Lewiston evening teller. [volume] (Lewiston, Idaho) 1903-1911, 1907-12-12

AESVTsI while at a fresh slab of to-
EzsJ bacco, I'VE jes' nat'aily NAV
exicked this claim"
A fortnight had passed since his re-
tnrn from the land Office. In that time
his fear had slowly vanished, his con.
ndence returned, and he had begun
10 show streaks of the bravado that in
his stronger days made him an efficient
section boss. Rosy dreams even beset
his brain-dreams upon which Mary
Ign, despising her fathers meaner
structures. and kept In ignorance Of
what might at any moment raze them,
piled many a rainbow palace. For 10
the young girl certain calico covered
books on the mantei had invested the
events of the fortnight just gone with
q delightful tlnge of romance.
Dallas, however, took a sensible view
Of their situation. She pointed out
that the man who had made an entry
for the land would in all probab ility
return and that If he did not five years
at least would pass before the railroad
reached them. Meanwhile the quar-
ter section should be properly filed
upon for possession and farmed for a
living Now as she brushed the hearth
clean with the wing Of duck she lis
tened quietly to her fathers confident
boasting.
tits this way, m gall" he said-he
compassed a goodly quid and shifted
It dexterously into the sagging pocket
Of cheek inside o. six months after
q man files he's got t dig dugOut er
put up shanty. He's got t. do a lee
tie farm work an sleep on his claim.
When tibet six months is up eff he amt
done no bnildin' er farmin' tn claims
abandoned, an tn first man comm
along en- hev 1t.
'Tn this case tn gent in question
amt built, dug er farmed Eff he was
Z show up an want this quarter he
could get 1t by payfn' fer our improve
ments. All reckon we'd hev t. sell an
pull our freight, but eff he was t show
mp an not pay like ia honest man.
they'd they'd-waaI. they'd likely be a
leetle disagreement
Dallas shook her head. IF he comes
before his six months Is up and i'm
proves, we got to go. That would be
the only square thing. Amt it so?"
A'Wnai-wSal''- stammered Lancas-
ter lamely.
at is she said. ~He fled on the
quarter. and we had no right to set
tle''-
I'VE hev settled. an tn Ian g goin'
& be worth money broke in her ia
fher.
she x,,4 ,,,n hoe hand xeyxvo 80 g.. -.
If he comes. but'-she rose YEARLY
IF he didn't offer pay for our improve
sments how could we go or get through
the winter or build again next spring?
Our moneys gone
Look a-here, Dallas" began her IA
1her GROSSLY. they amt no use t worry
tn way you do. Winter is clost. 1t
Amt likely tn man'll come along this
late. an eff he don show up pretty
soon he amt got chanst. cause when
mis- six months is gone Ah'll make an
other trip t. Bismarck. contes' his
entry. hey 1t cancelled an file. Then
ives safe"
She silenced him. for Marylyn was
entering, and quit the shack. Outside
before the warped door. she paused.
"He's always so sure of himself, bu'
Dc can't do anything. And Marylyn-
on, wish there was some one with us
now-some one that d help us II any
thing went wrong"
OF a sudden, looking down at her
hands, her eyes fell upon the crimson
stripes left across her palms by the
plow, and, in fancy, a hOrseman was
riding swiftly toward her from the
east again. while she leaned on the
cross brace and waited.
Twenty miles," she said thoughtful
H-"twenty miles" and turned the
marks under
Sun baked, deep of rut and straight
as the flight of crow lay the road
that led northeast from the swift
shoally ford of the Missouri to the cat
tie camp at Clark's 1t began at the
rough planking upon which the rickety
ferryboat wheeling like some asth-
matte monster, discharged its load of
soldiers or citizens and ran up through
the deep cut in the steep, caving river
bank. From there over the western
end Of the Lancaster quarter, across
the coulee under b hub depth of mud
dy backwater-at the only point where
the sumac grown sides sloped grad
nally-it took its level. answering
way
Twice only in its course did 1t touch
the ravine curving along near by it
once, six miles from the ferry landing,
where on the limbs of cluster of
giant cottonwoods that grew in the
bottom of the gully a score of Indian
dead were dashed, their tobacco pipes,
5erked beef and guns under the blanket
wrappings that hid them, and again at
Murphy's Throat. four miles farther
mp, where the coulee narrowed until a
man standing in its bed with arms
nnfRfrafnhnd cnnld nlacn tho tinr nf