Thursday, December 19, 1935
w( v Fine Serial Fiction in a new form Three Prize Short Stories (of four _J\
initalmenU each) by « maiter story-teller. . They're Rex Beach at hi» bert. |g
IN FOUR INSTALMENTS
SYNOPSIS . . . Jimmy Rowan was
hopelessly in love with Rose Morris,
the prettiest girl in Dover, Michi
gan. Of course, that was years ago,
in early school days . . . but it was
hopeless for Jimmy because he was
just "that Rowan kid," depesperately
poor, while Rose's family was rich.
While Jimmy was working his way
through college, Rose Morris moved
away and the home sold for barely
enough to pay the mortgage. . . Jim
my vowed to himself he"d get rich
. . . and find Rose. Easier vowed
than done and years passed before
Jim Rowan finally landed in the
Klondike . . . there to gain wide rep
utation as a gambler, known as "The
Michigan Kid." ... An ugly story of
a 20 hour card game with Col.
Campbell, engineer, with stakes no
limit . . . and suicide of Campbell at
the end . . . caused The Michigan
Kid to sell his saloon and start
"out." ... At Nome, Rowan came
upon a meeting of Michigan folks
scheduled so he attended. As an old
man was leaving the meeting Jim
stated, leaned forward, his eyes
fixed upon the stranger's bearded
cheek . . . NOW GO ON WITH THE
STORY.
THIRD INSTALMENT
Rowan opened his lips to speak,
then closed them.
"You see?" The girl laid her
hand upon his arm. "Poor Don
Quixote! Won't you think better
of it and go out to God's country?
You've earned it, Jim, and you'll
find your opportunity there. Father
is enthusiastic, he really believes in
this claim, but I know it's no good,
and, besides, we're unlucky. Every
thing has gone badly since we lost
our money back there in Dover.
He's a feeble old man and disap
pointment has made him almost
childish. All he has left is that con
viction that some day he'll land in
the pay. There are hundreds like
him."
"And what would you do?" Row
an inquired.
Wearily Rose shrugged. "What I
have always done remain at his
side. I love him. He gave me
everything when he had it to give.
I'm the) staff he leans upon and
without me he'd fall. We can get
along, Jim."
"How?"
"I was offered a job waiting on
tables at the Bonanza—"
The man uttered an exclamation.
Roughly he said, "I'd sooner see you
in a dance hall."
"I could even get married—"
Rose smiled faintly.
Jim's hands twitched, but his face
was impassive as he said: "No. I'm
going to stick. I made a few dol
lars in Dawson and I left there look
ing for one more chance—one big
chance to win or lose, make or
break. I play hunches, and when
your father offered to go fifty-fifty
with me I had a hunch that my
number was due. Have you ever
heard of 'Michigan's luck?"
"Yes, of course. Aladdin's lamp,
too, but I never expect to have
either."
"Who knows? I have a feeling
that your troubles are over and that
your father is really going to land
in the pay. Let's hope so, anyhow.
I believe in hoping for things until
you get them."
It was in this manner that Jim
Rowan became a miner, a pick-and
shovel man. He put up a cabin for
himself and he did his own cooking
—a thing any man abhors. Although
he and Hiram began to prospect the
claim it was Jim who did most of the
actual work. His flaby muscles re
belled at first; blisters grew upon his
white palms; they burst ,then turned
into callouses. Slowly, painfully he
hardened himself. It was an ordeal,
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but as his body grew strong so did
his determination to win the love of
Rose Morris.
Every day he had to fight the
desire to voice his love, but the
better he came to know Rose, the
more fearful he became that some
how the grave of The Michigan Kid
would be disturbed and that she
would behold the skeleton it con
cealed—grass was slow in growing
over it—hence he showed his devo
tion only in the things he did.
Autumn came and Jim put into
effect a plan he had worked out.
He "salted" the pannings from their
ground just enough to make a show
ing, this being necessary to his
scheme; then he interested a pur
chaser in buying the claim. He in
structed the man to offer twenty
thousand dollars for it, supposing, of
course, that Mr. Morris would leap
at the chance to sell.
But this was the first gold the old
! man had ever found and those few
yellow flakes strengthened his
.senile conviction that the nropert.v
was rich. He refused the offer. He
refused again and again, even when
Jim's man raised the bid to fortv
thousand dollars. He did m~re
than refuse: he boasted about the
offer in town and said he hid
rem'i.Q'- " 'Michigan's' lurk " Thi?
caused quite a flurry of excitement
nnd reluctantly Jim was forced to
CD 11 off his bidder.
Jim's effort had an effect other
than he had exnected; a forty
thouEand-dollar offer for a wild-cat
rlaim on Friday Creek centered in
terest there, and promptly the Bon
anza crowr} sent an outfit over and
began work on some property
thev owned below old Hiram's.
This outfit was in charge of a
voung fellow by the name of Hay
ward. and once he had become ac
quainted with Rose he took such an
interest in Friday Creek that he
spent all of his time there.
This Hayward was a fine-looking,
upstanding youth and he un
doubtedly had a way with him. Bui
his way with women was more agree
able than his way with men: towards
Jim Rowan, for instance, he display
ed the same air of contemptous su
periority that he reserved for his
employees.
Rose liked him, however per-'
haps that was the real reason why
Jim did not. In any event ,the two
men were so different in character
that a clash was inevitable.
Jim had made it a Dractice never
to go into town for fear of recog
nition, hence it was Hiram who made
the weekly trips for the necessary
purchases. One day while he was in
town it began to snow and durinr
the afternoon this snow turned to
rain and sleet. The old man re
turned about dark, quite wet and
chilly. He was a long while getting
warmed through and later in the
evening he complained of feeling
badly and went to bed. •
Jim was awakened during the
night by a knock on his door. It was
Rose. In a tone that instantly
brought him to his feet she told him
that her father was ill and that she
was frightened. Throwing on his
clothes, he hurried to the larger
cabin. Hiram was burning up with
fever, he coughed almost continu
ously; he was in pain. Jim an
nounced at once that he would go
for a doctor.
"IH send somebody up from the
Bonanza camp." he told the girl,
"because I won't be able to get back
before morning."
Rose turned eyes dark with ap
prehension upon him. "He's very
u. isn't be? He woke me up mut
tering. Hear him—? It's all about
"landing in the pay'."
"I'm afraid he's a pretty sick man.
There's a medicine case somewhere
THE ELKIN TRIBUNE, ELKIN, NORTH CAROLINA
among my things. Look until you
find it. And don't allow yourself to
become panicky. Be a brave girl.
Rose." He laid a land upon Rose's
shoulder—it was the first time he
had ever touched her except by in
advertence—and there wa. such sym
patljy, such comfort in his gesture
that tears wet her lashes.
"Oh, Jim," she cried. "You're a
dear. I don't know what I'd do
without you." *
Young Hayward was in Nome,
but Jim got one of the Bonanza
men to go to Rose's assistance and
also he borrowed a horse for him
self. it was not many miles to
town, but it was a wretched night
and he was glad when the animal
wallowed out of the icy mud and
he felt the plank pavements under
its feet. The first doctor he found
was ill; another had been called to
Port Davis; the third was engaged
on a confinement case, but promised
to accompany Jim in perhaps two
hours. There was nothing to do
but wait.
Jim was wet and cold. He
stabled his horse, returned to the
main street, and entered the first
saloon he came to. It was late;
there was nobody at the bar. bm
some of the games were stili run
ning and there were a few figures
at the lunch counter in the rear.
Thither Jim made his way in search
of a cup of coffee.
There was a stage at the end of
the place, where in the earlier hours
of the night a vaudeville show was
given, and at the piano were gath
ered several weary women of the
dance hall type. One of them saw
Jim and spoke to her companions
whereupon they turned and stared
curiously at his back.
Young Hayward rose from the
faro table and approached the lunch
counter. He had been drinking
spme and losing considerably There
was an unpleasant curl to his lips.
Jim had hitched himself upon one
of the high stools; he had raised his
mug to drink when Hayward
pushed it away from his lips and
called to the white-aproned waiter
saying:
"Here! Give this fellow a square
meal." At the same time he
crashed a twenty-dollar gold piece
upon the counter.
"Thanks," said Jim. "I'm not i
hungry."
"Ham and eggs for a friend of
mine," Hayward cried. "And give
him the change."
Jim eyed the speaker coldly, as ■
If from behind a mask, but he ap-:
peared to take no notice of the tone'
Hayward had used. Still in an even
voice he said
''Nice of you. I've seen the time
I'd take it." He lifted his cup for
a second time; again Hayward took
his wrist.
"Look here, Rowan. I've been
wanting to ask you something. It's
about that offer for old man Morris'
claim. D'you know what I think?"]
"I don't believe you're capable ofi
thinking, right now. If I were you '
Hayward, I'd go home and go to bed." j
"Is that so?" Hayward's disagree- 1
able smile became more pronounced
I'll tell you what I think; I think !
it was a phony. I think you tried
to put something over tried to
grab something."
"Well? You can't arrest a man
for trying."
"11l tell you something else; old- -
man Morris is honest, but I think:
he's in partners with a damned :
crook."
The men eyed each other. Very i
quietly Jim said: "So! You're just
spoiling for trouble, aren't you?"
"With you, yes."
"I'm sorry, but I can't oblige you
to-night."
Ha! Nor any other night. I've,
discovered something else about,
you, Rowan. You haven't got the
guts of a guinea pig." Hayward
had not lowered his voice during
this cologuey. Those people in the
rear of the room had heard most of
what h« said, and they were looking
on now in mingled curiosity and ap
prehension. The dance-hall girl who
had Dointed out Jim whispered ex
citedly to her companions.
"Funny what a fool a man can
make of himself," Jim told the fore
man. Some day you'll realize how
badly up against it a fellow cdn get
without knowing it."
"Bah! You rat! There's only one
way to treat a—" Hayward raised his
onen hand to slap this object of con
tempt, but the blow did not descend;
he didn't finish his sentence, for
suddenly his face was deluged by the
blinding, scalding contents of Jim's
coffee cup. With an exclamation he
reeled backward, almost into the
arms of the women at the piano. He
dashed the liquid from his face; with
his sleeve he wiped his eyes, cleared
them; he gathered himself to rush
upon the figure still sitting motion
less upon the high stool. But one of
the girls flung herself upon him and
in a voice high-Ditched, vibrant with
warning, she cried:
"Don't touch him, Hayward!
He'll kill you! God. man, that":
'The Michigan Kid'."
Hayward's struggle died sud
denly. It came still-born. Into his
purple face crept a look of aston
ishment, then incredulity.
(CONCLUDED NEXT WEEK)
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