Show h rd e M man an from P akom yon londel by HAROLD TITUS service copyright 1828 1028 1934 harold titus ii A 0 CHAPTER ill III continued C ave course donny he acquiesced ave are course come hack back when yere tere finished he went downstairs rubbers thump ing on the treads but ile he stood at the bottom a long interval shaking ills his head in misgiving and muttering to himself then he turned about and crept back as softly as a cat on the upper landing binding he seated himself leaning against the thin partition of mattied boards which separated him from the sick man A halt half hour perhaps birdeye bird eye sat there growing cramped and chilly in the draughty hallway hall wily then he leaped to his feet with a little cry from within had come a long retelling retching gasp a sharp creak of bed springs a thud on the floor blaine burst into the room the catalogue was beside the bed old don lay half doubled forward face in the blankets one limp hand swaying slightly as it dangled over the edge donnal donny by bly u up P he raised the limp figure laid it back stared hard bard at the face which now seemed so peaceful and then ran excitedly down the stairway in frenzied search of joe in the room was confusion after doctor sweet answered the hasty summons the doctor felt vainly for a pulse touched the shrunken breast ot of the old cruiser and then turned away with a significant shake of his bead the usual things were said and then birdeye bird eye and the physician were alone tn in the room the little Irish mans eyes brimmed with tears but behind these was an intent look as of one who aho impatiently awaits opportunity to pursue a specific purpose and when the others trooped down the stairway he closed the door and returned hastily to the bedside sure nd ind where Is ut he asked beneath his breath riffling flirting the leaves of the bulky catalogue shaking folds out of the rumpled blankets what are you after bird eye the doctor asked ahl ah I 1 here ut bel on his hands and knees peering beneath the bed he uttered that ejaculation and reaching far under rose to his knees with a sealed envelope in his hands across the face was a scrawl written with an indelible pencil blaine scowled as he tried to make out the words got to 0 o his feet and moved across the room to hold the envelope en eni elope closer to the light doctor sweet bent over it beside him den ben elliott El llott the latter read aloud open this when the nut gets too hard to crack the doctor scratched his mustache he turned his face ace to meet bird eyes startled gaze its so methin doctor he dare die with on his Som erbin he was fearful to tell it if he lived as well I 1 something So methin his hand holding the letter trembled sharply doctor sure rid nd its so methin about th devil himself I 1 brandon none otherl other emory sweet straightened and gave along a long drawn humm hum m in brandon for sure bird eye whispered hoarsely brandon kept donny out av tincup fer years want it ltv brandon tuk him when he was th booze years back nd ind made a slave av him he didt its brandon chos ben comin here ivery night not bolke you or id come but bolke a gastner III d come to watch a slave I 1 a slave he was a seared scared to have around I 1 I 1 why was a rich man bolke nick brandon afraid av in n bowld burn bum like donny be demanded shaking the letter almost accusingly close in the others face who was it t with fasson when he be died who was it t put fax sons murder on me manus lie he gesticulated gravely toward the bed ulm HIM him nick brandona Bran dons slave w who ho was a man who wint to hell bell with booze chos truckled truc kled to brandon evir since until his big pore heart broke 1 by george birdeye bird eye it does look as though it might the doctor did not finish what he had bad started to say instead he remarked intently id give a good deal to know just aiila in ILI that letter let terl be takla it myself to ben elliott this nig night lit aw nd ind wont mesther listher brandon squirm th by starts in cr crack ackin ln till th tough nut nd its th justice av the saints no le less SS that brandon brings elliott to ables in a foight over bowld donny they went down the stairway together after closing the door softly behind them birdeye bird eye muttering imprecations on the head of nicholas brandon and even as doctor sweet erner ged from the dark mouth of the narrow stairway the front door opened and brandon himself entered the hotel stamping new snow from his bis feet others were there ilette the drum mer the mill hands two or three more but brandona Bran dons attention cen only on the physician well doctor doctora Doc torr he began and it stewed seemed as though its his lungs lunga were ton to filled alth clr lr to speak comfortably hows out oui patient indent this illis evening emory sweet looked grimly into the others face old pon don has taken the long iong trail he salil sab dead I 1 dead I 1 brandona Uran Bran dons voice on the query pinched up a bit and on the repetition of the word it fell hollowly jtb a finality might have indicated sorrow dismay or amazement nut bur none of these three was reflected in his face in ills lark dark eyes was just one expression relief relief re he lief from suspense from worry relief from dark and haunting fearl fear you dont bayl say I 1 so the old fellows gone ills his voice was even now colorless assured as was normal well it was to be expected I 1 suppose were YO you u with him doctor yio no he died alone brandon drew a breath as one will who has asked an important question and rec elied a pleasing or reassuring annii er talking have helped a man in his condition he ile he visit with anyone did lie A queer hesitancy crept into his manner on tills this ns as though he shrank from knowing the reply arid and doctor sweet turned to birdeye bird eye blaine inquiringly quirin gly ly but birdeye bird eye did not look at the doctor ue he was staring at brandon and as that individuals gaze following the Juc tors encountered his bis the Irish mans lips into a bitter smile so yere after won wonder derin ln what pore bowld donny said on his deathbed are ye he demanded and with this challenge stepped down from the stairway and crossed the floor slowly toward brandon so yere worry wor ryla ln now over abut he ve said en eb he laughed a dry and mirthless laugh aud and came to a halt a pace from the man ni n ano was so BO powerful in tincup worrying brandon countered steadily youre either drunk or crazy blaine III 1 bebby I 1 with a sharp nod meb be both but old donny want I 1 he do meisther brandon rid eid yer av that worry sure nd ind he be talk to a soul ay ar what was wag on his bis moland he knowel he be lay adyln I 1 no talk I 1 no talk fer er somebody to rebate nd ind git gir twisted up nd ind lave out things chuld ve ben told he wrote ut I 1 w but he done brandon I 1 voice mounting he wrote ut I 1 nd he be wrote ut torone tor one make ut so hot that yell wish ye was sizzling lin in hell 1 with a sweeping gesture he thrust the envelope close to Bran brendona dons face so close that the man jerked his head backward sharply he wrote birdeye bird eye cried triumphantly ump antly bantly 11 nd may th saints speed th day elliott puts to use th thing bowld donny had to tell grimly he be poised an instant before the larger man then lie he thrust the letter into his shirt pocket buttoned his jacket tightly across it slapped shipped his bis chest decisively almost boastfully and without another word strode to the door and let himself out into the street it was late when birdeye bird eye stepped into the darkness of the tiny office where ben elliott slept at hoot owl struck a match lifted it high above his head and spoke HI hll I 1 mesther elleott I 1 ben roused himself and squinted at the flickering match git apt up I 1 rouse apt I 1 got big news fer ye yel I 1 they lighted a lantern and by its glow ben read the inscription on the letter which don stuart had left him as birdeye bird eye hastily and excitedly explained pla ined theres so methin in ut donned carried fer langl he whispered hoarsely ats to do with brandon with fight lo fire with tire or im th tb worst guesser in th woods 1 poor old beg beggar garl ben said gently peorl him stuart I 1 meant tough to die that way and I 1 never got in to see him again III 1 birdeye bird eye nodded yes tea but debby hes done ye as great a favor as army anny 11 man all evil donel done I 1 thes so methin to la ut about san sam facson nd ind mcmanus id bet me last shirt eed den shrugged and turned the envelope over then lie he rose yawned dawned and slipped it into the drafter adraner of the plain table that did service for an office desk aint se goin to read ut even birdeye bird eye cre demanded in extreme amazement why no you saw the directions to open olien it when hen the nut gets too hard to crack blaine opened his mouth words would not come well im dom he breathed finally here bebby yeve got th tb club thuell drolle him out uv th country nd ind ye aint even curious about elliott smiled maybe its a sick mans dream birdeye bird eye and n ngali aln maybe its an I 1 an nee in the holi hole ive never yet looked at my hole card until im beaten on the board im not beaten yet by a long walk birdeye bird eye scratched his head no not yet nd ind may th saints tape kape ye belr as far from a as ye are now den ben elliott elleott El llott 1 rut but id loike to bet my noble tourin car flint donny arote so methin to do with th killan av sam falson I 1 in would well yon cant ret get any takers here birdeye bird eye not tonight into the hay bay now and let me sleep and about the time ken ben elliott burrowed into hla his pillow and shed responsibility lity and perplexing problems nicholas brandon turned in the pacing of his cold and otherwise deserted office and cocked his bis head alertly it was not unusual for him to be late in his office lint but those drawn shades and this quick restless harried march to 0 o and fro around and about and that perspiration which beaded his fore s 11 at no A clear head newt bead and the sudden stop pings and listening listen ings s at the slightest s sound und I 1 those were not usual for a man so thoroughly established in his community that he dictated every phase of its life and activity he stopped after a time and opening a drawer of his big desk took from it a bottle of whisky shook himself and muttered softly for a time he held it in his hands debating then with finality muttered no I 1 A clear head bead newt ue he shut the liquor liquor in its place and resumed his pacing pacan nicholas brandon may have ru ruled ad tincup and the surrounding country with an iron absolutism ile he may have had a deserved reputation for being a strong man a resourceful man but tonight alone in his office remembering in 9 the words and too looks and gestures of birdeye bird eye blaine a lowly employee of an insolvent venture seeing again the flash of that letter waved before his eyes lie he was no commanding figure he was a frightened man a haunted man battling to retain a hold on himself CHAPTER IV ben elliott had been on the job at hoot owl just two weeks able aral tage was with him for the night ben was tireless it seemed since the beginning he had labored daytimes schemed until late at night and now he spent another hour with able trying as he said to make every dime look line a dollar now say I 1 H his Is face took on a curious smile as they the finally folded their heir papers 1 I had much time to think about anything but patching up this outfit and getting it to function but through it all one things kept bobbing up so often its got my curiosity on its hind logs legs who was mcmanus Mcl lanus what about sam facson whore where does the little girl youre gu guardian ardlan for corne come in little girl able said startled and then smiled why dawn ls Is r 1 I keep hearing about these men mcmanus and facson and how brandon Is trying to bent beat you down so he can cheat the orphan child how bow about it aill ables smile died out lie he shoved up ills his spectacles and rubbed his sleepy eyes we had much time tor for history have we id intended to give you the story of tills property but weve been so concerned with bank balances and paper due und and brea breakdowns 1 and such things that tha t I 1 just had time ill have to matte make a long story short SYNOPSIS pon pen elliott from Yon yonder dee arrives at the lumbering town of tincup with don stuart old very sick nan man whom ho he has befriended ile ho defeats bull du duval v a 1 klui king of the river and town bully in a log birling contest nicholas brand brandon 0 n the towns leading citizen resents stuarts presence trying to force him to leave towo town and elliott resenting the act knocks hini him down elliott to Is arrested lie ho finds a friend in judge able armitage the judge hires him to run the one lumber lumbar camp the hoot owl that brandon has not been able to grab this be belongs on 93 to dawn mcmanus daughter of Bran brandona dons old partner who has disappeared with I a murder charge hanging banging over his head brandon sends send his bis bully davat to beat up bo and beo ben him blin la in A net at fight and bew him out of camp lust just hit the high spots first nicholas brandon and penny denny Mc Alanus came into this country when they erent much more than boys they were the first hardwood hard operators in tills this country the pine had been skinned out but not many hardwood camps had at that time gotten tills this far from tile the centers of than things had some experience and a little money but they hit nt at the right time picked up a raft of timber for a song and started turning it into a fortune Mci lanus was married and had the daughter daug liter dawn brandun brandon never married just when they aliey were swinging nicely everything running smooth as butter 1101 anus is wire wife died ile he was as deeply in love as any man ive ever seen and it sent him completely to pot POL lie ile took to heavy drinking and got himself in a had bad way of the two denny was the more popular lie ile was friendly charitable had a heart as big as a camp stove and as soft as a sponge lied go the route for anybody why probably youve never even heard this when old don stuart rimmed the company it was mcmanus who stood in the way of prosecution don had cruised and bought a lot of stuff for them ile he always had been a drinker himself and on one spree got into some sort of mess mesa and crooked the company out of three or four hundred dollars enough anyhow to let himself la in for a long term in the penitentiary if pushed it brandon vi anted to prosecute all right but mcmanus stood up for don that was typical of the man friendly forgiving a real human buman being it if you understand but mac went to pieces himself ile he would be oft off on a header bender for weeks at a time and scarcely get over the shakes before hed start on another finally he got so bad that brandon sent him out to a hunting camp on the river with a fine old trapper named sam facson great old character sam brandon figured and it seemed reasonable that sam could keep mac away from booze you see lie he was there a week or so tapering olt off gradually seeing nobody but sam brandon was working away like a nailer bailer buying up a lot of stuff for himself probably figuring that if mcmanus SIc Manus straighten up hed operate on his 0 own w n hook book had this hoot owl stuff cincher cinched in his own name before he went bad well one night we were in the middle of a three day blizzard and sam facson soo stumbled into don stuarts shanty on the edge of town shot through the arm and frozen so badly that he died the next nest afternoon dons story voice slowing and a finger raising tor for emphasis was that facson told him mcmanus had gotten out of booze and turned ugly and that when he sani sam tried to prevent him from starting for 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