Mower County transcript., 1903-11-18

THE KNIFE SHOT PAST HIS HEAD
AND STUCK QUlVERING IN THE
OPPOSITE WALL.
hundred acres of land, and something
over for calico and linsey; and, con-
sidering the times and the country,
may call yourself fairly we'll off,
Must l buy sixteen hundred acres
of land?'
Lincoln's eyes twinkled, losing for
moment their usual expression of dark
blue usefulness. He was not much
older than the Canadian boy who
venerated him as an oracle, but he
bad already begun to guide the desti-
MES OF others.
You'd better let your husband de-
eide that matter when you are older"
he answered, and while the words were
being spoken, Pedro Lorimer entered
the tavern in whirl of winter air.
He closed the outer door, made his
salutations with grace, and approached
the table where the money counters
sat- Lincoln deliberately filled the
snake skin, tied it's neck shut, and sat
with it in his large hands, pleasantly
returning the visitors greeting. The
tavern was free to all comers. Yet
Antywine at once stood up in front of
Peggy, his blond head towering above
the swart arrival.
What you do here, eh? You drive
Shickshack around, so he die in the
drift! When I see you to-day think
! will throw you in the street! 60 off
get some states hannex' to Cuba!'
MY pretty fellow" returned Pedro
Lorimer, 'T rode here through very
biting cold to see my young cousin.
| shall now take charge of her."
Tell him l won't go with him,
Antywine," said Peggy
THE gentleman must understand
spoke Lincoln. "that he cannot force
guardianship on girl of Peggy's age
except by kidnapping. We folks in New
Salem have not measured ourselves
with the great people in the world,
but we rather reckon that New Or
leans gambler would make a mighty
poor guardian"
The foreigners olive skin, chilled
by the cold from which he had Just
entered, took a swift greenish pallor.
He stepped forward kissing, and
snapped his fingers in Lincoln's face.
Antywine was upon him like a tiger.
dragging him to the door, throwing
him out into the snow, and shooting
the bolt behind him.
"Goody!" Peggy exclaimed with pas
sionate approval.
Ann put her hands to her eyes and
Lincoln laughed.
''Take care, Antywine"
The oiled paper of the window
through which Peggy had watched Ann
Rutledge from the hand-mill, was
slashed by knife. Antywine f1attened
himself against the door. The knife
shot past his head and stuck quiv-
ering in the opposite wall
1t New Salem folks had distrusteu
thls erratic and intermittent visitor
from the first, they quite made up
their minds about him when he dis
appeared once more after Shickshacks s
funeral. 1t became generally known
now he had followed that poor Indian
to rob girl. The winter of the deep
snow gave shut-in householders plenty
OF time to talk. The fact that Pedro
Lorlmer had been harbored at Clarys
Grove added no sweetness to his rep
utatlon. Some were afraid he would
come back and organize the wild spir-
its there for any kind of local annex
alton which might strike his fancy
But the northern winter, from which
tropical nature shrank, went by with
out disturbance. If Black Hawk had
stirred in the northwest, he settled
down to await better season. People
no longer rode in sleds over buried
stake-and-r -ridered fences. Vast white
frosted loaves of prairies, and forests
standing knee-deep in snow, returned
to their natural aspect. Streams ran
brimful, and Rock Creek covered half
the valley during the spring thaw.,
Peggy had plenty of chances to- loan
her money at high rate of interest
to lmpecunious people, with little pros
pect OF getting it back. Lincoln said
he was not good adviser, for he had
failed at storekeeping, and made debts
which must cost him years Of hard
y work. But It appeared to him that her
gold was safer in the snakeskin coiled
y around his waist than it would be