Evening Star Newspaper, June 16, 1935, Page 91

Magazine Section THE STORY SO FAR N THE little Arizona town of Quartzburg, Dick Galt was considered just another tenderfoot drawn to the sunny climate by poor health. He told the inhabitants that his original intention had been to locate in a town further on, but when his car had broken down just outside the desert settlement, he had decided that he might just as well hang out his shingle there and pick up whatever law business he could. In the offices of Frank Perkett, of the U. S, Bureau of Investigation, Dick Galt was known by his real name, Dick Arlton — no tenderfoot but a daring young government man hot on the trail of the most hunted band of desperados in the country, the Waxon gang, who had in their possession a fortune in stolen government gold. Dick’s first days in Quartzburg were not unprofitable. He identified a cowpuncher, Bert Plummer of the Flying-M ranch, as a member of the Waxon gang; he became acquainted with pretty Virginia Daine and was engaged by her to do some legal work. And then something of major importance occurred. Three cowpunchers fromthe Flying- M ranch rode into town with word that gold had been discovered on the Flying-M. They showed a sample of rock richly flecked with gold to the excited group that gathered about them. “I'm taking it into Phoenix to have it assayed for Larring,” said one of the cow- punchers, ‘‘though, shucks, there really ain't no need with that kind of stuff.” Dick, who overheard, came to a quick decision. “I'd like to ride in with you,” he said. “‘I've legal business in Phoenix.” CHAPTER 1V 1ck wired Frank Perkett as soon as he arrived in Phoenix. Then he went to a hotel, bathed, and slept. The next morning he had a mes- sage in code from Perkett, saying that he was flying to Phoenix. While waiting for him, Dick strolled about the bustling streets of the desert metro- polis. In the bright Arizona sun, motley throngs streamed about the sidewalks — bronzed, weather-beaten men, an occasional Indian, cowpunchers looking uncomfortable in the ready-made suits they had donned for a trip to town. Here and there was a sprinkling of smart, well-garbed city dwellers. Dick took a car to the airport. The plane was on time. Perkett and he went directly to the hotel. There behind locked doors, Dick presented his theories concerning the Waxon gang. Fugitive Gold (ontinuing a new serial of adventure and love in the West of today by ERLE STANLEY GARDNER Author of “The Case of the Curious Bride” and “The Case of the Counterfeit Eye” Illustration by Ronald cLeod “As you know, they have more than a million dollars in gold,” he began. “That’s bulky — hard to dispose of. The way things are now, they can't spend gold. They could ship it out of the country, but that’s risky. These men know they're being pursued. They're desperate. They want to get out of the country. They have to get rid of that gold. They don't dare bury it and leave it. They want to turn it into money. It represents a fortune. They have a western background. Therefore, what more natural than that they should pretend to discover a gold mine and start shipping out gold bricks?" “They'd be caught,” Perkett said. “When the smelters made their assay, they'd find that the gold had the samé alloy as gold coin, and —" “Not if they melted up that gold and diluted it with a bunch of lead, and perhaps put in additional metals.” “What makes you think they are going to do this?”’ A “Simply the, way things are running. There’s a girl by the name of Virginia Daine. She has a ranch out there. She's a human enigma. She can play her cards closer to her chest than any woman I ever saw. She’s young and beautiful — the sort that the sun is kind to. It gives her skin an olive tint and —"' ‘‘Listen, you're not falling in love, are you?"’ Dick flushed and shock his head. “What I was leading up to,” he said, ‘‘is the fact that she has a man, Tom Wharton, working for her as manager, a peculiar in- dividual who is always practising with a gun and whose hobby is reading up on the lives of outlaws. Miss Daine took me for a ride up along a high ridge. I found that from there we could see the Flying-M layout. Apparently that was why she took me.” Perkett looked at him sharply and said, “Does she know you're interested in the Flying-M?" _ “Not from anything I've told her, but she’s plenty smart. Well, when we started back . someone opened fire. I think he was shooting at me, but he may have been shooting at her or both of us. He hit her horse and she went down hard. After awhile Wharton showed up with a rifle. It had been fired. I couldn’t tell how recently. “‘Now, Wharton has been prospecting in the vicinity of the Flying-M ranch. He suddenly gets the idea that there's gold in the country. He and Miss Daine draw up an agreement of partnership. “The Flying-M is owned by Frank Larring. It's mortgaged to the hilt. The bank is putting the screws down. Larring needs money badly. Now my idea is that the Waxon gang have made some arrangement with Larring by which they're allowed to locate on his ranch, “Whoopeeeee!” yelled one of the men. II “Look at the gold rusher with a flat tire” and the head of the gang is allowed to hire additional cowpunchers. I don't believe Larring knows the type of men he’s dealing with. [ think they're playing him for a sucker. “Last night one of the Flying-M cow- punchers came hightailing in with a bunch of gold ore; Bert Plummer, who I'm sure is one of the Waxon gang, is supposed to have dis- covered it. Well, I'm willing to bet money that the rock was a piece of specimen rock imported to be used as a blind. The Waxon outfit are going to build up the right kind of a background and then start bringing in gold bars. Did you ever hear of the Lost Escalante Mine — sometimes called the Mine of the Iron Door?”’ . ‘“Yes, I've heard of it,"” Perkett said. ‘‘What about it?” “It was probably the richest of the mines worked by the Jesuits in the early days. It's a matter of history that a great quantity of gold bars was sealed up in a strong room in the mine. The mine is popularly supposed to have been located somewhere to the north of Tus- con. That'’s largely a matter of speculation, but the point is that there were quite a few mines worked by the Jesuits where gold was smelted and stored in the mine itself. Then when Indian hostilities drove the Jesuits from the country, the mines were sealed up.” Perkett nodded slowly and said, ‘‘We could of course have the State Mining Bureau send an inspector to look the country over and —" “Alarm the gang and let them give us the slip once more,”” Dick interrupted. Perkett asked slowly, “Have you got a plan, Dick?" “Yes,” Dick told him. “I have to play a lone hand, but I want you to be waiting here with plenty of men to —"' Abruptly he jumped to his feet, raced across the room and jerked open the door. The Flying-M cowpuncher who had brought the gold ore to town was standing just outside. For perhaps two seconds, Dick and the cow- puncher stared at each other. Then a leering expression appeared on the face of the cowpuncher, ; “I know you," he said thickly, and took,a step forward, peering with the intent concen- tration which characterizes one who is intoxicated. He nodded his head sagely and chuckled in alcoholic mirth. “Sure I know you. You're the lawyer guy who came into town with me. Say, y'know, we got a bonanza out on the ranch. I'm celebratin’ in a big way. Y'wanna celebrate?” Dick managed to make his smile appear (Continued on nest page)