Argosy and Railroad Man's Magazine, Vol. 107 No. 3 — page 156: what you’re looking at

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

498 : ARGOSY AND RAILROAD MAN’S MAGAZINE. keyed by a knowledge that for him this meant imprisonment or freedom, a slow death, or liberty. For a minute he stood, half crouching as he had been at the instant of shooting, his eyes glaring balefully at his enemy and the thin, cruel smile on his lips, while the two men in front stood warily waiting with weapons extended. Then Vorse clutched at his breast, muttered thickly, and toppled over full length on the floor. The sharp, pungent smell of powder- smoke mingled with the reek of liquor. “‘ He’s dead,’”’ Madden said. 6c Yes.”’ ‘“‘ Are you hit?” ‘“No. His bullet went past my hip; he never got his gun up.”’ Madden glanced about toward the rear of the room. A command for Sorenson to stop broke from his lips. Next he fired. And Weir, swinging his look that way, saw Sorenson’s figure, untouched by the bullet, vanishing through the rear door into the night. Using the minute that the two men’s surveillance had been lifted, he had escaped. “ Hard luck when we had him,” Weir growled. “He can’t get away.” ‘““T’m not so sure. And he’s armed.” ‘* He'll strike for home to get his car.’’ ‘Or to his office for money!” Weir ex- claimed. CHAPTER XXX. THE FOURTH MAN. LAST look Steele Weir had at the dead man on the floor before he turned to go in search of Sorenson. Not so astute or ‘crafty as Senator Gordon, nor so intelli- gent as Sorenson, nor so belligerent as Burkhardt, he had been as rapacious and infinitely more cool-minded than any of the three. If anything, he was the one of them all to proceed to a crime, whether fraud or murder, in sheer cold blood and by natural craving. No uneasy conscience would have ever disturbed his rest; no remorse or pity ever stirred in his breast. He was the hu- man counterpart of a bird of prey. Tm re pee rer ee Well, he was dead now. Three of the quartet who had been joined by avarice and lawless actions were taken care. of— Burkhardt a prisoner, Gordon dead by self- administered poison, Vorse by bullets. Al- most did Steele Weir feel himself an em- bodiment of Fate, clipping the strands of these men’s power and lives as with shears. Sorenson alone remained to be dealt with, and his freedom should be short. Beckoning Madden, he went swiftly through the door where the cattleman had leaped into the shadows. -Where the gloom ceased and the space behind the row of store buildings was clear in the moonlight— nothing was to be seen. Naturally the man had kept in his flight within black shade. When they reached the rear of the San Mateo Cattle Company’s building, they peered in through its barred back windows, but all was dark inside the structure so far as they could determine. To all appearance Sorenson had not stopped here; it was quiet, gloomy, untenanted. ~ ‘We'll have to try his home now,” the sheriff stated. “ If we don’t find him there, we'll set the telephones going to warn all the ranches and towns around to be on the lookout and either to stop or report him if he shows up. He hasn’t start enough to get away now.” They hastened on along the line of build- ings until they reached a side street. But when they had proceeded a short way, Weir stopped. : ‘“‘T’m not satisfied about his office,” said he. ‘‘ Suppose you go on to his house and T'll go take a look inside from the front. If you fail to find him, join me at Martinez’s office, where no one is likely to be around and we can then lay further plans.” ‘That suits,” Madden responded, and set off alone. | Weir’s alert brain had been turning over the possibilities of Sorenson’s course. Rather by pursuing what would be the man’s line of reasoning than by depending on chance, he had come to the quick de- cision to turn back once again to the build- ing. Sorenson would so act as would best serve his immediate escape and that of the future. Would he expect the sheriff and the engi- | ECoOnniclboooks Co mM