Adventure, August 3, 1919 — page 51: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

7 hn 24 ats 4 “T can’t git itl” soldered in!” na ; ee “Rip off the whole danged pipe!” snorted the boss. ‘‘Gimme that star!’ ~ Rasping sounds ensued outside, and then the bartender returned with a piece of pipe with a deputy sheriff’s star stuck tightly in the joint. Dolan grabbed it and thrust it into the hands of the scowling sheriff. “JT resign!” roared the boss. “I aim’t your danged deputy no more. Here’s my star!” The sheriff dashed the pipe to the polished floor. “That’s enough o’ that!” he snarled. ‘This ain't play!” He stopped and straight- ened and pointed a grim forefinger. “In the name of the State of California, I arrest ye for the murder of Elijah Hackett an’ for complic’ty in the murder of Ebenezer Finch!” “What makes you think I was connected with the Finch thing?” asked Dolan, almost purring. “Aw, you got a finger in everything up here. Don’t you think I git any infor- mation from anybody? Huh—better keep yourself under arrest. It'll save trouble!” The face of the boss was thunderous. “You arrest me?” he roared, clenching _ his mighty fist and advancing straight toward the backing sheriff despite the armed men behind him. ‘You arrest me, hey? Well, now you listen to me. You figgered I was gittin’ too close on your trail, so -you’d grab me before I done any damage, didn’t you? When you heard Finch was raided, you rode hell-bent for fear somebody might find out too much—didn’t you? Well, you're too slow! You and your gang is cooked, finished and done forever! You’re through!” ag VAN DORN, who had stood quietly : 3 watching the others, now came for- O83 ward. His attitude was offhand and conversational, as if there wasn’t a fire- arm or an excitable person in the room. “In the name of the United States Gov- ernment,’ he announced easily, showing a badge on his vest, ‘I hereby arrest the sheriff of this county for complicity in a wholesale plot to swindle homesteaders out of their lands!” A dozen rifles almost fell from paralyzed ae: A score of men stood as if the earth : opened beneath them. The petrified r se ity * 4 : : si = + c . 7 * : : ‘ - _ a ay 4I sheriff's jaw sagged and his eyes bulged with. amazement, while his face turned white. “What—what are you givin’ me?” he fenced. “You know what it is,’ said Van Dorn easily. “It's about the Thunder Mountain dam and the railroad. We might as well speak about it openly now. The bill has gone to Congress.”’ “ Rah!” yelled some one. Somebody else joined in and started a chorus of joyful profanity. The stricken deputies lowered their rifles and stared. They were regular deputies or political friends of the sheriff or adventurous citi- zens hastily sworn in for the anticipated trump-card raid. The latter class started for the door, milling into another group of the sheriff’s men who were standing over the threshold. “Hey!’ yelled Van Dorn suddenly. “Stop that man!” “Jim Black!” gasped Carlton. The man had been with the incon- spicuous group at the doorway all along, unobserved until now. He had started to disappear, but Van Dorn had been noting him from the first. The Government man strode forward. So did Carlton. Black saw he could not jam through the throng quickly enough; so he turned. His hand whipped to his side. A pistol flashed out and pointed straight at Van Dorn. _The men beside the latter jumped out of the line of fire, while those behind Jim Black also scattered. Dolan speeded behind his bar, but nobody noticed him. “Quit that! You're under arrest!’’ yelled the white-faced Government man to Black. ‘Put up that gun!” “Take me!”’ invited Black. He was smiling through slit eyes and crouching forward like a cat about to spring. _ The Government man was plucky enough, but the pistol-barrel was unwavering, and his round face began to give forth per- spiration. He decided to spar for time. “So this is where you’ve come to!” he remarked, trying to appear easy. “We've searched the whole United States for you, Joe Barton. A man doesn’ take a hundred thousand dollars from an Army transport without the Government keeping after him pretty fine. Pretty fine! Don’t you re- member me? The fellow who checked | your accounts in San Francisco before you — $