The Argosy, Vol. 75, No. 4 — page 97: what you’re looking at

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

MESQUITE RANCH. Ted saw Miss Thorpe standing in the door, more armed than gowned. Her keen eyes said to Mr. Gill: “ Now we've got you!” She was not espe- cially inclined to be considerate; the way he had tried to get the use of the spring at half-price rankled in her. Natalie turned as the lamp shed its light and looked at Radford with an anxiety that he saw plainly. It made him happier than he had been for days. “ Now, Gill, what’s it all about?” he asked. “Aw! I reckon ye know the claim ye’ve got on the Cochinino!” Gill ex- claimed crossly. “TI know you came to rob me of it if I have got it. But I haven’t! What’s this Cochinino—” Gill struck in as if he wanted the business of which he had made a bungle over. “Al Watson thought Nick Bullen—” Radford sat up in bed. Natalie and Miss Thorpe drew nearer. “Mr. Gill, V'll be obliged to you if you'll explain who this Nick Bullen is. I’ve had enough trouble about him to make me curious.” Gill looked uneasily about the big room. Natalie lifted the gun she held. Radford gripped the barrel still in his hands. “Bullen an’ Watson an’ Frenchy owned the Cochinino Mine together. It wuz to belong to the other two ef one died ur to any one uv the three ef the other two died. They thought ’twas goin’ to be a winner. They worked it a while an’ it went back on ’em. Bullen soaked some feller back Fast with his share. Watson found out an’ thought he’d go him one better, so he traded this hyah rock-pile to Frenchy fur his share, an’ was a goin’ to sell it all to some other sucker.” “Where do you come in?” Ted asked suddenly. “ Jes’ whar the ten thousand plunks wuz that I was goin’ to git ef I froze to that paper you've got,’ Gill an- swered grimly. “Tf the mine’s no good, what’s the 799 hurry about a deed to it?”’ Ted ques- tioned. “Search me?” Gill answered lacon- ically. “Where’s this Al Watson?” Ted asked. ‘ Ain’t heerd uv him fur years,” was the reply. “You don’t seem much stuck on this robbing business, Mr. Gill,’ Radford observed. “TI ain't. Ef it wasn’t the money, an’ Nick Bullen a askin’ it—” “Mr. Gill, you’re lying. Nick Bul- len is dead!” Alice Thorpe exclaimed, her anger at Gill’s effort to cheat Na- talie rising to join the belief that he was making the kind of a story which he thought would get him clear of the predicament in which he had _ placed himself. “Say, Gill, were you to get ten thousand dollars for this hold-up?” Ted asked suddenly, apparently disre- garding what Miss Thorpe had said. és Yep.” Radford turned toward women. “Bullen promised him all he had! There was ten thousand in that belt! It was because he thought I had this deed that he came to the house. By Jove! it’s a queer mix-up!” he ex- claimed. “When did you make this plan with Mr. Bullen?” Alice asked, while Na- talie shook with the alternating chill of hope and the old fear. It seemed almost as if this were the explanation of Bullen’s strange pres- ence in the Radford house. It might be that events would prove Ted guilt- less of his death. Hope leaped and sank as she listened. “T got his wire on the tenth of this month.” All three of his listeners started, Alice and Natalie with the most marked surprise, Ted because he saw them so moved. Then Alice Thorpe approached Gill like the incarnate spirit of punishment. “T knew you couldn’t tell the truth. the two EORNICGLOOKS co