The Argosy, Vol. 75, No. 4 — page 98: what you’re looking at

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

800 Nick Bullen was—he died. on the morning of May 12—weeks ago!” Gill and Radford were both staring at her; but each wore a different ex- pression. Gill’s was scornful incre- dulity; Radford’s sheer wonder. “That’s the day I left New York!”’ Ted exclaimed, remembering that Na- talie had said they knew nothing of Bullen and finding out now that they had known of his death on the very day he left home. “T ain’t the liar in this hyah in- stance!’ was what GiJl said, pulling a yellow paper from his pocket and thrusting it in front of Radford. “Ten thousand for you if you get deed to Coch Mine from party named in wire last week,’ was what he read, and the naine, Nick Bullen, was signed. “So you’ve had your eye on me?” Ted exclaimed. The ranchman nodded. Alice Thorpe took the paper out_of Ted’s hands. She stared at the name as if her eyes were becoming unreliable. “ He’s dead! I know he’s dead!” she cried. “ This is some scheme that I don’t understand; but I know Nick Bullen is dead.” “T- know he ain't!” roughly. ‘Oh, M. Geell! do you surely know that?’ Natalie asked, coming toward the big ranchman with eyes full of pleading. It would mean that some awful mis- take had fastened a horrible doubt, a cruel suspicion on Radford. She scarcely breathed as she thought that the ranchman’s next words “might clear away what, to save her brave soul and warm heart, she could not believe. “Y’ve had two wires from him! I gtiess he ain’t a telegraphin’ from hell Gill asserted nur no place like that!” Gill an- swered. ‘T have letters from Dr. Stratton stating positively the time and the tanner of Nick Bullen’s death,’ Alice asserted. “From Midge Stratton? ’’ Ted ex- THE ARGOSY. claimed. ‘‘ He hasn’t said a word about it to me.” “T guess not! He thought you knew all you wanted to!” Alice flashed. Radford looked at the righteously indignant Miss Thorpe with eyes so completely uncomprehending that Na- talie took a step toward him impul- sively before her reason reproved her. “T don’t know a blessed thing about it. And I asked him especially in a letter.” Ted could not, of course, know aris what scorn his friend had read what seemed an effort to appear ignorant in order to divert suspicion. It had made the thought leap in Midge’s mind, to be urged by a responsive leap in his blood, that it was little short of crim- gnal to be one of the number who would deliver Bess to the keeping of a coward as well as a man guilty of worse misdoing. Midge had had his hours of misery. If he had felt sure of Ted’s being the actual criminal he would have taken a positive stand, and would have wrested the girl he loved from any such abom- inable union. But he had the intuition to see that Bess was her mother’s daughter in many ways; and he dared not, so long as she did not express a more positive rebellion against the prospective mar- riage, take any steps which would stir up the suspicion against Ted. It was too sérious a thing to be the one to blame for starting the question of a man’s guilt, especially when the crime was the awful one of murder. “ Say, Gill,” Ted exclaimed, sudden- ly coming out of the tangled strands of thoughts which were twisting him up hopelessly the more he tried to straighten them. ‘This deed you’re talking about must be something better than a claim on a good-for-nothing mine! A man wouldn’t offer you ten thousand dollars for it if—” Radford saw the sly look that spread over Gill’s face. He stopped and wait- ed for him to speak. EOPMICOOOKS (C@)