Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1907-12-26

And when, having stalled his horse
With Ben and Betty, he entered the
cottonwood shack his heart smote him
still more for secretly lie had hoped
that he was to tell them what they al
ready knew, but It seemed precisely
the reverse There was nothing in the
appearance and actions of the Lancas-
tiers that suggested anxiety. The sec.
ton boss, though his manner was not
without a certain reserve (as If lie half
believed something was about to be
wormed out Of him), greeted Louns-
bury good naturally enough. Marylyn
hurried UP in tlmid futter to take his
cap and coat, while facing him from
the hearthsldc, her hair coiled upon
her head Ike 4 crown. her gray eyes
bright, her cheeks glowing, was new
Dallas.
"Well. how're you all beenf" asked
Lounsbury. accepting a bench.
ooh. spright 'nough," answered the
section boss but it's cod it's cold
Keeps me trcmblin like guilty mig.
ger"
You'll get over that" assured the
other, rubbing the blood into his hands
ITS natural for YOU TO be soft as chalk
rock the first winter. You've been liv-
Ing south"
All reckon" agreed Lancaster. He
sat down beside the younger man,
eying him closely. How d. y come t
| git away firm busness?" he qucried.
well. you see" Lounsbury answer
ed, 1--WE got an Al man in my Bis
marck store, and at Clark's there's
| nothing to do weekdays hardly, so
! just took some tobacco to Skinney's,
where the boys could get at It, and
| !oped down here Then playfully,
"But l don't see much happening in
these parts" He stretched toward a
window. THE town Of Lancaster
amt growing very fast
Dallas, seated on Il bench with Mary
Ign. looked across Mt him snilngly
I'm glad of IT," she declared. we
amt used to towns"
You folks We never lived in one?"
"No, we never even been in one"
lie puckered his forehead. Funny"
he said. Somehow, always think
| of you two as town girls"
CAV, shucksr exclaimed Lancaster
scOwling.
But Dallas was leaning forward, In
terested. That's on account of our
| teachers" she said. There was n
schoolhouse up the track, in Texas
md we went to it on the hand car
Every year we had a different teacher
and all Of 'em came from big eastern
places like New Orleans or st. Louis
$3.50, you see we kinda got towry
from our schoolma'ams."
zone had gold tooth" put in Mary
lyn. Her eyes, wide with recollection
We're fixed upon Lounsbury.
But you passed through cities com
ing north" argued the storekeeper
"N-n-no," said Dallas slowly. wv
we skrtcd en-
What a pity" he turned to the So
tion boss.
PITY" echoed the latter. Huh
You save you pity. My gals is bette
off eff they don meet no town hood
lums."
1t had been Soldier trash" before
now it was town hoodlums.' LounG
bury wondered why he had been al
lowed a second call. He glanced q
the girls, There was a sudden SHADOW
on each young face. He changed I,
the fire and looked hard at it, How
cut off they were, Where was thei
appiness-except in their home? An,
could he tell them even that wa
threate
Not by a long shot" he vowed
"Tll trust old Michael"
He set himself to be agreea bic, an,
especially toward the section boss II
told of the Norwegian at Medic!n
mountain and of the old man who liy
ed with wife and children at the "lit
/ tie bend" up the river. He admire,
the Navajo blankets and cxplaine,
, their symbolic figures of men, animal
I and suns. He leaned back, clasping
knee, apd branchcd into comical ste
ries.
The little shack awoke to unaccus
toned ncrrlment. Lancaster warme
| to the storekeeper's genial attention
and burst into frequent outlaws. pa
) las and Marylyn followed his ever
{ word, breaking in from time to tim
with little gleeful laughs.
But in the midst of it there cam
{ from outside a startling interruption
shouts and loud plstol-like crackin.
!, powdery swirls over the windows,
frightened lowing and heavy thump
s against the shack.
d The noise without produced "A chang
within. Incredibly agile, Lancaste
d got to q pane; while Dallas, spring
:, Ing up, screened Marylyn and waite,
c as If In suspense,
Dark bulks now shot past, pursue
d by mounted men. But very soon tn
n herd was gone, and all was agal
quiet. Then followed a moment Thu
k was full Of embarrassment. Keenl
( Lounsbury looked from father
Il daughter, the one striving to assun
II an easy air, the other incapable of hi,
!. ing alarm. All at once he felt certai
s they shared old Michacls inform,
II ton. He determined to tell them thu
he, too, knew what and whom the
l, feared.
d Expecting some one. Miss Dallas
e he asked tentatively.
y The section boss hastened to answe
t. "Expectin' nothin'," he snapped. The
n TO cut short any further questionin
II 'Dallas, v clean forgot them mule