The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1906-02-18

/ thinking, sick at heart, of what it had
already done, and what 1t threatened
him. His whole childish soul covered
before II, beyond any possibility of re-
volt.
Come along" said the man, poking
him with the weaken. 1t was dark
enough at last.
The boy rose and followed him,
finching with the exquisite pain of
the first use of his tired and blistered
feet
Toward midnight they reached the
great river which divides the state.
Turning from the highway, they
crossed it on the high, gaunt, skele-
ton framework Of a railroad bridge.
Behind them, set over the hills they
had left, a great, soft, mysterious
planet painted its dim yellow trail in
the dark. still waters of the stream.
The weary boy, glanCing over his
shoulder, saw = with a feeling of awe
and loneliness
Nothing unusual CHANGED that night
| The two returned to the highway, and
shortly after the man deity and ST
lentIy stole two chickens from a farm
yard, while the boy stood watching IN
/ the road. They slept again in a little
thicket, eating one chicken before they
I
/ the coming day
/ The next afternoon it appeared what
part the boy must take. He was to
act as a scout and forager-tO get all
sorts of information, occasionally to
/ buy bread-in short, to stand between
/ the man and the rest of the world. If
asked about his companion he must
/ explain that he was his father.
"Rut you want to remember I got
my eye on you all the time. And you
don't want to talk too much" the man
/ cautioned him.
/ Night fell early, and they pushed
on All at once, when it was quite
dark, they came out on the brow of a
little hill. Beneath them, across lit
/ tie murky plain, the clear white cleo
trio lights of a distant city shone,
scattered on the darkness-black vel
vet and ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS the dim
/ horizon line.
The man pointed toward them and
/ outlined his orders. They were to go
/ nearer them together, and then the
4 boy was to go on alone and buy bot
/ tie Of cheap gin.
If you stay too long," said the man.
| dismissing him, III come and git you;
| and If I do, III be sorry for you, that's
all"
The boy did not doubt for an instant
/ the mans ability to carry out his
threat. He trudged into the city alone
BY d display of infinite juvenile tact
/ and mendacity got a stranger to buy
the liquor for him, and returned in fear
and haste to the meeting place. The
/ man, sitting by the roadside, immedi-
ately took a great dTaught of the crude
| and fiery liquor.
L rained miseTably as they went
| along, but the man paid no attention
I Exbilarated by the liquor. for the time
Z being he had changed his whole man
Der- From his customary morose tact
/ turnity he became gradually bolster
Gus. He pushed the weak boy back and
forth across the road; he slapped him
heavily on the back, and tripped him
/ up with the barrel of his gun; he sent
/ out uncOuth and foolish cries. and ma
liCiOusly menaCed the terrified child
with his weapon. Then he broke into
a series of yells, and at last discharged
his shotgun into the air.
Finally, he became foolishly conf
Dental.
What made you guess / was Bost-
I wick, that timer" he demanded Of the
boy. with a cunning Ieer.
Il dunno" stammered the boy
/ You dunno, don't you? Well. I'm
/ gOin' to tell you sOmethin' I am Sherr
Bostwick. I'm the Teller they're look
in for. I'm just that same boy Now
you know it, don't yer? But don't tel
anybody, VIII yer?
by Cod he continued, straighten-
ing himself up, '1izzen to me askin
him not to tell anybody. If he did
I'd jus blow him to chunks.
'fWha's all this hollerin' about my
KILN Lem Bradford, huh?" began the
murderer again, like a man arguing q
grievance. ''What're they chasin' m,
round so for? The critter brought II
on himself, didn't he? Sposin' / die
lick my wife once or twice, the con
tTaTy devil-she was my woman wasn't
she. and not his'n? 1t dom make M
difference If she was his sister. I told
him what he'd get If he KEEP on his in
terferin', and he got it. And that's al
there is to It. II you had wife, and
anybody come interferin' between you
and her. you'd do the same, wouldn't
yer? Wouln't yer, huh
"Oh, yes, sir" said the boy feebiy
The two tramTed through the night
the murderer continuing his madlin IL
rade to the child, and occasionally stop
ping to take another drink. Toward
morning they turned from the road anC