c
GAMBLING WITH FATE
By WILLIAM WALLACE COOK
Author o_f
Tonti,'
'The Cold Gleanerj: A Story of the Cyanide
"Witby’j Dart," “Hij Friend the Enemy,”
” Ttojerj cf Hutte.” Etc.. Etc.
JK.
D
(Copyright, 1901, by William Wallace Cook 1
f* from last week.)
CHAPTER XVI.
DARREL ACCUSED AS McCLOUD.
“Ah, the marshal,” said Darrel, re- 1
lieved to find that the officer was one
of the first to be drawn to the scene.
“I am glad you have come.”
The marshal pushed farther Into the
room, followed by his companion.
“What’s been going on here’”
“Murgatroyd and I were settltng an
old score,” answered Darrel, pulling
his disarranged clothing into shape,
“but I am glad to say that it did not
result seriously.”
"Where is Murgatroyd now?”
The officer had peered about the
place and had even cast a hasty glance
into the inner office.
“I have him—safe,” Darrel smiled I
grimly. “Who is this gentleman?” he ;
asked, turning to the thick-set man
‘-jwith the leather case under his arm.
“That’s Doc Payton,” replied the be
wildered marshal.
“Not the same gentleman who had '
charge of the body of Sturgis?”
“I am the coroner,” spoke up Pay- |
ton, "and held the inquest.”
"Better and better,” said Darrel.
“Naturally, gentlemen, you are curi
ous. You see me follow Murgatroyd
upstairs to this place and later you ]
hear sounds of a scuffle and come to i
Investigate. What you see merely In- I
creases your curiosity and suspicion.
1 want to talk with the two of you and
beg of you to set a couple of those
chairs upright and be seated."
As he finished, Darrel settled him
self comfortably on one corner of the
desk. The marshal was inclined to
parley on Murgatroyd's account,.
“I want to understand this thing,”
he began, aggressively, and Darrel in
terrupted him with:
"Precisely! The quickest way to un
derstand it is by listening to what I
wish to say. If anything has gone
wrong, I am here to be held to ac
count.”
“He's rich* about that, Merrick.’’
said the doctor, righting one of the
overturned chairs and seating himself
in it. “Let’s hear him.”
Merricl had an uncomfortable feel
ing that matters were strangely
wrong, somehow, and he picked up the
lamp and sapped apart to survey the
other room. He came back directly
and again set the lamp on the desk.
“I don’t lii o the looks of things,”
be grumbled as he sat down, “and we
seem to he leaving the whole matter
to you entire. But I reckon you can
fire away."
Darrel, fearing interruption from the
% atilt, plunged into the subject at once.
“What was the verdict of the cor
oner's jury in the Sturgis case, doc
tor?" he asked.
“It was found that Sturgis met his
death by a bullet. 15-callber, fired by
one Nathan Darrel, of San Francisco,”
returned the doctor.
"Were the proofs of Darrel’s guilt
quite conclusive?”
“The jury found them so.”
"But you, in your own mind; were
you quite convinced?”
“I don't recognize your right to ask
such a question. I am the coroner and
I have repeated to you the jury’s ver
dict.”
In spite of this Darrel could see
plainly that Dr. Payton had an honest
doubt.
"What’s the use of splittin’ hairs?”
said the marshal. "And what has the
murder of Sturgis got to do with your
row with Mnrgatroyd?"
“Just this, Mr. Merrick,” returned
Darrel, steadily; "Murgatrovd killed
Sturgis—”
“What!” exploded Merrick, starting
up.
The doctor was less amazed, al
though not a little startled.
Darrel repeated Ills words.
“Why.” exclaimed the marshal,
-'Sturgis and .Murgatrovd was friends!”
“Mnrgatroyd would have no motive,”
added the doctor.
"Mnrgatroyd and Darrel were not
friends." said Darrel.
"That’s no news,” came from the
marshal. "It don’t bear on Murga
troyd and Sturgis, anyhow."
“Yes. it does," persisted Darrel;
“Mnrgatroyd killed Star is In such a
way tiiat they would hang Darrel for
it.”
"Preposterous!” declared Dr. Pay
ton.
“You’re a fool,” averred the marshal,
frankly. "Do you think Mnrgatroyd
would shoot a friend down in cold
blood just for the sake of having Dar
rel hung?”
"Did you ever know Murgatroyd to
make a play that wasn’t cruel, crafty
and safe?” asked Darrel. “He’s a
snake and would trail his slimy length
over any friendship for the sake of
getting his fangs into an enemy’s
throat.”
“Be reasonable, young man,” said
the doctor, impatiently, "be reason
able."
"Talk's cheap,” supplemented the
marshal. “It would take strong proofs
to make me believe anything like
that.”
"Gentlemen,” resumed Darrel, “I
happen to know that Nate Darrel came
to this town on the day the murder
was committed. He came to Sandy
Bar to settle his differences with Mur
gatroyd and. directly after he reached
the camp, made straight for this office.
"Murgatroyd was out in the hills and
Darrel went into that private office
and wrote a line for him. Murgatroyd
had forgotten his revolver and left it
behind—it was lying on the desk in
front of Darrel as he wrote his.note.
"Before leaving the room Darrel
marked every cartridge in that gun—”
It was then the doctor's turn to leap
from his chair.
"You know Darrel did that?" he in
terrupted.
“I do.”
“Why did he do it?”
“Because he feared Murgatroyd
would shoot him down from behind.”
“Still,” returned the doctor, sinking
back into his chair, “I can't see—”
"In his pocket-book Darrel placed a
slip of paper stating that, if he met
with foul play, the coroner would
please recall that Lester Murgatroyd
had sworn to shoot him on sight: and
that, if the bullet that took Darrel's
life bore the letter *M,’ it would be
found to correspond with other car
tridges in Murgatroyd's revolver.”
Dr. Payton drew a deep breath and
Merrick straightened out in his chair,
thrust his hands into his trousers'
pockets and peered at Darrel through
half-closed eyes.
“The bullet that killed Sturgis bore
such a mark,” said Payton, slowly. “I
probed for it myself and it hasn’t been
out of my possession since ”
“Why in the fiend's name didn't you
tell me something about that?” asked
Merrick, his indignant eyes on the doc
tor.
The jury Knew or it, answered
Payton. “We all kept quiet about it,
hoping that something like this might
develop.”
“But what do we know about this
fellow?” queried Merrick, jerking his
head toward Darrel; “he’s a stranger
in camp and his story may be cut out
of whole cloth.”
“A month has elapsed since the
shooting,” went on Payton, addressing
Darrel. “Why have you kept silent so
long?”
"The delay was unavoidable,” replied
Darrel.
“Possibly, but the chances are it has
defeated the ends of justice providing
what you say is true. If we can find
Murgatroyd’s revolver in his posses
sion. Merrick,” the doctor added, turn
ing to the marshal, "and if the re
volver. after these four weeks, is found
to contain the marked cartridges, this
man proves his case.”
Darrel’s heart leaped in his breast.
He was sure of Murgatroyd’s guilt and
the fact that the revolver would now
be found upon him—barring the tech
nical point that it had been out of his
possession for the four weeks—would
prove his guilt.
The technical point, which Murga
troyd could not prove without Darrel’s
help, was the only thing that could
throw a cloud over Darrel’s theory.
Darrel was just asking himself how he
should proceed in dealing with that
phase of the question when another
diversion occurred.
Roy Lenyard stepped into the room
and moved resolutely toward the group
sitting around the lamp on the desk.
“Mr. Merrick,” said he. sharply, "I
requested you to wait below until I
rejoined you and the doctor.”
“Things happened up here, Len
yard,” returned the marshal, “that wre
had to look after. There was a fight
of some kind, as you can see,”—Mer
rick nodded toward the overturned
cabinet—"and Doc and I breezed in.
But that don’t make no difference.
Here we are and if you’ve got a card
up your sleeve now’s your chance to
play it.”
“Then,” cried Lenyard, whirling on
Darrel and leveling a forefinger in his
direction, “that man is Junius McCloud
and 1 demand that you put him under
arrest. It was he, and not Nate Darrel,
that killed the man you know as Jack
Sturgis! ”
"Holy Smoke!” roared the marshal,
on his feet in a second. “Why, he’s
all but proved that Murgatroyd did it.
First thing 1 know you fellows ’ll have
it on to me—or Doc. there.”
CHAPTER XVII.
DARREL UNMASKED.
Darrel’s amazement equaled the mar
1 shal’s and the doctor's. So firm was
i his belief in Murgatroyd’s guilt that
! he had heretofore left McCloud entirely
out of his calculations.
Before Lenyard could follow up his
startling announcement with an ex
! planation. the sallow-faced clerk
pushed into the room, paused, and
looked around him, aghast at the dis
j order,
"Where’s—where's Murgatroyd?” he
asked.
“We don’t want Murgatroyd now,”
said Lenyard and drew close to the
j clerk and whispered to him.
The clerk whispered a reply, five
words of which Darrel happened to
overhear—"down the hall—tuckered
out.” Who was down the hall and
tuckered out? Darrel roused himself
with freshened interest.
"This is most astounding, young
man,” said he to Lenyard, with jeer
ing incredulity.
"The truth comes that way, some
times.” returned Lenyard.
“But your accusation is arrant non
sense," persisted Darrel, feigning an
gry impatience. "These gentlemen"—
he waved his hand toward Payton and
Merrick—"will not believe you. I have
already proved my case against Murga
troyd.”
"Not exactly proved it,” qm'!'Vd
the doctor. "The revolver has jet to
be found and examined. In this coun
try five loads don't often remain in
a gun for a month. I'm not very hope
ful about your end of it. although Dar
rel's ruse was a clever one.”
"What was the ruse?” asked Len
yard.
The doctor told him, with now and
then a word from Merrick.
When the recital was finished, ex
pressive looks flashed between the
clerk and Lenyard.
“The marking of those bullets.” de
clared Lenyard, “proves that McCloud
killed Sturgis.”
“Why in the fiend’s name should Mc
j Cloud kill Sturgis?” asked Merrick.
“It wrasn't McCloud that quarreled
with Sturgis in Hawkbill’s.”
“There couldn’t have been any mo
| tive,” spoke up the doctor, who seemed
to be a stickler on that phase of the
question.
“You’ll not find Murgatroyd’s re
volver in Murgatroyd's possession,"
insisted Lenyard doggedly. "If you
S find it anywhere you’ll find it in Mc
Cloud’s pocket. Ix>ok ami see."
"Come on. Merrick,” said Darrel, get
ting up and raising his hands above
his head.
“You’ll not find it," remarked Len
yard while the marshal was making
his search; "he wouldn't be so willing
to let you look, if he had it. He's got.
rid of it somewhere.”
"Any one would know the old man's
gun,” observed the clerk; "there ain't
another like it in the hull of Mon
tana.”
"I've seen it a dozen times,” said
the marshal as he returned to his chair
without finding the weapon. “You’ve
opened this up. Lenyard, and it's up
to you to make good.”
"Yes,” said the doctor, "and be very
careful, Roy. It's a very serious mat
ter.”
“It was serious for Darrel," an
swered the young man warmly, “to
have his good name taken away from
him."
“Good name!” echoed Darrel deris
ively. “A gambler, gentlemen,” he
went on, turning to the doctor and the
marshal, “a man who follows the cards
for a living. This boy has a peculiar
way of looking at things.”
Lenyard grew angry.
"McCloud,” said he, "I told you In
HawkblU'B that I wasn’t done with
you.”
"Give us your proofs,” said Darrel,
i shortly.
“Dr. Payton," continued the young
man, “you know how hard I have
worked to clear Darrel's name during
the last month because I felt sure of
his innocence. I did not go to you
with what I had discovered because I
v. < waiting to find this man McCloud.
>n the night Sturgis was niur
d« d, McCloud was in that private
r< < i, there, with Murgatroyd. Mur
ga, >vd had been very late in getting
bar from tlie hills and he had found
a leer from Darrel that made him
sav « and desperate. He looked out
of ;' street window and saw Darrel
ref ting to HawkblU’s after having
gon with me to the hotel.
“ > lling McCloud to remain where
he as, Murgatroyd rushed out of the
ro< i, but did not take his revolver
wi: i him. Don't forget that point,
gen lemen. Strange as it. may seem to
yon. Murgatroyd was so excited he
did not take his revolver.
■ Cloud picked up the weapon and
stop ou to the open window. He
leaned out, and down the street, in the
glare of light from the dance-hall op
posite, he saw Darrel confronted by
Sturgis. He raised the revolver, sight
: ed carefully, and fired. Then he rushed
away, pushing the weapon into his
pocket; rushed out through this very
room, I'm telling you, and failed to see
Jim Glenn who was standing here, a
foot from the door leading into that
; other room. Isn’t that so, Glenn?”
Lenyard appealed to the sallow-faced
clerk who was leaning against the wall
picking nervously at the sleeve of his
coat.
“That’s so,” said Jim Glenn, “but it
will cost me my job, and maybe a
whole lot of trouble besides, when the
old man hears what I’ve told.”
Merrick bitched his chair alongside
of Darrel's and the doctor turned a
piercing: look on the clerk.
“Why did vou keep this mformatio
to yourself. ' Glenn?” he demanded.
• Don’t you know that it caused us to
fix the crime on an innocent man. 1*
drove him to his death, that is just
what it did. Why didn’t you come to
me, or to Mr. Merrick, and tell of this.
"The old man gave me $100 to keep
my mouth shut."
“Ah!” cried the doctor; "and why
did he do that?" ,f
“Because he wanted Darrel hung.
“Accessory after the fact! ex
claimed Payton triumphantly. It
means the penitentiary, anyhow.'1
“That’s what,” assented the marshal.
"Blamed tough on Darrel, though. I
recken I’d better put these on you, Mc
Cloud.”
Merrick drew a pair of handcuffs
from his pocket and leaned toward
Darrel. At that juncture a faint rat
tling was heard from the vault.
“What’s that?" came in startled
tones from Payton as every eye was
turned on the vault door.
“It's Murgatroyd,” said Darrel. ‘ It's
getting close in there and he must want
to get out.”
"How long has he been in there?”
queried Glenn.
"Ever since the doctor and the mar
shal came."
“It’s a wonder he ain’t smothered to
death!” exclaimed the marshal.
“He plays in too much luck for that,"
returned Darrel grimly. “In our strug
gle here in the room we knocked over
that cabinet of minerals and that piece
of galena fell on Murgatroyd’s head.
The safe happened to be open and I
hauled him into it. closed the doors
and turned off the combination. 1
heard you gentlemen coming, you
know, and thought it might be Home of
Murgatroyd’s friends. I dida't want
the fellow to get away until the mar
shal had a chance at him. I may have
been wrong in some of my surmises,
but Mr. Lenvard has made it plain that
Murgatroyd will have to share in the
punishment even as he has shared in
the taking off of poor Sturgis. Don't
put those on me just yet. Merrick.
I'm unarmed and you can sit close. I
can't escape. Open the vault, Jim
Glenn, you know the combination,
don’t you?”
“Yes."
“Dr. Payton,” pursued Darrel as
Glenn moved to the vairit door and
began rattling the knob, "you and
Lenyard stand ready to catch Murga
troyd as he comes out. Have a care,
for he is armed. He has probably
heard nothing of our conversation out
here. Brick and mortar and two thick
nesses of steel would prevent that.”
The marshal put his arm through
Darrel’s and Payton and Lenyard
ranged themselves close to the vault
door when Glenn swung it open. As
the knob of the inner doors were
turned, Murgatroyd came charging out,
revolver In hand.
He vu caught by Payton, Lanyard
and Glenn and, for a space, struggled
furiously but fruitlessly, dazed by re
sistance and blinded by the light.
"Hands off!” he shouted, quieting a
little when he saw the uselessness of
his efforts. "Let me at that man! I’ll
kill him!”
“No, you won’t!” cried Merrick.
"I’ve got charge of this man, Murga
troyd, and there’ll be no gun-play.
Take the weapon away from him,
| Doc.”
The weapon was wrenched from
Murgatroyd’s clutch.
“Is that you, Merrick?” asked Mur
gatroyd, ceasing all attempts to get
; away and brushing a hand across his
eyes.
Big as life, ' answered the marshal.
' “How is it that you and all these
others are here?”
We heard the row and rushed up
to see what was going on.”
“You came in time. Merrick, Nate
Darrel wasn’t killed by that explo
sion!”
j “Hey?"
"I say.” declared Murgatroyd, “that
, Nate Darrel wasn’t killed by that ex
; plosion on the War Eagle trail. Take
j charge of him, for there he sits beside
j you. He’s not McCloud but has shaved
off his beard and is masquerading in
McCloud's clothes. I know McCloud
and I know Darrel, and I swear to you
that that man is Darrel!”
l The marshal, too far gone for words,
dropped back in his chair.
(To be continued.)
MURGATROYD CAMK CHARGING
OUT, REVOLVER IN HAND.
City Directory.
MUNICIPAL officers
Mayor, J. H. Holder by,
Recorder. O. F. Crain,
Marshal. Walter Pascoe,
Treasurer, E. Magness,
Aldermen:—Hr. \ . L. Pascoe, W. T.
Madness. Morg Drennen. W. C. Mims,
and C. M. Edwards.
Council meets first Monday night in
each month.
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m and 7:30 p. in. the second and fourth
Sundays in each month, hev. C. H.
Newman, pastor.
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Saturday before third Sunday, and 11
a. m. third Sunday in each month.
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third Sundays in each month at 11 a.
m. and 7:30 p. m. Kev. J. H. MoDon
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(). F. Craig. Clerk.
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