The pioneer express. [volume] (Pembina, Dakota [N.D.]) 1883-1928, 1896-01-24
CHAPTER q


Il The big, blue eyes laughed al him
B ounbonnet; smile danced over the
4 Almpled cheeks and drew apart the
kissable lips. A provoking face he
B came very nigh saying to himself. q
q cheeky little face and yet he was in
& tove with it already. s,
u He was handsome young fellow.
4 Til and straight. Those shoulders Of
\ His would, in time, broaden. and TINT
chest would expand hugely, but, lust
A then, he was as thin as q rat aud as
/ tithe as q panther.
His dark eyes flashed with conscious
a eleasure and he twisted and twirled.
h with brown hand, a little mustasche
On which he seemed to, take youth
J 1ul pride. His face, dark as berry
with continued healthful exposure
$50 the sun, wind and rain, fairly beam
ssed at the girl, and he shook the wavy
Uane which fell over his shoulders, as
I'm playful Gliding.
i She had folded her rounded arms
I across her breast, and, In doing so, the
sleeves Of her cotton gown had turned
up just trifle and showed the parts
which the sun had not touched, pink
and rosy. No corset trammeled that
supple form; her limbs had as free
play as was accorded to the creatures
Aof earth or heaven.
He, who had been nurtured among
the dreary luxuries and the CHASTITY
ecefnement Of society civilization, had
never thought woman half as lovely
a. he now adjudged the free-born
daughter Of the mountains Of the
West.
''rhen you're not afraid to be here
al alone, like that?' he asked.
She looked at him with hooking,
puzzled inquiry.
"Afeard?" she asked. "Afeard o
.What?"
sIf your father leaves you here alone
nike that" the young man continued,
saN sorts Of things may happen.
Tiers are some mighty bad men about
this neighborhood. I can tell you, and
they might carry you OF and make no
tones about it.'.
He looked, atthat moment. as If he
would have dearly liked to be one of
those had men, and as If he would
Aave made nOshones about 1t, had he
1ot been heartily afraid Of that frail
teauty.
She burst into a laugh like the rip
sDl0 Of silyery chimes.
Had menu, che exclaimed, with her
arms akimbo; swaying her body by
Nllghtly inclining It to the right and
turning up her witching blue eyes at
him. Bad menv' ehe repeated; 81
gockon thar's shuckS on 'em, an no
small game, neither. Thars Yutaw
I'LL: He blotved the top Of q mans
,keqd felweek afore last at the Greek;
80 his partner, Blotchface Frenchy,
Ae's beer; strung mp, twice, an Bill cut
I'm DOWN. Hin each time. Bad men!
Il ceeI6n they don't make 'em much
Sadder than them two"
esAnd aren't you afraid Of them?''
O. young man asked, with just q
1roubied vibrat ton IN his voice.
She laughed again, at her brightest.
AA6ear&, o. them!n she exclaimed.
why, they're afeard o. me-"
a 10 the young lady had read the story
e Hercules and Omphale, and had
6slt herself transported into a myth
eao4ical age to play the part Of the
L0dian queen, she could not have
1noxes derided the thought Of danger
<omfnY 10 her from the wild men
whom her fairy beauty snsiaved.
ssWhy, look here, stranger" she con-
tlnyied, can twist 'em round my lit
% 6nger-jes like that" With that,
- tWttldled the corner of her apron
ara tied It into knot. Then she put
har little finger into the round hol-
Tow formed und erneath the ball Of the
apron scornef, and, holding 1t up, shook
Ct with It's projecting little cotton
point at the young man. THAT'S
HutaW Bill, q she exclaimed, "an' that's
what ia do with him IL he sarsed
- ''s with that she smoked the tied
apron corner with her finger, and sent
= NE 75Eho,e action had been SO full
of youthful innocent charm Of playful
defiance that the young man .wns
0mftten by It.
VINO, indeed, IN THAT neighborhood-
savage, 3ferocious, INSCRIPTIONS and
murderous though he were-would
hayo dared to breathe harsh word
@ Lacy Maclane, much less to raise
asdnEer against her? A ribald jest, an
uniindiy word, would have been as a
90 ol dragons teeth from which q
h0rde of pitiless. armed avengers
1seuld havesprung, and the injury or
L ult would not have been more than
IA ~ DID ore the offender would have
y0&43 IEV14 Gu0 0IOuS 4lA1O VI OVAAC
SffonWood tree, or would have lain
I "a the roadside riddled with bullets.
# Ley Machine was the good fairy Of
thaf Rocky mountain side, as she was
sffDsqueen. IN
q Ven Wers murdered among the foot.
a aIiIIS pf the Eastern Rockies in those
0 6ag1S of the 6fties with q mOnotonoua
frequency. They were lawiess times,
I 80 the pistol, the rife and the lnife
Y ere the recognized arbiters Of dis
Gute6. a man was shot. His corpse
n would lie, sometimes for days, tester
/ lag In the sun, before kindly hand
y cOuId be found to dig an unceremo.
aaaious hole into which the body was
lung, with just SO much decency as
10 be, by stretch of Imagination, con.
1tfued into o semi-civilized burial. But
he was killed In what was mostly con-
eidered fair Highland few manners
~ fighting were considered unfair
6nd no hand was. raised to ayenge bic
deatll. The pistol cracked. and the
mite flashed. and the blood flowed,
Mko fnnA tho q nd loft 7lftc