Williston graphic. (Williston, Williams County, N.D.) 1895-1919, 1896-05-22

hay, still singing at the top of her voice,
Sue left the barn Just in time to confront
her father, brothers and half a dozen
other mountaincers. She leaned against
the barn door and stared at them.
"In the name of wonder. folks, what's
up? a barn-raisin'?"
On the top of the hay with which her
arms were filled lay her blue apron
folded about the old Bible. She specu-
lated vaguely about the probable fate
of girl who should tell a lie with the
Bible right under her nose. Her father
was spokesman fer the searching party.
"Jeb Wilson's been done for down
in Davis Dell by town chap. Yves
]ookin' for him. Seen anybody pass this
way, Sue?"
Sue laughed scornfully.
Likely, amt it, SO many folks pass
this way!"
Her father laid his hand on the clumsy
latch to the sagging barn door. Sue
Strengthened her back against it reso-
lutely.
Not in there, pop. I've just found
that old yeller turkey hen we thought
the minks had got. She's settin' up in
the hay-loft, and + wouldn't have her
pestered for 40 job Wilson's. No,
wouldn't! She do look SO peaceful and
proudlike. Bud Frank, take the gentle.
men to the springhouse and give en-
a bit of buttermilk. Fresh churned
this mornin', gentlemen. And you uns
do look like you'd been swallerin' yo'
Of duet all t'onccf -
Lumley took his hand off the latch
and faced toward the men.
''We're foolin' away valerable time,
gents. Will you step down to the milk
house and wet yo' whistles before we
start ag'in?''
Wont the gentlemen stay and take
a bite?'' Sues hospitality waxed ur-
gent as she perceived her father was
bent on pushing forward. "'Twon':
take me more'n half an hour, pop, to
get 'em somethin' hot"
They'll have something hot when we
ketch the Teller that done for Jeb Will
son; so will he.'
This witticism revived the tagging
energy of his followers, and after q
hurried excursion to the springhouse,
Sue had the satisfaction of seeing them
mount their horses and disappear down
the steep, stony bridle-path by which
they had come.
When the last hoof-beat had ceased
to sound upon the rocky ground, she
fed her prisoner, and loading him down
with provisions and good advice, sent
him away in an opposite direction from
that taken by the horsemen. He turned
and waved his hat to her before the
black woods swallowed him up.
"Of course, I won't never see him
again. she said, stolidly, land I don't
know as I care to; but lied for him,
right on top of niammy's Bible, and
that's goin' to make it hard for rue tc
forget him out and OUT
In point of fact, she found it impos-
sible to forget him tout and out" She
called herself a mean-spirited creature
for clinging so tenaciously to his mem.
ory, but it did not mend the matter 1t
all.
Jeb Wilson's real slayer was discoy-
cred and summariiy dealt with. Jeb
Wilson himself was well nigh forgotten
when Sue, sitting on the slab Smelling
corn, as she had been doing that even.
ing, lifted her eyes to guage the length.
cning shadows of the familiar land
scape, as she had done OH that evening,
and saw man standing on the stile
that spanned the rude yard fence.
| She sat quite still, but a slow, sweet
smile came to her lips and a glad light
into her clear, steadfast eyes.
"You be come back! What for?"
He was by her side in few swift
strides. He held out his hands to her
and smiled down into her uplifted face.
I'm building house over t'other
side of the dell"
"Oh, you be?"
"And I'm goin' to live there"
"Yes?" The color came and went il
tho girls sunburnt cheeks in a hot tor.
| rent.
I'm going to take my wife to live in
my house when it is finished.''
Eyes pit was almost a whisper. She
fell to Smelling corn us if the world held
TO other possible occupation for her
trembling little hands.
He seated himself boldly on the slab
| by her side. He laughed and filed his
| hands with corn she had shelled.
Don't you want to learn something
about the girl I'm building that house
for?''
IF you be anxious to talk about her"
Il am"
He flung the corn from him, and the
pigeons came in a white-winged throng
| to repair the waste.
''Shc's the pluckiest girl I ever saw
Sizes worth ten dozen of me. She got
| the dearest, clearest brown eyes in the
world, and-and once upon a time she
! saved me from being hurried out of the
world by a lot of idiots who insisted
upon calling me a murderer
Slowly the truth dawned upon Sues
mind. She leaned toward him with
hands folded on her knees.
II lied for you on mammy's Bible!
How arc we going to get around that?''
1--WE are not going to try to get around
it. We are going to forget it. No one