The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1893-06-04

an empty grave. His father nust hav,
made y mistake whom he put
that notch ina mistake. Old Flsod had
only killed ak with the katie. according &c
common reckoning. Whom eles had he
killed? said the boy. And 20 tbs dss,rs ei
homicide arose Within him-ths desire 70,
notoriety on the plains-ths hunger to kill
somebodyy II hardly matteSed Who IL was.
To feel the knife Aide through warm tlssh
would be . plsasuse to him-a strange and
terrible uMtriea pleasure. But the knife
knsw-ths knife knew we'll; aud altar the
again.
AZ Flood aimleesly yet eagerly desired 10
hate some one, hate came to him. Eos
night by night this wandering miad stxid
upon n man. Bill Gardiner. Now, GArdi-
ncr Yves the only man in ths crowd ~ that
and he was . better nan with The cattle.
He had been brought up With them from a
child; he understood the ways Of q steer
and the way of = COW. and his lariat was
snre-he never missed. Besides that he
could put the ak shots out OF his gun in
the space Of q hand at twenty paees. He
had shot a prairie dog when he wa: At
man, and he made Thorn laugh and kept the
camp going. But somehow Flood didn't
like hin, or the knife didn't-Flood didn't
know which. 1t was Y partnership. for the
knife was alive and urgent. that he knew.
And his hand twitched, and he felt the
There IL . legend In the south Of Europe,
in Roumania; akind of a seuR, a folk song.
tells it. Tho knives leap out of their
sAsaths at night, and roam tho country.
and take their fill OF blood. and come back,
tap ut the window n and ask to BE- let
Unlike tired dogs. that have aone out
sheep. killing and come hom full. And
Floods notched knife was bseome alive
and conscious. He and II went thirsty.
But II tho knife was brave Flood was mot.
Il was only the desire to kill he had. not
the desire to fight. But at last the knife.
~ he handled 1t and looked At il and saw
liz keen edge on the front and the thumb
length on the back. which was sharp. too
and as he put his thumb IN the point and
picked himself Nil the blood oams-it
urged him and drove him on. 1t Was the
knife that was chief in this bloody partner
ship. and the spirit of the father was sec-
ond and the boy was like . conduit or a
f1une, carrying the fathers still Gnsatis-
fled desire for blood.
There was a little talk Al times in the
camp about Flood whom he was not there.
They didn't quite like him; at least. all of
them did not. For there was q curious look
In his eyes. He was = little bit dangerous;
he was not quite open.
II don't think he could light" said one
Vi II 0Vy0 Wv NO ~ A1lA - Au00 A0ASA
enough. ! reckon"
xiii thunder" said Gardiner; hell kill
no one-hs amt got it in him."
II don't know said another. "Have
you never noticed how the desire Of KILN
suthin' or other springs up in q man. like
grass after rain, when he comes out hero?
/ have"
That's So" said Gardiner; II guess I've
seen 1t, but not in . man like Flood"
ITS mostly in men like Flood" said the
other.
But Flood never knew how they talked
about him. He was always talking to his
knife; he was silent to them. But ono day.
and had a bit of Q barney" Gardiner lost
his self-control. and called Flood rather
an ugly nams-for Flood had run up against
him when they we're both after . runaway
steer. Flood said nothing. but he went
away talking. When he grew silent he
listened to his knife. When two are in
partnership and one is a cur and the other
bold 1t will a < a long time to come to a
fair conclusion. And though Gardiner
forgot it and spoke kindly, as kindly as the
western wind-for he had a kind enough
heart-Flood held the memory OF that
name within his own dark henri. and took
counsel. he and his knife. And he often
followed Gardiner about with his eyes. He
huneersd to kill him. Tho desire Of homi-
eide was growing ny in him strong-lt was
no lonaer general. but particular. He had
no spite against the race. but a spite against
one man. And it was one man he needed.
one man that notch oravsd fo,-one notch
over the due tally of recorded murder. He
knew that.
The holder of two partners has the great
asst strength and the greatest authority. and
works out his own way. There was no pal
tering with the cold steel that had drunk
the blood of men-that al least was eager
and rsndy. It held q life at least, and
Flood knew it. And the strength of the
steel came into his hand and into his arm.
and the strength of it into his heart. And
when he touched it he Jaw red, and he felt
that he would kill-that he should kill
that he must kill. But when he laid IL by
his courage failed, and his cheeks were
pallid. and he only thought and only de-
sired-he had no strength. He was like a
mas who. living in the SUM-, goes into the
cold, into the north whero there is no sun,
whe o his blood grows pallid and desire
fails.
But one day he and Gardiner wsra left in
the camp alone, for Gardiner had been
thrown from his horse-or. rather. his
horse fell and rolled ovor him. And Flood
made an excuse to stay. He went down to
she creek and played with his knife and it
whispe ed rcd murder and connseled death
to him. And overhead the sky was blue
and the west vino was sweet. and the
creeks waters passed by him slowly. At
noon he nnds dinner for himself and
GRrdins', but he found NO common knife to
eat with.
Use your bowie" said Gardiner. And
Flood used IL.
Aud a. he sat eating in front Of the other
cowboy the strength came back to him.
And Gardiner caught his eve and wondered
at II, for he could not understand. There
was a strange look in the young fellows
face. The look was far of and his lips
moved at times as il he was talking to some
ono or something.
Whats up?" said Gardiner; and Flood
looked at him again.
And then Gardiner understood.
But he was lame. his leg Was nearly brok-
en-, n he had left his six-shooter in his
belt in the little tsnt-it was ten yards
away. So Gardiner locked down and said,
coolly:
Il wonder when the o,her boys are COM
nag back! About time for them to turn up,
| should think, II they amt. Roin' to make
a long day of it. Where the devils INV to-
bnccoY'-and he iullsd out a piue.
Flood sat there eating with the knife in
his hand. He had stop cd eating and WAS
muttorinP. and his right ann twitcAed, and
his hand closed tight on the handle OF the
bowie.
Lend us your knife" said Gardiner.
And Flood rose up.
He took it in his left hand az though he
would hand it handle foremo st to Gardiner.
But AS he handled 1t he saw the notchss and
he ran his thumb nail down them again
and there vas still tho empty one-the I'M
named notch.
And the next moment he named it
"Gardiner."-Morlsy Roberts in the Lon
don san.