The silver messenger. (Challis, Idaho) 1890-1912, 1900-07-10

MS ears.
Il shall probably be killed." he re-
Elected, and remembered with anger
that he had no weapon of any sort,
not even a pocketknife. The other
man had entered and closed the door
behind him, standing with his back to
IL. He was short and rather stout, and
his head sat almost upon his shout
ders. His heavy nose and mouth be-
spoke an obstinate, but not particular
~ ill-natured temperament. His eyes
were sunken in his head. but Rhoda
could see that they were black and
singularly sharp in their expression.
The feet of the man protruded from
his shoes. and his clothes were in
ragged and filthy state. He took his
moisture from it.
81 guess yer givin' house warmin',
amt YEP" he asked. smiling in as re-
assuring a manner as possible. "rve
been Logging it fer 10 hours, and I'm
fit to drop"
Rhoda would never have encoun-
tered all of those embarrassments
which had made him an outcast if he
had not been of whimsical tempera-
ment. Now, suddenly, his fear de-
serted him. He desired an adventure.
1t certainly had been devoid of al
venture in the place of his residence
for the last two years.
He held out his hand.
Come in" said he. "There are two
chairs and fire enough for forty. 1t is
a pity cannot give you something to
eat and drink"
He was smiling, and actually, for a
moment. a glow went through him
like that which comes from the exer-
else of hospitality. The other man
advanced almost jauntily.
well, call this white," he said,
in commentator. You're a gentle
man, I ken see that, if you are down
on your luck"
Don't speak of that, please" said
Rhoda, lightly. II was just making
up my mind TO forget it for time"
"Eh? Well, that's a good idee.
Something to eat and drink, did yeh
say? Man. I've got it'll"
mol"
Here yeh are" He took two slices
of dried bread out of his pocket.
That's the eatin'."
He produced flask in which there
was, perhaps, four mouthfuls of am
Der liquid. And that's the drinkin',
and there might be more"
eve can toast the bread" suggest
ed Rhoda. His guest drew a formid-
able knife from his pocket and opened
its one terrible blade slowly. Rhoda
smiled WITH infantile grace and seat
ed himself cross-legged before the
fire. He was not entirely sure of the
purpose of that unsheathing of the
weapon, but he determined to make
light of it. However, he had appar-
emily no cause for apprehension. His
companion stuck a slice of bread on
the point of the blade and held it up
before the fire.
at smells good" remarked Rhoda.
81 wish to heaven there was a smell
of hot coffee going with it."
The other man looked pensively
into the fire.
yes" he said, refiectively, 'T wish
so, too" He got to the second slice
of bread and toasted it to a warm
brown. Then they began to eat. It
was quite a ceremony. The men
talked of going to a climate where
there was no winter, and they were
truly magnificent. No one listening
would have doubted their ability to
visit such a place if they had pleased.
Afterward they made the fire safe and
laid down with their feet toward the
glowing ashes and slept.
maybe I'll be l when I wake up
and maybe won't" thought Rhoda.
humorously, as sleep came over him.
But it doesn't matter, really. That
knife, howeSar, is an ugly sleeping
companion. L dare say l shall know
more about it by morning than l do
now"
He fell asleep easily for all of that,
and he dreamt of walking under
palms with the man by his side, and
of sailing with him over summer seas.
He dreamt of fighting by his side,
and of struggling to defend him from
some danger; and then, suddenly, he
sat up and saw the dawn peeping
about the edges of the curtain.
$50 the knife isn't in me, after ALL"
he commented, and looked about for
his companion. But he was not to
be found. Inc room was unoccupied
save by himself. Instinctively he felt
for his money. 1t was safe. And on
the floor by his side lay the knife.
Rhoda lifted it and stared at it stu
pidly. Then, by degrees. the signii-
canoe of it came over him. 1t was a
gift for remembrance, and all that
its owner had to bestow. 1t was the
first evidence of friendship that the
man who held it in his trembling
hand had received for years. Some
thing that he had thought dead
stirred in him. He put the gift in his
pocket and arose to his feet. Obscure
ly it came across him that the hos
pitality had been worth while, the
confidence had been worth while-it
had been worth while to dream those
dreams of comradeship. He went OUT
of the murky building and down on
the street. AS he walked along he
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