“T've had my quota of the coffee,” he
said. “Your rum is in yours.”

He downed the liquor straight while Dal-
sleish and Greene sipped theirs diluted in
the coffee. Dan continued to talk. He
seated himself on a box in front of the
counter, between the two men, with one

PHONE 14

P.O. BOX 28
SMITHERS MOTORS

D. SMITHERS, Proprietor.
STANDARD OIL PRODUCTS
GENERAL REPAIRS
Welding a Specialty—Vulcanizing

OLIVER

British Columbia

Oliver Sawmills Ltd.
Manufacturers of
Western Pine Box Shooks
P.O. Box 98

Oliver BaGs

Phone 78

Hotel Reopel

J. C. ARMSTRONG, Proprietor

Air Conditioned
All Modern Conveniences

Dining Room & Coffee Shop in Connection

FULLY LICENSED

Phone 40
UNDER NEW MANAGEMENT

“The Home of the Cantaloupe’

OLIVER, B.C.

P.O. BOX 58
“INSIST ON THE BEST”

Get it From

CARTER’S BAKERY

ICE CREAM, CONFECTIONERY
and LUNCHES

PHONE 73

OLIVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA

leg crossed over the other and his hands
clasping over his raised knee

And he would have continued through
the day and far into the night had not the
sergeant put an end to it finally.

“Well, Dan,” he said at long last, “we've
got to be on our way.”

“What, already! What's the matter
with you guys? You're only here, and I’ve
just got started.”

“That’s what I was afraid of, Dan.
But, there’s always another time. It’s been
good to see your wee wizened face again.
Any messages for the outside?”

“Not a thing, serg!” replied Dan.

“Okay, then. Let’s be going, Bob!”

The two officers made for the door.

“Oh, say!” cried Dan, “I suppose you
ginks are going down to Norton’s Point.
Too bad about old Dave, wasn’t it.”

“Norton’s Point? We were there exactly
a month ago. What do you mean, ‘too
bad about old Dave?’ Nothing wrong down
there is there?”

Dalgleish came back inside.

“Oh, nothing much wrong with old Dave
—now,” said Dan, “exceptin’ that he’s
joined “The Great Majority’ — wherever
they may be congregated.”

“You don’t say! Come on, Dan, quit the
fooling! What's wrong at Protheroe’s?”

“Gosh! You ought to know. Thought
the police knew of every murder or death
in the country before it ever happened.
Paul Broley, the Indian who fishes a couple
of miles below Protheroe’s, was in yesterday
and told me Dave Protheroe had been
drowned.”

Dalgleish looked curiously at Greene
who was now standing in the doorway of
the store, waiting. Greene returned Dal-
gleish’s significant look, both frowning as
they did so.

“Drowned,” repeated the sergeant.

“Yes,” replied Dan. “That is what
Broley said. He couldn’t give me any par-
ticulars. I intended going down in a day
or so to find out, but now you guys are
here, it'll save me the trouble. We fur
traders have always been wet nurses to you
police. Besides, I think I have athlete’s
foot or something in my big toe and walk-
ing worries me these days.”

“Thanks a lot, Dan. We weren’t going
that way, but we'll make the call. Glad you
gave us the steer.”

“Don’t mention it, old fellow. We al-
ways do it, you know,” he mimicked.
“You draw the emoluments and we men of
the Hudson’s Bay play Sherlock Holmes
for you. Nothing to it, ‘my dear Wat-
son.”

The sergeant was now on the jump. “So
long, Dan!” he cried. “We'll be seeing
you—in another year or two.”

“Come on, push it, Bob,” Dalgleish whis-
pered to Greene. No knowing what’s afoot
down there, and if we hadn't listened to
all of Dan’s blarney he probably wouldn't
have told us a thing about this. A death
is of no more consequence to him than a
boil on the neck.”

What suspicions the sergeant may have
had, he did not voice to his companion, and
Greene was wise enough to keep his mouth
shut until all the facts were known.

They started right away and reached
Protheroe’s early next afternoon.

SERGEANT’S SUSPICIONS AROUSED

Neither Slim nor Mrs. Protheroe were
in the least perturbed by the visit of the
police, for they knew that sooner or later
some of them would be round to make in-
quiries. Both seemed considerably upset

over the calamity to Dave, Slim probably
more than the woman.

Sergeant Dalgleish lost no time in get-
ting down to business.

“So poor Dave has hit the long trail,”
he remarked.

Telephone 15

HOTEL OLIVER
E. S. and T. W. Hall, Proprietors

On the Main Cariboo Highway and in the
Heart of the ‘’Cantaloupe”

FULLY LICENSED
FIRST-CLASS ACCOMMODATION
GOOD MEALS’. Oliver, B.C. GOOD BEDS

“LAKESIDE AUTO CAMP

JAS. D. HARRISON, Proprietor

Tourist Cabins, Summer Cottages
Bathing Beach
*
OLIVER, B.C.

Bx€: POLICE

*

Oliver, B. C.

With Compliments to the

Oliver Co-operative
Growers’ Exchange

Victory
Is in
Sight.

e

Get the
Boys

| Home.

°
Buy
Victory
Bonds.

SOUTHERN
CO-OPERATIVE
EXCHANGE

Growers, Packers and Shippers of

Southern Okanagan Fruit
and Vegetables

Head Office, Oliver, B.C.

TWELFTH EDITION

Page Seventy-seven