The Evening statesman. [volume] (Walla Walla, Wash.) 1903-1910, 1909-04-04


| hats.
"Let's see 1t was you that found
him, wasn't it," said Gale.
| "Sure ting. I'm comm down for
| grub in my canoe Wen l see dis Teller
| on de bank walkin' lax he's in beeg
borry. 'Ba gar say, 'dere's man
goin' so fast he'll meet hesef comm
! homer Den he turn roun' an go tear
| in back, wavin' hees arms lax he's
CALM me, till he fall down. Wen l
| paddle close up l dom know i'm no
more dan stranger, an me an Johnnie
Plat is trap togeder wan winter.
Wat you t'ink of dat?'
II saw a fellow killed that way at
| Holy Cross" interpOlated the trader.
"'Hellov l say. Watts de matter?'
An den see something bout i'm dat
look familiar. Hees face she's all
swell up an bleedin' lax raw meat"
The Frenchman curled his upper lip
back from his teeth and shook his
head at the remembrance.
"Jesu, dat's 'orrible sight! Dem fly
| is drive i'm crazee. Hees nose an ears
is look lax holes in beeg red sponge,
an hees eye are close up tight"
"He died before you got him in,
didn't hep
"Yes. He was good man too"
II guess you been purity glad for
havin Necia home again, en-" ven
tured Poleon after awhile, unable to
avoid any longer the subject upper
most in his mind.
Eyes. I'm glad she's through with
her schooling
THAT'S right
"By an by she's goin' marry on
some feller-w'at?'
Il suppose so. She amt the kind to
stay single"
"Ha. OATS right too. Mebbe you
dom care if she does get marry, eh?"
Not if she gets a man that will
treat her right"
"Waal. waaI! Dere's no trouble
bout dat" exclaimed Doret fervently.
mo man watts livin' could treat her
bad She's too good an too purity for
have bad husban'."
"She is. is she? Gale turned on
him with Il strange glare in his eyes.
''Thems the kind that get the he dev
lis There's something about a good
girl that attracts a bad man. particu-
larly if she's pretty and it goes dOu-
BILE too. The good men get the hellions
A fellow can't get so tough but what
he can catch a good woman, and de-
cent man usually draws critter that
looks like sled and acts like timber
wolf"
''Necia wouldn't marry on no bad
man." said Doret positively.
Neither man had ever spoken thus
| openly to the other about Necia be-
fore, and, although their language was
indirect, each knew the others
thought. But there was no time for
further talk now, for the others were
close upon them. AS they came into
view Gale exclaimed:
"Wen, If Lee hasn't brought Run
Mon alOng"'
"Humphw grunted Doret. Il don
t'ink much Of dat Teller
The three new arrivals dropped
down upon the moss to rest, for the
up trail was heavy. Lee was the first
to speak.
did you get away without bein'
SEEM" he asked.
Sure" answered Gale. "Poleon has
been here two hours"
That's good l don't want nobody
taggin' along"
Runnion volunteered nothing except
Oaths at the mosquitoes and at his pack
straps. which were new and cut MN
already. AS no explanation OF his
presence was offered. neither the tired
Or nor ROret made any comment then,
but it came out later, when the old
miner dropped far enough behind the
others to render conversation possible.
"You decided to take in another ere,
eh?' Gale asked Lee.
ut wasn't exactly my dOin's,' re-
piled the miner. STARK asked Ine 10
let Runnion come long, bein' as he
had grub staked him, and be seemed
so set on it that l addressed. You
see, it's the first chance l CEer had to
pay him back for Il favor he done me
in the Cassiar country. There's plenty
of land to go around"
1t was Lees affair, thought the trad
er, and he might tell whom he liked.
so he said no more, but fell to study
ing the back of the man next il front.
who happened TO be Stark, observing
every move and trick Of him and dur
ing the frequent pauses making point
of listening and watching him guard
eddy.
All through the afternoon the five
men wound up the valley, following
one another's footsteps. emerging from
somber thickets Of fir to founder
across wide pastures of ''nigger heads"
that wabbled and wriggled ard bowed
beneath their feet until. at cost OF
much effort and profanity, they gained
the frmer footing of the forest. At
one point Stark, hot and irritable. re-
marked:
"There must be a shorter cut than
IL