The indicator., 1904-09-03

q civilization which many Of them
had been glad to leave behind-sOme
could have wished forever.
To Robert Muir. one of the farmers
newly arrived, the notice was a har-
bdnser of good. II stood for progress.
markets and higher price for land.
albeit he wondered hoo he wad be
keepit up" But his hard wrought,
quick spoken little wife at his elbow
shooted" his scruples and. thinking of
her growing lads. welcomed with un-
mzxed satisfaction the coming of the
moenister." 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, ro!stertng crew. the Company
Of the Noble Seven. the missionnry's
coming was viewed with varying de-
grees OF anlmosity. 1t meant limita-
ton OF freedom In their wildly rcck-
less living, The permit nights would
DOW. 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 wonld 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
BILE Seven, described as letting q fel-
low do as he blanked pleased would
be gone. None resented more bitterly
than he the missionary's Intrusion,
which he declared to be an attempt
ITO reimpose upon their freedom the
trammes cf an antiquated and bigoted
conventionality." But the rest of the
Company, while not taking SO decided
a stand. were agreed that the estab-
Hshment of church institution was
an Objectionable and impertinent as
well as unnecessary proceeding.
OF course Hi Kendall and his friend
Bronco Bill had no opinion one way
OF the other. The church could hardly
affect them even remotely. A dozen
years stay in Montana had proved
with sufficient clearness to them that
church was luxury of civilization
the west might well do without.
Outside the Company of the Noble
Seven there was only one whose onin-
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 up
among the hills, where he lived with
his little girl Gwen and her old half
breed nurse. Ponka. The approach Of
the church he seemed to resent as q
personal injury. 1t represented to him
that civilization from which he had
fed fifteen years ago with his wife
and baby girl and when, five years
later, he laid his wife In the lonely
grave that could be seen on tho shaded
knoll just fronting his cabin door the
last link to his past was broken. From
all that suggested the great world be
yond the run of the prairie he shrank
as one shrinks from sudden touch
upon an old wound.
81 guess I'll have to move back" be
said to me gloomily.
"Why?" said In surprise, thinking
Of his grazing range. which was ample
for his herd.
'aThis blank Sky Pilot" He never
swore except when unusually moved.
"sky Pilot?" inquired.
He nodded and silently pointed to the
notice.
"oh, well. he won't hurt you. WI
her'
Cant stand it." he answered savage
ly: must get away"
"What about Gwen7" I ventured,
for she was the light of his eyes. PITY
to stop her studies" I was giving her
weekly lessons at the old mans ranch.
~Dunno. Amt figgered out yet about
that baby" She was still his baby.
"Guess she's all she wants for the
foothills, anyway. What's the use"
he added bitterly, talking to himself
after the manner of men who live
much alone.
waited for a moment, then said.
anything" knowing well that the one
thing an old timer hates to do is to
make any change in his mode Of life.
Maybe he won't stay"
He caught at this eagerly. That's
20! There amt much to keep him,
anyway" And he rode off to his lone-
b ranch far up In the hills.
looked after the swaytng figure and
tried to picture his past, with Its trng-
edy; then l found myself wondering
how he 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 be
a bad thing for the Old Timer and
perhaps for more than him.