Devils Lake inter-ocean. (Devils Lake, Ramsey Co., Dakota [N.D.]) 1884-1905, 1886-04-17


SAID he, II want you to hire and bring up
some men to smoke them. These poor crea-
lures about here haven't lungs strong enougn
to draw on EN-. They want AZ tneir sUenetn
to draw rocks out Of the bed OF " river,
and It's for my interest TO see tina lgs saved
for that purpose, at the ra'e IN cnal,,ns w
four, boots and whisky against tnein.
'Got any better cigars than tne lass ioe'
asked q miner, who, just coming M nao hos
heard hankms last remark.
eyes," replied Rankin. "Splendid lot
Havanns-only it wants a bull team to draw
one. Try one. You'll find it'll last you .
month. Just the quality to suit your case.
You smoke too much. These cigars are gov
up express to cure people of smoking. Oneu
last an ordinary man a whole year MIKE,
my partner. He had 'em made to order"
Rankin's gable was a relief. big DICK
came In, and forgetting past admonitlons,
hoisted his huge proportions on the limitee
area OF counter uncovered by goods, and
Immediately got on again WITH quicKnes
that suggested some 1uncontofea"'e seh-
satton.
"Glad it works. said Rankin. "Nothin'
but a needle stuck through the wood. Some
folkses heads are too thick to take a hint.
Then we try some other part. II at first
you don't succeed, try, try again." chimed
pins, Needles and pins, When you get mar
ried your trouble begins
Presently Hillyear entered. A cloud
seemed to come with him. To me i@was as
II the vindictive spirit Of the dead man
kept him company.
He looked about a%nxiously, as it with the
hope that Pratt might be present. know the
meaning of that look.
Hillyear was a slow-lnoving man, appa-
rently a follower of Pratt and led by him,
Without his partner he seemed lost.
"Has anybody seen Pratt today9 He
hasn't come back" after q time no asked, In
his heavy, drawing way "a sentence with
him seemed always a matter of previous deep
and labored study, and when asked the SIM
plest question the time that elapsed before he
replied was ~exasperating' to an eager in
quirer). M
"Why, I saw him piking along Scrub noun
tain today" said one of the crowd: "Whats
he gunnin' after up there, anyhow
"Holder, didn't I see you crawlin' among
the bushes up there to-dayT' said one Bill
Setter. 'That red shirt you've got on looks
like the one I saw" Z
Fool that I wasl 1 had not thought of
wearing q garh which would show so conspic-
uously against the dark bottle green of the
c%happaral.
eyes, I took a stroll that vav.n I said, /
felt forced into, such reply. He continued:
"What did yer find to shoot up there3
Rattlesnakes or iackass rabbits3 heard a
shot,
That WINS pratt,a nisto, s;shts and
sounds scanned drawino the;r meshea ahont
ma Hillvear vas lookine at ma in his stolid
fashion a. n soma faint elimmar If an idaa
were creeninr into his hrein =:
~ shot notbino y was NV ran1v
The taik then ar,fted toword mvster,o,,a
murders and robberies-then common in
that country-and cases were mentioned
which had 'nallv been traced to men-neioh.
bors of the slain-whose lives had previously
shown no such inclination. ..
Rankin,s humor inclined him ever to give
an individual the verv characteristic which
be most licked. Slow men he smoke Of nd
marvels of dispatch. ~tacit,rn men os d;s.
turbiur. all about nv the clatter Of their
tongues. I. with nv shv. muiet. reticant
manner. evidently ranked With him as a
most peaceable character. It seemed to me
then as il some fend prompted him to the re-
mark:
"Shouldn't wonder IL Holder had vav-
laid and murdered Pratt, Put another nal
In his private graveyard
"Yes," added another second fiddle humor-
tt. "Thats What he knocks off work so
early for in the morning."
And tho last mans blood Is on his pants
now" added a third.
had worn a pair Of white duck working
trousers and a spot Of the blood from Pratt's
body had sneared them near the feet-l had
not noticed 1t before.
This remark called to me the attention of
al Ill inc dingy store. Iheir eyes seemed to
narn through me- 1eis as II IN tue dock
uFlea' convicted sentenced
! lett soon afterward. Hillyear's route
bone was mine. we were obliged to walk
near each other on the narrow, rocky trail,
wide enough for a single traveller. With all
the dark suspicion which feared existed III
MS mind concerning me l felt sorry for i'm.
felt when about him that his was one OF
those natures, born to follow-that. Pratt
mad picked MN up as ne would q stray dog
looking Tor a master, That with the III.
stlnct OF the animal he had become attached
to Pratt and was grieving for him.
l tried In vain that night to sleep. So sopn
as my body was at rest, and my brain be-
came more active than ever, its picturings
vibrating from Pratt's body to the store, and
from the scenes OF that day to the possible
e OF tomorrow.
Something must be done with that body.
Where 1t was it must not remain.
You know how in our minds come floating
memories-recent or remote, important OF
trivial, and Of no apparent relation to The
main subject Of thought. So in my menta