Show 21 A I 1 IN me HE FO RE HAROLD 1 TITUS jyh I fla ff T I 1 1 essm W NU VIC B aisis Si siS JV jj j j 1 l SYNOPSIS kerry young a lad of seven Is prepared to fin tho the burning lumber camp of his benefactor jack snow who took the youngster to live with him at the death of jerrys mother tod west has haa instructed kerry to some lorne with a ille file containing the camps campa funds should it be endangered endangered flames a th the e office and kerry arac hugging amse at the precious file and tod race e to town tod T od acts queerly at the bank the III is found empty arid ard kerry Is blam blamed with taking tho the wrong one snow his headquarters and money gone Is ruined and soon thereafter dies leaving kerry poor commissioner kerry herry suspects tod and swears to even the score in a st fit paul office kerry now in manhood and an expert woodsman goodsm an learns of the whereabouts of we west s t kerry rescues a lovely girl from a 66 scoundrel who proves to be west tod threatens threat eng to pauperize pau perlie tha th girl nan downer she thanks kerry and tells him of the robbery and murder of 0 her father and of toda advances advance 8 she to la operating a lumber tract which her father had purchased Bed from west kerry makes camp at the general tore store in bests landing he finds sod tod engaged in a poker game gains jim hinkle timber employee loses heavily kerry exposes toda cheating and disarms him the crowd Is unconvinced of cods duplicity kerry identifies himself to west who denlea denies knowing him CHAPTER IV continued n s lie ile hitched nt at tits belt with a frankly swaggering gesture after all these years the job was done quickly in mere hours and now I 1 I 1 can be on my way wa ho it turned on hla his heel and made slowly for the door A buzzing murmur filled the room eyes were on kerry on tod west si standing anding there with much seething in him he had a role coplay to play this west lie ile had a reputation at t stake loyalties to consider perhaps perli apa things to linthe ft country haaf was tn in the balance he knew dut but the charge of cheating nt cards as too incredible in the minds of these other men to be of more than passing consequence if lie he played his role properly asa as a respected leader should iio he found tits his volvent vol voice veat at last illoyd hold up there youl kerry was at the threshold ile he turned smiling that bitter battet smile youre a rat rail I 1 west said again heavily youre a 4 damned rat I 1 the idea bryin to make me out a crook blackmail 1 I never seen or heard of you youl I 1 and ive only illis athla to ta say after callin you a rat just this best be on your way come sun hun up I 1 your kinds not wanted hero h e re I 1 ill kerry lifted a hand to scratch a temple latemple slowly I 1 tough on me tod west he said im through here I 1 stumbled on the thing I 1 wanted to know for years and id like to be gone being the roaming kind but it if theres one thing ira im more afraid of than taking root its being driven tod westill west I 1 lie ila began to laugh so ive got to stay I 1 ive got to light a while I 1 he went out but into the darkness and his deep laughter floated bade back to them A fierce exultation racked him and he did not look about did not seo ode nan downer standing there in the edge coge of tile light shaft from a window one hand across her breast CHAPTER V AT T ABOUT tile the time kerry afung young Y wits was finishing hta his evening meal dan downer and ezra mams adams short squat gray haired logging country doctor who had driven out from shoestring the maty county sent seat walked slowly across the trestle from nans bead headquarters to bests landing the old man listened attentively and unconsciously slowed hta his pace as aa tho the girls story progressed toward its climax her voice low was quick and tense and dilce once it caught tn in a sob and thatis that ezra ezrach I 1 sherald she said tremulously its me or or the property I oh with sudden bitterness ive had a feeling all along that he w the man the country thinka him to bell bo I 1 your wo womanly manik intuition and ray my opinion was waif a doc tors I 1 guess they talked tor for a timi time standing in the dusk and then the girl said baldi now for jim and elsie Il inkles troubles Pl 1 and led him resolutely on they entered a tar paper house where sherea a woman washed dishes by the light of a kerosene lamp her mouth sat in an aa expression of for bearance in a chair his one leg strapped between wooden splints a fifee year cearold old boy played with a battered toy at sight of the physician he began to yelp excitedly and threw the toy violently awny away unc ezral ezra I 1 une unc ezral eam 11 he cried his face shining hullo jimmy I 1 evening elsie all ready to bi b measured up for the brace eh well well weve come along oc so tar far and have got kind nd of a leg left now well start on the job of making a silk purse out of something lie ile began putting pulling oft off his coat wheres Wh erea jim he be asked the womans comans face darkened at the store I 1 guess gambling again I 1 suppose well well go ahead anyhow and he went ahead holding the misshapen leg on his knees eyeing the long blue creases of some terrible hurt and nan looked on watching the play of his deft fingers the painstaking chore finally finished and no jim in sight the two walked toward the store ezra saying of course if jim the cash ill have to buy the brace my self I 1 told him that last time I 1 was out and he promised but lt with a sigh times being what they are im scraping the bottom of the till myself 11 1 so they approached the store and saw what they saw As they left tod west was saying to jim uell bell not no I 1 I 1 wont take back that moneal money I 1 hes a rat and a liar ilar jim but he shrugged and met jims eyes squarely neatly covering the effort required lord boy ive always tried to lean backward in roy my dealina dea llna with others no sir it if any man says I 1 tools took money unfairly in fairly I 1 dont daul teven even want to argue att ie i abut aint worth that jim ill 4 a 0 0 0 0 kerry erry sat in the darkness 01 on t the e river bank listening to tile the booing bloing of an owl and the song of crickets a and ad the plopping of a night feeding trout lie smoked leisurely and tip his head in his bis lap breathed evenly I 1 I 1 so his childish suspicion had bad been right so sa the last sane thought also a suspicion which jack snow had had had been justified the dog now lifted hla his head bead sharply and kerry could feel him stiffen after a moment a low il vibration bration ran his bis baa bai j which was the beginnings of a growl steady I 1 the man whispered and reached foghis for his bed jerked his rifle from the blanket folds then aloud ho he hailed balled chwa there A voice from efrom above answered caller young 1 still upil up slow footsteps foot came through the poplars young on his feet waited with the dog stiff and suspicious beside him funny funni business bustin in on a man this way this hour 11 the voice went on nearer now but I 1 got things to talk over he could see the other now lie he was short squat and breathed rapidly im named darned adams young ezra adams im tile the local pill peddler oh hullo doc doctor torl I 1 the old mans voice was pleasant glad you dropped in here sit on the bed light your pipe no guess not thanks I 1 tills this la Is kind of confidential 11 so he felt feit the doctors attempt to scrutinize his bis own shadowed face sit down nobody can get within ear car shot with tip here adams began in a moment 1 I was gas in the store when tod made hi his splay play young I 1 saw and heard and things have bapp happened ened since that thai make me feel maybe im going to have to ask your help bell strangers though we are also I 1 heard beard about what happened this afternoon I 1 added that to what I 1 know about you yon pause it if you could be interested in a job here be free to take it job what kind hind of job the old man eyed him in the darkness coroners clerk he be said to in a whisper you kidding mars me not la in the least rm fin rm im more serious and in greater need than ive been since I 1 can recollect well a new one on met mel he laughed coroners clerk I 1 why let me explain this a little I 1 havo have to td pop it right at you without any preliminaries because its wo its an emergency I 1 guess nan go into detail detal about labout the killing of her father I 1 want you yon to know that youve got to know it that Is if youre going to consider my proposal you see downer was a queer old duler duer suit stilt of the earth but queer eccentric it was one of his eccentricities that lea to his murder lie ile never would deal with a man except for cash kept a bank account and nil all but when he be did business checks go lie ile lad tills this payment duo due to west last november the fifteenth it t was the day before lie ho drove into town and drew the money from the bank started home about dusk and was killed not three tulles miles from here by a bullet in the brain the money in one of these tin boxes was taken out of hla his car it amounted to over twelve thousand dollars you see eee im coroner here I 1 started an investigation and the sheriff he fussed bussed some two men only that we knew of had tho the slightest motive one was jim hinkle whose money you got back for him tonight hed been working for cash had bad been bred the day before and fired with gusto which was downers way dut but he be was wag playing cribbage with tod west all that evening and stayed in bests house all night his family being away so with west being what hes thought to be arlly hink hinkle was counted out west was quite active in this thing he wanted hla his money and nan downers only heir have more to pay him he dug up the information that holt stuart had had a run in with cash early in the week holt was working for cash well it seems that holts pretty well struck with nan iles hes a good boy but cash was a cantankerous old cuss and lie be rode the boy pretty hard because of where hed let tits hla interests stray As a sort of punishment held hed sent holt out to a cabin on Town townline line lake to do some mapping and made him dim stay there all alone the sheriff after west got through with him was convinced nolt holt was his man and started right in to work up a case against him but I 1 stopped that A coroner you know a got it all over a sheriff for authority I 1 drove out and found the boy with an ankle so BO badly sprained that he pos sibl yve been out well we Im paneled a coroners jury and I 1 got the bullet out of cash but we had BO little to go on 00 0 ive come to tell you he said that this aint a very healthy place to hang arounds Aroun dl that the verdict had to be an open ones one then we started trying to trace the money it was mostly in new federal reserve notes and the bank had the serial numbers where it sits now downers dead and the moneys gone said eald kerry lord it if miss downer could get hold of that stolen money save her life it it would again what im here for to see if help mg me loca locate it locate it what ayou mean the old man leaned forward and tapped youngs knee the money he whispered Is still in the coun country tryl I 1 the devil 11 I 1 IS S truth I 1 in my pocket I 1 have a twenty dollar bill that was waa part of it it was paid me on account tonight you got any idea where it came hom from h om ezra looked around and listened out of your poker game he said grimly after a moment kerry gave a low to whistle say I 1 that makes the situation took look up it why I 1 come came to you yon a stranger I 1 need deed help and need it right now that money la Is cached somewhere la in the country whoever la Is hiding biding it needs money badly young will you hakea take a corn com mission as my deputy perrys Ker rys heart was beating rapidly here indeed was it a chance to do something for nan downer ne ile waited wafred it moment considering all things then he be sald said til ill go you doc doctor torl I 1 good but well have to keep it between you and me not even nan must know a a 0 a across the river in the big house of peeled logs which was tod bests abode that citizen booi be fore jim hinkle who chck was waa seated floated and whose eyes remained averted and now its up to you west said heavily 1 I guess its my right to expect that much from you 1 look like hell for me to do to that jim protested after bilat what he thought he be done for me horii I 1 go at it besides hes he nobody to fool wiehl never mind that ml take care of that nodding meaningful and about how look you mean because he made a play at getting your money back well amwell you see N dont hedge 1 you cant pull wool over my eyes listen her hecq spite of all your talk in the store about not want in to take your money back you still think he did you a favor dont you it if you had the guts guta to say what you believe say that I 1 did deal crooked P 1 hell no nol I 1 I 1 tell you yon I 1 only shut cupl west gestured savagely because a rat comes along and frames me so ill look like a crook forget all ive done for you I 1 well with a show of sullen defiance what if I 1 do think it a frame up against youl you what then west leaned forward face darkening mouth setting in i cruel line so it eh so how you yon feell feel I 1 well when youve forgotten everything else about me re member this I 1 tied lied for you once I 1 I 1 told em cm all I 1 played C cribbage rabb e with you the night do downer w was killed I 1 and no body knows I 1 found you wandering around drunk you tell where been and w with I 1 t b a rifle too what I 1 isk ask you yoa bending forward and rubbing his palms palma on his hips slowly l happen if I 1 came clean with the sheriff and told him that eh ch hinkle raised an unsteady band gollits chin you do that tod try me and seel meet their gazes locked and after a time jims fell all right he said til get some of the boys tomorrow Tomor raw well see what we wd can do about gettin him down river CHAPTER VI THE sun had climbed from the A bank of orange clouds which screened its ita rising the mill whis whig tle tie had blown summoning men to work band and tile the saw had at last taken up its dally daily song kerry young had been up before the break ot day built his fire bathed in the stinging waters of at the alyer and dressed dess cd leisurely thi then he set bet hisa having kit on a stump beside th the stream and proceeded to clean cheeks cheeka and chin of yesterdays beard stubble today he was going to present himself to nan downer and ask for work A move which ezra adams had urged it was while peering into the mirror as ho began manipulating the razor that mai his ayi eyes s lost their glint of laughter and became most intent across the way spruced spruces grew thick along the river bank and as hp ho turned his back to the stream be he caught in the mirror x reflection of branches being parted of ofa a face peering at him me he pretended to give this watch er oo no heed but lie he took lingat long at Ms bit shaving sharing and half a dozen times hrc a fair glimpse of tile the mans tarn face it was no one he had seen before ile he was not dot all surprised wlm tip recumbent beside tile the fire raised his bis head bead sharply ply and gave a low growl easy chuml kerry mut muttered coming into inlo alle ha open eh but it was nothing across tte tike stream which had biad attracted the dog nor was the roan man approaching approach ilig the one who had spied on him from the timber jim hinkle was coming along the trail which foli followed owed the bank well twell jim Ji mYoung young asked hinkle plunged at once into his bla errand ive come to fell all you he said that this aint a very healthy place for you to hang bang around I 1 so kind of you to take this trouble Is tills this a friendly att act or a warning jim call it what you want to I 1 come here because it looked lost last |