The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1906-01-25

in the figure of the dance. the head
thrown back, slightly foreshortened,
the mouth smiling, with the smile that
knows all things, the eyes holy wells
of truth. 1t was like her to contrive
her brothers escape and then to dance
with the very men who had knotted
the moose for his hanging. Henderson
was bowling to her, the dance was
over, and the next moment she was
alone. .
"ls it you, Peter?' She thrust
strand OF hair back from her temple.
Her eyes rested on him for a moment,
then wandered till in their absent look
was the rapt expression of the sleep
walker. The dark trimmed eyes had
In their depths the quiet of conhagra-
ton, and Peter, seeing these things
and knowing the gamut of all her
moods, saw that he had been mistaken.
She had not come to dance in triumph
in the face Of her brothers enemies.
There was no triumph in her face, but
white, consuming despair.
| ''Did you ask me to dancer Again
she put back the strand Of hair. 'For-
give me for being so stupid, but I've
kept postoffice today and had a long
ride, and danced with Henderson,"
He drew her arm within his and led
the way out through the crowd of
dancers to the star strewn night. She
did not speak again, nor did she seem
to notice that they had left the room
with the dancers. She turned her face
toward the lonely valley, where the
drama of her brothers passing had
been contaminated, and something
there was in her look as it turned to-
ward the hills that told Peter.
'Tell me, Judith. what has happen
ed?'
For answer she pointed toward the
valley. ''They did it last night at the
dead cottonwoods. Henderson led them.
| could not stay with Aida. I had to
come here to dance that no one might
suspect"
Her voice was steady, but low and
thrilling. In it's deep resonance was
the echo of all human sorrow. There
was no hint Of accusation, yet Peter
felt accused. He felt, now when it.
was too late, that his position had been
one of almost pusillanimous negligence.
From the beginning he had taken a
firm stand against violent measures.
he had talked, argued, reasoned, in
weighed against violence. No later
than week ago he had ridden across
the desert to tell Henderson that the
Wetmore outfit would take no part in
violence of any sort and that the cattle
outfit that did resort to extreme meas
ures would miss the support of the
W-square in any future range bust
ness. But it had not been enough. He
should have made plain his position in
regard to Judith. With her as his fu-
ture wife the tragedy of the valley
would not have been possible.
From the ranch house came the swell
of the fddles, the rhythmic shuttle of
feet, the song Of the dancers, dulled by
distance. Beside him was Judith, a
white spirit, the woman in her dead of
grief. And yet through all the grim
horror of the tragedy she remembered
the part that had been allotted to her,
threw all the weight of her personality
on the side Of the game she was play
ing.
| "You must be on our side, Peter, and
when there is talk of Jim's absence
you must simply imply that he is east
somewhere. You will know how to
meet such inquiries better than we Wo-
men. Henderson will be only too glad.
You should have seen the wretch when
held out my hand to him and told
him to dance with me- He came, white
and shambling. We have nothing to
fear from Henderson. Aida has no
money to go away with. She and
must stay here and make a beginning
for the children, and, Peter, we want
you to help u.s.
He had no voice to answer her brave
words for minute, and then his SEN
fences came uncertain and hating.
You must think me poor sort of
friend, Judith, one who has been blind
till the eleventh hour and is then found
wanting. 1 feel SO guilty to you, to
your brothers wife, to that little child
who put out his arms so trustfully to
me that night, but I never imagined
that things would come to such a pass
as this. The smaller cattle outfits have
been doing a good deal of clustering,
but the more conservative element sup
posed that they had them in check and
did not for moment think that they
would take the law into their own
hands. Believe me, this lawlessness
has been in the face of every influence
that could be brought to bear, and it
shall not go unpunished.' -
She spoke to him from the darkness
as the spirit Of grief might speak.
IAN eye for an eye, tooth for tooth;
that is the Justice Of the plains. But.
Peter, it is but poor justice. What's
done is done, and fresh violence will
not give back Aida her husband nor
the little ones their father. What we
need is friends. one or two loyal souls
I