Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1907-11-28

watching the bend through Iele-
scope, and his face was anxious and
troubled.
Lancaster hasn't started for the
land Office again." he said. Then, aft
er moments silence. eve just about
decided to so Bismarck way myself to-
day When you can, win you let me
know how they are over there?"
Charles will keep me posted" an
swered the evangelist. land / shall
send you any news by the mail sleigh"
Thank you." said Lounsbury sim
ply. "Goodby." And at the noon mess
he was missing.
At the shack the days We're number
ed slowly for all their scant hours OF
light. Sleep consumed most of the
time. The rest was taken by the meals,
| the chores and the effort of keeping
| warm. The line of calico covered books
helped to vary the monotony. So did
| the visits of Squaw Charley. But these
were becoming more brief now. Not
| that Lancaster made them unpleasant
| Charley was necessary to him-but
| that the Indian was always ina fever
| to be gone. Since the council his eyes
were less downcast, his face was less
stolid.
| One day brought totally unexpect-
ed visitor, whom Lancaster recognized
| with some misgivingS as the United
| States land agent at Bismarck. The
/ section boss was soon treasured. how
/ ever. The agent said that, having busi-
ness near Brannon and remembering
4 that Lancaster wished to file an entry
on the bend when the first claimants
six months were up, he had come by.
In the case of a man who was hurt, he
said, the law allowed such a course.
| The section boss, thus saved the ardu-
GUS trip. signed the necessary papers
with jubilant mark
Then came old Michael for time or
two. It seemed at first as if he were
to be Il favorite. He could adapt him.
self with all the art of his race. And
before Lancaster he was intensely
southern in his views, whipping the
north in many q broguey strife. Until
it befell through slip of the tongue
"A slip that sent him packing off, for
|
hands had helped in plotting the Fed
erals to Island No. 10!
1t was an outcome that gave Dallas
little concern. Marylyn was her wor
ry. The younger girl was listless, pale
and moody. Now and then Dallas be
lieved she saw look of actual suffer
ing in her eyes. Once. awakening In
the night. she heard her sob.
Marylyn was unhappy. and the
thought made the elder girl desperate
This led her to plan: Lounsbury mus
be asked to forgive their father ant
come again-must be told of Marylyn'.
| confession.
Soon afterward n second worry pre-
scented itself, one fully az serious. TIL,
provisions were dwindlng, the seet
sacks shrinking fast, and. estranget
from Lounsbury, they had nowhere t,
ask credit but at the fort.
When Dallas spoke of it to her IA
Their, he chuckled. "Waal, we got 81
mon, amt we?" he said.
That same night Marylyn put dow
! her fork and stared across the table a
her sister. '.Why, Dallas. you don
: eati' she complained.
Dallas laughed. 81 don't work, hon
ey," she answered.
The question of fuel entered mex
and became D grave one. So far tn
| weather had been fairly mild for tn
1 place and the season. Now it took
more rigorous turn. The bitter coll
, was intensified by a stiff wind. Snow
+, began to fall, and the wind. growing
e drove the flakes level. so that they GU
: the face like filings of steel. Charley
trips became uncertain, then imposs
S BILE. The work of getting out hay fo
r the stock was desperate tax. 1t wa
so difficult that Dallas dared not spar
t straw for the fireplace, and Ben an
@ Betty's manger had to be drawn upo
i for wood. When this source OF suppl
n | failed, the benches were sacrificed on
: by one, the cupboard was torn dow
9 and the bunk and part of the tabl
q were split into kindling.
l. The family slept shoulder to shou
q der before the hearth, with the bray
d colored blankets OF the partition fe
n extra covering. Lancaster and I'll
t. younger girl stayed in bed all of Ii
e twenty four hours. Dallas got up onl
o long enough to tend the animals an
T. prepare food. But day came whe
l. she could not make her way to IL
s. lean-to and when the warped dot
n could not be opened in the teeth Of tt
e raging storm. Toward noon 81
d cooked some food, however. The see
e sacks were empty. There was no rio
z, and no flour. While the bliZZal
it howled without and Simon and Il
st mules called pitifully for their fodd
lie and drink, she broke up what was lie
of the table. Over its blaze the la
r smitch OF bacon went to SAVIOR Il
lie last pint of beans.
y After the meal Dallas read alou
t. Lying down, she held her book in Oh
d hand until her fingers were blue wi
d. cold, then changed to the other. F
to Their and sister drowsed, and she p
Is the story aside to study over the pI
ut dicament, in which she felt herself
Fault Counf;p0 nm ,fli zza rdc hut l-po-