Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1909-12-18

rs them his tracks back o. the house
an up tho hill?" asked Mlckcy'5
friend.
She leaped to n decision "No-no!"
she lied breathessly, "'tis across the
Gulch he went-by Terrence Murphys
house-to the north"
The puTsuers turned away in the di-
rection she had pointed. while Mary
OToole stood flxedly watching them
disappear from sight.
Mother o. Mary" she cried aloud.
Mickey. me darlin'. me own he was.
and him as did the shootin has to
reckon wild men' Then, head and heart
burning with elemental wrath. she
walked resolutely to the corner OF the
room. seized Mickey's gun from behind
the stove. and closing the cabin door
stalked milltantly up the mountain to
the cave that concealed the fugitive
the same man. this fugitive. but now an
enemy. In that his afTront was personal
to her and hers.
A little later Geddings. still patient
ly endeavorlng to reconcile himself and
his posture to several hours more oc
discomfort. was startled by an uneX-
pected shadow darkening the mouth of
the cave But instantly recognizing
the outlines of Mary O'Toole's tall fig
ure. he stretched his cramped limbs
with relieved sigh. 80 you've como
for me already"
III We come. Sne answered BTllHly,
- to kill ye"
Geddings started back: the words had
hardly the ring of Jest
"Oill give ye tonne fer q prayer" she
continued In the same grim tone, =
tho saints know. all the masses ye
cud pay fer wudden't save yer black
soul But II yere gon' to pray. be
quick about It, Oill waste no tonne
on ye"
Look here! cried Geddings. still
more amazed than frightened. What
have you got against me?-Tve right
to know before you turn that gun on
me-
"Pretendin' again? Art ye sham all
througha Gettin' behind my skirts
and playIn' Wild my babes afther kill
in their fathcr," Her voice began to
rise Historically at the last words.
killing their father?" Geddings
could only repeat dazedly.
my Mickey" she walled.
Hes not dead2" Forgetting danger
in his anxiety, Geddings stepped out
of the shadow and seized the womans
arm
"'Av course he's dead-shot, they said
and by ye, ye skulkin', hypocrite"
She wrenched herself away from him
and fingered her gun wildly.
Have you seen him?" Geddings per-
sisted trying to quiet her by his own
calm.
'rNo-no-but he's at the 'Mergency
hospital-where niver a soul Is cared
fer dacently An ye-ye thatd rather
shoot a man than raise a miserable
wage"
Listen" he commanded You
don't understand 1t wasn't a regular
strike-the men didn't organize or send
delegate to demand raise. They
lust stopped work, got drunk, and then
tlrn
would not have known what they want
ed if they had not marked up the
fences with chalk-two-twenty- five In
big figures scrawled everywhere When
l got the sheriff and some deputies out
there to keep order the men began to
abuse me. The sheriff was puny
thing-couldn't have herded Sheppard
had to protect myself. L just shot
off my gun to frlghten the mob-I
didn't intend to hit anybody" Ged-
dings felt his anticlimaX.
But we hit my Mickey"
But I can help him better alive than
dead-and you and the children, too.
II you'll Just be sensible. Put away
your gun and keep the men off me
while I set things right There are
worse men in the world than Sidney
Geddings. Mrs. O'Toole."
prove ut" she cried
"Then come with me to the Emer-
gency hospita1-Ill have your husband
taken to the best surgeon in the city.
And the men shall have their raise
Comc-we must hurry
But the furreners arr jst ready to
chew we up" she objected, fearing now
for the recent victim of her deadly rage.
'They will never know me in these
togs-and with you. They Will take
me for ono of the numerous Santas
In rlrT a Va VI al
Still carrying the gun Mary O'Toole
trudged, like the king of France down
the hill again, with her gaily costumed
companion mute beside her But
though he had nothing to say, Sidney
Geddings was doing some of tho hard
est thinking he had ever done in his
life. He felt as If ho had just been
jostled from u dream that had lasted
from his cradle days. Rude as the
awakening was, he felt that 1t was the
first time he had ever touched Reality.
and somehow he had no desire to sink
back into slumber.
During the long walk down the gulch
and across the fiat his mind worked at
fever heat, so that neither cold nor
fear could chill him nor fatigue dismay
his newly aroused spirit. They passed
but few stragglers- and darkness
had evidently cooled the wrath of the
explosive foreigners-and only good
natured raillery greeted tho appearance
of the odd pair.
They found Mickey O'Toole in the
hands of a badly frightened doctor, an
NJ. d. so new that the ink on his diplo-
ma had hardly had time to dry.
How is your man." Geddings asked
shortly. entering hnannounced, with
Mary OrToole following sturdily at his
heels.
The young physician lost his look of
distress in one Of anna cement This red
nosed, scarlet-frocked clown spoke in
O tone of curt authority. Under his
glance Geddlngs stiffened, forgetting his
disguise.
I'm Sidney Geddings, young man,
and this Is your patients wife. We've
both perfect right to be here. and you
will please answer every question with
out delay Is he badly injured?"
The young man parted "I can't lust
say" he began professionally. when
Geddlngs gave one of his old-time roars.
Then why haven't you u doctor here
who can say?"
The physician paled. 1--WE telephoned
for one-and for an ambulance-it
should have been here long ago.
"Can he be moved?" Geddings asked
shortly.
''He must be; we've no convenlences
here for so srious'-
$50 1t is serious? Where's the tele-
phone?"
The doctor indicated 1t and Geddings
seized the receiver. When he turned,
after delivering himself of dozen stoc-
cato oruers, he found Mary O'Toole on
her knees beside her husbands cot