The Argosy, Vol. 84 No. 2 — page 132: what you’re looking at

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

314 THE “TI think he hates me for that more than anything,” said Derby. CHAPTER IX. AN yy ee Derby had told his story he sat for a few moments in silence, his head wearily thrown back upon the cushion. The blow upon his head must have been a glancing one, else it would have killed him; but it had left a throb- bing pain which still caused him intense suffering. Now that the excitement was wearing off, his nervous strength was lessening. INTERLUDE ON LOVE. Nancy watched him anxiously, fearful. lest in spite of his reassurances he should have suffered more serious injury than he realized. Derby stubbornly refused to go to bed, insisting that he would be all right in a short while. Gradually the pain in his head grew less and though he ached in every bone of his body he insisted that he felt better for talking with her than he should if he lay down. “By the way, Miss Gale,” he ques- tioned suddenly, “‘ how are we going -to arrange for the mailing of those letters to New York?” Nancy smiled a bit wanly. “Don’t you think, Gerard,” she said ~ softly, “that after what we have been through together, you might call me just Nancy? As for the letters, we have had to-day the one piece of good fortune that has come in a long time. Pedro, the half- breed, came into the camp while you were away. He was badly in need of money and looking for work. I told him that there was nothing for him; then I thought of the letters. I promised him two dollars if he would carry them to Independence and mail them there. I more than suspect that all of the mail from here that goes out on the stage from Esperanza is exam- ined by Symmonds.” | “ How will you know that Pedro really mailed them?” asked Derby. ARGOSY. ‘T gave him a note to the postmaster at Independence in which I asked him to give a receipt for the letters to Pedro.” “Clever girl!” exclaimed Gerard. He thrust his hand into the pocket of his coat in search of a match and felt there a slip of paper. During his wan- derings beneath the Esperanza he had picked it up and slipped it into his pocket. He drew forth the paper and looked at it with idle curiosity. | It was an envelope addressed to Drew R. Benedict in Regal. ‘Never heard of the gentleman,” he murmured. “Odd that it should have got into the Esperanza mine.” ‘ He suddenly noticed the stamping on the envelope. “ Registered. No. 19876.” The letter was postmarked: “ El] Paso, Dec..14.” He turned the envelope over in his hands, looking for the stamp of the post- office of arrival. There was no such mark. “Is your letter interesting?” queried Nancy. “Tt may be very,’ he answered. “Nancy, what was the date of the mail hold-up near Regal?” ‘“ December 17 or 18, I think. Why do you ask?” He showed her the envelope. “T found this in the Esperanza mine. That letter was registered, but was never received by the person to whom it is addressed.” : “How do you know?” “There is only one postmark on it. What better place could Symmonds and the Vampas have for hiding their booty than in the mine? I belleve that a search there would give the secret service the clue they have been groping for. If I am right we are saved.” ‘‘ Symmonds and his crowd would never dare bluff out a search. They are in too deep. No wonder they are not keen about having strangers enter the mine, to say nothing of the fact that they are stealing our ore.” Nancy nodded her head excitedly. “If when Pedro comes back we can COMMICOO® S (E@)