Adventure, August 1917 — page 152: what you’re looking at

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

150 McGovern and Blaine blinked sleepily at the face in the doorway. ““Safe,’’ cried Rookie. ‘‘What safe?” ‘“‘Why, the safe down to the store. We brung it up in a polin’ boat to keep the cash in. An’ not only that—when the money begun to be stole out of the tents, most of the boys brung their cash over to be locked up, too. There was clost to sixty thousan’ dollars in that safe—an’ every cent of it gone!”’ As the man talked, the three officers climbed hastily into their clothing, and a moment later followed Hodson to the can- vas store, at the lower end of the gulch. “Why didn’t you tell us you had a lot of cash in your safe?” growled McGovern. ‘“We didn’t even know there was such a thing as a safe in camp.” “T don’t know,”’ whined Hodson. ‘“‘Never thought of it. Never expected no one to blow a safe up here, nohow.” Inside the store a group of excited miners had collected about the rifled safe. “The fellows that did that knew their business,”’ said McGovern, after a thorough examination of the wrecked strong-box. “They did it in the early part of the night too—for they left no trail.”’ As the news of the daring robbery spread over the camp, other men flocked to the tent, and ugly mutterings ran through the crowd. Some one produced a rope and a determined group edged toward the door- way. McGovern turned suddenly upon them. “Cut out that talk,” he said sharply. ‘“We’re here to handle this case. We know who blew the safe. We know they headed for the line, an’ we’ll get ’em too, an’ they’ll get what’s comin’ to ’em. But, they’ll get it accordin’ to law, an’ not by verdict of no miners’ meetin’—an’ that goes! Here you sand hog—drop that rope!” For a moment the crowd seemed to hesi- tate. Rookie, from his place at McGov- ern’s side allowed his eyes to travel over the faces of the men. And he noted with satis- faction that the sourdoughs, were on the side of the police. “Come on boys,” cried the youngster. **Jim’s right, and you know it. This is our job. It’s what we’re paid for.” Somewhere in the crowd a man laughed. “Kid’s right,’’ exclaimed a deep voice. “‘He’s there. The Mounted can han- dle ’em.”’ Adventure the three officers fastened on their snow- shoes, and with several days’ pro- visions in their packs, struck into the timber. ‘“‘Seein’ as it’s quit snowin’,”’ observed the sergeant, “‘we’ll hit west about ten or fifteen mile an’ split up and hike north an’ south. It’s a cinch they hit for the line, an’ it’s a cinch they couldn’t of covered more than ten or fifteen mile in the night. After that, the trail will be plain enough for a blind man to follow.” For two hours the three pushed steadily westward on the long lift of the divide. Suddenly, McGovern, who was in the lead, stopped abruptly and stared at a curious depression in the surface of the deep snow. ‘‘What do you make of it, kid?”’ he asked, as Rookie Adair and Corporal Blaine halted beside him. Rookie scrutinized the shallow trough, whose unbroken surface was only slightly lower than the surface of the sur- rounding snow. _ ‘‘Snow-shoe trail,’’ he answered, why is it heading north? it run along the side of the ridge?”’ The sergeant grinned. “‘Can’t you guess the answer?” he asked. Suddenly, Rookie straightened up. “It’s Bad Jack,” he cried, ‘‘and he’s lost.” McGovern nodded. “That’s right, son,’”’ he answered, “he’s only be’n in the country six months. Prob’ly never had a pair of rackets on be- fore. You see, his pals had that all figured out. They knew he couldn’t keep up with ’em. Figured he’d blunder round all night and half the next day before he petered out. An’ they figured we’d waste enough time followin’ his trail to let ’°em over the divide. “You see they got it in their heads that onct they cross the line they’re safe, as far as the Mounted is concerned. An’ when we come onto ’em they’ll put up a big yell about their rights. But, shucks. Inspec- tor Constantine followed a fellow for six months, nabbed him down in Mexico, an’ brung him back by way of Halifax. As for us wastin’ time on this trail, they got an- other guess comin.’ “One of us has got to hunt up this Bad Jack party, though, before he gets bushed an’ froze or kills his fool self. An’ the others keeps on after the gang.” The sergeant paused and gazed specula- tively at his two subordinates. 33 “but Comicaook And why does (© 5}