Show The Real Man ManBy B By Y FRANCIS LYNDE ly Lr IRWIn HYERS tO e COP Copyright ht b by Chas Chaar Scribners Scribner's Sons CHAPTER 14 14 The Arrow to the Mark Smith concentrating abstractedly as his habit was upon the work In hand was still sUll deep In the voucher auditing when the office door was opened and anda a small shocked voice said Oh I how you startled me I I saw the light and I supposed o of course it was colonel Where Is he Smith pushed the papers aside and looked up scowling lIe He was here a minute ago with Stillings Said hed he'd be back Youve You've come to take him home She nodded and came to sit in a chair at the end desk-end saying Dont let me interrupt you please Ill I'll be quiet I dont don't mean to let anything interrupt interrupt interrupt inter inter- rupt me until I have finished what I have undertaken to do Im I'm past all that now I have heard about what you did last night About the newspaper fracas You dont don't approve of anything like that of ot course Neither did I once But there Is no middle way You know what the animal tamers tell us about the beasts Ive I've had my taste o of blood There are a n good many men in this world who need killing Crawford Stanton Is one o of them and Im I'm not sure that Mr David Kinzie Kinzle isn't an an- other I cant can't hear what you say when you talk like that she objected lookIng looking looking look- look Ing past him with the gray eyes veiled Do you want me to He lle down and let them put the steam roller over me he be demanded Irritably Is that your ideal of the perfect man What I said and what I meant had nothing at nt all aU to do with Timan- Timan High Line and its fight for life Ufe she said calmly recalling the wandering wander wander- wandering ing gaze and letting him see her eyes I was thinking altogether of one mans man's attitude toward his world That was some time ago he put in soberly Ive gone a long way since then Corona 1 I r know you have Why doesn't daddy come back Hell come soon enough Youre You're not 1101 afraid to be here alone with me oJ are you I No uNo but anybody might be afraid of the man you are going to be I His laugh was as mirthless as the creaking of a n rusty hinge You needn't put it in the future tense I have already broken with whatever traditions there were left to break with Last night I threatened to kill Allen and perhaps I should have done it if he hadn't begged like i Ia a a. a dog and dragged his wife and chIldren children children chil chIl- dren into It it itI itI I know she acquiesced and again she was looking past him 1 And that isn't all Yesterday KInzl Kinzie Kinzie Kin- Kin zie set a trap for me and bated it with one of his clerks For a little while it seemed as if the only way to spring the trap was for me to go after the clerk and put a bullet through him It wasn't necessary as asit asit asit it it turned out but If it had been been been- Oh you couldn't I 1 she broke in quickly I cant can't believe that of you I You think I couldn't Let me tell you of ot a n thing that I have haye done Night before last Verda er had a n wire from a young fellow who wants to marry her He had found out that she was here in Brewster and amI the wire was to tell her that he was coming in that night on the delayed delayed delayed de de- de- de Flyer She asked me to meet him and tell him she had gone to bed He Is a miserable little wretch a sort of sham reprobate and she has never cared for him except to keep him dangling dangling dan dan- gling around with a lot of others I t told ld her I wouldn't meet him and she knew very well that I couldn't meet him him and and stay out of jail lire Are re you listening Im trying to It uIt was the pinch and I wasn't big enough enough in in your sense of the word word word-to to meet it I saw what would happen If Tucker came here Stanton would pounce upon him at once and with a drink or two under his belt would tell all he knew I fought it all out while I was waiting for the train It was effacement or orthe orthe orthe the end of the world for tor me and for tor High nigh Line Dexter Baldwins Baldwin's daughter was not of those who shriek and faint at the thee e apparition of ot horror But the gray grayeyes grayeyes eyes were dilating and her breath was coming In little gasps when she said U I cant can't believe it 1 You are not goIng going go go- ing to tell me that you met this man manas manas manas as a n friend and then then then-It i No i It didn't quite come to a martier murder mur- mur tier der er in cold blood though I thought it Ight I had Maxwells Maxwell's runabout and andI andt I t luco it He thought I was doing to drive him to the hotel After Vo We o got sot out nit o of town he grew suspicious and there was a struggle in the auto I I-I I I had to beat him over the head hend to tomake tomake tomake make him keep quiet I thought for forthe forthe forthe the moment that I had killed him and andI I knew then just how far I had bad gone on the road Ive I've been traveling ever since a certain night in the middle of last May The proof was in the way I felt I wasn't either sorry or horror- horror stricken I was merely relieved to think that he ho wouldn't trouble me or clutter dutter up the world with his worthless worthless worthless worth worth- less presence any longer But that wasn't your your real self i 1 she expostulated d. d What was it then I x dont don't know know know-I I only know that It II wasn't you But tell me did he die No What have you done with him holm Do you know the old oId abandoned Wire-Silver Wire mine at Little Butte I knew It before it was abandoned yes I ClI was out there one Sunday afternoon afternoon after after- afternoon noon with Starbuck The mine is bulk- bulk headed and locked but one of the keys keyson on my ring fitted the lock and Starbuck Starbuck Starbuck Star- Star buck and I went in and stumbled around for a while in the dark tun tun- nels I took there and locked him up Hes He's there now Alone in that horrible place place and and without food 7 Alone yes but I went out yesterday yesterday yesterday yester yester- day and put a n basket o of food where he could get It What aro arc you going to do with him I am going to leave him there until after I have put Stanton and Kinzie Kinzle and the other buccaneers safely out of business When that is done he can cnn cango cango go and Ill I'll go so too She had risen and at the summing- summing I up she turned from him and went aside to the one window to stand for a long minute gazing down into the electric electric- lighted street When she came back her lips were pressed together and she was vas very pale When I was in school our old psychology professor used to try to tell teU tellus tellus us about the the brute that lies les dormant inside of us and is kept down only by reason and the super super- man I never believed it was anything more than a spun fine-spun theory theory until until now But now I t know it is true He spread his hands I cant can't help It can cnn I X The man that you are now cant can't help it no But the man that you could be be It If b he would only come comeback comeback back back back- sho she stopped with a n little uncontrollable uncontrollable uncontrollable un un- controllable shudder and sat down gain again covering her face with her lands hands Im going to turn loose loose loose- after Im I'm through he vouchsafed She took her hands away awny and blazed up at him suddenly with her face tace aflame flame Yes after you are safe sate after theres there is s no longer any risk in it for you I That Is worse than i if you had killed worse him Im worse for you I mean Oh cant can't cantou you ou see Its It's the very depth of cowardly coward- coward ly y infamy 1 I He smiled sourly You think Im I'm Ima a coward They've been calling me everything else but that in the past few ew days You are a coward I 1 she flashed back ack You have proved it You aren't arent go out to Little Butte tonight and nd get that man and bring him to Brewster while there is Yet yet ret time for forIm him Im to do whatever it Is that yo you are afraid fraid he will do I IWas IWas Was it the quintessence o of feminine subtlety or only honest rage and indignation in- in that told her how to aim the ic piercing armor-piercing arrow God who lone alone alone knows the secret workings of the ic woman heart and brain can tell But the arrow sped true and found its its' mark Smith got up stiffly out of the toe bIg ig swing chair and stood glooming down own at her You think I did it for myself myself myself- just to save my myown own worthless hide i Hr I lay I I I IlA lA You Are a Coward She Flashed Back Ill I'll 11 show you show you all the things that hat you say are now impossible Did you bring the gray roadster She nodded briefly Your father Is coming back I hear henr the he elevator bell I Iam am going to take the car and I dont don't want to meet him Will you say what is needful She nodded again and he went out quickly It was only a few steps down the corridor to the elevator landing and the stair circled the caged elevator shaft to the ground floor Smith halted halted halted halt halt- ed in the darkened corner o of the stairway stairway stairway stair stair- way long enough to make sure that hat the colonel with and a woman woman wom wom- an nn In an nn automobile coat cont and veil veil veil-a a woman who figured for him In the passing glance glanco as Coronas Corona's mother mother- got of off at the office floor Then rhen he heran heran l ran down to the street level cranked t the he gray roadster end and sprang In to sen send the car rocketing westward I CHAPTER A Little Leaven The summer-night summer stars served only to make the darkness visible along the therond road rond down the river and across to the mining camp of ot Red Butte Smith twisted the gray roadster roadster roadster road road- ster sharply to the left out of the road and four miles from the turn shut off otT the power and got down to continue his journey journe afoot The mine workings were tunnel-driven tunnel In the mountainside mountainside mountainside mountain mountain- side and a crooked ore track led out outto outto outto to them Smith followed the ore track until he came to the entrance and to the tho lock of a small door framed inthe In Inthe inthe the he applied a key It was pitch dark beyond the door and the silence was like that of the grave Smith had brought a candle on his food-carrying food visit of the day be be- fore and groping in its hiding place just outside of the door he found and lighted it There was no sign of occupancy occupancy occupancy pancy save suitcase lying where it had been flung on the night of the assisted disappearance Smith stumbled forward into the black depths and the chill of the place laid hold upon him and shook him like the premonitory shiver of an nn approaching approaching approaching ap ap- ap- ap ague Insensibly he quIckened quickened quickened quick quIck- ened his pace until he was hastening blindly through a maze of ot tunnels and cross deeper and still stIn deeper into the tho bowels of the mountain ComIng Coming Com Corn ing tug suddenly at the last into the chamber chamber chamber cham cham- ber of the tho dripping water he found what he was searching for tor and again I the ague ngue chill shook him There were no apparent signs of life In the sodden muck-begrimed muck figure lying in a crumpled crumpled crumpled crum crum- pled heap among the water pools I l he called and then tIlen again Ignoring the unnerving inspiring awe-inspiring echoes ru rustling like flying bats in the cavernous I 1 IThe IThe The Tho sodden heap bestirred itself slowly and became a n man sitting up to blink helplessly at the light and supporting himself on one handIs handIs hand Is that you ou Monty said a voice tremulous and broken and then 1 can cnn see The light blinds we me Have you OU come to fl finish the job T TI I have come to take you out o of this to take you back with me me to Brewster Get up and come on 00 The victim o of Smiths Smith's ruthlessness I struggled stiffly to his feet Never I much more than a physical weakling and with his natural strength wasted by y a n life lIte o of dissipation the blow on the head with the pistol butt and the forty-eight forty hours of sharp hardship and privation had cut deeply into his scanty reserves Did Did did Verda send you to do it he IB queried No she doesn't know where yon yoh are She thinks you stopped over somewhere some some- where on your way west Come along it if f you want to go back with me stumbled away a step or of two and flattened himself against the cavern cavern cay cay- ern wall walk His eyes eyes were still stIn storing staring and his lips were drawn back to how his teeth Hold on a minute he Jerked out Youre oure not not not-not not going to wipe It all out as aa easy as that Youve You've taken my gun away from me but Ive I've got my two hands yet Stick that candle candlen in n a hole in Inthe the wall vall and look o out t for yo yourself Im I'm telling you right t now that hat one or Of the other othe- of us is going to o stay here here and and stay sJay dead I Dont be a fool tool I Smith broke inI inI inI in I didn't come here to scrap with you better better and and you'd better make a n Job of it while youre you're about it t shrieked the castaway lost now to o everything save the biting sens sense o of his wrongs Youve put it all nil over me me knocked knocked eq my chances chanc s with Verda and shut me up up here In this hole hellhole to go mad Ip mad dog dog d-dog crazy I If you let et me get out o of here alive Ill I'll pay you back if its it's the last thing I ever do loi I You'll go back to Lawrenceville with the bracelets on You'll You'll- You'll-It You'll red red- rage could cO go go no no farther gin in in mere words and h he fl flung ng himself In feeble fierceness upon Smith clutching and struggling and waking the echoes again with frantic meaningless maledictions Smith did not strike not strike back wrapping the he madman in a pinioning grip he held him helpless When it was over and had been released gasping and sobbing to stagger back against ho the tunnel wall Smith groped for the candle and fo found nd and it Tucker he said gently you are more of ot a man than I took you to be bea be- be a good bit more Now that youre you're giving gluing ing ng me a chance to say it 1 I can tell you that Verda doesn't figure figure fig fig- ure are In this at aft all Im I'm not going to marry her and she didn't come out here In the expectation o of finding me Then what does fig figure re in it was the he lipped dry query It was merely a n matter of seif self pres preservation pres- pres There are aro men in Brewster who would pay high for the information information tion you might give them about me You might have given me a hint and ind a n chance Monty Im I'm not all dog lI hats hat's all nil past and gone I didn't give you ou your chance but Im I'm going to o give It to you now Lets Let's go if go-if if youre you're fit to try It it Walt Wait a n minute If If you ou think because because because be be- cause you didn't pull your gun now and drop me and leave me to rot In Inthis inthis inthis this hole if you think that squares the deal deal deal- Im not making any conditions Smith Interposed There are a number number number num num- ber o of telegraph offic offices s in Brewster and for tor at nt least two days longer I Ishall Ishall Ishan shall shan always be within easy reach I anger flared up once more You think I wont won't do It You think Ill I'll be so glad to get to some someplace someplace place where they sell whisky that Ill I'll forget nil all about it and let you ou off Dont Don't you make any mistake Monty r Smith I You cant can't knock me inc on the head and lock me up as 1 if I were a u yellow yellow yellow yel yel- yel- yel low dog Ill I'll fir fix you I 1 Smith made no reply |