will see you through In fact he added his sneer deepening I rather think its what theyre expecting Thank you Mr Jack Riggs said Chivers sardonically I dare say it would be more convenient fo some people peo-ple just before our booty is divided if I were drilled through by a blundering blunder-ing shot from that hayseed or i would seem right to your hightoned chivalry if a dead shot as I am knocked knock-ed over a man who may have never fired a revolver before but I dont exactly ex-actly see it in that light either as a man or as your equal partner I dont think you quite understand me my dear Jack I you dont value the only man who is identified in all California as the leader of this the gangthe man whose style and address has made it popular yes popular to every man woman and child who has heard of him whose sayings and doings are quoted in the newspapers whom people peo-ple run risks to see who ha got the sympathy of the crowd o that judges hesitate to issue warrants and consta ble to serve themif you dont see the use < kf such a man I do Why theresa theres-a column and a half in the Sacramen rmen to Union about our last job calling calng me the Claud Duval of the Sierras and speaking of my courtesy to a lady A lady his wife our confederate My dear Jack you not only dont know business values but pan my soul you dont seem to understand humor Ha haFor I For all his cynical levity for all his affected exaggeration there was the ring of an unmistakable and even pit iable vanity in his voice and a self consciousness that suffused coniousnes sufused his broad cheeks and writhed his full mouth but seemed to deepen the frown on Riggs faceYou You know the woman hates it and would bolt if she could even from you said Riggs gloomily Think what she might do if she knew her husband were here I tell you she holds hand our lives in the hollow of her handThats Thats you fault Mr Jack Riggs You would bring your sister with her i infernal convent innocence and sim plicity into our hut in the hollow She was meek enough before that But this is sheer nonsense I have no fear of her The woman dont live who would go back on Godfrey Chivers for husband a Besides she went off to see your sister at the convent at Santa Clara convent at as soon as she passed those bonds off on Charley to get rid of Think of her traveling with that t1at fool lawyer all the way to Stockton and his bonds which we had put back in her bag alongside of them all the time and he telling her he was going to stop their payment and giving her the letter to mailfor him eh Well well have time to get rid of her Wel band before she gets back I he dont go easy well Xone of that Chivers you understand under-stand once for all interrupted a1 Riggs peremptorily I you cannot see that youre making away with that wo mans husband would damn that boasted reputation you make so much of and set every mans hand against us I do and I wont permit i Its a rotten business enough our coming on him a we have and if i wasnt the only Godforsaken place where we could divide our stuff without danger dan-ger and get it away off the high roads Id pull up stakes at once Let her stay at the convent then said Chivers roughly Shell be glad enough to be with your sister again and theres no fear of her being touched there But I want to put an end to that too returned Riggs sharply I do not choose to have my sister any longer implicated with our confederate or ou mistress No more of that you understand me The two men had been standing side by side leaning against the chimney Chivers now faced his companion his full lips wreathed into an evil smile I think I understand you Mr Jack BJggs orI beg your pardonRivers I or whatever your real name may be I he began slowly Sadie Collinson the mistress of Judge Godfrey Chivers formerly of Kentucky was good enough company for you the day you dropped down upon us in our little house in the hollow of Gallopers Ridge We were living quite an idyllic I I pastoral life there werent weshe I and me hidden from the censorious I eye of society and Collinson obeying only the voice of nature and the little birds I was a happy time he rsvent on with a grimly affected sigh disregarding dis-regarding his companions impatient gesture You were young then wag ing your fight against society and freshuncommonly fresh I may say from your first exploit And a very stupid clumsy awkward exploit too ll Riggs 1 you will pardon my freedom free-dom You wanted money and you had a ugly temper and you had lost both to a gambler so you stopped the coach to rob him and had to kill two men t get your paltry thousand dollars dol-lars after frightening the whole coach load of passengers and letting Wells Fargo Cos treasure box with 50000 in I slide I was a stupid a blundering n cruel act Mr Riggs and I think I told you so at the time I was a waste of energy and material and made you not a hero but n stupid outcast I think I proved this to you and showed you how it might have been done C f Dry up on that interrupted Riggs impatiently You offered to become my partner and you did Pardon me Observe my impetuous I friend that my contention is that you I I you poisoned our blameless Eden in the hollow that you were our serpent and that this Sadie Collinson over whom you have become so fastidious whom you knew as my mistress was obliged to become your confederate You did not object to her when we formed our gang and her house became gang came our hiding place and refuge You took advantage of her womans wit and fine address in disposing of our booty you availed yourself with the rest of the secrets she gathered as my mistress just as you were willing to profit by the superior address of her paramour your humble servant when your own face was known to the sheriff sher-iff and your old methods pronounced brutal and vulgar Excuse me but I t I I I k p 1 k I I I t I I T k J1jt c s I I M I I 1 IX ANOTHER MOMENT HE A PINIONED AND THRUST INTO IIIS EMPT ARJtCIIAIR must insist upon this and that you dropped down upon me and Sadie Col linson exactly as you have dropped down here upon her husband Enough of this said Riggs angrily I admit the woman is part and parcel par-cel of the gang and gets her chars or you get it for her he added sneeringly sneer-ingly but that dont permit her to I mix herself with my family affairs Pardon me again interrupted Chi vers softly Your memory my dear Riggs is absurdly defective We knew that you had a young sister in the mountains from whom you discreetly wished to conceal your real position We respected and I hope shall always respect your noble reticence But do you remember the night you were taking tak-ing her to school at Santa Claratwo nights before the fire when you were recognized on the road near Skinners and had to fly with her for your life and brought her to usyour two dear old friends Mr and Mrs Parker of Chicago who had a pastoral home in the forest You remember how we took her inyes doubly took her il and kept your secret from her And do you remember how this vomanthis mistress of mine and our confederate while we were away saved her from fire on our only horse caught the stage coach and brought her to the convent I Riggs walked toward the window turned and coming back held out his hand Yes she did i and I thanked her as I thank you He stopped and hesitated as the other took his hand But Chivers dont you see that Alice is a young girl and this woman is you know what I mean Somebody might recognize her and that would be worse for Alice than even if it were I I known what Alices brother was I i these two things were put together the giri would be ruined forever Jack said Chivers suddenly you want this woman out of the way Well dash it allshe nearly separated us and Ill be frank with you as between man and man Ill give her up There are women enough in the world and hang it were partners part-ners after all Then you abandon her said Riggs I slowly his eys fixed on his companion com-panion Yes Shes getting a little too maundering maun-dering lately I will be a ticklish job to manage for she knows too much but i will be done Theres my hand on it Riggs not only toqk no notice of the proffered hand but his former look of discontent came back with an illcon cealed addition of loathing and con temptWell drop that now he said short I i ly weve talked here alone long I enough already The men are waiting for us He turned on his heel Into the I inner room Chivers remained standing I by the chimney until his stiffened I smile gave way under the working of his writhing lips then he turned to the bar poured out and swallowed another glass of whisky at a single gulp and followed his partner with halfclosed lids that scarcely veiled his ominous I eyes The men with the exception of the sentinel stationed on the rocky ledge and the one who was guarding the un fortunate Collinson were CDlnson drinking I and gambling away twir prospective gains around a small pile of portman I teaus and saddlebags heaped in the I center of the room They contained the results of their last successes but one pair of saddlebags bore the mil I dewed appearance of having been 1 I cached or buried some time before I Most of their treasure was tme in j packages I pack-ages of gold dust and from the conversation I con-versation that ensued it appeared that i i owing to the difficulties of disposing of it in the mountain towns the plan I I was to convey it by ordinary pack I mule to the unfrequented valley and thence by an emigrant valey on the old emigrant trail to the southern counties where It could be no longer i traced Since the recent robberies the local express companies and bankers had refuse to receive It except the I owners were known and identified j There had been but one Jen tfe which had already been speedily divided di-vided up among the band Drafts bills bonds and valuable papers had been usually entrusted to one Char Icy who acted as a flying messenger to a corrupt broker in Sacramento who played the role of the bands fence I had been the duty of Chiv ers to control this delicate business even as it had been his peculiar func tion to pen all the letters and documents docu-ments This he had always lightened by characteristic levity and sarcastic comments on the private revelations of the contents The rough illspelt letter of the miner to his wife enclosing a draft or the more sentimental effusion of an emigrant swain to his sweet heart with the gift of a specimen had always received due attention at the hands of this elegant humorist But the operation was conducted tonight to-night with business severity and silence si-lence The two leaders sat opposite to each a otherin what might have appeared ap-peared to the rest of the band a scarcely scarce-ly veiled surveillance of each others actions i When the examination was concluded and the more valuable enclosures en-closures put aside the despoiled letters were carried to the fire and heaped upon the coals Presently the chimney added its roar to the moaning of the distant hillside a few sparks leaped up and died out in the midnight air as if the pathos and sentiment of the unconscious un-conscious correspondents had exhaled with them Thats a foolish thing to do growled French Pete over his cards Why demanded Chivers sharply WhywhY it makes a flare in the sky that any scout can see and ascent a-scent for him to follow Were four miles from any traveled road returned Chivers contemptuously contemptu-ously and the man who could see that glare and smell that smoke would be on his way here already That reminds me that that chap youve tied up that Collinson allows he wants to see you continued French Pete PeteTo To see me repeated Chivers You mean the captain I reckon he means you returned French Pete he said the man who talked so purty The men looked at each other with a smile of anticipation and put down their cards Chivers walked toward the door one or two rose to their feet as if to follow lout Riggs stopped them peremptorily Sit down he said roughly then as Chivers passed him he added to him in a lower toneR tone-R Slightly squaring his shoulders and opening his coat to permit a rhetorical freedom which did not however l1wever prevent pre-vent him from keeping in touch with the butt of his revolver Chivers stepped step-ped into the open air Collinson had been moved to the shelter of heler an overhang over-hang of the roof probably more for the comfort of the guard who sat crosslegged on the ground near him than for his own Dismissing the man with a gesture Chivers straightened himself before his captive We deeply regret that your unfor tunate determination my dear sir has been the means of depriving us of the pleasure of your company and you of your absolute freedom but may we cherish the hope that your desire to see me may indicate some change in your opinion By the light of the sentrys lantern left upon the ground Chivers could see that Collinsons face wore a slightly slghty troubled and apologetic expression Ive bin thinkin1 said Collinson rais ing his to his Collnson eyes captor with a singu larly new and shy admiration in them mebbee not so much of wot you sed ez how you sal i and ftc Kinder bothered fG > me sittin here that I aint bin actin to you boys quite on the square Ive said to myself Collinson thar aint Ive other house betwixt Bald Top and Skin ners whar them fellows kin get a bite or a drink to help themselves and you aint offered em neither It aint no matter who they arc or how they came whether they came crawling along the road from the valleys or dropped dowi upon you like them rocks froth the grade yere they are and its your duty ez long ez you keep this yer house for your wife yot in trust so to speak for wanderers And I aint fergettin yer gin ° ral soft style and easy gait with me when you kem here I aint evory man as could walk wall into another mans house arter the owner of i had grabbed a gun ez softspeakln ez overlookin and 67 perlite ez you Ive acted mighty rough and low down and I know i And I sent for you to say that you and your folks kin use this house and all thats in it cz long cz youre in trouble Ive told iH why I couldnt sell the house to ye and why I couldnt leave it and while yer here ami when you go Collinson dont tell nobody I dont ImO what ye mean by binding lindin myself to keep your secret when Col linsou says a thing he sticks to i and when he passes his wonl with a man or a man passes his orE with him it dont need no bit of paper There was no doubt of its truth In the grave upraised eye of the prisoner h Chivers saw the certainty that he could trust him even far more than he could trust anyone within the house lie couJ just quitted But this very certainty for all its assurance of safety to himself hued him not with remorse which might have been an evanescent emotion but with a sudden alarming and terrible con nclotisness of being hi me presence COI a hitherto unknown and immeasurable power He had no lity for the nian who trustful him he hay no sense of shame in taking advantage of it ho oven felt an intellectual superiority in this want of sagacity jn his Jupe hut lvi still felt stl in some way defeated insulted shocked and frightened it first like all scoun are lie bad measured the man oy ftini self was sunlcious and prepared for ri valry but the grave truthfulness of Ool linsons eyes left him helpless He was terrified by this unknown factor The right that contends and lights often stimulates lghts stm ulates its adversary the rght that yielUs leaves the victor vanquished Chivers could even have killcl Oolhnson in his vague discomfiture but he had a terri ble consciousness that there was some thing behind him that he could not make way with That vas why this accomplished accom-plished rascal felt his flaccid cheeks grow rUpll captive and his glib tongue trip before But Collinson more occupied with his own shortcomings took no note of this and Chivers quickly recovered his wits if I not his former artificiality All right lie said quickly with a hurried glance at the door behind him Now that you think better of it Ill bc frank with yon and tell you Im your friend You understand under-stand your friend Dont talk much to those men dont give yourself away to i them he laughed this time in absolute natural embarrassment Dont talk about your wife ami this house but just say youve mado the thing up with me with me you know and Ill see you through An idea as yet vague that he could turn Collinsons unexpected docil doci ity to his own purposes possessed him even in his embarrassment and he was still more strangely conscious of his inordinate t in-ordinate vanity gathering a fearful joy from Collinsons evident admiration I J was heightened by his captives next words Ef I want tied Id shake hands with ye on that Youre the kind o man Mr Chivers that I cottoned to from the first Ef this house wasnt hers Id a bin tempted to cotton to yer offer too and onebbee made yer one myself for I seems to me your style and mine would sorter jib together But I see you sabe whats In my minds eye and make allowance al-lowance We dont want no bit o paper pa-per to shake hands on that Your secret and your folks secret is mine and I dont blab that any more than Id blab to them wot youve just told me Under a sudden impulse Chivers leaned i J I forward and albslt with somewhat unsteady I un-steady hands and an embarrassed will i untied the cords that held ColHnaoa In I his chair As the freed man stretched himself to his full height he looked I l As theIg gravely down hfl the bleared eyes of his captor and held out his strong right hand Chivers took i Whether there was some occult power in Collinsons honest hon-est grasp I know not but there sprang up in Chivers agile mind the idea that a good way to get rid of Mrs Collinson was to put her in the way of her husbands hus-bands finding her and for an instant in the contemplation of that idea ths supreme su-preme rascal absolutely felt an embarrassing embar-rassing glow of virtue To be continued |