"Don't do that!" Alaire cried, following him. "Wait! It mustn't
get out."
"Hello! Give me the Lewis ranch--quick--I've forgotten the
number." With his free hand Ed held his wife at a distance,
muttering harshly: "Get away now! I know what I'm doing. Get away-
-damn you!" He flung Alaire from him as she tried to snatch the
instrument out of his hands.
"What do you want of Lewis?" she panted.
"None of your business. You keep away or I'll hurt you."
"Ed!" she cried, "Are you out of your mind? You mustn't--"
Their voices were raised now, heedless of the two people In the
adjoining room.
"Keep your hands off, I tell you. Hello! Is that you, Tad?" Again
Austin thrust his wife violently aside. "Listen! I've just learned
that Dave Law and old man Jones have crossed over to dig up
Ricardo's body. Yes, to-night! They're over there now--be back
inside of an hour."
Alaire leaned weakly against the table, her frightened eyes fixed
upon the speaker. Even yet she could not fully grasp the meaning
of her husband's behavior and tried to put aside those fears that
were distracting her. Perhaps, after all, she told herself, Ed was
taking his own way to--
"Yes! They aim to discover how he was killed and all about it.
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