Show the mg whisper by jackson gregory copyright by charles scribner a sons service CHAPTER XI continued 20 at last brodle brodie returned and stood looking from gloria to gratton grafton one of you knows he said short ly IY 1 which one 1 I swear to god began gratton shut up I 1 then it its s you the little shiny blue eyes never so coldly evil drew her own frightened eyes fascinated and held them you know I 1 don t know I 1 all I 1 know dont don t lie ile to me mel I 1 it 11 do you no good lie ile lifted a hand and held it over her the enormous fingers apart and rigid III make you tell I 1 listen to me she managed to cry oot out I 1 don t know I 1 tell you but I 1 know where it might be in a place you would never think of looking III tell you if you will keep your hands off me I 1 ill III make a bargain with you III show you the place if there s gold there I 1 don dont t care what happens to it I 1 if f you 11 only agree to let me alone to let me go brod e laughed at her but benny cried out of course well let you go I 1 what do you suppose we want of you once we get our hands on it she can go brod e tell her so you big suie said brodie with a wide grin it ain aln t women we re after this trick it s something better I 1 I 1 I 1 am not sure what you 11 find whispered gloria I 1 only know that oh dear god I 1 hope you find all the gold in the world I 1 hastily she ran by brodle brodie toward the dark end of the cave then she stopped and tried to think how many paces had king said she came back to the fire thirty thirty five she began counting as she walked while they watched her wondering and fol lowing slowly after hr she found ce several veral boulders in her path but she had not gone far enough she kept tn thirty thirty two thirty three she he could hardly see about her she stumbled against a rock in her way try here she said already bro die and steve jarrold were at her side this rock see if it will move they thrust her roughly aside brodie set down his rifle laid his big hands on the boulder and as if it had weighed only ten pounds tossed I 1 it t out of the way he knelt feeling along the ground A sudden shout burst from him down here herel I 1 there theres s a big hole there s a dark cave underneath that s where it Is they brought fagots at the edge of the hole pey hastily built another fire they crown crowe d I 1 round peering down brodie set his legs over the opening called to the italian to grab it s rifle and keep an eye on gloria and grat fon ton and went down the others crowded about the hole waiting im patiently for him to go through and then began piling down after him gloria could see their figures dimly she heard tl U era em callan calling back and forth excitedly suddenly they they were silent then there were swift mutterings and then a great triumphant many voiced shout in gus ingles ingle s treasure cache they had at last come to gus ingles ingle s treasure and among other things to the skeleton of gus ingle himself sprawling here for sixty years in the dark over a great heap of gold CHAPTER XII swen brodle brodie whose will hid at all times directed was wigs now absolute die big and brutal and fearless drunken with gold he boord loomed e d above his companions driving them commanding them swearing violently that they would do what he told them to do or hea he dash their brains out were going down to the lower cave bald brodie everything we can pr pry y loose Is going down with us well pitch the loose chunks of gold over the cl el tl ff and we 11 stow em away son somewhere ew here else where ping jong if things br break eak some way we don dont t look 1001 for won t find em I 1 what s more we move r our camp from down the canyon th cave below steve jarrold you and tony are elected to that job and you d better get a move on bring up what grub a S left and the blankets and S stuff t u ff the rest of us will start in firing gold overboard and putting it somewhere more safe all that s loose now move movel I 1 come ahead you other fellows lou ion too gratton gritton we ain aln t for forgot go t 3 sou on you can help and so can you whirling on gloria worn wom an or no woman cougot hands and feeal t night pitch black had come when they had done V gloria scarcely able to stand from exhaustion her b bady dy bruised her hands and arms woun wounded led from many a jagged rock as she nad had gone back and firth carrying heavy loads went with Athe j the others into the lowest cave in which already he gold bad had been stowed away rhe he sank L J down wearily she closed her eyes rather than watch the men about their fire eating noisily drinking noisily from their bottles which steve and tony had brought from their other camp trying to remain unnoticed in the shadows was bratton brodie caught up a big piece of dried beef and gnawed at it like a dog its been a day days s work at that he said with a full mouth but we ain aln t done I 1 noticed how no man has said a word about how we split what we found there theres s five of us said benny quickly we split it five ways even like partners pard ners brodie brodle turned on him slowly still rending at his meat still clutching his rifle and holding it so that no man might forget that be he held it think so benny he said ponder bously being as ive I 1 ve worked on this lay a long time since I 1 let you others in on it since I 1 led you to it think that s the fair way to split it now suppose you listen to me you boys ain aint t mentioned a split because it was none of your say and you knew it say in n round numbers but there s ten times that that there s a million dol lars tucked away here I 1 get just half that that leaves halt half a million dont it five hundred thousand to split between four of you that s over a hundred thousand for every man jack lack of you and that s what I 1 call a fair split they growled in their throats at that but no man took it upon himself to speak out definitely though tl ti ey g glanced lanced sidewise amon among themselves benny who always had a thought of his own said quietly what are you doln about gratton hell ile 11 claim his share wont he and if you say him no hell he 11 shoot his face off wont he no said brodie heavily grat ton won t talk gratton grafton stole grub when grub stealing was the same as slitting a man s throat he s done that s what he Is I 1 with a swift ture his gun was at his shoulder A strangling cry broke from grat ton tons s agonized soul A hand wildly out thrown caught at glorias gloria s sleeve you there called brodie stand aside unless you youre re wanting yours tool gratton was pressing tight to gloria seeking futilely to get behind her lie ile began to articulate to beg to prom ise brodie fired A great reverberating roar filled the cavern gloria her brain gone suddenly numb felt the grip on her arm firm tighten convulsively then it relaxed slowly gratton was sinking s i king gloria put her hands over her eyes and screamed again and again her scream broke from her she tried to draw back bick to run but all her strength was gone she crumpled and settled down almost as gratton had done and so close to him that she brushed him with her knee inee she felt the body twitch she leaped to her feet and ran blindly screaming she struck against the rock wall and sank down again the wonder was that she did not swoon outright As it was her soul seemed to float dizzily out of her body and through an utter dark she thought that she was dying As though though across a vast distance she heard voices well it was the man who had done the shooting bis his voice truculent anybody got anything e to say say it quick if you have there was a silence then a shut shuf fling of feet then an answering voice thin and querulous it was benny he had it coming he said eagerly any judge would say so stole every bit of grub when stealing grub is the same as cutting a mans throat lust just like you said brod e he had it corn ing you done right you jarrold demanded brodie got anything to say iso no benny s right he ile had it corn com ing D n fool and you brail brall and you tony got anything t to say talk lively I 1 brail brall and tony like the others before them were quick to excuse bro dies die s act they spoke briefly and relapsed into silence then beginning tar far admy a and coming closer with the speed of an onrushing hurricane gloria heard heavy feet crunching in the dirt and gravel A hard hand gripped her shoulder jerking her to her feet you friend said brodie what have you got to say about it dont forget who she Is another voice was saying steve jarrold s remember what I 1 told you we got to think this out she came along with king brodie turned away from her his ills mood was not so soon for a woman see she keeps her mouth shut he said threateningly if she aln aint t go got t sense enough tor for that she aint got sense tense enough to go on living don t let her go that s all I 1 got to say about her right now she made an uncertain step toward the mouth of the cave one clear thought and only one formed in her mind As she had never longed for anything in her life she yearned for mark hing mark she screamed mark king kingl save me jarrold clapped a big dirty hand over her mouth she grew silent cow ering cring she beard heard a sound round of something dragging and could not hide her fascinated eyes thus she watched as its brodie gripped the slack of grat ton tons s coat shoulders and shoved the body out into the snow she even marked how the living man spat after the dead go to the coyotes he muttered they re your kind gloria knew that if she took a step tan old would clutch her again be so she stood very still brodle brodie came back and threw some wood on the fire and squatted down over the provisions seeming to be taking stock of them he brooded over the fire giving no sign of noticing her let me go she said to jarrold I 1 am sick I 1 id d die here please let me go jarrold shifted and looked to hie his companions benny shook his head there aln aint t no hurry he stated judicially where Is king asked brodle brodie I 1 I 1 don t know she answered speak ing with d 1 I oh foi for god gods s sake let me go I 1 wont say anything about what I 1 saw I 1 promise if you will only let me go I 1 they promise easy and break prom aises easier said jarrold benny came up and touched brodle brodie on the shoulder the squatting man started and scowled benny stooped and whispered brodle brodie got up heavily and together the two withdrew going further back in the cave they talked but gloria could not catch the words soon they gave over their whisper ing and came back to the fire where brail brall and the italian looked up at them sharply here was another guarded conference among the four brodle brodie made a last remark and laughed the others laughed after him and the tour four looked toward jarrold and gloria gloria was quick to see that brodle brodie had set his rifle away somewhere against the rock wall in the shadows only brail brall still clung to his gun if he should set it aside af it there should come a moment when she could slip to tl e cave eaves s mouth in the out side dark despite the deep snow she would at least have a chance to es cape from them its it s time we had a little talk said brodle brodie out of a short silence with out anybody s skirt listening in leave her back there further from the front door jarrold where she can t get an earful and where she can cant t make a getaway you come on over here a minute gloria made no resistance but sank down limply where jarrold left her and watched him as he slouched over to the fire A few times she heard them laugh she could distinguish bro die dies s throaty bull tone and benny a nervous cackle brail brall and the italian said little they were men to follow where other men led come here commanded brodle brodie she started he was calling to her heri I 1 she got up and moved forward slowly it was obey or be dragged to him gratton Grat tons s then kings king s then grat ton tons s again brodle brodie chuckled I 1 do don t care ar whose before gratton s th the e first time but whose after gratton grafton a the last time that s it I 1 who are you tor for bright eyes me or steve nol no I 1 she cried her hands at her breast no nol I 1 I 1 am not like that I 1 I 1 was not gratton s I 1 am I 1 am ILM mark kings rings wife so admitted brodle brodie good goodau hu well that cuts no ice it its 8 open and shut you d gone back to grat ton now come over here closer come over here and give us a kiss he jerked from his pocket a dull lump one of the smaller richer nug bug gets im no pl pincher ucher come across and give you a whole handful of gold I 1 his ills tone was playful but jarrold cut in less playfully leave her alone brodle brodie he ad she don dont t cotton to you and what s more whose gold Is it anyhow we sin aint t divided yet and she well if it she belongs to anybody shea mine so brodie s monosyllable was expressionless well I 1 was asking her and she ain t answered yet past as the girl girls s heart beat her thoughts sought to fly taster faster these men were brutes here she began and alas here she ended she had never known what brute meant she had called mark king that I 1 and now it if only mark king hing could hear her call could come to her but that was less thought than prayer in a mo ment she would feel upon her either elther the hands of brodle brodie or the hands of of jarrold there was but one thing left to do but one part to play oh G d it if she could play the part I 1 she struggled mightily for a calm utter ance and in the end she said in a tone which she managed to make male full of challenge which of you is the better man they stared at her all of them aled by her change of attitude as by her words then brodle brodie with a noisy explosion of laughter smote his thigh the better mant man I 1 he shouted hear her steve old horse the bet ter man I 1 he ile lunged to his feet ill go you steve the lady ladys a right she goes to the man who s man enough t to 0 get her that s big swen brodle brodie the best man in these mountains mountain st 1 ill go you for her steve by G d she shea 1 worth it too but steve jarrold sat where he was ww glaring I 1 she s sly he grunted cursing before and after cant you see what S ashes he s up to she wants us to fight 0 one n e another she d be glad if we both killed one another tou you don dont t under stand women brodie they re sly like cats brodle brodie extended his great hands the fingers crooked curving slowly inward like ille steel hooks I 1 I 1 can eat you alive and you know it steve he mocked I 1 what a more she knows it I 1 that a what she wants r ashes he S p picked I 1 aked me S steve tevel 1 that S j just u st her way of letting you down easy she dont aim to hurt your feelings will you come on and take a fall for her or is the lady mine what a the tha word speak up mant man TO RIA CONTINUED bJ 1 |