Golden Valley chronicle. (Beach, Billings County, N.D.) 1905-1916, 1908-05-22

..n
Ian Of James r. Garfield, United States
int against the trusts.
Mellie's stepmother his outstanding
merit was the 40 acres of rich cotton
land he owned.
Nellie waited on him with a pad
locked tongue. When he had gorged
himself she slipped away and fled to
the hickory lead at the edge of the
bayou. What could she do? How
could she escape the net which en-
meshed her? To whom could she
turn for help? Her throat ached with
the intensity of the passion of despair
that swept her.
Jed would have known what to do.
Jed would have saved her. But he
was thousand miles away on some
unknown ranch. His mothers dom.
1neering temper had driven him away
from home in anger. They had heard
of him just once in the four years.
That was when the editor of their
country paper, stopping at Mrs.
Chunn's over night, had mentioned
that her son was still one of the sub.
scribers to the Beebee Bee.
Her boy was the one weak spot in
Mrs. Chunn's inflexible armor of au.
tocracy. To have him home again
she would willingly have made him
an exception to her own rule. though
she never admitted it even to herself.
1t was to Jeds strength that the
girls weakness went futtering out in
her hour of need. He would have un.
derstood, as nobody else could. The
1ndolent, masterful force of him would
have won her battle for her. Rut
without him-fear rose in her throat
and choked her.
Texas was big country and far
away. The paper man from Beebee
had said that. But he had said. too
that he sent his paper to Jed. IF so
ne must know where he was living. In
the midst of the desert of her despair
there began to rise a tiny wellspring
OF hope. She would write to Jed.
AS it happened Buck Drumley was
going to Beebee next day. Buck rented
on shares the west bottom from Mrs.
Chunn and worked it in cotton. No
faintest accent of intelligence dis.
turbed the blur of his vacant features,
and he got along very comfortably
without chin. But Nellie could de.
pend upon the loyalty of this lank,
tow-headed product of the bayous
even if she could not upon his wisdom.
Her letter to the editor made verbal
explanations unnecessary.
When Buck next went to town he
carried with him letter addressed to
Jed Wilson, 80 Ranch, What Cheer,
Tex. A copy of the Beebee Bee
came back in his pocket. Nellie hid
the paper hurriedly, and waited to
look at it till she could get away to
the shadows of the hickory lead at the
edge of the bayou.
Among the advertisements she
found what she was seeking. chance
copy of a New York paper, flung
from train window by a travelling
man, had given her model for her
first appearance in type.
IF this should meet the eye of Jed
he will know that the girl who hunt.
ed possums with him six years ago is
in great need"
Hughey pushed his curious wooing
persistently. Nearly every evening
now he squirted tobacco juice from
the porch and Dragged of himself and
his possessions at Nellie via Mrs.
Chunn. His greedy, cruel smile filled
the girl with a sick fear. Divining the
repulsion he inspired in her, he Of
fered no chance to give expression to
it. That the pressure of her environ
ment would wear out her will he was
confident, and he could afford to wait
till he was sure before he punished
her for her detestation of him. But he
scored it up against her none the
less. The time came when he and Mrs.
Chunn could discuss before her the
details Of his marriage to her with
out spoken protest on her part. She
| sat in an uncOnsenting silence that he.