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

"I'll git her eff Their dern mad kcts
don eat her up, said Gilliad as he
turned his boat around and rowed down
stream again.
He returned to his cabin and hunted
up his many different grasp hooks. He
put new ropes where the knottv old
ones were rotten, and with his long
trusty pole-the same with which he
prodded the engineers swollen face
he set ont in his boat to hunt for the
lost woman Along the bank the su.
mac bushes blazed with autumn beauty
and nodded over the turbulent stream.
Night came. Lights glimmered from
the skiffs of the searchers, but they
were all above Gilliad. An occasional
shout from one of them caused an oath
from Gilliad when he thought some one
had found the body. But the night
search was vain.
The next day it rained, but Gilliad
went out in the dense fog and padded
about.
After awhile Thaddeus Green came
down Oh a raft of logs which he was
taking to market and stopped for a chat
with Gilliad.
"How's Laney?" he Lashfully i'll
quired as he started.
II hain't seen her sence We taken her
father night ter Their shindig," Gilliad
replied, feeling very mean over his
quarrel with her.
why, b sed she were a-comin by
herself in the boat" said Thaddeus.
Some O. Their boys got booty, an me an
Isaac Mooley he'd ter fetch 'em home,
an Laney sed she wasn't goin tar stay
thar in Their fuss, an she'd come home
in Their dugout. l hope nothin's hap
pened ter herr"
"Oh, l reckin nothin's ~a-happened,"
said Gilliad. He felt guilty and mean
for telling her to eight OUT from his
home. Il reckin she hes stopped over
ct Their falls. She's a greet hankerin
arter them city folks ct ther hotel"
when she do KEN home" said
Thaddeus, "I'll be down ter see her. I
hain't nuvver axed ye, but Uncle Gill
ied-but air a-goin ter marry Laney."
Gilliad Moon only gave a grunt Of
consent, and the raft careened and then
went floating down the stream with the
lank young fellow standing upon it. 1t
was two days later that Gilliad came
upon the object of his search. 1t Was
yet dark, and the cold winds, reeking
with frosts, had soaked his clothes and
driven him off the river. He was about
to land, when. there, almost at his
door, partly hidden in the sand, weeds
and Jagged rocks of the shoals, he dis.
covered the body of a woman. 1t had
evidently risen in the night, inflated
with gas, from some deep cavern under
the muddy water. Reaching down, he
grasped it by the foot and tried TO lift
it up.
Fifty dollar air not so much cs q
haight fur Their work l hev did," said
he to himself, IAN l amt no miu ter
tex less then a hundred fur it, now l
got it"
He did not examine the body, for it
was growing light, and he did not wish
to be discovered. Hardened and avari
cious as he was, he dared not look at
the dead face. There was always some
thing i'll the face of the dead that re-
preached Gilliad Moon to his callous
heart. He never voluntarily looked upon
the dead.
Not far from his cabin II small creek
had cut its way through the mountain
under rocks and now flowed with quite
all ostentatious volume into the river.
Gilliad Moon slipped a loop of rope
about the waist of the woman, and,
getting into his boat, towed it up stream
to the mouth of the creek. He sprang
out upon a shelf of rock when he had
towed his CHASTITY burden about 100
yards of the creek, and, leaning over, he
swung it by the rope well down into
the deepest water and tied the end of
the rope securely to the roots of a tree.
That day at the falls he saw the
grief stricken husband and child of the
lost woman. The little one stood by
him on the bank of the river which
held such fascination for them and
clutched his horny hand for a moment.
What a thrill that innocent touch sent
to the gnarled old heart! But the steam.
ed and weather stained c~ountenance O
Gilliad betrayed not his secret.
AT length the reward was increased
trehled, and old Gilliad went fortl
from his lonesome hut to restore tn
hidden body. His crazy little craft wen
cruising along the river banks, appar
emily in great unconcern. Some fisher
men were near, and it was a long tim
before he could secure his treasure
When at last he hurried up the hollow
: it was as the midday sun blazed dow
on the creek. He proceeded to lift ant
cut the cord that held his CHASTITY specu
lation.
"Hello, Uncle Gill'edl'' said a voic
, at his back. "What hev ye thar"
The old man turned sharply, ant
there stood Laney's beau.
: "Dern vel" he muttered between hi
l yellow teeth. "Dern ye, whut did y
KEN fur?'
. "Oh, I see, we've got er prize" sal
Thaddeus, laughing, There was 10 hel.
: for it, Gilliad oonfided in Laney's bea'
. and offered to share the reward 70
y silence.
= by jingo," said Green when Gillia
finished, rye air showed this tim
shore. Tibet woman's done been foun
two mile below here. I seed zen
!, teken''-
"Then who in Gods name hev l &C
here?" interrupted Gilliad Moon, Will
= a gray pallor crept up into his leather
= cheeks. Thaddeus bent over the roc
= and lifted out and laid upon the san
Il the shiny, bursting body Delaney