VERNONIA EAGLE, VERNONIA, OREGON
FLAME IN THE FOREST
by HAROLD TITOS
©By Harold Titus
Illustrations by Irwin Myers
SYNOPSIS
Kerry Young, a lad of seven, Is
prepared to flee the burning lumber
camp of his benefactor, Jack Snow,
who took the youngster to live with
him at the death of Kerry's mother.
Tod West has instructed Kerry to
come with a file containing the camp's
funds should it be endangered.
Flames attack the office, and Kerry,
hugging the precious file, and Tod
race to town. Tod acts queerly. At
the bank the file is found empty and
Kerry is blamed with taking the
wrong one. Snow, his headquarters
and money gone, is ruined, and soon
thereafter dies, leaving Kerry to the
Poor Commissl'mer. Kerry suspects
Tod and swear*. to even the score.
In a St. Paul office Kerry, now tn
manhood, and an expert woodsman,
learns of the whereabouts of West.
Kerry rescues a lovely girl from a
scoundrel, who proves to be West.
Tod threatens to pauperize the girl,
Nan Downer. She thanks Kerry and
tells him of the robbery, and murder
of her father and of Tod's advances.
She is operating a lumber tract which
her father had purchased from West.
Kerry makes camp. At the general
store in West’s Landing, he finds
Tod engaged in a poker game.
CHAPTER IV—Continued
—4—
I d a new game, a strange game,
a man with wit watches everything.
So Young watched this game. Ills
eyes never left Tod West’s hand as
the man dealt but despite the fact
that he detected nothing to arouse
suspicion there he passed tens, back
to back, and let Jim Hinkle fight
It out with West. Jim lost again
and, thumbing his bills, muttered
savagely
“Back where I started tonight.”
Kerry stayed for the first time.
He won and laughed. He had won
with nines. The nine of spades,
his hole card, had a bent corner.
He remarked that.
West began to talk again, mak
ing an obvious attempt to resume
his banter which had been soured
by Young’s appearance He suc
ceeded badly.
Tod and Hinkle clashed again;
Hinkle won. A few moments later,
he lost most of what he had gained.
West was watching him closely.
Young observed.
“Damn Mel’s cigars!” said West
beneath his breath, tossing his
smoke away and making a wry
face. “Rope! Count me out a
hand,’ he said. “I’ll run over to
the house and get a real smoke.”
He rose and went intently out
and Young wondered. Did West so
much dislike confronting him even
across a poker table after what had
happened that afternoon that he
had fled? Or was It something else
which moved him to leave?
The game went on, four-handed,
and under relieved tension.
On his return to the table, the
good-natured atmosphere which had
prevailed for those last few hands
disappeared. Again, it was a gam
bling contest, although Tod’s talk
was, outwardly, all that it had been
before he knew that Kerry Young
was in the room. . . . Still, that
feeling of apprehension, of some
thing afoot, grew stronger In
Young’s heart.
It was West's deal. He riffled
the cards twice adeptly and cut
them for a third time. His fingers
bent them, sent them fluttering
against one another, and then two
or three of the pack leaped from
his clasp, slid across the table and
spilled Into his lap.
“Need a basket!” he growled and,
shoving back his chair, stooping
over, groped for cards on the floor.
He found them, all right! He
found and gathered them In the
hand which held the deck. But
his other hand slid a second deck
from beneath his belt and when he
came up the one pack was thrust
Into the little stein shelf beneath
the table top while it was the new
one he thrust toward Jim Hinkle
for the cut. . . .
Kerry Young did not know this.
But his heart rapped with suspicion.
WNU Service.
“Cut ’em, James!" the man said.
“And cut 'em deep because I’ve
got another feeling about this
hand!”
He looked about and grinned,
more affable than he had been
since Kerry entered the game. Hin
kle cut; West beamed and . , .
"slipped" the cut!
Young saw that clearly. Back to
the top of the deck went the sec
tion that Hinkle had cut away and
West was dealing, talking, chuck
ling over some joke he had made
but to which Kerry gave no heed.
To find Tod West playing the role
of ruthless aggressor this after
noon; to find him cheating at cards
tonight . . . and after all these
years of suspicion and resentment!
To the tourist at Tod’s left a
king, next a four, to Young a seven,
to Jim Hinkle a queen and to him
self, a six spot.
“The king,” said Its possessor,
‘‘will risk a dollar.”
Kerry looked at his down card.
It was the nine of spades . . . and
a nine of spades without a bent cor
ner! The deck had been switched,
he knew!
The man at his left came in;
Kerry, thinking quickly, paused and
caught a little flicker of misgiving
on Tod West’s face. The man want
ed him in! He tossed a dollar bill
to the pot.
“And a dollar!” said Jim Hinkle
promptly and Tod nodded wisely.
"That queen must be proud of
herself again. Queens ruined Saw
yer, James. Well, I’ll trail along."
The rest, also, saw the raise.
Tod set the deck on the table be
fore him, ostentatiously, Kerry be
lieved. He hitched his chair closer
to the table and dealt, taking cards
one at a time from the pack.
The showing king drew a ten
spot; the four caught a nine.
Young was given a deuce and be
side Hinkle's queen dropped an
other. . . .
"Oh-oh!” muttered Tod. ‘‘You
must’ve felt her coming,”—turning
himself a king.
Excitement showed In Jim Hin
kle’s sallow face. Why shouldn't it?
“Count Me Out a Hand,” He Said.
With queens back-to-back, and now
a third? And two kings showing
in two bands?
"Ten dollars,” he said and his
voice was too eager.
“Well, now, James . . . I’m just
a little bit proud of what I’ve got.
I’ve beaten those dam’ queens once
or twice tonight IT1 just tilt it a
mite this time to try my luck. Let’s
bet twenty-five and keep the retail
ers out!”
The man at his left folded; the
second hesitated and again Kerry
caught that little flash of misgiving
in West's eye. He wanted them all
qut now; all except Jim Hinkle
who was already fingering his
money, ready to call or raise.
The second tourist folded and
Kerry silently shoved his cards
away.
“Raisin’ fifteen, Tod?” Jim asked
and this time his voice was husked.
“That’s the way I feel. I’ll back
at you!”
West rubbed his chin and grinned.
“By gosh," he said, as If in cha
grin. "By gosh, Jimmy, you tryln’
to beat me?" An onlooker laughed.
“I think you're downright tryln’ to
take my money and that ain't quite
right. . . . Back at you with
twenty!”
His voice snapped on this last
and the watchers crowded closer
to the chair backs.
“Well, seein’ as you've got so
much confidence and seein' as how
we’ve got cards cornin’ . . . Call!”
Three cards were dealt, now,
with two showing; a pair of queens,
with a Ione king against them.
From the top of the deck, lying
so openly before him, West picked
an ace and flipped it toward his ad
versary. For himself he turned a
nine-spot
“The queens bet twenty-five
bucks!” Jim’s voice was tight
“And the king will see the twen
ty-five and raise ten I” said West
mellowly.
Hinkle shifted his weight He
wet his lips and looked nervously
at Tod’s hand. Then, as if decid
ing on caution after a struggle, he
called. His stack of bills was thin,
now; the heap of currency in the
center had attained considerable
size.
“Now for the last heat, Jimmy.
To you, m’ lad, a trey, and to me,”
—hesitating as he looked at the
card he turned from the deck and
let a smile cross his face—"to me,
the king of diamonds!”
So that was ltl Kerry thought
to himself. Obviously, Hinkle had
threes. Tod, from a cold deck, had
dealt himself the case king.
West was sitting back in his
chair, smiling coolly. The place
had grown very still. Well over
two hundred dollars had been bet
so far and West was smiling at
the distraught Jim Hinkle as a
man will who Is most sure of him
self.
“Beat the kings,” West said. “If
you can and care to!”
Jim cleared his throat.
He counted his money slowly and
said, ‘‘I’m betting fifty dollars,” and
as he shoved in the last of his
money Young heard the breath
catch in his throat
Tod West began to laugh.
“Them queens!” he said "You
boys have to learn about women
from me! I, beat ’em with aces
once tonight Now, it’s kings. . . .
Kings beat queens, Jimmy? Three?
You got three of the gals?”—and
Hinkle strained forward as West
began turning his hole card.
“Three queens,” the man said
huskily.
“That's just what I figured, along
at the last So I just called, you
bein’ out of cash. My kings,
James, catched 'emselves a triplet,
too!”
Hinkle slumped back in his chair
weakly. In the depths of his eyes
was acute distress.
“Caught the caser!” Tod West
was saying as he reached forward
with both hands for the pot.
“Caught the caser and—”
“Just a minute!” It was Kerry
Young's voice, with snap and iron
In it; and Kerry Young's hand lay
in an arresting grasp on West's
wrist.
Tod broke short his speech. He
plunged a look hard into this
stranger’s face.
“Jim, how much did you lose In
this pot?" Kerry asked. “You were
even, you said, a while ago.”
“Hunderd ’n’ eighteen,” said Hin
kle unsteadily.
Young nodded.
“A hundred and eighteen dol
lars! That's too much to lose—”
“What comes off here?" West, re
covering himself, shook off Kerry’s
hand and drew back. Color gushed
darkly into his face. “What goes
on here? You weren't In this pot!”
“No. You didn't want me in."
“Makes no damn difference to
me, what you do. But you were
not. It's my pot. If you want to
post-mortem here, whatever your
name is, just string along and buy
the right."
“I’ve the right, now!” Young's
mouth twitched and be was a bit
pale. “My financial interest In this
pot is nothing. But I’ve an inter
est in it beside that I've been
sitting in the game and when I see
a man stripped of bls last dollar
on a crooked deal—”
Tod was on his feet a rush of
crimson rage flooding his face, and
his right hand was whipping at his
“Now!”—as West Hesitated—
“Face to the Wall.”
breast, jerking open the shirt. But
tons gave, exposing the sweat-
stained strap across his chest and
the segment of shoulder holster.
It happened quickly; with such
desperate quickness that Young
could not hope for escape by flight.
Before him was the table. To
right and left were seated card
players, too amazed and shocked
and fuddled to be aware of what
Impended, let alone to be able to
move quickly.
And so he did all that there re
mained to do.
He rose, with a swift, flowing
movement. As he rose, his hand
dropped into his coat pocket.
"Stop it,” he snapped, and his
voice was a rasp and as West’s
baleful eyes caught the lift of that
coat, saw the rigid projection with
in the pocket, he added in a half
whisper: "Put ’em up. Quick, or
I’ll . .
The great hand, clutching at the
pistol grip in that shoulder holster,
hesitated. Young’st voice was lm
perious, his manner commanding.
"Up, now! Smartly, Tod West!
. . . High. . . . Higher than that!”
Slowly West obeyed, panting as
he stood there, swaying just a lit
tle; and then the rest stampeded
for safety. The two stood there,
facing one another across the ta
ble. West’s eyes glassy, a stringer
of spittle at the corner of his
mouth; and Kerry Young, the
stranger, hand steady In his jacket
pocket, was smiling oddly.
“Next," he said, “you will turn
around so I can take your toy
away. You won’t be harmed, but
neither will I. Now!”—as West
hesitated. “Face to the wall, or I
may have to . . .”
Once more he left a threat un
finished.
For an Instant longer
West held bls ground and then the
hand in that pocket twitched. He
turned at the ominous gesture and
slowly faced the wait
Quickly, with a light tread, Young
stepped close behind him. A prod
ding projection pressed the small
of the larger man’s back. Young's
free band went over the other's
shoulder, inside his shirt, and
dragged out the flat, ugly auto
matic.
From the doorway a man swore
in surprise. Tod West carrying a
gun? It was incredible I
“Now,” the stranger was saying
as he backed away, “you may do as
you damned please!”
Tod chose to turn and face Young
who was halted in mid room, syno-
sure for all eyes. The hand which
had covered West was still in his
side pocket; that sharp, menacing
projection still held firmly against
the cloth. And then the hand came
out, slowly, ostentatiously, drag
ging with it the pocket lining. The
lining of the pocket and a straight
stemmed pipe!
One explosive guffaw preceded a
wave of Incredulous murmurs. Then
these subsided as Kerry withdrew
the clip from West’s pistol, ejected
the cartridges from the chamber
and spilled the ammunition into his
palm.
He dropped the pipe into his
pocket and held the unloaded gun
toward its owner. With a con
temptuous gesture he sent the cart
ridges scattering across the floor.
“There's your toy, Tod West,” he
said as the man, a-churn with cha
grin, amazement and, perhaps, a
species of relief, took it from his
hand. "You may gather your am
munition later!”
Voices were murmuring, like the
distant sound of a storm. Someone
laughed, another swore and a third
said:
"Damned bluff! And as for Tod's
cheatin’ at cards—’’
Reputations die hard!
Young swept the room with his
eyes.
“As for his cheating," he said
evenly. “The money on the table
belongs to those who had invested.
You will find that the nine of
spades, lying there with the money,
is a perfect card. The nine of spades
in the deck which was dealt the
last time, has a bent corner. No
one called for a new deck; no
change In decks was mentioned. It
is my guess that on the stein shelf
before the chair occupied recently
by Mr. Tod West, good citizen, may
be found—”
“You rat!”
At last, West had found voice.
"You rat!” he cried again. “Other
decks? . . . Course there are! You
c’n find a half dozen on the stein
shelf!”
But his bluster was not convinc
ing. He had not regained his self
possession.
“Perhaps,” said Kerry with a
shrug. "Perhaps, West. You may
be able to alibi yourself neatly, but
you know and I know!”
He went slowly forward a few
steps.
■Know me. West?” he asked.
“Know me? Never saw me, eh?
. . . Maybe, then, it’ll refresh your
memory to recall things.
“After I saw you steal from Jim
here; after I saw you cheat a poor
man for a few dollars, Tod West
.. . after I saw your smallness now,
I say, then I knew that I didn't take
the wrong letter-file the day old
Jack Snow went broke!”
Color drained from Tod’s face
but into his eyes came a gutter, a
craft, covering and subduing the
gush of Insane temper. He may
have known that this brazen youth
had not convinced all who had
watched of his duplicity.
“Don’t you know me?” Kerry
taunted when he did not speak.
"Don't you remember me at all? ...
I’m Young; Kerry Young . . . And
I took out the file you told me to
take, that day old Jack had his
death blow!”
West spoke, then, quickly.
“Young?” He shook bls head. “I
know no Young. . . . Wrong file?
Jack Snow?" A contortion crossed
his countenance. "It all means
nothing to me. Who you are, what
you are ... I don’t know. Except
this: you're a rat!”
A man growled; “We’re with you.
Tod I You're no crook 1"
Kerry shrugged.
“Fair enough,” he said and smiled
In triumph. “It answers the one
question that's . . , bothered me.
You've come a long ways, Tod West,
from a thieving, burning bookkeep
er. It's hard for men to think their
king can do wrong. I see. But . . .
step carefully, Tod West. I've sowed
seed; some seed always sprouts,
(TO BE CONTINUED)