Courier Democrat. (Langdon, N.D.) 1891-1920, 1906-09-13

TN the course of the next few days
Dan decided that there was no
danger Of trouble from the hands.
Il Things settled back into their &C
customed rut. He was only a little less
popular, perhaps.
He vas indebted to Clarence for the
first warning he received as TO what
was in store for him.
It came about in this way. Clarence
had retired TO the yards. where, Sc
cure from observation. he was indulg-
ing in a quiet smoke. furtively keeping
an eye open for McClintock. whose
movements were uncertain. as he knew
from sad experience.
A high board fence was in front of
him, shutting of the yards from the
lower end Of the town. At his back
was a freight car, back Of that again
were the interlacing tracks and be-
yond them a cornfeld and Billup's
Fork, with its inviting shade of syca-
mores and willows and its tempting
swimming holes.
Suddenly he heard a scrambling on
the opposite side Of the fence, and ten
brown fingers clutched the tops of the
boards, then a battered straw hat came
on a level with the fingers, at the same
instant a bare foot and leg were
thrown over the fence. and the owner
Of the battered straw hat swung him
self into view. All this while a dog
Ehined and yelped; then followed q
vigorous scratching sound, and present
" a small, dilapidated looking yellow
cur squeezed itself beneath the fence.
Clarence recognized the intruders. 1t
was Branyon's boy. Augustus, com
monty called "Spide.' because of his
exceeding slimness and the length of
his legs. and his dog Pink
As oon as Branyon's boy saw Clar-
ence he balanced himself deity on the
top Of the fence with one hand and
shaded his eyes deliberately with the
other. An amiable. if toothless. smile
curled his lips. When he spoke il was
with deep ~facetiousness.
Hi, one out from behind that roll
Of paper"
But Clarence said not a word. He
pulled away at his cigarette. appar-
sntly oblivious Of everything save the
contentment il gave him, and as be
pulled Spide's mouth worked and We
tered sympathetically. His secret ad-
mtraton was tremendous. Here was
Clarence in actual and undisturbeG
possession Of q whole cigarette. He
had to purchase his cigarettes il part.
'nership with some other boy and 70
halves on the smoking Of them. l,
made him feel cheap and ommo
Say, got n of them coffin tacks
that amt working%' he inquired. Clar-
ence gazed off up the tracks, ignoring
NE question and the questioner.
bpide's presence was balm to his soul
But as u of the Office force of the
Buckhorn and Antioch he felt a GER
tain lofty reserve to be incumbent up-
ON him. Besides. be and Spide had
been engaged in a recent rivalry for
Susie Poppleton's affections. Ii is true
he had achieved a brilliant success over
his rival, but that a mere scuoo.ooy
should have ventured TO oppose Lin.
q salaried man, had struck him as an
objectionable piece OF Impertlnence fo!.
which there could be no excuse,
Spide. however, had taken the mat.
ter most pbilosoph!cally He had rec.
ognized that he could not hope 10 com,
pete with n youth who possessed ~
limited wealth. which he was wiling
70 lay out on chewing gum and candy.
bis experience being that tie sex wa,
strictly mercenary and Incapable OF II
d~iaintarested love, or course he had
@