Part 3 (1/2)
”No, siree!” he denied ”Dere's none of deal look half so purty lak'
you” He would have saidthe trader at the entrance of the store, he went to hi into the details of their commercial enterprise, which, happily, had been most successful
Before they could finish, the crowd fro drinks at the bar and otherspurchases of tobacco and so forth, but for thethe merchandise of the Post there were for sale a scanty assortuns, and a Winchester or two, displayed in a rack behind the counter in a ht need the a pair of Colt's revolvers One of the new arrivals, who had separated from the others at the front, now called to Gale:
”Are those Colts for sale? Mine was stolen the other day” Evidently he was accustoure the trader nauns and tested each of them, whereupon the old man knew that here was no ”Cheechako,” as tenderfeet are known in the North, although the er balanced the weapons, one in either hand, then he did the ”double roll” neatly, follohich he executed a move that Gale had not witnessed for uns, butt fore free and open, save for the fact that his forefinger was crooked and thrust through the trigger-guard; then, with the slightest jerk of the wrist, the gun spun about, the handle jumped into his palm, and instantly there was a click as his thuent spin,”
which Gale as a boy had practised hours at a ti upward sharply when the trader laughed
”This one hangs all right,” he said; ”give old-sack in payun and ammunition, then remarked: ”That pretty nearly cleans me If I had the price I'd take them both”
Gale wondered what need induced this fellow to spend his last few dollars on a fire-ar until the man had loosened the bottom buttons of his vest and slipped the weapon inside the band of his trousers, concealing its handle beneath the edge of his waistcoat Then he inquired:
”Bound for the outside?”
”No I'lance at hi in this cauardedly
”I'll put in with you, froot too many soldiers to be worth a da lift of his lip, as if his words tasted badly
”Most of the boys are going up-river,” said Gale
”Well, those hills look as if they had gold in the to prospect”
Gale knew instinctively that the felloas lying, for his hands were not those of a ment was verified, however, when Poleon drew him aside later and said:
”You know dat feller?”
”No”
”He's bad man”
”How do you know?”
”She's leave Dawson damn queeck Dose Mounted Police t'row 'im on de boat jus' before we lef” Then he told a story that he had heard The way between two suns, upon the disruption of Soapy Smith's band of desperadoes, and had made for the interior, but had been intercepted at the Pass by two members of the Citizens'
Co to yield, he had executed soun, for both h the body No one knew just what it was he did, nor cared to question him overmuch The next heard of him was at Lake Bennett, over the line, where the Mounted Police recognized him and sent him on They marked him well, however, and passed him on from post to post as they had driven others whose records were known; but he had lost himself in the confusion at Dawson for a feeeks, until the scarlet-coated riders searched him out, disarmed him, and forced his of the Canadian frontier were drifting back into their native country to settle
Old Man Gale cared little for this, for he had spent his life a such men, but as he watched the fellow a scheo farther down the river, for there was nothing save Indian camps and a Mission or two this side of St
Michael's, and at that point there was a court and many soldiers, where one was liable to meet the penalty of past misdeeds, hence he was probably resolved to stop here, and, judging by his record, he was a man of settled convictions Continued persecution is wont to stir certain natures to such reckless desperation that interference is dangerous, and Gale, recalling his sullen look and ill-concealed conteer down as a man of this type
Furthermore, he had been impressed by the fellow's remarkable dexterity of wrist