Part 36 (1/2)
”I'll take them, anyway, as her next of kin”
Burrell did not follow up this statement, for its truth was incontrovertible, and showed that the father's ill-as too tangible a thing to be concealed; so he continued:
”We'll adjust that after Gale is attended to; but, meanwhile, what do you want me to do?”
”I want you to arrest the man who killed ot a following in this ca this squaw-et hio by the law you've talked so much about; I want you to do the trick”
At last Burrell saw the gambler's deviltry He knew Stark's reputation too well to think that he feared awith Gale, for the man had lived in hope of that these fifteen years, and had shaped his life around such a ; but this indirect method--the Kentuckian felt a flash of reluctant adeance with such cruel hands, and, even though he ca, the cunning strength of this man's enmity dwarfed any he had ever known Stark had planned his settle enough to stand aside and let another take his place, and thus deny to Gale the final recourse of a hunted beast, the desperate satisfaction that the trader craved He tied his enemy's hands and delivered him up with his thirst unsatisfied--to whom? He thrust a weapon into the hand of his other enemy, and bade this other enemy use it; worse than that, forced him to strike the man he honored--the man he loved Burrell never doubted that Stark had carefully weighed the effect of this upon Necia, and had reasoned that a girl like her could not understand a soldier's duty if it ambler could break him, while every effort he made to protect Gale would but increase the other's satisfaction There was no chance of the trader's escape Stark held hi It was a desperate affair Was it impossible, the Lieutenant wondered, to ht of Necia? She loves Gale What effect will this have on her?”
”daaylord!”
At this a vicious frenzy overtook Burrell, and he thought of the otten until these words woke soe in him Well! Why not? These two men had stalked each other clear into the farthest places, driven by forces that were older than the hills Who was he to stand between such passions? This was ordained, it was the course of nature, the clash of eleround, so why should he undertake to stop a thing decreed?
The gaaylord”--and before he knehat he was doing he had answered: ”Very well I'll give him to you,” and crossed quickly to the door of his bedroo it open
On the threshold he paused stock-still The place was e with the curtain and telling the story of the trader's exit
”If you're looking for your coat, it's here,” he heard Stark say ”Get into it, and we'll go for hih now, in all conscience, and he saith clear and fateful eyes whither he was being led, at which a sudden reckless disregard for consequences seized hi pulled and hauled and driven by this creature, and also an unreasoning anger at Gale's defection But it was the thought of Necia and the horrible net of evil in which this alled hile, in which the truth was hopelessly hidden, and nothing but har to unravel it There was but one solution, and that, though fundamental and effective, was not to be expected from an officer of the law Nevertheless, he chose it, for Ben Stark was too potent a force for evil to be at large, and needed extererous beast He deter here and now
Meade went to his bureau, took his revolver fro it, and ca the weapon, exclaimed:
”You don't need that; he won't resist you”
”I've decided not to take him,” said Burrell
”Decided not to take him?” shouted the other ”Have you weakened? Don't you intend to arrest that man?”
”No!” cried the soldier ”I've listened to your lies long enough; now I'erous to have around”
They faced each other silently a h his eyes were glittering:
”What's theof this? Are you crazy?”
”Gale was here just before you came, and told me who killed your wife
I know”
”You do?”
”I do”