Show y ou t ard I 1 W ank S t CHAPTER IX continued 12 charlie stepped into the jall jalof the tiller rider sent bent his horse nt fit it a well walk through the belt of shadow into tile the light of wain main street at a run I 1 rounded the corner after him film I 1 caught up slowed down just juat behind him lafin and followed still nt fit a walk lie ho was weaving reliving through tile lie late into traffic before tho the intact black jacle jack lie ho stopped throw threw the kiorpes reins over a pin of the hitching ruff mil walked a little unsteadily through the door I 1 waited until ito ho will gone rind and ninde made A i swift inspection of nf ills his mount I 1 had not been gloal ml ital en cn ft a rangy american horse buck buckskin kin tit in color and with that dla mark on oil tila fits flank 1 I entered there stood abood the rider tit lit one ml of nt tile the crowded bar tilting into himself a glass of whisky 1 I pushed into the convivial knot next to him film witched watched him furtively ills liand ns 19 1 9 lie reached toward tits ills waistcoat pocket to tiny bilg qed twice then cattle down hard as lie he rang ills hla sliver dollar on the bar ills gray arny pye ayo im ho he turned it casually it moment in ill direction seemed flit limed ned lie iio had been drinking ns ag wo we expressed it in that day riot not yet drunk but on ilia woy way ilia face seen been now in full light fight was less ims comely than nt first gln beauco tico thoro there lay it kind of blackness black nesi under tho the smooth young blond sidn lie ile wim dressed like ft a miner or a prospector but lie ho wore tits hll rough frieze coat his corduroy trousers tits ills top hoots boots nil and tits hla blue flannel shirt blurt with a touch or of ills trousers seemed draped above nuovo tits his boot tops rather than tucked into thead lie ile gathered up tits his chanke stubbed it into ills pocket rolled upstairs to tile tho gambling room when after a discreet interval I 1 followed him lie ho had find just staked a 8 twenty dollar gold piece nt fit roulette I 1 johned the group of spectators spectator a who stood watching with fascinated interest tile the descending whirl of the wheel lie ile lost the dealers hand raked in ills fits coln coin ile he was reaching again to lita fits pocket when from froin the spectators a man mail stepped up beside him as aa though hoptay top to play tay but instead laid tt a hand stealthily on his arm this was a tall nian man I 1 caught a glimpse of ft full black beard tho the smaller nian man turned angrily then froze for a see beci ond in bosi position tion some signal evidently had passed from eye to eye a movement of the larger mans beard allow showed that eliat lie was speaking though I 1 could not catch even the sound of the words through the babble of night in tho the black tack jack the smaller nalter si niana mans hand went away from ills pocket iio pushed through tho the crowd to tile the stairs I 1 followed alim closely na as with only a second of hesitation whon when lie he passed the bur bar lie iio walked on oil out ot of doors through the front windows of tile the barroom I 1 watched to murk mark the direction in which lie he rode hut but lie ho did not advance toward its ills tie borso arse A moment lie he stood as though undecided then turned to the right and strode rapidly town down alain street Thrill thrilled eI witti with the adventure of blind owing a man exulting with the thought of a scoop I 1 was going to score for the courier I 1 shot eliot ns as unostentatiously ns possible through the door of the black jack followed for n R moment I 1 lost him in fit tile congested crowd before myers variety theater when I 1 had cra crammed mined my illy way through that I 1 picked him up again at the tha blead of main alain street there lie ho turned to the right toward tile the addition the route I 1 followed every lay day to ny my meals that was odd did lie he live in the addition had the cn en actors of this stage robbery dwelt so near 1 ine ne und land constance all this time past last mrs barnabys barnabas Barn abys lie strode and stopped dead here was a contingency I 1 had not foreseen if I 1 went on I 1 should pass him and forfeit my use falness as a shadow if I 1 too stopped unit and lie he saw me ine standing standi nghe tie would suspect Ilas hastily tily I 1 dodged into tile shade of tile the big tent I 1 waited for a few seconds then ventured a cauti cautious look round the corner ile he was nowhere in sight just above mrs narna Barna hya bya tile the street threw oft off a oda trail running up the hill doubtless Doubt lesi he had taken that I 1 sped on tiptoe to the other end of the tent there lie was again but lie he was riot not viking the trail ile he had bad stopped before the little tent where lodged mrs mra barnaby and mis hirs deane 1100 1 bool 00 1 ho he was calling gently I 1 dropped to the ground less from caution than from a weakness in all my illy limbs s the edging of light along the tent flap flu p became a triangle sonto some one lind had emerged it was constancy constance denne deane I 1 could not see tier her face in the moonlight but did I 1 riot not know the tripping move and trim figure of tier glicr the poise of 0 the hitre bare liend surely lie had find mis till ditl vil tile she would tell him film so 0 and go lack hack but she laid a hand on oil ills his nini arm ic led d elih a little way from tho the tent they stood talking in wills pers whose vocalization did not rench reach me talking with swift gestures now I 1 could coald see tier her face in the moonlight upturned toward him again site she baill iier glicr hand upon ills arm ahe he who find told me that site she would not in tho the evening site she who hod bad kissed me title kho who lind been on the robbed stage in letters of red alro that phrase of mckei AlIke 4 note danced before my eyes somebody yonie body in town informs was this alaj mr deane slie site had been curious overcurious ous about affairs la in the camp and eldridge was wag agent for the stage company borki 4 d in the bunk baik TS will ir irwin 11 win 1 dufy dy 77 i copyright bg by will irwin arvle and I 1 I 1 had told her everything I 1 knew sho she had advised roe me to leave tier her to go away i ali ah but she know knew I 1 site she had played with me oh but it was waa impossible I 1 would rush upon tier her und and beg lier her to tell me 1110 it was impossible no unwittingly I 1 was an eavesdropper a spy I 1 had not oven even tile the consolation of a dignified position suddenly the group in tho the moonlight broko site she lind darted back inside the tent tile tho man mail stood still a moment as though hesitant then turned disappeared round the boarding tont lent emerged emerge a moment later inter into the moonlight retracing his course I 1 fol lowed no longer when lie was gone out of sight I 1 lay there my eyes on tile the dini dim blot blob of light which was tile the tent tile brilliant slash which was the opening of tile the flap lay and dug my flap fingers ers into tile the ground and panted suddenly tile tho light in the tent went out I 1 rose and stumbled blindly down daan tile the hill to alain street CHAPTER X whon when I 1 came back to a semblance of reason and sanity I 1 was looking down from it dump ot of liverpool hill on oil tile the streaks of blobbed light which marked cottonwood caknip since I 1 saw my illy betrayal 1 I 1 nd ad been wandering through camp aimlessly rind mid insanely I 1 had kindled irl in illy henrt heart and soul every invidious emotion my aly conviction formed so lias hastily tily na as I 1 watched wat clied that coul i v in the moonlight had set frozen thom there was no hope no faintest doubt stern dramatic plans of 0 action had floated into my imagination to bo blown away by others just as violent and fanciful I 1 would go rind and accuse tier her to her face toll tell tier her what site alia was and nd what slie she had done to me no I 1 could not du do that my aly pride had bud been seared enough already besides what would she care card I 1 would leave ive tile the camp tonight and never again see tier her or tile the spot where she hall bud tormented me used me hut but eveaj while I 1 imagined tills this I 1 knew that I 1 could not abandon the game gacho half played I 1 would follow fellow him tier her accomplice coni nad lover to the ends of the earth and when I 1 found film I 1 would kill him film as it a man mail should I 1 would kill myself I 1 had the weapon there on oil my till hip even was there a terrible vision of constance dennes deanes tender throat gurgling to flabby quiet in my clenched hands it wits was this sudden primeval lust for murder which ilich imparting nil an unnatural ural energy to all my lily members liin lly drove tile me on the run up ill liverpool hill attitude and the limitations of the body had their dwity with tile me tit nt dinst my breath gave out I 1 dropped on tile the rough prisms of the dump exhausted oddly I 1 kept one tiny impulse of responsibility I 1 had no sooner settled lifto into my illy state of relative calin than I 1 remembered alio cottonwood courier struggling on toward press hour without me marcus handy ut lit least had done me no wrong I 1 owed lillo the courtesy of decent resignation I 1 rose down liverpool hill tn tit a leaden mood of profound hut but inactive choly through the clear carrying night air came tile ho sound of a pistol shot two shots it 0 crackling f fusillade busill tide these sounds blew into a blaze the embers of tay my violent wood mood the sense of dynamic power in the explosions tho the imagination of the bullets with their terrific satisfying punch into llesh flesh or into gave some devilish satisfaction to iny illy nerves then tile the world of practical realities again flowed lowed in upon tile me tills this was no joy fusillade of 1 drunken miners or prospectors tile felpo was that of a general light fight again I 1 broke into a run As aa I 1 passed the straggling row of cabins which fringed tile the road lending into the foot of main alain street I 1 caught tile the noise of the crowds it came caine in tin an irregular roaring bubble bal ble quite uri ud like tile the ordinary rhythms of night in cottonwood and there was tie ho music something had muted tile the orchestras and bunds I 1 rounded the curve cune toward the jail men aleu were cinching cin ching saddles and mounting it moment revealed by tile swerve of a borse in it nion montant tent concealed stood the figure of chris mcgrath one peremptory linger finger pointing a command A nondescript citizen stood with lila ills hanels lianas in n ills his pockets regarding pro Ce feedings edings from the concealing shade of it slouch lint flat hank barth robbed I 1 lie answered casual ly to my inquiry and spat it a stream into the gutter 11 hut but the sli voting anybody killed I 1 panted three I 1 hears lie he replied as aa iown down the roadway of main alain street I 1 pushed my illy way toward the bank there was wag no room on the sidewalks all cottonwood clerks fart far dett dealers lers miners tenderfoot visitors painted ladles had rushed out of doors in gesticulating knots stood tile the citizens of our town talking it over oer fragmentary nien tary expletive sentences whetting my curiosity snapped atit out of ohp babel got clean away funny ive killed gold shipment out of main street three buildings from the batik bank ran one of our struggling straggling side streets it was jammed the focus of interest seemed to be the back door of the bank with hasty explanations of my lily identity with much discourteous wiggling and pushing I 1 bucked my r c way forward by the entrance atoo stood d two guards their 45 sidearms ald earnia slung forward orf on their hips as though for instant action im the courier reporter I 1 panted illow how many were killed nobody as I 1 saw responded the guard but there was shooting I 1 I 1 objected D n bad shooting snipped tho the guard illow how much did they get gitl tile the guard hesitated ask the lie boss lie he said finally then I 1 was that tile the back window was opened a n few indies inched that ft a voice had whistled mid and called roy my name I 1 leaned down to the space between sash and sill and was looking into tile tho lean leall face of mr air taylor better go to your gilson ho he salt said 1111 andy lias has been looking for you did they kill anyone how iauch did bliey get I 1 asked no one hurt but handy will tell you wiant to say bay about till all thail r replied e mr air taylor enigmatically and closed the lie window As I 1 threaded among the dark cabins sheds rude warehouses which flinde 11 maze of the alley behind tile the bank I 1 saw that tile the crowd was thinning out just then it band down own the street gave its preliminary roll struck up tip a tune cottonwood the fire 4 of excitement already dying out lind resumed its ita normal night life but not quite I 1 reflected RR as I 1 cattle caine up the alio tilde side street toward the courier considering that it offered no lures of pleasure it was singularly crowded for that time of night light men alen were standing tit in knots only they did riot not the tent flap became a triangle some one had emerged it was constance deane gesticulate and if they spoke at nil all it was in low whis whispery perv the excite nent had abated only on oil tile surface I 1 felt desp below ran a sense of tension I 1 was hardly surprised when fro i the doorway odthe of alie courier a stranger stepped forward laid at ills his hand on a scabbard swung to forward arward from ills hip and said I 1 you cant come lu in li here erell I 1 nut I 1 work herel said 1 I walt a minute lie replied and disappeared an instant later tile keenly heanly lined silhouette of marcus became visible against the light its all right come along I 1 P lie he shot out in hb hilj executive voice I 1 entered marcus hla fits sleeves rolled up hla his store clothes protected by tile the ink spattered apron of his fits trade lila ills mallet in hand stood at tile the stone I 1 lind find never seen his fits deyeso eye so bright where the h I 1 have you been lie he inquired I 1 answered nothing tile the search for an excuse brought up the blackness of the past two hours which excitement lind had I dussl anted if I 1 find tried to speak I 1 would have choked andeel andee 1 gave me no time tille to answer well rust rustle lell 1 tie growled did you get anything on oil that bank robbery not much taylor told roe me to see you yon just as well replied marcus you take tills this story exactly as I 1 tny lily it out for you with news new 3 to write writ e I 1 was wag no longer ills partner lie had become tile loss boss executive rind and exact exacting ill 9 dont touch it up too much make adako it straight and cold all ready gol the bank of cottonwood was robbed lust last night til glit as newspaper wen men must lust ile he was dating tile the event oil one 0 lily day behind let yourself out n little e in tile the introduction call it an insolent performance or some something thing like that oh yes and say due to to tile the inefficiency of tile the administration which lias ilas mude made this thlu camp a paradise for crooks road ag agents e its and sure thin thing 9 wen men or words to that effect Iffe ct then the straight glit stuff at tl tan in forty five a fusillade of shots from the alley back of maln main street announced the daring 9 Crill crime ue A few minutes before that time four horsemen rode quietly up to the entrance of the alley behind the bank bank rind left eft their horses one horse it was notice nott ceil by the spectators was wag a buckskin here fiere marcus hesitated in ills steady low flow of language then went on oil mere slowly a buckskin with a peculiar spot on his lank had been noticed about the camp all evening t 4 it Is more than a coincidence that a few minutes |