The Mesa Trail

upied by "native" miners or workmen. Its business section was made up chiefly of a bank, the Central Mercantile Store, hardware, drug, and harness shops, and a soda-water parlour that adjoined

er. Having been much cautioned, he was wary of danger. Leaving the dust-white flivver at the garage, he we

k fellow of thirty, espied the tall figure of S

he inquired, cheerfully. "Can't say as

and transfixed the merchant with his cavernous blac

u say sooth. Truth sits upo

Stranger, I don't get yo

y room hath blazed with lights and brayed with minstrelsy, when thick-eyed musing and cursed mel

he rounded periods and the imposing gestures, asked no more questions, but devoted h

light. When the end of the list was reached, the amounts totalled, and the money han

night, and now attended to having it filled with gas and oil. He stated to the mechanic that he might be here for severa

and had stared at the uncrumpled paper with amazed rec

m a liar! You chase over to the garage and g

xe helve. Ben Aimes, in blissful ignorance of what that axe helve was destined to mean to him

ur a minute, stranger! Ha

nt or trouble, so he followed Aimes into the adjoining room, which at this

got here," he said, and paused.

sir, is Shea.

is under your nose and se

A tremor ran through him-an uncontrollable shiver that sent fever into his eyes. He l

to disappoint you, but

nce. "Just one between business acquaintances, Mr. Shea. It's the finest licker ever got to this city! Absol

y that whiff. His big fingers closed upon th

he declaimed. "To the de

the drink and s

hea; that raw odour of whiskey, which in a flash had permeated to the very deeps of his being with its

n Aimes how two miners of his acquaintance had driven several hund

that he must hang on to his axe helve or Mrs. Crump would be much disappointed in him. So he was still hanging on to it

lephone and called up th

rump, don't you? Heard of her at any rate. Well, he says that she's out in the hills a piece with two other fellers. These two were run out o' Magdal

usin' it; according to this guy, they got no licenses and never heard o' the new license law. This here is plumb illegal and you'd ought

I got the location pretty straight from this guy. Yep, a car can make it; he come into town that way. G

at Santa Fé. He then summoned the constable in search of Thady Shea. But Shea had

oad and met the sheriff, and brought that official back to town. The hardware mer

himself last night and being laid up. Tell ye what, Bill! Why not take the whole crowd right down to Silver City? It'll save ye comin'

could possibly return from Silver City, to say nothing of her two men, Abel Dorales would be on the spot to take charge of th

ount. It is such little unconsidered trifles which very

on account of certain hostility to Ben Aimes and the Mackintavers forces. It is quite possible that old man Ferris was no good as a justice, yet he

f reposing in the back yard of an adobe house; how he got there was never explained. A furred tongue and an aching h

ed a raucous voice. "S

nd sat up. "Wh

old fellow, distinguished by shiftless garb and dirty gray hair. "I reckon Ben Aimes must have give ye q

groaned again, not under

llen!" h

grim. Ye've gone and got ol' Mis' Crump in real bad. If

up dully. "What-wh

g contempt, and carefully sank his re

can see why Mis' Crump ever's taken up with the likes of you, but it's plu

ation. His quickening faculties beg

said. "What

. Him and a deppity has gone to arrest Mis' C

piteous was his gaze that old man Ferris turned asid

. Everybody what handles powder or dynamite has got to have a licens

Crump? Ain't but one answer to that-so's that devil Mackintavers could profit! And sheriff's goin' to take

e location, some o' Mackintavers' crowd is going to jump it sure's

away, and so out of the story. He had fulfilled his

ry moment that final exposition sank more deeply into his brain. The g

tioned the name of Mehitabel Crump. Yet he could remember telling about those explosives; as he conne

brain like a trip-hammer. The mine was left unprotected, or

on had literally ruined her. That cursed sniff of whiskey had done it! Shea wasted no recrimination upon himself for his lapse from re

umbled, groping for cohe

mentally all the deep waters of human kindness that lay hidden below her mask of harshness, he visioned ane

s of guilt, alone with the remorse that ate into his heart like acid. A month previously he would have mouthed a curse at the world and have gone

ips was wrenched an inarticulate cry, the voice of a soul in anguish. Heedless of t

as my own fault, God. Now, for the sake of that woman who helped me to find myself, it's up to You to give me a hand! I don't know w

that had laid hold upon him ebbed; just as the bitterness of grief ebb

ged his head into the water; it cooled his brain and steadied him. He rose and saw his axe helve

explained everything. The morning was wearing along, and by this time all hope of warning Mrs. Crump was gone.

That was why Mrs. Crump was under arrest! That was the aim and purpose of the whole affai

ted. "What the hell have I to worry about-can they do any worse to me than I have done to mys

in him. He was in no condition of mind to do the usual, the conventional thing, the th

life had been abruptly shifted, and he was climbing new paths; as he climbed, the exhilaration of the heights sang in his blood. He had flung awa

street of the town, Shea walked toward it, the axe helve s

rm sunlight, Ben Aimes was chatting with the constable about the mysterious disappearance of the man Shea. Half-a-dozen idlers were lined up to one

"There's the cuss now! Lay him up until Dorales gets here to-morrow, anyh

e started across the street and met Shea midway. He held

said Shea, lifelessly

orted the constable. "Y

ous half-circle and landed over the officer's ear. The constable threw o

o the men behind. He whirled again to face Shea, and his r

night, didn't you?" said

that he perceived what

ye?" he returned. "W

ass voice boomed upon the morning air like a bell. "If any m

e. It struck his wrist and knocked the revolver away. As he staggered to the blow, the axe helve sw

two men had been felled. For a moment Shea stood gazing at

o any man who dares give m

down the street men were calling, running. The group out

. "He's done killed 'em b

crank. For almost the first time in his life he had struck a man in cold anger; m

pouring in upon him. He had no time to get into his car. With a quick motion he caught up

All noise was drowned in the roar of the engine that throbbed behind Shea. Outside, other men paused to ask what

terror of Shea's blows had made itself felt. The first man at him shrieked out and fell, crawling away with a broken

nd awaited his time. Then he began to strike. There was nothing blind and frantic in his blows; rather there was something fearful and inhuman, fo

st. To his three blows, a man reeled away into the darkness; a second plunged forward beneath an adjacent car;

liberately heaved up his axe helve and brought down the rounded oval of the halt against the man's head twice. At the second crunching b

horn, the dust-white flivver went out o

windshield in front of Shea's face. Other shots sounded, but flew wild. The car went arou

a had com