The Lake County times. [volume] (Hammond, Ind.) 1906-1933, 1907-11-27
(Continued.)

collected bedding for q journey. Mary
lyn was called in to prepare a box Of
food for her father potatoes from
the Goals Of the fireplace, cured pig
meat from the souse barrel, bread and
n jug Of coffee-whlle Dallas caught
the mules. gave them some grain and a
rubbing down with straw wisps and
creased the wagon wheels. All being
made ready, the section boss took leave
OF his daughters, urging them to keep
within the next day when the survey
ors came up and TO deny his going
Then with Ben and Betty at a smart
trot he set off for Bismarck and the
land office.
When he was gone the squat shack
on the bend became vigilant. Cease
iessly Its eyes covered the stretch of
road between ferry landing and coulee
-ceaselessly, though Dallas alone kept
watch for wayfarers Not until night
fell and the cloud masked moon dis
appeared behind the western bluffs
were small blankets pinned into place
across the windows and the peering
shock head made sightless
But even with the house darkened,
the early supper eaten and MaryIyn
asleep In her bed before the hearth
the elder girl still kept on the alert.
A nervousness born of loneliness had
taken possession of her. If the door
latch ratified, she raised herself, listen
ing. If Simon rubbed himself against
the warm outer stones of the fireplace,
she sprang up, a startled sentinel, with
wide eyes and clinched hands.
But an hour passed The wind lull-
ed. Simon lay down. She fell to think
ing of the storekeeper. She felt surer
than ever now that he did not covet
the bend. Setting aside the fact that
he had brought them good news, she
was glad he had come. 1t gave them
a nelghbor. And, yes, she forgave
him the smile that had provoked her
resentment. After all, the name Dali
las did sound Texas.
With morning and the rising of the
sun she was up and doing the few
chores about lean-to and shack. But
when the surveyors arrived, making
short work of their last few miles, she
and hrylyn shut themselves in and
escapaY being seen. The engineers
gone award Clark's, Dallas again took
up her watch.
Twice before night she was reward
ed. The mail sergeant passed, bring
ing a batch of letters TO a grateful
post, and late In the afternoon an In
dian runner came into sight from up
the Missouri Scorning to use the fer
ry, he dropped into the river where
the coulee emptied and swan across
The arrival of the scout Dallas asso-
ciated instinctlvely with the expected
return of the troopers and felt a re-
lief that she would not have cared to
confess to her father The unusual
hustle that marked the next three days
at BrannOn seemed to justify her be-
lief. Below the barracks on the level
bottom land men were busy erecting
a strange structure. Tall cottonwoOds
were hauled from the river and set
on end in the sandy ground. AS time
passed these came to form q tight, cir
cular pen
The night of the third day there was
activity on the other bank of the Mis-
souri,. Unknown to shack and fort.
the squalid line of shanty saloons that
stretched itself like a waiting serpent
along high bench opposite the new
stockade sprang into sudden life. Two
wagons filed with men and barrels
crossed the bend and emptied them
selves into the diIapidated buildings.
And far into the early hours loud
laughter, the click of chips and the
clink of glasses disturbed the quiet OF
the night At dawn an officer stand
ing, field glass in hand, on the gallery
at headquarters saw two wagons drawn
UP in front Of Shanty Town and called
down a curse upon the heads of the
sleeping revelers.
Just see there he exclaimed
some vermin got wind of the pay
masters coming and are here to fleece
the men"
a lieutenant sauntered up. putting
out his hand for the glasses. There
wasn't soul in those huts Yesterday"
he said.
NO. Of course not sputtered the
other. The devils stayed 1T Clark's
till the punchers got back from Kan
sas City. Now they're on hand ia
keep our guardhouse and hospital fan
b. CAD. if I commanded here I'd have
the whole street fred
Well" said the lieutenant. 'the men
have 2 way OF disciplining that kind
themselves Some day when a favor
lite is cut IN brawl or cheated 1T
cards they'll shoot up the place. If
there's anything left it II move on"
1T won't 90 any harm to keep "a
eye on Shanty Town. all the same. =
declared his companion fercely. Re
member the man that ran it last YEAR
Slick, by CAD. Why. the paymaster
might just as well have stopped over
there-he and his TX got every cent,
he wasn't a bad man. mind you
not brave enough for that-but keen
nOsed as q moose cOrlceited as an n