"Oh!"
"Yes, cut an" run. Ye should have seed the look on the parson"s face when he heerd that; it was terrible. An" ye could have heered the men hoot an" laugh clean up here, if ye"d been listenin"."
"But where did she go?" asked Mr. Radhurst. "The girl was here until quite late yesterday afternoon."
"That"s what the men couldn"t find out. The old chief was mighty surly, too, an" wouldn"t tell nothin". But thar was one thing I did notice," he continued. "While the rest was hootin" an" shoutin", a scart look come over Pritchen"s face when he heered that the girl had skipped, an" that the chief was cranky. He seemed feered of somethin", an" I can"t make out jist what it is."
"Were those the only charges, Mr. Burke?" questioned Constance, anxious to hear more.
"No, thar"s another I"m comin" to now, an" a mighty nasty one, at that."
Constance"s face became still paler, and her lips quivered as she heard these ominous words. Was there no end to these terrible things?
"They say that the other poke found in the chist has a mighty suspicious look about it."
"In what way?"
"Waal, ye see, thar was two letters on the poke, which seemed to pint to somethin" bad. Pritchen was out huntin" mountain sheep a short time ago, so he says, in the Ibex Valley. While thar he stayed in an old log shanty, an" the place was all upsot lookin", so he says, as if a terrible fight had taken place. Then he finds a book layin" on the floor with the parson"s name inside."
"What book was it?" asked Constance eagerly.
"I"m not sure that I kin remember the full name," and the old man scratched his head in a puzzled manner. "But it"s a book of poetry written by a chap by the name of Brown or Black, I jist can"t tell which. I never heered of "im afore, "ave you?"
But Constance did not reply. She was thinking of what Keith had told her about his copy of Browning. He had lost it somewhere on the trail, but he had told her nothing about the cabin. What did it all mean?
"But that wasn"t all, miss. Thinkin" somethin" was wrong, Pritchen hunted around fer a time, an" found whar a man had been buried, but the wolves hadn"t left much, only torn clothes. The chap had been put into the snow, while a cross an" two letters had been cut in the rock above.
The suspicious thing is, that them letters an" the ones on the poke found in the chist are jist the same."
"Very strange," remarked Mr. Radhurst. "Do you remember the letters?"
"Yes, there were jist two, "K. R.""
At these words, Constance started and rose to her feet. Trembling violently, she approached the miner. Once she put out her hand as if for support.
"Tell me," she said in a hoa.r.s.e whisper, "if you know anything more?"
Sol looked at her in amazement.
"I didn"t know ye"d feel so bad, or I"d not told ye," he replied, mistaking the cause of her agitation. "But thar isn"t much more to be said. The parson told in plain words how he"d found a sick man in the Ibex cabin, an" cared fer "im as well as he could. When he died he buried "im in the snow, an" put them marks on the rock, but about the poke, he had never seed it afore."
"Did he tell the man"s name?" asked Constance.
"No."
"No! And why not?"
"He wouldn"t tell, an" that was the hardest thing agin him. Then some one axed "im why he didn"t report the matter when he reached Kla.s.san, an" at that the parson lit out:
""Tell," says he. "What chance had I to tell with all yez agin me, ruinin" my Injun flock, an" playin" that mean trick upon me in sendin"
me to Siwash Crik? De yez think I"d care to tell ye?""
"What trick?" asked Mr. Radhurst.
"What! ye never heered?"
"No, not a word."
"No? Waal, now, that"s queer. It"s been the talk of the camp ever since. They made out that Jim Blasco, that divil out yon, was wounded, an" a doctor was wanted mighty bad. So they got the parson to go, an"
sich a laughin" an" shoutin" they made over it all at his expense. I didn"t think so much about it then, but now it jist fairly makes me bile."
"Why, Mr. Steadman never said a word to us about it when he came to Siwash Creek," said Constance in surprise.
"Ay, is that so, miss? Waal, it"s jist like "im. Some "ud have blabbed the whole thing, an" made a big story outer it. But not "im.
He"s too much of a man fer that. He doesn"t tell everything he knows, an" I reckon he has some good reason fer not tellin" that chap"s name that died out in the Ibex cabin."
Constance arose, and, going to her own little curtained apartment, brought forth a small picture.
"Mr. Burke," she said, "you have met quite a number of men in this district, did you ever see any one who looked like that?"
Sol took the picture in his hand and gazed upon it for a time. Then he held it up close to the light for a better inspection.
"Fine chap, that, miss. Is he a relation of yourn?"
"It"s my brother, Kenneth, and his initials are just the same as the ones on the rock and the poke."
"Ye don"t say so, waal! But, miss, fer G.o.d"s sake, what"s the matter?"
and the old man dropped the picture and stared at the young woman.
And good reason was there for his surprise, for upon Constance"s face was stamped a look of horror, and her eyes were fastened upon the small window near at hand.
"A face! A face! I saw it there!" she gasped, "looking into the room.
Oh, it was awful!" and she dropped upon a bench out of sheer weakness.
An ugly look came into Sol"s face, as he rose to his feet, while his hand instinctively sought his hip pocket, and rested upon the b.u.t.t of a revolver concealed there.
"We"re watched," he whispered. "Them divils are wild to-night. Some are havin" a drunken spree, an" it"s hard to tell what they"ll do afore mornin". My old carcase ain"t wuth much, but some of them"ll be wuth less if they come meddlin" around here. I guess, though, we"d better draw that curtain, an" shet out all pryin" eyes. Thar, that"s better.
Now don"t be frightened, miss. Nothin"ll harm ye as long as this old gun holds true, an" she ain"t failed me yit, though she"s seen some hightly ugly times."
"Thank you," replied Mr. Radhurst, who had remained still through the excitement. "You are very good, but I don"t think any harm will come to us. Perhaps some one was pa.s.sing and happened to glance in at the window. Sit down, please, and tell us some more about the trial, for I am anxious to hear all."
"It may be as ye say, sir. I only hope so," and Sol resumed his seat.
"Thar ain"t much more to tell about that fuss. I saw at once when the trial began that it was all up with the parson, an" that they intended to condemn him, but I didn"t think it"d take so long. They jist played with "im like a cat plays with a mouse. But at last it was ended, an"
Pritchen, who was chairman, stood up, an", said he:
""We give ye yer chice; hit the trail in two hours, or stay here an"
take yer dose from us."
"I kin see the parson standin" thar now with a wonnerful look on his face. He didn"t seem to hear the chairman"s word, fer he was gazin"