Show fihe 9 rl town 0 round roud JL I 1 up L T we 1 I an by WILLIAM MACLEOD RAINE a 0 copyright by william ML maclhod d bidne 1 CHAPTER XVI continued cont aued 11 the trouble vas that whitford u was as arguing from false premises lie ile was assuming that clarendon uis u is 13 an innocent man whereas the clubman knew fust just how guilty he was back of the kouli g lay a conspiracy which might come to light during the investigation he lie dared not face the police his ills con science was not clean enough of course dad a right its it s the only way to save your reputation bea trice cried I 1 m not going to leave aou OU till you promise to go git down there to headquarters if you don t you 11 be smirched tor for life and inrid md be doing something absolutely absolu rely he lie came to time with a heart of denvy eavy dread all right bee III go ie promised its it s an awful mess but ave ve g get t to go through with it I 1 sup ose 4 ot of course you have she said with coir liete conviction you youie te not a quitter ai at d you can t tilde here like a criminal well welt have to be moving bee her tier father fattier reminded her you know we have an at I 1 ointment to meet the district attorney beatrice nodded with a queer feel lug tug of ret rei cislon she patted her tier nance hance s cai cheek k with her soft I 1 land and and auls ills feted a word of comfort coni fort to him buck up old boj boy it wont on t be halt half as us bad as you ou think nobody Is going to blame you alj y were shown out by the valet you don t want to be hard on brom field hone honey whitford told his daugh ter after II 11 ey ey had re entered their car lies iles a parlor man chats the way hes he s been brought up never did a hard day s work in his life everything made easy for foy him if hed he it ever rid don out a blizzard like clay or stuck it out in a mine for a week will without out food after a cave in he t balk on oil llie the job before him hint but he hes s soft and he lies 8 afraid of his reputation natural I 1 suppose beati beatcice fee ice knew he was talking to save her tier feelings I 1 you ou don t need to mal t c exe excuses tor for him hirn dad sl e answered gut ax ti w with ith a wi wiy y smile I 1 ve got to give up I 1 don t think I 1 van can go through with ft it you IOU mean mirry irry him yes she added with a flare of mate ascom aebi rk ot of herself I 1 dc verve what I 1 ive ve got I 1 knew all the time I 1 didat didn t love him it w was as sheer noea in me to accept him I 1 wanted what he had to give we rne hei her father drew a deep breath of re lief I 1 lm glad you see that bee I 1 flon ion t tl ti ii I 1 he s good enough for you cut t I 1 don t know an anybody body that iq 1 come to it 11 at just your partiality im a mean little bounder or I 1 never should hould have led him on the girl answered in falank disgust both of them felt smirched the be havior of ot bromfield had been a reflect tion on oil them they had ed vim mm for cr a thoroughbred and he had failed them at the tile first test III ft ell I 1 haven haven t been proud of you in that affair conceded colln colin it didn dian t seem lit e my girl to he lie brol e off in characteristic fashion to berate her tier environment it its s this crazy town the spirit of it gets into a person and he accepts its standards lets get away from heie here for a while sweetheart after clay 1 Is out of trouble dad rn go with you back to denver or to europe it rope or 01 any anywhere here you say thit that th it a e a deal he told I 1 er prompt we well 11 stay till after the annual actton of the company and then go T on a honeymoon together pee CHAPTER into the hands of his enemy durand din and waited alone for word to bt fla flashed hed alm ilm 1 im flat tl at the debt be he owel owe I 1 clay I 1 ii it day had been settled in full A hone lay on tie tl e desk close it id it ind I 1 eide it was a u watch atch tl TI e sr or 01 1 d I I 1 and tie ed its way r 1 un UD I 1 and roun I 1 the circle except fai 0 hat at the stillness I 1 on hi lit i ly lie ile paced up and do nn n U e loom oom i chewing che ing nervously t it e end of on t cigar rot 1 the good tid it cli h I 1 ie e w was as anxious to I 1 air was i r 0 vs of the death of the young remy who had beaten him at every ti tin rn f y d ln t coll ns its get to the tele phone was it ie tl it at tl ere hi I 1 been a sl p up that I 1 had agi n tided lilen the trap et for him hid K nerve failed him or had i 1 homfeld loi afeld been unable to bring the vie tim to the slaughter 1 his ilia it ind w ent over the details aga ago a 1 ap f 10 au hing lud had been well plat ned tied t ven to tie tl e unguarded door through vh ch collins was to escape in the dirl ness slim uni could do the job irl mike ike his get a ay iy along with dave and IL b sie safe floii a tny chance of identification nion isaa to save bave his own it de would I 1 eel idill it if he it d tin t durand was a fared 0 OD o shift the murder upon his 7 jo ulder derf jf ahe i hind ivind of the watch pissed f ow n I 1 row ithe the quarter to f I 1 e half an ani I 1 front rom tie half to the lie three quartets S telephone ne I 1 fjell ell did lid i ot ring rin hie gar garg 9 leader began t to s veat bloo I 1 lud boino one bungled after aft the th atre ith fizzell he had laid his au A ime 1 ta slammed balov U 11 irr il ed J I 1 evv lees 0 0 footsteps sounded on the stair treads into the room burst a man slim s been croaked he blurted what I 1 durand a eyes dilated at maddock s who did lid it de guy he was to gun lindsay Lind sav dat s de fellow did the bulls get lindsay I 1 inched him right on de spot gun slim did he isope nope knoch ed him cold wit a chair cracked his skull Is he dead he ile 11 never be deader dav dave e grabber grabbed this sucker I 1 inday and yelled that he h he paced up and down the room chewing nervously the end of an unlit cigar done it the bulls pinched him like I 1 said right tl it ere did it happen in the dark sure as you re a foot high my ay iy job was as dausin the tile glitus and I 1 done it right what about slim was he shoot ing when he got it the other man shook his head this lindsay linday man claims he was I 1 talked wit it a bull after vat vaid d dey didn dian t find no gun on slim the bull says was no gun play IN what hat became of slim slims s gun search me durand slammed a big fist exultant ly dow down n on the desk better than tit the way w ay I 1 planned it if the guns gone frame lindsay for the chair it its s say sav creek for his lie ile lost no time in getting into touch with gorilla dave who was under ar rest at the station house I 1 irom rom him he learned the story of the killing of collins one whispered detail ot ol it filled him with pali pall clous glee the boob I 1 ile hell 11 go to the death chair sure if I 1 can fi fiame ame him IN were ere lucky bromfield ran back into the lit tie room up in front a dozen guys might have seen the w whole hole play ev even en in the dark durand spent pent the night strengthen tl en ing tl if e web he had spun to destroy his enemy he ile passed to and fro among those who had been arrested in the raid and he arranged the testimony of some of them to suit his case more afore than one of tl e men caught in the drag net of tl e police was willing to see the affray from the proper angle in ex change for protection atom tion after breakfast durand went to the tombs where clay had been trans berred at daybreak you needs t bring the fellow here he told ta tie e m waiden at den III go right to hs ills cage and see him I 1 maritta have a talk with him between two guards clay climbed the iron steps to an upper tier of cage at the tombs lie he wis is put into a cell which held two beds one above the oti er as in lit the cabin of an ocean liner liy bv the q de of the buni was A as a narrow spice just long enough for a man to tal L two steps in the same d an unshaven head was lifted in the lower bunk to see the sleep of its owner was being disturbed I 1 ve e brought vou you i t cell mate shiny explained one of the guilds guards lou IOU want to be civil to him ile lies s just croaked croal ed a friend of fours v ours I 1 or de love 0 dawd who d d he croak sl in jim colllns collins cracked him hint or 01 e on the bean and that w m as a plenty hope 3 ou on 11 enjoy each other s society gents the guard closed the door and dc departed parted Is tt stat at right D dd d youse do up slim or was he lie kidd n me I 1 don t reckon well we 11 discuss that subject said aid clay blandly but with a note of finality in his voice io no offense boss its it s an I 1 onor to have so ro distinguished a gent tor for a cell pal for that matter I 1 ain t no chelp tt it myself dey pinched me for chovin de tvr tv 07 r J id d ought to get fifteen v ears he said proudly this drew a grin from lindsay though not exactly a merry one if youri anxious for a lone long term I 1 iou ou can k t 4 an N of 1 V have some u of mine he told the coun ter feiter felter maybe you 11 go up salt creek said shiny hopefully afraid the allusion might not be un der stood he thoughtfully explained that this was the underworld term for the electric chair clay made no further comment ile H found the tl ti erne eme a grue gruesome Ome one anyhow I 1 in glad dey didn dian t put no holster holter nor damper getter w it me we I 1 im m par tickler who I 1 meet de whole pro fesh Is gettin run down at de tie hee bee ira I 1 in dead sick of rats who mat cin t d bothin but I 1 ft pokes concluded the occupant of the lower berth with disgust though clay s nerves were of the best he did very little sleeping sleep ng night he ile was in a grave situation anen if he had a fair fied field his plight would be serious enough but he guessed that during the long hours of darl ness durand v was as buby bu by NN weaving ell ving a net of false evidence from which he could scarcely disentangle himself unless bromfield came forward at orce as a witness for him his c case ase w u be hopeless and clay suspected that the clubman u boull out I 1 prove pron e only 9 broken reed as a support the fellow was selfish to the core he lie had not in the telling western phrase the guts to go through he lie would take the line of least resistance beatrice was in his thoughts a great deal what would she think of him knien the news came that he was a murderer mur derel caught by the police in a den of vice where here ax he hid no business 3 to be some deep instinct of I 1 tl N soul told him that she would brush through the evidence to the essential truth she had failed him once she woul I 1 never do it again he ile felt sure of that thit the 1 I he giac gi av morning broke and brought with it the steaming smell of prison co the sounds of the caad un der world the sense of life all aroun I 1 him dwarfed and warped to twisted moral purposes A warden came with breakfast a lukewarm muddy liquia he called coffee and a stew in which potatoes and bits of fat beef bobbed III e life buoys and clay ate heart heartily liv while his cell mate favored him be tween gulps with a monologue on ethics politics and the state of so leav as these related especially to sh ny the shover lindsay linday was given to under stand tl at the whole world was on di dt spud but the big crooks had fixed the law s so that they could wear diamonds diamond instead of stripes Ire I 1 resen senti a guard climbed the iron stairway aa with w ith a visitor v and led th tho dav along the deck outside the tier af f cells where clay had ben put he iles s in seventy foul mr air durand the man said as he approached III have to beat it come back to the of fice flee when you re ready the ex pugilist had come to gloat over him clay knew it nt at once his pupils narrow el e I 1 he ile was lying on the bed ted his supple loly I 1 0 ay stretched at graceful ease tot N ot by tl it e lift of an eyelid did he nize the presence of his enemy durand stood in fr nt tit of the cell hands in pockets the inevitable unlit black cigar in his mouth on his face wasa sneer queer of malevolent derision shiny the shover bustled foiw forward ird all complaisance pleased to meet youse mr durand the gang politicians insolent eyes 4 the gang pol bician s insolent eyes went up and down him I 1 D ant t come to see you went up lip and down him I 1 d du dil t come to see you S alli ight clad to see youse any iny how biow the counterfeit went on obsequiously some day m hen y ou ve got time I 1 id d tile e to talk tall w it youse bout about gettin some fall money bothin doln shiny I 1 in not babkin I 1 ou on said jerry coldly you ve got to go up lip the river youse aw what the h I 1 s batin you t shiny s low voice carried a plaintive whine if you d speak to de judge forget it durand brushed the plea lea away with a moton of the hand aai j ams w AA it s your cell pal pat I 1 ve come to take a look nt at the one chos goin to the chair with one lithe movement clay swung down to the floor he lie sauntered tor for ward to the grating his level let el gize on the w ward ard boss SI tny iny this fellow fellows s rotten he said evenly and impersonally ile lies s not only a crook but he s a crooked crook he ile d throw down his own brother if it paid him durand durands s cruel lips laughed your pals a little worried this mornin shiny he ain t slept much you see the bulls got him right its it s the death chair for him hint and no lifeboat in sight clay leaned against the bars degli gently he ile spoke with a touch of lazy scorn see those scars on his face shiny the ome on he the cheek bone and theoti the above the eve eye ak him where he got em and how jerry cursed he ile broke into a storm of threats anger sANc sweeping over him in furious gusts he I 1 ad come to make sport of his victim and lindsay linday somehow took the upper hand at once he lie had this fellow where he wanted mm hurt at last yet the man mans s soft voice still carried the note of easy contempt it if the arizonan Ari yonan was afraid he gave no least sign of it it I 1 boull on 11 sing another tune before I 1 im tit through with vou you the prize prizefighter fighter prophesied savagely tie westerner turned away annay and swung back to his upper berth HP ile knew what he had before suspected that durand was going to frame him hint if he could that information gained the man no longer interested him hint sullenly jerry left there was n profit in jeering at linday lindsay lind ay he ile was too entirely master of every situation that confronted him within the hour clay wis w wakened abene I 1 from sleep by another guard with word that he was wanted at the office 0 of the warden he found waiting him there bettilee be beat atilee ice and her tier father fattier the girl bloomed in that dingy room like a cac tug in the desert aegert she came toward him with hands ex tended in her ees eyes gifts of friendship aid and faith oh oft clay I 1 she cried much aluch obliged little pardner her voice olce went to his heart like water to the thirsty roots of prickly pears A warm glow beat through his veins the doubts th it had weighed on him it d ir ing the night were ere gone beatrice be laened in him all was well with the nv world orld he ile shook hook hinds hands with 11 whitford alamed good of you to come sir IN why by wouldn t we come debande I 1 the mining man bluntly IV were e re here to do what we can for vou you little wells of tears brimmed over beatrice s lids I 1 ve been so worried don t you it 11 II 1 ie e all right strangely enough he felt now that it would her tier coming had brought rippling sunshine into a drab world I 1 nv wont on t now I 1 im in going to get evi dence tor for vou you tell us all about it why there isn t much td to tell that 3 vou on haven ha vent t read in the papers ably he ile came a and w was as hit by a chair was it you that hit him wouldn t I 1 be justified he asked gently but did you youa 9 for a moment he be hesitated then made up his mind swiftly les leg he told her |