The Argosy, Vol. 76, No. 3 — page 58: what you’re looking at

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

528 was one of distrust, not of absolute conviction, At the first he was sure that the note to Lacey was a part of the tragic plot against him. Now he was uncertain. This sec- ond note revived his suspicions of the girl’s motives. It offered a chance to test her character, and as such he wel- comed it. If he were set upon while proceed- ing to the Mallorys’, then he would know the girl for what she was. In his own mind there would be no “ co- incidence ”’ about it. For him, perhaps, there was grave risk in the undertaking. He thought little of that. On an open trail in broad day he could use his eyes and his wits, and lurking foes would not easily get the better of him. The mill was sounding the six- o'clock whistle as he rode out of camp. The stamps clattered to a standstill, and from rising ground Bremerton looked back and saw the night shifts emerging from mine and mill and the day shifts straggling from bunk-house and Mexican quarter. Boom! Boom! came muffled explo- sions out of the distance. They were the blasts fired by the miners so that levels and shafts might be clear of fumes before the other gang went un- derground. From six to seven, at the beginning and the end of each day, the work closed down for breakfast and supper and the changing of shifts. Bremerton spurred over the top of the trail. For a quarter of a mile he would follow the main road to town, then turn into a branch that led to the cafion and Oak Flat. The rough country ‘contiguous to the valley had been piled with monu- ments, filed on, and now belonging to Deane as part of the Mariquita prop- erty. Bremerton had combed those adja- cent uplands in his search for the lost vein, and had found no “ blowouts ” or other promising indications. He believed the outlying claims com- . life THE ARGOSY. prised merely a barrier against those who would poach on the Mariquita preserves. ‘He was thinking less of that morn- ing errand than of the mysterious bonanza ledge when he reached the point where he was to leave the main trail. An east-and-west swale crossed the road, and his course lay through the swale and toward the west. A road-runner darted out of the bushes on the right. The horse gave a startled snort and reared backward. At the same moment a sharp report rang out on the left, and Bremerton felt the wind of a bullet against his face. On so small a thing may a man’s hang! ‘The road-runner had startled the horse, and the horse had reared; and, at just that moment, the shot had been launched from the brush! Had Bremerton’s head been inclined a foot forward, Deane would have been looking for another superintend- ent. This flashed through Bremerton’s brain. But.he had not much time for thought. The lurch of his mount had loosened the cinches, and the saddle turned. _He made a wild effort to keep on the horse’s back. Finding this to be impossible, as the shot had still further alarmed the horse and set it to plung- ing, he tried to kick free of the stir- rups and strike the ground on his feet. One foot was freed, but the other became entangled. He fell heavily in the trail on his shoulders, kicking des- perately to get clear of the clinging stirrup. The horse, frenzied by the unusual turn of events, continued to rear and fling its heels. The outlook was dark indeed for Bremerton then, for he was in imminent danger of’ being trampled to death. A hoarse shout came from the chap- arral. A crushing of brush was heard at half a dozen widely separated points. This, of course, was all lost COMicdoo S CO@