Newspapers / The Elkin Tribune (Elkin, … / March 21, 1940, edition 1 / Page 6
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6F DESTINY % I L6UISC PROJ6ST CHAPTER XII "Oh no, it couldn't! It brought a dry sob from her. Her idolized father. And Lee! She knew it could not be true—but Stanley had been so horribly sure. "Virginia, before I.go, I want you to know that I never meant to take any part of the Circle V —not as things stand. I've only held the deed this long because I felt sure there was something be hind all this business, and that you were being cheated some how." He stopped abruptly. "Goodbye. I'm off." He held out his hand. Virginia took it, trying hard to act natur ally in a situation horribly strain ed. A new alarm touched with chilly fingers. "But you—you're coming back, aren't you?" "I don't know. I think the whole story is a poisonous lie, just an exceptionally dirty brand of the stuff that could be handed out by a paid informer with a grudge. But that's got to be proved, and I'm going away to do it. If I can't, you won't see me again. But if I can—" He gripped her fingers sudden ly. Hope and despair fought in a moment of numbing pressure. Then she felt a light, quick touch on her hair, and Lee was gone. Lee rode first to Joey's cabin. Joey had known Matt for years, and Matt had loved and trusted the irascible, loyal old man. Joey listened, at first with excitement over the matter of the deed, and then with stupefied amazement. "Why—why, Lee!" he stutter ed, and then broke into a fury of denunciation. "It's a lie! I told ye he was no good! I Snowed he was layin' for ye!" "Yes, Joey, but that won't help me prove it isn't true." Joey's fury died. "I know, Lee," he said shakenly. "Jes' be lievin' things ain't proof, is it? An' I can't help ye v I just came back from a trip one time an' found ye here. He was kinda close-mouthed about ye. Matt was." * Every line of the old man's fig ure sagged under this new calam ity. "Oh, well, never mind, Joey. I'll run it down." "Where ye goin', Lee?" "I'm going to find that Mexi can village if I have to work my way from one end of the border to the other. But first I want to locate Lawler and Slanty Gano. Goodbye, Joey Take care of Vir ginia." * • * In the shelter of a distant thicket Slanty Gano, keeping watch over the Valley of the Sun, Treat Your Lawn With TOBACCO STEMS PHONE 117 F. A. BRENDLE & SON Elkin, N. C. . Bigelow TAILOR-MADE RUGS You All Three— Gowect Gowieet jay color Govtect Wide range of partem* and colors at ready-made prices. See them tomorrow. EAGLE FURNITURE CO. EHclii, N. C. saw a distant figure ride away from the ranch house. It disap peared presently in the mouth of Joey's ravine, came out again later and rode on. That was Lee Hollister, heading toward Turkey Gulch. Slanty crept out from his hid ing place and dodged cautiously back to the hollow where his horse was picketed. Lee rode on, unaware of that stealthy movement. Somewhere above him the crack of a rifle came. His head jerked toward the sound, and down again. He swayed slowly, groping with his hands, and then toppled and slid down. Minutes passed. There was no further sound of movement, no sign of life but Lee Hollister's pa tient horse standing by a sprawl ing, inert body. Slanty waited a little longer, assured himself that his horse was well screened from observa tion, hid his rifle in a thicket and went cautiously down to where his victim lay. Slanty bent down and jerked the fallen man over on his back and felt for a sign of life. It was there, a faint, tired stir. "Hard to kill, ain't ye? Well, I'm fixin' ye this time.' Le's see what's on ye, first." Something crisp and crackling answered Slanty's marauding paw. There were two letters from Matt Blair —he scowled suspi ciously at these —a snapshot of Virginia—he snickered coarsely— and a legal looking paper. A deed. Slanty's eyes bulged. "I'll make Bradish pay high for this." He started to put the deed in his pocket and caught sight of something on the folded paper. It was the smeared imprint of a bloody thumb. Slanty scowled and glared at his hand. His irri tation at this mishap made him that much rougher as he dragged the unconscious man upward and heaved him over the saddle of the waiting horse. Midway of the gulch he turned, gliding like a snake, and led Brimstone up toward a ragged black hole, the mouth of Matt Blair's Bonanza min«. In forty-five seconds there was no sign of Slanty Gano or Lee Hollister, and a riderless horse, with the sting of a lash on his flanks, was trotting swiftly down Turkey Gulch. Inside the tunnel, Slanty jerk ed the limp body over his shoul der and headed deeper into the mine. Some distance in, where the way way seemed entirely blocked, he dropped his burden, picked a crowbar from a shelf lost in the darkness near the roof, and pried several tumbled rocks aside. With a grunt of satisfac tion he picked up the wounded man again an\ carried him through the opening, dropping him once more, like a sack of meal. 'He struck a match and held it close to the pallid face. Slanty settled back on his heels, taunt ingly conversational. "Yo're right alongside of Matt Blair's precious samples, the ones that never got to the Assay Of fice at all. Didn't think Slanty Gano'd be smart enough to Switch 'em, did ye? There's goin' to be one more cave-in at the old Bo nanza, an' yo're goin' to be un der it, or back of it, or there abouts. When yo're mined, ye'll be bones, an' it'll be old Bradish's job to explain ye." Slanty arose, chuckling deri sively. He seemed to have some convenient cache here, for he found a bit of candle, lit it, stuck it in the neck of a bottle and looked around approvingly. The stage was set for a blast which would send a mass of rock and rubble down to crush a helpless man or imprison him in slow tor ment until he died. Still Slanty lingered, licking hungry lips over the flavor of revenge. The wounded man's eyelids flickered and were still. Slanty caught the movement and bent over him with a grin. "Wakin' up, Lee? Ye—" The word jerked off in a smothered snarl. Quick hands leaped at his throat. Lee was struggling to his feet, panting and fighting. Slanty, caught un awares, gave way for a step or two. Then battering blows came, beating a wounded man at close range. A smashing blow landed in Lee's face, and he sagged and crumpled. Retreating steps, the clang of a crowbar, a grinding sound. Float ing somewhere in a rftm sea of weakness, Lee knew vaguely that Slanty had pried the big rocks back over the opening, shutting him in. Under his cheek was something lumpy and rough. His fingers groped over it. Rocks in burlap, gritty with earth! These must be Matt's samples, that had never reached their destination. Lee shoved them into his pocket, and with a dogged attempt at haste began to crawl away from the menace of the blast—farther and farther back into the old mine, dizzy from the loss of blood, with a'film before his eyes and a white-hot purpose in his brain. "Oh, God, let me live long enough for this!" Back of him there was a sput tering fuse. Outside there was quiet, dusk falling, a man run ning. The man dodged behind rocks and scrub, slipped into a fringe of Junipex* and crouched to listen. & came a moment later, the dull boom of a blast; THE BLKIN TRIBUNE, ELKIN, NORTH CAROLINA Life had to be faced. Virginia dragged herself back to the real* ization ot that, and went slowly toward the hall. Mrs. Archer, tearful and incoherent, came to ward her niece with outstretched hands. "Oh my dear, I've just heard!" "Please! I don't want to talk about it," Virginia said tensely. She went on, leaving Mrs. Archer indignant and perturbed, but she had yet to pais Stanley. He stood in her path, urgently plead ing. "Virginia, let me explain. I only did it to save you from a terrible mistake. You don't un derstand—" "I do. I understand more than you know and I think you are the foulest, most contemptible thing I have ever seen. Get out of my way!" Without another word Virginia went on to her father's old office and shut the door behind her. The quiet of the little room closed around her like a protect ing arm. It was easier to disbe lieve that hideous accusation in this place where her father's presence still lived, genial and kind. There was only one relief from the turmoil in her mind, and that was in work. Her father's pa pers, for instance. There was a closet full of them, and there might be something about Lee. She carried armfuls over to the desk. It was slow work. Some of it was poignant; much of it was dull, as old bills and papers must be. She sighed, sorting them briskly into better order. A pile of old check books caught her eye. She pulled them toward her, scanning dates with a sudden im pulse to check up the amounts that he had sent her during lean years when he had been so hard pressed. * "T. Ellison Archer $5,000." "Adele M. Archer $2,800" She reached for her pencil. When it was finished she look ed wearily down at a sordid little history, check after check made out to her aunt and uncle dur ing the years when she had lived in their home. With damning ac curacy they tallied with her rec ollection of various acts of gen erosity on their part—the coming out dance that they had given for her, the first trip to Europe, the second, the summer at Narragan sett, the time Aunt Adele had taken her to Palm Beach. Someone tapped at the door, I and her aunt came in. "Virginia dear, I am so dis- mm Big 6 cu. ft. (Genuine BSIIFRIGIDAIRE B tm mnr An all-lime value record! Quality-built ■— (1 tftry with many of the same features as in 1 LOWEST PRICE \ models costing up to SIOO more! f I H IN HISTORY \ Never before in Frigidaire history a value like this. II \\ It's the first time a big 6 cu. ft. size gnuitu Frigidaire jj n n i lf Ji 7C. \i thcsc eatures wa * paced *° i° w! a I 0 I I mf tJ II brand new model-complete with famous Meter-Miser v sUkfT "IffST sj| / 11 II II mechanism...l-PieceAll-SteelCabinet...AutomaticTray , JBHHI' ?j Li | I \\ 'HI II Release... and all the other important features listed. ||l \\ JL J J Come in-see this beautiful Frigidaire today. Check J/ many ac * vanta ß es ' r °ff ers y° u - It's hard to believe 1 1" Im 1 m P__, EASY TERMS S guarantee offer will remain in effect indefinitely. Play \ S * _ ' safe-buy now! Easy terms, if desired. I J | LOOK AT ALL THE FEATURES THIS SENSATIONAL LOW BUYS! I I J 4 ice cheaper than you can buy it • I' , \..... 1 y.;a!K.~, ■'■■■> l V 1 I Fll4 Refrigerant-Safeit refriger ■§., made Interior Light • Automatic | ' |M ~ —fir - J Defroster • Cold Storage fk ••■■• ill -; L y . ■ • Uaimatic Cold Control • 5 -Year FasMes Miter - MIMT Midi- 1-Pteca Ait-StMl CaUwt- MNMNC Tray Rtlsast ndl Protection Plan Against Service aaiss—Simplest refriger- No aeparate part* to Fwr let Trays-A finger'* Expense • Stainless Porcelain in ■ a ting mechanism ever warp or work loose. No touch releases hardest- c.ri„ ■ built Whisper-quiet.Un- insulation M leaks". No frozen ice trays. 7 lbs. Food Compart ent Sann-S ooth seen. Trouble-free. Cuts cracks or crevices to of ice—72 big Dulux Exterior • Built and Backed Model 9VS 6-3* current cost to the bone. catch dust or dirt. each freezing. by General Motors. HARRIS ELECTRIC COMPANY Phone 250 Elkin, N. C. . ' / tressed for you. I simply can't keep silent any longer. Of course you can't stay after this horrible scandal." "Why not? It's my home, and it's Lee's also if he wants to come." "But Virginia, you couldn't live here alone—with all these rough men! And you know our home is open to you, darling, just as it always has been." For answer Virginia pushed a sheet of paper toward her. It was closely written with figures and dates and names. "Not quite as it always was," she said in a bitter voice. "My father isn't here to pay these any more, without even being given the credit for his generosity . . Her aunt started to speak, stopped, hesitated, and then went hurriedly out of the door. Humil iation burned dully in her cheeks, and she stifled a sob. WHY suffer from Colds? For quick relief from Hfe HA cold symptoms ■■ ■■ ■ ■ take 666 W W W Liquid - Tablets - Salve Nose Drops TORNADO INSURANCE Is A Mighty Comfort ing Thing When Everything Is GONE WITH THE WIND! SEE US PAUL GWYN INSURANCE Phone 258 West Main St. N. C. Virginia did not appear at din ner, but sent her excuses by Ling. She did not even attempt to sleep that night. Moonlight came, bathing the valley in silver. The NUMBER ONE CAR IS THE NATION'S NUMBER ONE CAR —Chovrolot for"?94ol tho longest of I all lawttHKlctd cart! Big auhWa, In Value ...la Road Action with Economy ...In Sales! ' Wa ,n,k '*' bi " ,n v-I ** l 'I _ NEW EXCLUSIVE The TiattOtt looks to fuiiT General Motors for genuine VACUUM-POWER SHIFT I motor car leadership! Th« only stooring column gaanhift ■ * J I You Will and convincing available today on any car thai door I proof Of this in the fact »0% of lh« work far you and roqwlrot V M I that General Motors' only 20% drivor offorfl M MASTH ts I o.ie car, Chevrolet CHEVROLET HAS MORE THAN 17S IMKM- I lor w« is also the nation 8 —.. __._.. BH . UM «■>■>■»■*» H tUSIHISS COU I number one car in dollar FIATUIIS, MCLUMNfe j.i. IWULIILY I value and in sales! "RIDE ROYAL"—WITH CHEVROLET'S OTHER MO** l * I " PERFECTED KNEE-ACTION RIDING SYS- I Chevrolet s great list of . 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Thursday, March 21. 1940 They were distant, but coming nearer . . . That was racing speed . . . The sound swept past, swerved toward the bunk house and stopped. (Continued Next Week)
The Elkin Tribune (Elkin, N.C.)
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March 21, 1940, edition 1
6
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