Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1907-11-05

the ferryman, giving the other play
full whack with his CAD. "Oi kin rade
We loike buke."
you can't read a book" declared
Lounsbury. but I'll tell you. I'm
going to the Lancasters'."
Old Michael nodded, with n sly wink
through the portfolios of his mask.
"0i knowed itr' he said. Then, after
fishing out tobacco bag from under
his many coats and lighting the corn
cob in the protecting bowl of his
palms, ''In that case, man, Oi got
somethin' t. say t. ye."
He leaned over the wheel confiden-
TALLY, and Lounsbury bent toward
him, so that the smoke of the pipe
fed the storekeeper's nostrils. They
talked for a half hour, the one relat-
ing his story, the other putting in
quick questions. At the end of their
conversation Lounsbury held out his
hand.
'If their letter brings him, Mike" he
said, don't you fail to let me know"
AYE, aye" promised the pilot ear
nestly.
They parted. Old Michael continued
his way with an easy mind, but Louns-
bury was troubled. Instead of carry
ing, as on his former visit, good news
to the little family on the bend he
must now be the bearer of evil.
And when, having stalled his horse
with Ben and Betty, he entered the
cottonwood shack his heart smote him
still more. for secretly he 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 certain reserve (aS if he half
| believed something was about to be
| wormed out of HIM, greeted Louns-
| bury good naturally enough. Marylyn
/ hurried up in IL timid fiutter to take his
I the hearthSide, her hair coiled upon
her head like a crown, her gray eyes
| bright, her cheeks glowing, was new
, Dallas.
We'll, how're you all been?" asked
! Lounsbury, accepting bench.
'Oh, spright 'nough," answered the
section boss, 'sbut it's cold; it's cold.
| Keeps me tremblin' like guilty mig
ger"
| You'll get over that" assured the
I 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"
"Ah reckon" agreed Lancaster. He
sat down beside the younger man,
eying him closely. How d. v come t
git away firm business?" he queried.-
'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
loped down here Then pIayfully
But / don't see much happening in
these parts" He stretched toward a
window. '"The town of Lancaster
amt growing very FAST.
Dallas, seated on bench with Mary
Ign, looked across at him smilingly
Pm glad of it." she declared. 1--WE
amt used to towns"
You folks we never lived in oneT
"No, we never even been in one."
He puckered his forehead. Funny
he said. Somehow, l always thinl
of you two as town girls"
saw, shucksr' exclaimed Lancaster
scowling.
L
But Dallas was leaning forward, in
terested. That's on account of on
teachers" she said. There was
schoolhouse up the track, in Texas
and we went to 1t on the hand cal
Every year We had different teacher
and all of 'em came from big eastern
places like New Orleans or st. Louis
$3.50, you see. we kinda got town
from our schoolma'ams."
zone had gold TOOTH" put in Mary
: Ign. Her eyes, wide with recollection
were fixed upon Lounsbury.
"But you passed through cities CON
ing north" argued the storekeeper.
"N-n-no," said Dallas slowly. "W'
: we skirted 'em."
what pityv' he turned to the sec
: ton boss.
"Pityr echoed the latter. Huh
You save you pity. My gals is bette
off eff they dom meet no town hood
), lums."
1t had been soldier trash" before
: now 1t was town hoodlums." Louns
: bury wondered why he had been a
lowed a second call. He glanced q
the girls. There was Sudden shado'
: on each young face. He changed t
the fire and looked hard at it. HoN
cut off they were! Where was thei
happiness-except in their home? An
could he tell them even that wa
I threatened?
Not by long shotw he VOWED
iii trust old Michael"
He set himself to be agreeable, an
especially toward the section boss. b
/. told of the Norwegian at Medicin
= mountain aud of the old man who Ii
C ed with wife and children at the eli
tie bend" up the river. He admire
4 the Navajo blankets and explaine
u