Show AN EVEN SCORE by CHARLES H BRENNAN A IN lifts the best man lit in uio the district voted halt half of the people of 0 ac too referring to gregory rhodes he Is a man thoroughly unjust and unscrupulous echoed john throop in its ills mind for though poor and troubled and wronged lie he never uttered a word al ud against any fellow being throop find reason to distrust despise arvie und and dislike gregory rhodes the latter had got him in his clutches through gil a loan of a few hundred do dollars once a victim was in the net of the old usurer lie he was lost the original debt had piled up tip until throop according to his despoiler des ands and the documents lie had been foolishly foolish enough to sign brought him to a stage where tile the farm lay under a a heavy debt it fivas over his manifold troubles that throop was reflecting mournfully when a brisk step sounded on the gravel walk alk and a young man of about twenty strode up tip to throop seated on the house steps the visitor had the air of a sturdy westerner a bronzed face and a fearless sive manner dont know me he questioned im no stranger look twice it cant be surely not mort alien ien I 1 youve hit it nodded the visitor im on my way back to the mines and took a sort of longing to see rii an old boss tell you mr throop ive had a hard rough life and you were the only man I 1 ever mixed with nith who nho take advantage of me in the old days I 1 mean for im now in a district where draw first and lynch law tactics rule the roost throop recalled the friendless lad to whom lie he had given a home for two years mort had been a troublesome mischievous lad but throop had been kind and patient with win him then gregory rhodes had dazzled mort and in ills his sneaking underhanded way had prevailed on him to leave his employer and come to tor for him Is that old living yet propounded mort referring to rhodes say ive often wondered how I 1 ever stood stood his lying and abuse ile he managed to beat me out of two tino months mont lis wages lie he half starved stared tile me lie he came near to making me a thief I 1 bolted finally glad to get awny away from a life that was worse orse than slavery casually chatting over old times led to throop informing mort of the condition of his bis affairs of how hard lie he w was as trying to realize on his desperate equity twice he had nearly secured a purchaser but rhodes had conspired to defeat the sale it if I 1 could get a couple of thousand dollars out of the wreck said throop 1 I could go to my married daughter she has me to pass my declining days with her but I 1 dont want to go empty fin nd ed why almost choute I mort you have allowed that scoundrel rhodes to swindle you out of homr you eyes lies hes done enough to deserve the penitentiary why dont you ly to lyv v him 1 I the money b to do that wish I 1 had said mort id stake you to my last dollar I 1 may be able to soon ive been east with a satchel of nuggets and ore slim samples ples and I 1 have interested a cap tell st who Is coining out to nay my mint mini next month I 1 say gay I 1 ive ve an idea I 1 will work up a wild western game on rhodes nodes It dont mention a word of nil m being here dont recognize me it you happen hap en across me dont any stra strange ge things you may see me do just isit tight and take the money that rhodes may offer aou ou I 1 dont that old robber will nill ic cognize me as his former working slave mort allen alien proceeded to the next village and took up tip quarters at its hotel the following evening tie he visited the throop farm and proceeded to plant here and there about it the contents of his sa satchel haichel ichel nuggets and ore samples the next day I 1 he e managed to get acquainted with the rhodes man of all work he 11 hintea at a chance tor for this dupe t to 0 make a lot of money and bound him film to secrecy ile he was to give liim him twenty five ble dollars for helping win him to find gold on the tin aop farm its there lie he whispered mysteriously to the creditor victim well get lanterns und and go over it at ril at that was done clone find and the eyes of the hired man bulged out as glittering bits of the pure metal and ore were brought to light mort paid him a certain sum suin for each particle lie he found talked big of the value of ills his marvelous find and wondering what the 0 owner tier of ahn land would sell this bonanza farm for I 1 what happened was just what mort I 1 tand had planned the hired man toli told his employer nud and intimated that the miner was wild to balse the money to jur pur chabe the farm no matten mattell what the cost it was pay up day cay for nil all its ills ing that upon which a gregory 4 eg 0 ry rhodes RI I 1 0 I 1 es placed three thou thousand sund dollars lit in the hands of throop for its his equity in the farm it was a dolorous one foal foi the mercenary sch schemer enier that hint upon which the gold crop gave out but by that time mile john lad had left acton for his new home and mort allen alien land drifted hack back to lucky gulch the latter never al allowed loed his conscience to trouble him blin about the transaction in ili hie lie rough community con where he be lived tile the salting sailing of a mine to pay off a a score of on it ight cheating was quite a deed of i merit and justice I 1 |