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Show f$ Lin Lee, :::; Chinese II Tramp By JOHN PALMER U14, WMlin Niwiiir UMoa.) T IN Bret appeared at the Sanford homestead ragged and thin and hungry and ' wild-looking. A Chinese tramp, something unheard-of In the annals an-nals of the West. He came up to the kitchen door and stood with hands crossed over his stomach. No one could mistake the meaning of that attitude. at-titude. "Give him a meal," commanded Mrs. Sanford of the Jap cook. Lin stayed. The Jap cook was leaving leav-ing and Lin took his place. He cooked to perfection. The Saufords found Lin Indispensable. Three months went by. Lin grew stout and complacent. Everybody trusted trust-ed lilm. The children loved him. Lin ouu, a treasure. i Sunford kept the money to pay his ' laborers In an Iron safe In his study. It was a good safe, and on Suturduys It held a great quantity of money. Mrs. Sanford had often been afraid. There were bad men In the hills, rustlers who, If they learned of It, would not hesitate hesi-tate to try to get tha contents. Sanford San-ford laughed at har. Be had his shotgun shot-gun and he wasn't afraid of bad men. He took Mrs. Sanford and the chll-' dren out to see the new Irrigation ditcb one Saturday morning. When they returned re-turned the safe stood wlds open, picked by an expert. The money two thousand thou-sand dollars and a little more was gone. So was Lin. So was Sanford's favorite horse. There was a telephone on the ranch. Within an hour the sheriff and a posse had foregathered, ready to ride down the thief. Predatory Chinamen must ho mad a an ex h mulct of. But who would hare thought it of Lin? Mrs. Sanford and the children cried. They watched the posse, headed by Sunford, ride off. "Don't hurt hlml" Mrs. Sanford begged her husband. Sanford's Hps were set grimly. Be was a man who was slow to give his trust. He had given It to Lin and It had been betrayed. He was not feeling merciful. ' The trail led toward the hills, Into a barren district. Lin was a fool to have taken that route, the sheriff agreed with Sanford. They would trap him at the water-hole If they rode fast They did not spare their horses. The water-hole cam into sight. San ford uttered a shout The horse that Lin had stolen was browsing on the scant herbage. And there, at the water-hole, apparently drinking, was Lin. Sanford deliberately aimed and fired. It was half a mile away, there was little lit-tle chance of bitting Lin. They galloped gal-loped furiously forward. Lin arose at three hundred yards tyiey could dl tlngulsh him easily la the thin at mosphere. Apparently he had been hit; he came stumbling forward, hit palms outstretched. Sanford, boiling with chagrin,, was about to Ore again, but the sheriff struck up his rifle. "We'll aim to take him alive," he said. Lin collapsed upon the ground at Sanford's feet. He was shot through the body. He was upon the point of death. lie turned his eyes appealing-ly appealing-ly upon his master's. "You yellow thief 1" shouted Sanford, San-ford, trying to fight down the feeling of pity that rose up In him. "No thief!" said Lin and died. They looked at one another, they looked at the body. The sheriff ottered ot-tered an exclamation. "There's three bullet holes In him!" he said. It was true three bullets had passed through the Chinaman's body, each one of whl'-h would In Itsell have Droved mortal "Who the t" the sheriff began. One of the posse, wtio had ridden on ahead, came galloping back. "Come hysrl Come hyarl" he shouted. They spurred their horses. As they neared the water-hole they saw another an-other form crouched down. It was that of a Mexican. He was qaite dead, with the top of tils head blown off. There were signs of a desperate struggle around the water-hole. The bills that had been taken from Sanford's San-ford's safe lay scattered everywhere. "He follered him, I reckon," said the sheriff, swallowing hard. Sanford made no reply. He was thinking of the day Lin had come up to the ranrti house door, and be bad taken him in. |
