now why! There's no one
else who would have followed Paulette Valenka out here. I don't believe
what you've done's been all revenge on the girl you tried to get into
trouble about Van Ruyne's emeralds, or scare that Dudley would worm out
the truth about that, either: but if it was to jump the La Chance mine
too, you're busted! Your accident serial story won't go down. I knew
about your wolf dope business long ago, and do you suppose _this_," I
shoved Dudley's cap under his nose, "doesn't tell me how you limed the
trap you set for Dudley last night, or what you smeared on his clothes
when he was too drunk to smell it? I know what brought the wolves to
howl around this house, if I don't know how you shoved Dudley out to
them. I know it was a home-made raid you had down at the assay office,
and--I've been to Skunk's Misery!"

"Well?" said Macartney thickly.

"Well enough! I have Thompson's deuce of hearts you didn't see was
missing, when you gave me back his pack! With any luck I'll pay you out
for that, and our four mill men, _and_ Dudley; not here, where you can
fight and die quick, but outside--where they've things like gallows! Oh,
you would, would you?"

For his empty gun just missed me as he made a lightning jump to bring it
down on my head, and my left hand stopped him up just under the ear. I
ought to have shot him. I don't know why I held back. I was so mad with
rage when he dropped that I could have jumped on him like a lumberman
and tramped the heart out of him. But I only lit for the kitchen, and
Charliet's clothesline. As I got back and knelt down by the man who had
called himself Macartney, Thompson rose up before me, as he had sat in
that very room, playing his lonely solitaire; and the four dead men in
the assay office; and Dudley--only I had no grief for Dudley, because it
was drowned in rage. I bound Macartney round and round with the
clothesline, whether he was really Hutton or not,--and I meant to have
the truth out of him about that and everything else before I was done.
But when I had him gagged with kitchen towels while he was still knocked
out, I sat back on my heels to think; and I damned myself up and down
because I had not shot Macartney out of hand.

I had Macartney all right; but I had next door to nothing else, unless I
could find a safe place to jail him while I disposed of his men. Now, if
they chose to rush me, I could not hold the eight shack windows against
them, if Paulette and I mig