Democratic Northwest. [volume] (Napoleon, Ohio) 1869-1894, 1890-06-05

| n AAo oeOOu shOtO ka1iuR ~ buo uot
outlines Of mountains on the west
with vague longing in his his heart
As he turned couple of horsemer
dash from side street and follow the
same road that Moze had taken fifteer
minutes earlier. 'lfilt .-tl
Just on the outskirts of the villag,
are the Lowell plains, q long stretch o
pine lands.
| The road to Portland lay through
this pine forest; on the other side wa;
Sweden, the home of the three hunt.
ers. To follow the straight road Moze
must go within mile of home, and
after the long separation, John thought
it must take good deal of courage to
drive by;
When it was day light he awaken
ed Wesley, the two had breakfast and
made arrangements to leave their
hunting outfit until Moze returned
from Portland and then started out OF
the village across the plains. With
the long, swinging stride of the hunt
ers they we're soon in the very midst
of,the pine forest
1t so happened that Wesley was
telling John of the unwelcome COM
pany they had had after he left them
at Lexington. II
"What did you say his name wasp
Jim Jones' answered Wesley.
WAS he middlin' short man with
grizzly hair, scar over his left eye
and an uncommon square chimp
why. yes, sir, You didn't see him,
did your ... 4t
We'll, l rather guess did, an he
want no Jim Jones, neither, for /
seed i'm at Lexington. Tain nobody
but Jim Wells, an he's the biggest
scamp in Oxford county. ! wish I'd
he'd sense enuff to ha' gone with
Moze.' ''. 'r., ...
John made few herculean strides
as though he had a notion of attempt
ing to overtake the other hunter and
his feet horse. e.. s
'Tain't no sort O. use. Moze kin
take care O. hisself if anybody can;
now you mark my words, boy .a
That's 30, answered the boy,
who had made so much of hero of
Moze that it had never occurred to
him that anybody could harm a man
of Moze's strength and nerve.
John thought of those two horse
men be had seen ride out of the vii
lage directly behind Moze. He said
nothing to Wesley about his suspic-
ions, but he instinctively quickened his
rapid stride until the lad had hard
work to keep up with him. ..
Beyond this pine forest lay the town
of Sweden, with picturesque hillsides,
farm and meadow lands, bordering
upon several lovely lakes. After this
there was another forest, unlike the
pine forest through which they we're
where one could look straight
ahead for half q mile under the ceV-
tury old pine trees, so thick at the top
that no underbrush could flourish
In the other forest beyond the town
the thick brushwood grew to the
ditch, a dense mass of hazeis, dogwood
and blackberry bushes. This was by
no means as much frequented as the
road through the pine plains. for other
thoroughfsres led to the manufactur-
ing towns in the vicinity beyond the
plains. John was making the quickest
possible time. Never In his life had
the soughing of the pine trees sounded
30 dismally to him. .a.
Suddenly an ominous sound, the
of an owl, smote his ear-in
the day time, too. This was an ill
omen that even the hunters could not
overlook. . a. .u.
He was certain that something
Moze. In the first house
1T the Sweden entrance to the wooded
plain lived a family. One Of the sons
had fast horse, which John deter
mined he would hire and start after
his brother in the shortest possible
time.
He did not care to have Wesley
know how he felt so he remarked to |
him:
You can go home and some time
Turing the day go down to Moze's
house and tell Nancy that we have
zone to Portland to sell the furs and
'hall be at home by Saturday night if |
We have good luck
The lad made no reply. He tarried
long by the hunters side with a very
erious face.
When John stopped at the farmers
louse he climbed the hill like deer
nd ran as fast as his legs would car
y hin the mile and half that inter-
,ened between the farm house and
Judge Woodbury's mansion at the
orners. He found his mother at
Iome. She hardly recognized In the
ale, hearty, rough looking back.
the slender, pale son who
ad gone awaya a few months before.
She was so delighted with the
hange that she did not demure when
= ko1J hou ha uo,,ot fol1orv Moro - |