The Neihart herald. [volume] (Neihart, Mont.) 1890-1901, 1897-10-09

mountain spring. Laney covered before
it and crouched upon her bare feet.
While he stood there a thought came to
him that of all the poor creatures with
whom his life had been linked here was
the dearest. He was about to strike
down the only living thing that he
loved. Gilliad Moon had saved himself
from developing into a veritable human
vampire by that very love for Laney.
Strike her? No! He had never yet laid
his rough hand upon her in anger. His
arm dropped to his side.
"Ef We uvver do watch me again."
be said with a quavering voice, "ef ye
uvver do, III lay hands ON ye, shore.
I'll tar We inter threads O. whit leather
an feed ye ter the DEVILS huntin dorg."
The old mans face settled into its
stolid scowl, and he resumed his work.
The two dogs stood by, swapping occa-
sionally at each other, and greedy for
the blood. The knife glittered as he
flashed it before the fire.
81 know'd ye he'd money" said
Laney sullenly. "Taddy Green sed es
how Their inginearer showed a pile O.
money ter some un ct Their falls Their
vary day he was drownded."
"Thadeous Green gut tibet money,
then, eff he knows SO much erbout it,"
said Gilliad.
Il seed ye git it," persisted Laney,
ian eff ye don gin me huff fur a par
O. shews I'll tell on ye."
"Ye dassent. " said Gilliad, with an
1nlu emilia GEtIhut 11uo ,uonf xuifS
shoes %ennyhow? Ye nuvver hev he'd emmy
yit. They'll confine yer feet SOS We
KANT walk"
She tossed her head and sneered at
his arguments. The frown on her face
grew darker.
"Ye kin do es we air a min ter,
pappy, but eff yer want me ter stay here
ct home an dredge fur ye es hes did
sence nanny died yell hev ter shew
me. l air too big er gal ter be goin
barefoot afore folks"
"Stay at home" said the old man
sullenly. KANT blame ye eff ye 60
barefoot ct home"
TN leave ye an hire out like a
Niger" said Laney. "Inuvver did hev
a haight fur ter buy close wit, an I air
jis' tired O. dredgin fur nothin."
aye air got yer head turned ther
wrang way, like a whoot OWLS, scarf
out O. his hole in Their daytime. Ye air
a thinkin ter pattern arter them hum
backed gals what comes ter Their hotel,
an ye min me, l say, eff / ketches ye a
doin ennythin fur them, er up thar fur
emmy cause whutsumever in the least,
I'll git me a bunch o. rope an larrup We
uvvery step ter this caben. Ye hear?
Now we min me ef We want a home. Eff
ye don want no home here, jis' light
out es soon es We air a min ter. Ye
dom hope me marry haight. Me an Their
dorgs kin git on fine 'thout ye."
Gilliad Moon then stalked out of the
house.
Laney squatted by the fire where she
had held the carcass of the wildcat,
rested her chin in her hands and looked
out at the evening sky. Her thin face
seemed to grow longer in the twilight.
Her eyes frightened and brimmed over,
and the tears rained down her cheeks.
She heard her fathers footsteps descend
the hardened path and die away in the
distance. She shuddered. Then she
noiselessly crept toward the greasy old
box in the corner.
1t was not all stolen money in the
box. Since she was a little girl Gilliad
had been contributing to its contents.
She would not have touched one OF
those shiny coins or water soaked notes
she had seen from the cliff for all the
world put together. The top of the box
had served i'll turn as washstand, meat
block, bread board and kitchen table.
1t was now piled with a nondescript
heap of rubbish, and the front of it was
fastened firmly with a rusty paddock.
But, with the opportunity that makes
the thief, Laney had cut the leather
hinges on the lid, and she now lifted it.
AT the bottom of the box she found
an old yarn sock-colored blue wher
her mother lived and set a blue pot
and slowed away in the sock was
money. 1t was lumpy and heavy. /
was but one of the many stuffed SOCK
in the old box, but it was the only one
she had seen, and it contained more thar
she thought she could ever spend. Sht
lifted it from tho moldy old ropes ant
rubbish and weighed it in her hand
She was trembling from head to foot
She went forward into the freligh
and, squatting down, poured out th'
money in her lap.
The fire fickered and cracked. TIL,
wind outside whistled through the clef
rocks and stirred among the iron weeds
The river moaned as it beat and lashet
itself on the shoals. Laney crouched il
the cabin and listened. A crunching stel
on the path startled her She caught u
her dress and went to the door. Sh'
peered out into the nov husky evening
A pallid western light through a breal
in the mountains showed where tn
sun had set. No one was neal. Only
fearless whippoorwill, perched on tn
panel Of rail fence, swayed himsel
back and forth and whistled softly
warningly. She had heard the sam
notes while she stood on the cliff an,
watched her father rob the bloate,
corpse. She turned shudderingly int
the cabin and took up a handful of tn
money from her lap. She hoped it wa
not the same, and the temptation t
9 take it was great.
. Suddenly she shrank back with 81
e perstitious horror, for she saw bloot
stains upon her hands. Poor Laney
She had quite forgotten that she hat
s handled the wilaCat. She groaned il
pitiful terror wtile she replaced tn