The Greeley tribune., 1906-01-04

A'"o maui man OF him by the mys-
tery OF her motherhood and who had
uncomplalningly gone with him into
the wilderness and become an alien
and an outcast.
These things unnamed him az ths
sight of the gallows and the rome for
ms hanging could not have done
shielding himself with an affected
roughness, he asked:
whats the matter with you? I've
been drinking like beast of an In
dian and you give me coffee instead
OF tongue ashing."
The color had all gone out of her
face. She gasped the words:
Jim, | dreamed it last night. They
came for your
She covered at the recollection.
"Did they get me?" he asked. There
was no surprise in his tone. He spoke
as one who knew the answer.
"Yes, the children saw. The noise
woke them"
"You mustn't let 'em see when they
come. They've a right 10 Il fair start
We didn't get it, old girl"
"The children gave it to u.s." and she
| faced him
Yes. yes, but we want them to have
1t from the start like good folks"
They looked into each others eyes.
The memory of dead and gone mad
ness twinkled there moment, then
each remembered:
You must hurry, Jim. You haven't
moment to lose. I dreamed 1t was
to be tonight-they'll come tonight!'
"1he games all up, old girl. If 1 had
a month l couldn't get away. Morri-
sons been looking for me over to the
Owl Creek range. He's back. Stevens
told me yesterday. He'll be heading
here soon. The price on my head Is a
| strain on friendship"
"Have the sheepmen gone back on
your
! Yes, curse them! A thousand dol
lars is big money, and they've had
hard luck
'They deserve it. hope every herd
in the state dies Of scab."
There wasn't a scabby sheep In our
bunch. What Il sight they were, load
ed with tallow! There wasn't one Of
them that couldn't have weathered q
blizzard. They could have lived on
their own tallow for month";"
! She tried to divert his attention from
his lost flock. When he began to talk
about them the despair Of his loss
drove him to drink. She was ground
between the millstones Of his going or
staying. If he stayed they would come
for him, If he went they would appre-
hend him before he was ten miles from
the house
"Jim, we got to think. If there's a
chance in thousand that you can get
away you got to take it. If there amt
the children mustn't know. We got to
think it out"
There amt a chance in thousand,
old girl. There amt one in million.
They're cIrcling round in the hills out
here now, waitin' for me, like buzz
yards waitin' for the eyes of a dyin'
horse
She rocked herself, and the clutching
fingers left white marks on her face,
but the eyes that met his glittered
fearless:
"Then there amt nothing left but to
face it like a MANI"
"That's all there be-" He might have
been giving an opinion on matter In
which he had no interest
"Then there amt no use in our hav-
ing any more talk about it?'
"'Tain't just what you'd call an
| no with
sinister humor Of the frontiersman
who has learned to make crony of
death.
She was tempted to kiss him-they
were not given to demonstrations. this
pair-then decided it were kinder to
him. less suggestive of what they an
ticipated, not to deviate from their un-
demonstrative marital routine.
"Do you want your breakfast now?
81 guess you might bring it along.
And for the same reason that she re-
Trained from kissing him she repressed
a desire to wiring the neck of young
broiler and cook 1t for his breakfast,
remembering that she had heard the!
gave folks pretty much what they
wanted when they wouldn't want 1t
long. So Jim got his usual breakfast
of bacon, uncooked canned tomatoes,
soda biscuit and coffee. She sat with
him while he ate, but they spoke no
more of them or Of how soon they
might be expected. She told him that
Young Jim had pretended that morn
ing that he had cactus thorn In his
foot so that he might have a piece OF
dried apple. And old Jim in an excess
of parental fondness and pride said
THE little liar, he'll get to congress
yeti
But the children We're dangerous
topic for overstrained nerves at this
particular time, SO Aida told Jim tnat
she had put the black hen to set, ana
she thought they'd have some chickens
at last. Jim smoked while Aida wash
ed the dishes, and when Jim's back
| -, ,,,rpeJ Sha examined the lock on