The Lamar register., 1908-02-05
CHAPTER M.
Louise.

IL was raining WHen sHe ieit "ihu
City. but the rain had soon been dis
tanced. Perhaps the Judge was-right
when he said it never rained north
or west of Wind City. But the judge
had not wanted her to go. Neither
had the Judges wife.
Fun 20 minutes. only day before
yesterday. the judge had delayed his
days outing at the NTH where the
HIN river doubles right around on its
tracks. in order to make 1t perfectly
clear to her that 1t was absolutely
outside the bounds of her duty. that
il was altogether an affair on the side.
that she could not be expected to go.
and that the prosecuting attorney up
there had merely asked her out of
courtesy. In difference to her position.
OF course he would be glad enough to
set her. but let htm get some one
nsarer home. or do without Ii wasn't
al all necessary for the court report
ert to- hold herself in readiness to an
swer the call of anything outside her
prescribed circuit duties. To be sure
she would earn tribe. but it was
hard trip. hard country. and she
h1a bSAtOAA Ho1Altht h<A
journey ineo- the unknown until the
regular tsrmsof court when he could
be with her. He had then thrown his
minnew seine over his shoulders.
taken his minnow pail in one hand
and his reel case and lunch box in
the other. and wuikerf out to the road
wagon awaiting him ut the gate. and
30 on TO hiss froltc. leaving her to
fight 1t out for herself.
The judges wife had not been so
diplomatic. not by any means. She
had dwelt long and earnestly. and no
doubt to large extent truly. on the
uncivilked condition of their neigh.
bors up the line: the roughness of
accomnodsl1ipns. the holiness and
licenses of the cowboys. the daring
and insolence u cattle thieves. and
cunning and dishpuesty of tho Iasiians
and the uIlcouthnesss and viciousnass
Of the half bueedz She had ended by
deciaring e0Ruently that Louise wonld
die of bnesomeness,if. by Gods good
providence. she escaped n worse fate
ut the hands Of eas or, all of the many
evils she Ind enumerated. Yes, IL
was very evident Aunt heiea- had not
wanted her to CO. But Aunt Helens
real reason had been thar she held
1t so dfzzifyf unconventional for her
niece to goNto- that wild and unholy
land alone. She did not actually fear
FOR her niece's personal safety. and
Louise more than half suspected the
truth.
She had heard all the arguments
before. They had little or no terrors
for her now. They were the arxu,
ments used by the people back in her
EASTERN honies those dear. dear peo-
pie. her peopie-how far away she
was,-when they had schemed and
plotted so patheticaliy to keep, her
with them. the second one to break
away from the slow. safe. and calm
traditions of her kin in the place
where generation after generation of
her people had lived and died. and
now lay waiting the great Judgment
in the peaceful country burying
grouad
She had listened to them dutifully.
half believing. swallowed hard. and
followed her uncle. her father ;
Youngest brother. to the Land of the
Dakotahs."
Now. that same dear uncle was a
man of power and position in the new
land Only last November he had
been reelected to his third term on
the bench of his circuit, with n big.
Misunderstanding majority. In the, day
of his prosperity he had not forgot.
ten the little, -tanyle-haired girl who
10 ~
went away. and the unaccountable hor
ror in whose eyes he had tried IL
laugh away on that observation-disclosures
ten day when, he had wrenched his
heartstrinss from their safe abiding
place, and gone forth in quest of tn,
pot of gold at the rainhowo end
the first of many generations. Tradi
ton knew no other since his ances
tors had felled forests and built home.
of hewn logs Now he had sent foi
Louise His court reporter had re
Gently left him for other fields o.
labor
There was commotion among he,
people on receipt of the astounding
proposition. She lived over agar
the dark days of the first fitting L
might well be her uncle had eSag
gerated the dangers of life in the new
land Ii was great fun to shock hi,
credulous relatives He had surel!
written them some enormous tale;
during those Is years and more. HI
used. to chuckle heartily to himsel
at reading some of the sympsthiEinl
replies. But these tales were held il
evidence against him now that h
dared to want LOUISE Every lette
was brought out by Louise's dear oil
xranduother and read to. her owe
again. Louise did not half beiiev'
them. hut they were gospel truth L
her grandmother and almost so t