Lewiston evening teller. [volume] (Lewiston, Idaho) 1903-1911, 1907-12-19

Ab ne swung lulOuBu TIC camp VI
his way to the corral he saw one Of
old Michaels helpers coming toward
him, picking his steps in the slush.
The man motioned and held out out a
white something. 1t was an envelope,
grimy and unaddressed.
Lounsbury ripped 1t open and pulled
out a written sheet.
der mr. lunsbery fran the motel mathuse
com las mite in a quere outfit with
krazy preecher the preacher 1 think Is at
the landcasters but the other sunuvagun
Is her hav a on him prity kold wether
river solid
1t was partly through the generous
employment of his imagination that
the storekeeper was able to make out
the scrawl which, though not signed,
he knew TO be the pilots. That same
imagination enabled him to bring up
numberless disturbing-almost terri
ble-pictures. "@ tr. ,t.- = i.-.f
The astonished helper gazed after
him as he went tearing away in the
direction of the horse herd. "By jim
go" he grumbled. Twenty miles,
and he didn't even say treat"
Soon Lounsbury's favorite saddler,
urged on by a quirt, was kicking up
path across the crusted drifts that
Shadrach had so recently surmounted.
AS the storekeeper cantered swiftly
forward a new question presented
itself to him. Was the preacher" In
league with Matthews, and so was
carrying the section boss out Of the
way? He decided negatively. He had
given only a glance to Lancaster's
companion, but that, together with the
passing glimpse from the store, had
shown him venerable man whose
piercing eyes held pious light. He
was no scoundrel confederate. He
was plainly but brave, perhaps IA
matte and foolhardy, apostle in the
wilderness, and his calling had kept
Matthews from confiding in him.
While Lounsbury thus alternately
tortured and eased his mind he had
passed the somber clump of cotton
woods where the Indian dead were
dashed and was fast covering the miles
that lay between the burial boughs
| and Fort Brannon.
! When the ten minutes he had allot-
ted were past Matthews made a great
show of putting away his watch and
! took a last pull at the whisky flask.
The bottle disposed of, he walked
! down the drift to the warped door and
| raped a staccato No answer was re-
turned Again he raped and more
imperatively than before. Again no
answer. He pushed back his hat and
| applied an ear to the hole through
which had hung the lifting string Of
the latch. Then he heard long, infre-
quent sobs, like those of child who,
! though almost asleep, is yet sorrow
ing. Between the sobs, punctuating
them fiercely, sounded the prolonged
sucking in or breath.
might as well stop y bawlin' an
squallin'," he called through the latch
hole. Times up!'
Getting no reply. as before, he alter
ed his tactics. First, shading his face
with his slim fingers, he looked In
He could not see the girls. Dallas was
close to the door and beyond tbs limit
Of his vision. So was Marylyn, who
helpless with fright half knelt, hall
lay, against her sister. What he could
see was, from the south window, the
gaudy Navajo blankets forming two
partitions of Lancaster's bedroom and
nearer two partly filed sacks, some
harnesses and the seat of a wagon
The other window afforded a better
view. Looks mighty comfortable,
he said as he contemplated it. There
was a hearth with its dying fire. Ii
front of it were circling benches and ;
thick buffalo skin rug. Above was {
mantel, piled with calico covered
books A freshly scrubbed table stoot
In the farther corner beneath a disl
cupboard, which was made of a dry
goods box. To the left of this, high NJ
on the log wall, were a couple of pegs
1t was these that finally riyetet
Matthews attention and brought hin
to temporary halt Got tn gun
down. he exclaimed. On finding tina
Lancaster was gone he had decides
not to produce a weapon. Now, how
ever, he quickly felt for one and drop
ped on all fours THAT biggest gal =
no more mind pumpin' lead into m
than uothin'," he declared, Vaughn
his head wisely. Il could tell that b.
the shine in her eyes" He crawlet
around the corner
Behind the lean-to, he came to sew
eral conclusions. 1t would be useles
to try to get in by either window
Both were high and small. The bes
spot for an attack was the door. Tn
less he was hard pressed he must no
shoot. Women were concerned, an
the fort or Clark's might be stirred t
unreasonable retaliation in their name
For example, there was that poor dew
of COW puncher at Dodge who ha
been riddled simply for slapping hl
wife. Obviously the shack must b
) occupied without the shedding O
blood Put what Of hiR Rafaty2 "Il