Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1903-10-22

| ARTHUR w IhOORE.
There was strange incongruity In
the two, and an unconscious challenge
as we'll
All next day, which was Saturday
and. indeed. during the following
week, ! stood guard over my notice, en-
Joying the excitement it produced and
the comments il called forth 1t was
the advance wave of the great ocean
of civilization which many Of them
had been glad to leave behind-som
could have wished forever.
To Robert Muir. one of tho farmers
newly arrived, the notice was har-
bingcr of good. II stood for progress,
markets. and q higher price for land,
albeit he wondered "hoo he wad be
kept up" But his hard wrought,
quick spoken little wife at his elbow
"hooted' his scruples and. thinking of
her growing lads. welcomed with I'm
mixed satisfaction the coming of the
mcenister." Her satisfaction was
shared by all the mothers and most Of
the fathers in the settlement. but by
the others. and especially by that roll
licking, roistering crew. the Company
of the Noble Seven. the missionary's
coming was viewed with varying de-
grees of luminosity. 1t meant limita-
ton Of freedom in their wildly rcck
less living. The permit nights would
now. to say the least, be subject to
criticism: the Sunday wolf hunts and
horse races. with their attendant de
lights. would now be pursued under the
eye OF the church. and this would not
add to the enjoyment of them. One
great charm Of the country. which
Bruce, himself the son of an Edinburgh
minister and now secretary of the No
bic Seven, described as letting a fell
low do as he BANKED pleased" would
No gone. None resented more bitterly
than he the missionary's intrusion,
which he declared to be an attempt
''to reimpose upon their freedom the
'rammes of an ANTICIPATED and bigotrd
conventionality." But the rest of the
Company. while not taking so decided
stand We're agreed that the estah-
lshmcnt of church institution was
an Objectionable and impertnent as
VOL az unnecessary proceeding.
OF course Fl Kendall and his friend
Bronco Bill had no opinion one way
or the other The church could hardly
affect them even remotely. A dozen
years stay in Montana had proved
with sutii"ie clearness 10 them that
church was luxury of civilization
the west might we'll do without.
Outside the Company Of the Noble
Seven there was only one whose opin-
ion had value in Swan Creek. and that
was the Old Timer. The Company had
sought to bring him in by making him
an honorary member, but he refused
to be drawn from his home far IN
among the hills. where he lived with
his little girl Gwen and her cd half
breed nurse. Ponka. The approach OF
the church he seemed TO resent as a
personal injury II represented 10 him
that civilization from which he had
fed fifteen yeArs ago with his wife
and baby girl. and when. FIVE years
grave that could be seen on the shaded
knoll inst fronting his cabin door the
last link 10 his pes was broken. From
all that su -gestod the great world he
yond the ruin of the prairie he Shranll
as ono shrinks from a sudden touch
upon an old wound
II guess I'll have to move back ne
said 10 me gloolnily.
"Whyf' said in surprise, thinking
Of his grazing range, which was ample
for his herd
This blank Sky Pilot" He never
swore cxcert when unusually moved.
"Sky Pilotf" inquired.
He nodded and silently pointed to the
notice.
"Oh, well. he won't hurt you, will
he?"
Cant stand It," he answered savage
" must CT away"
"What about Gwen?" | ventured,
for she was the light of his eyes. pity
to stop hcr studies" was giving her
weekly lessons at the old mans ranch.
dunno, Amt tiggercd out yet about
that baby" She was still his baby.
Guess she's all she wants for the
foothills, anyway. What's the useF'
he added bitterly. talking 10 himself
after the manner of men who live
much alone.
| waited for n moment. then said,
"Well, | wouldn't hurry about doing
anything" knowing well that the one
thing an old timer hates to do is 10
make any change in his mode of life.
"Maybe he won't stay"
He caught at this eagerly. That's
so, There amt much to keep him,
anyway" And he rode off to his lone
ly ranch far up in the hills.
! looked after the swaying figure and
tried to picture his past, with its trag-
edy; then | found myself wondering
how ha would end and what would
come to his little girl, and | made up
my mind that if the missionary were
the right sort his coming might not he
bad thing for the Old Timer and
perhaps for more than him.
TO BE CONTINUED.
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