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why di wher Hull is fastene now do 1 know you told all you know‘.l1 Mebbe you’re keepin’ secrets, too.” i Kirby took this without batting an] eye. “An innocent man hasn’t any- thing to fear," he said. “Hasn’t he?” Olson picked up a stone and flung it at a pile of rocks he had gathered fifty yards away. He was leftâ€"handed. “How do you know he hasn't? Say, just for an argu-, ment, I do know somethin’. Say Ii practically saw Cunningham killedI an’ hadn’t a thing to do with it. Could; I get away with a story like that? You. know darned well I couldn’t. Wouldn’tl the lawyers want to know howcome I] to be so handy to the place where the killin’ was, right at the very time'. it took place, me who is supposed to have threatened to bump him off my- self? Sure they Would. I’d be tyin'; a noose round my own neck." I “Do you know who killed my uncle?”i demanded Lane point«blank. “Did;‘ you see it done?" I. Olson's eyes narrowed. A craftyi‘ light shone through the slitted lidsly "Hold yore hawsses. I ain't said Ii knew a thing. Not a thing. I was'1 stringin’ you.” .' Kirby knew he had overshot the” mark. He had been too eager and had! . alarmed the man. He was annoyed at. ‘ himself. It would take time and pa-I‘ tience and finesse to recover lost 1 ground. Shrewdly he guessed at the.t rancher’s state of mind. The mani‘ wanted ‘to tell something. was divided: in mind whether to come forward as a: I witness or keep silent. His en‘denceJt it was clear enough. would implicate} a Hull; but. perhaps indirectly. it Would! . involve himself. too. 5 “Well. whatever it is \‘mi 1-“... r “Why 1101:? Better tell me than wait for the police to thirdâ€"degree you. If you’re not in this killin’ why not tell what you know? I’ve told my story.” “After they spotted you in the court-room.” the farmer retorted. “An’ how do I know you told all you know? Mglgbe you're keepin’ secrets rm ” Wouldn’t I made up my mind .thin’. I’m sure 0: as told me so. Vi resting easy in H Weight on one stir) into the rancher's the; question. 5U . .u... . ~uvuv it at me straight.” “If I thought you had killed Cun- ningham I wouldn’t be here now. What I thought when I came was that you might know somethin’ about it. I didn’t come out here to trap you. My idea is that Hull am it Rn+ T’vo it “You’véflgolw;'nerve to come out here an’ tell me I’m the man that killed Cunningham," Olson flung out, his face flushing darkly. “I’m not sayin’ that.” > “What are you savin’. llum'? Rl'mn‘r “That’s. not the point. What I'm gettin’ at is that the same man wrote the article that wrote the letter to Cunningham.” f‘Prove it! Prove it!” “The paper used in both cases was torn from the same tablet. The wrlil§i_n’sr the same.” am I?” The lips of Olson were drawn back in a Vicious snarl. ' “You’re the man.” “You can prove that, 0’ course." ‘IYES") (IHOW?J’ “By your hand\ :Ztin’. I’ve see“ three specimens of it 10â€"day.” “Where?” “One at the court-house, one at the bank that holds your note, an’ .thg third at the office of the ‘Enterprlse- You wrote an article urgin’ the Dry Valley people to fight Cunninghzgm. That article, in your own handwrltm’, is in my pocket right now.” “:1 didn’t tell them to gun him, did at. When Exposed ta Air For that reason is never 90k! in bulk. CHAPTER XVII.â€"â€"(C '9" am Tangled Tmfis m’t come out here to trap you. is that Hull did it. But I’ve I my mind you’re hidin’ some- ’m sure of it. You as good me so. What is it?” Kirby, easy in the saddle with his m one‘stirrup, looked straight lgh .APTER XVII.â€"â€"(C0nt’d.) the man who wrote that letter, The lips of Olson were drawn a vicious snarl. ' ’re the man.” tea loses its freshness and flavor. likely to tell 'es narrowed through the hawsses. I The jeered Ols yqu §ayin’, then? Shoot No, I rec eyes as he asfied 0!] you if I was \\' (Copyright, Thm “Efflfi. rafty lids. aid I was â€"â€"BY WILLIAM MACLEOD RAINE pocket. $67,- toad, howcome “You dawg-goned what you mean comin' gettin’ throwed in the demandedI thumping hi shoulder with a heavy “I’m sure enough gl‘ Mr. Champeen-ofwtheJ answered, falling into luggage, over the Thirty ing‘ hanc What was it the man knew? Was it possible he could have killed Cun- ningham himself and he was trying to throw the blame of it on Hull? Was that why he was afraid to come out in the open with what testimony he had? Kirby could not forget the bit- ter hatred of Cunningham the farmer cherished. That hatred extended ’00 Hull. What a sweet revenge to kill lone enemy and let the other one hang lfoxj the crime! CHAPTER XVIII. “BURNIN’ A HOLE IN MY POCKET." Cole Sanborn passed through the Welcome Arch at the station carrying an imitation-leather suitcase. He did not take a car, but walked up Seven- teenth Avenue as far as the Markham Hotel. Here he registered, left his luggage, and made some inquiries over the telephone. ‘ Thirty minutes later he was shakâ€" mg hands with Kirby Lane. ;‘\:ou dawg-goned old hellamile.: V v .«~ 13' He handed Olson his card. The man tossed it away. Kirby turned his horse toward town. Five minutes [later he looked back. The settler had walked across to .the place where he had thrown the card and was appar- ently picking it up. The man from Wyoming smiled. He had a very strong hunch that Olson would call on him Within a week cr ten days. Of course he was disap- pointed, but he knew the game had to be played with patience. At least he had learned something. The man. had in his possession evidence vitally‘ important. Kirby meant to get that evidence from him somehow by hook or crook. “Nothin’. I’m goin’ now.” He wrote his Denver address on a card. “I you find there is any evidence against Hull an’ want to talk it over, perhaps you’d rather come to me than the police. I’m like you. If Hull did it I want him fpund guiljcy. So long.” _ _ _. v VH5». The man’s angelivbarked at Lane. “Well, what you waitin’ for?” he ask~ ed harshly. Olson flung :1 greasewood shrub on a pile of brush. His mind, Kirby could see, was busy with the problem before it. The man’s caution and his vindictive desire for vengeance Were at war. He knew something, evidence that would tend to inciminate Hull, and he was afraid to bring it to the light of day. He worked automatical- ly, and the man on horseback watched him. On that sullen face Kirby could read, fury, hatred, circumspection, suspicion, the lust for revenge. mL- _-~ »--’r r ' ‘ ' "Don't you think it,” Olson snapped out. “They’ve pretty nearly got enough now to convict him‘" The rough rider laughed cynically. “Convict him! They havenlt enough against him even to make an arrest. They’ve got a dozen times as much against me an’ they turned me loose. He's quite safe if he keeps his mouth shutâ€"an’ he will.” ‘anadmn WI“ RAW FURS EMEHE nk. Coon, Mink, Fox. Deer- Don’t you think it as Allen.) iSSUE No Hide & Leather (‘0 Ltd., Toronto, On: away with it n the'other day?” ;’s burnin’ a hole in my you blamed 01’ horn- you not to stay for the 3alfskins, &c 23‘ K551 if h really i To be called upon to control and[ recap a gas well “running wild" and spouting a sheet of flame 75 feet in; the air and to do this by shooting offl‘ the broken valve by means of steel- - jacketed bullets from a rifle was the recent experience of Dominion GW- ernment engineers in the course or their unending campaign to prevent aM wastage of natural resources, no mat- ' ter where located and regardless of the difficulties involved. While the: regulations governing oil and natural ‘ gas development explicitly state that? all mishaps on leases must be cor- rected by the operator, it has hap-. pened that through the tailing of valves and cappings or the tamper- ing with fittings and equipment by' ignorant or maliciously disposed perw sons, wells have become a menace to the field and wasters of gas or oil. The case referred to above, and which may be cited as a typical exâ€" ample of the resourcefulness and de- termination of those who did the work, was that of a natural gas well at Pelican Rapids, on the Athabaska River, about 165 miles north of Ed monton, Alberta. During March, 1922, it was reported that the capping of. this well‘had, for some unknown rea-‘ son, failed and that the resulting flow of gas had become ignited. When the fact that this well was on fire was reported to the North West Territories ; and Yukon Branch of the Department of the Interlo, which is charged with the administration of the law with respect to oil and gas operations and the preventing of waste therein, the branch immediately sent its petroleum engineer to investigate and to recap the well as soon as possible. Fighting intense Heat. Upon reaching the ground it was, found that the opening through which the gas was escaping produced a, flame of a peculiar shape with one end g l l 'the rifle fire. 'boom derrick could not be used, lsuspended from the trolley and runI to cut the casing and this was set up on a tripod at a distance of twen- ty-five yards from the target. Steel- jacketed bullets were used, and Mo ing the firing of the first twenty-five rounds the especially dangerous fea- tures of the work were -encountered. Jets of burning gas, necessarin lined directly back on the rifle, were forced through the new openings caused by The noise of the gas, under pressure of 'over two hundred pounds to the square inch, escaping through the bullet holes, was so great that cotton wool had to be placed in the ears of the workers to protect their ear drums. However, as the number of rounds fired increased and with it the size of the opening, the more spectacular and dangerous fea- tures of the operation gradually dis- appeared and after two hundred rounds had been used the valve sep- arated from the casing and the flame rose like a torch to a height of seven- ty-five feet. Extinguish the Flame. The next problem was to extinguish the flame. Roughly outlined the scheme was to drop one end of an iron smokestack about thirty feet long, found on the ground and which had been used in the original drilling operations, over the casing, then to incline it slowly until the base of the flame was carried as far as possible to one side when, by unshipping the bottom of the stack, it was hoped t0' create a gap between the top of the casing and the base of the flame long enough to prevent reignition. As a a steel aerial cable was run from an‘ old drilling derrick to a tree to which was rigged a trolley controlled by’ guide wires. The old stack was then; in opposite the flame and the loweri‘ luv and drawn ouiflo u-vI'I-nn "nu! :Li The secret of life lies in forming right judgments from insufficient data. The great elk onEe overran Britain; it lingered in Scotland until Roman times. The lithe, long-bodied man from Basin, Wyoming, clumped along in his highâ€"heeled boots beside his friend. Both of them were splendid examples of physical manhood. The sun tan was on their faces, the ripple of health in their blood. But there was this difference between them, that while it was written on every inch of ‘Sanborn that he lived astride a cow- pony, Kirby might have been an irri- gation engineer or a mining man froml the hills. He had neither the bow legsl nor the ungraceful roll of the man who rides most; of his waking hours. His clothes we‘re well made and he1 knew how to carry them. I As they walked across to Four-g teenth Street, Kirby told as much of’ the story as hec ould without betray- ing Esther McLean’s part in it. He trusted Sanborn implicitly, but the girl’s secret was not his to tell. I (To be continued.) ; “S'urest thing you k- this to a fare-you-Well I’ll take yore dust.” hea< whe look alon get busy. Sh will clear me. motive for me detectives will together, Rose “Hell’s bells sense a-tall?” rests on me, on a man named Hull, on the Jap servant, an’ on Wild Rose." “On Wild Rose!" exclaimed Cole, in surprise. “Have they gone crazy?” “The police haven’t got her yet, oldâ€" timer. But their suspicions will be headed that way right soon if I don’t get busy‘ She thinks her evidence will clear me. It won't. It’ll add a motive for me to have killed him. The detectives will figure out we did it together, Rose an’ me.” “I dunno. A week, mebbe. Fellow at the Empress wants me to go on that circuit 211’ do stunts, but I don’t reckon I will. Claims he’s got a train- ed bronc I can thVV on.” “Me, I’m gonna be busy as a dog with fleas,” said Kirby. “I got to find out who killed my uncle. Suspicion rests on me, on'a man named Hull, on the Jap servant, an’ on Wild Rose." “On Wild Rose!" exclaimed Cole, in surprise. “Have they gone crazy?” . “The p_olice haven’t got her yet, oldâ€" finals? Folks We didn’t ride “Tell you ; long you figu Cole?” e _ lPort of London to 2?4 per-ts all over Minard’s Liniment for Dandruff. lthe‘ world. ‘ Kirby onserving Canada’s Gas Supply as clear 3dr right no 2 my uncle the ground looked bout that later 'in’ to stay in as giymb disappointed at his watch. “Pt I for the apartmen was killed. Gonn over. Wanta com W me n Ain’t [mow ng COU I. I'm in Go ahead. How Denver, LEARN BARBER TRA [raft caused the 'gas to flow tack and burp from the to arated from the casing and the flame rose like a torch to a height of seven- ty-five feet. Ito cut the casing and this was set iup on a tripod at a. distance of twen- {ty-five yards from the target. Steel- l'jacketed bullets were used, and dur- ging the firing of the first twenty-five Irounds the especially dangerous tea- jtures of the work were _encountered. Jets of burning gas, necessarily lined directly back on the rifle, were forced through the new openings caused by the rifle fire. The noise of the gas, under pressure of ‘over two hundred pounds to the square inch, escaping through the bullet holes, was so great that cotton wool had to be placed in the ears of the workers to protect their ear drums. However, as the number of rounds fired increased and with it the size of the opening, the more spectacular and dangerous tea.- tures of the operation gradually dis- appeared and after two hundred rounds had been used the valve sep- 1i Before cleaning and pressing men’s suits, be sure to turn the pockets wrongside out and brush out all ac- cumulated dirt. Hang on line"to air. “My idea of zero in the nonpaying guest,” said Uncle Eb, “is the lady who is praying for a freeze to relieve her hay fever when we need three weeks more of hot weather to ripen the -corn." "This book says a swallow can travel six thousand miles without stopping.” “He'd have to travel further than that nowadays.” When using the watex‘glass solu- tion, mix thoroughly one and one-half quarts of commercial watergla'ss with eighteen quarts of boiled water. Place this solution in an earthen jar and pack the eggs carefully in it, being sure that the eggs are covered by at least two inches. Cover the jar to prevent evaporation. and keep in a dark, cool place. Steams_hip§ sail regularly from the hould be vith salt Minard's Liniment Heals Cuts‘ This book mg h Dlace preserve eggs in salt, they be packed in a large box filled alt. The eggs should be pack- layers so that the whole does ve to be disturbed when only a few at a time. Keep in a Makes a Better Job. 13W PRESERVING The Pest Quite So for To ~ Afte ut tim lent the Chnstmas Glfts for the Kiddied (Buy now $1.00 brings Dressed Doll) aCut-out Toy, Clockwork Model. Ari Crayons, Painting Book. Postage Pafd. 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