The Neihart herald. [volume] (Neihart, Mont.) 1890-1901, 1896-02-08


western courtesy demands, albeit |
they were. to all appearances, just
as honorable and upright citizens as
himself In fact. they looked just
like the average frontiersman whose
time, for the moment, hangs heav-
lily ON. his hands, and but for the
warning of the friendly stranger
Fam Stires would doubtless have
mixed free with them AS it was
even he inadvertently admitted that
he was going to El Rio and was in a
hurry to get there, but he sonsibiy
refused all invitations to "likker
up on the ground that it didn't
agree with him.
The blacksmith 'jiffy lasted
until almost 6 O clock, and while he
was engaged on Bills foot the loaf
ers wandered out, one at a time,
and disappeared up the hillside, pre-
sumably in the direction of house,
and this reminded Sam that it was
supper time and that he was hungry.
Bout suppeh time, strangeh,
said the blacksmith suddenly as
though divining the man $ thoughts,
"Hadn't ye bettah come up an Craze
with we all an let tn job 90 f'r a
bit?'
CANT do it, pardner, sam re-
piled somewhat hastily, thereby con
Z n,,t,
picion he held concerning SAM
O., that he was marshal 5 or sheriff 5
deputy" cause, ye see, | got t be
a-movin right peart, an gittin t
Rio 'Bliged t ye, all til same. III
jes' go ovah Z til store an GIT n
smack W lie ye finish tn job. 7
4 There was little, faded sharp fea-
tured woman behind the counter in
the little store, and her keen black
eyes studied Sam critically as she
proceeded to serve him with the
cheese and crackers he called for.
Presently tall, big, square shoul-
dered fellow came in and stood by the
door, and the woman went and join
ed him. They conversed in low
whispers for about a minute, and
Sam, dimly suspicious, glanced at
them two OF three times. The last
time he saw that they were looking
at him. Then the woman, with a
half laugh. shrugged her thin shoul-
ders and said aloud as tho big man
turned to go out:
"Quien sabe? Quien sabe?"
The moment the big man was
gone, however, she hastened TO the
back of the store, looked into the
I barroem, apparently to make certain
that it was unoccupied, then came
up to Stires, who was hastily COB
bling his lunch, and asked in n
whisper, "Strangeh, be ye a dep
'ty?"
"Mo? No, o co'se not. Whut -
Goose" said the woman, with an
impatient gesture, Il might "a
knowed ye wouldn't say 50 eff ye
was. Look yere, she went on hasti
lY. COulluE ClOSCb uilu ItsN lIS a llaIlN
on his sarm. re in danger, mister
Le' me tell ye. vile I've got til
chanst, th't ye wantuh git out o
this real quick, an, say, don't take
tn Rio trail fur. Leave it a mile
out an cut cross DDS Amity Fo ks
, Heah me?'
"Yes'm, sho' do. But whut
Don't stop t. asst no fool ques
, tons. That big fellah' Ned Flynn
an yeres Were . hangs out lot
They'll git ye Of ye don't look out
! I'm tellin ye this cause
, WELL nevah min Only git Il NOV
on
Sam lost no time in seeing tha
Bill was properly fixed, and got
{ ting started he took the strange lit
tie woman's advice and turned to
ward Amity Forks, thereby preserv
} ing, no doubt, whole skin. III
| asked himself many times why th
, woman should have taken the trou
{ BILE to warn him, but was unable f.
. find any reason for it.
, AS a matter Of fact, the woman
: herself could have given no reasol
beyond that essentially feminin
D because. ="
r u
!, The face Of Ned Flynn haunta
8 Sam Why it is impossible to say
q for Sam Stires, like the rest of III
l family, was not at all imaginative
There was nothing remarkable abou
/, the face of Flynn, the outlaw, es
J. cepting the fact that it belied tn
character OF its owner, being
i square, honest face, with two clea1
l. honest blue eyes, while Flynn-wel
everybody within 100 miles of til
j. line knew what he was Nevertht
j, less that face bothered Sam all tn
D way home and for two or three day
t afterward, and he could think Of II
h reason for it's constant appearanc
q before his mental vision until or
afternoon shortly after his arriv'
d home he started out for the Husto
k place to see Mat. Then, as he forde
n creek near the Huston ranch, /
t. remembered the man he had mi