Wallowa County chieftain. [volume] (Enterprise, Or.) 1909-1911, 1909-10-07
CHAPTER XIX.

By the time we had finished our repairs
the morning was still not far advanced
towards noon. / had lighted a pipe and
was smoking In the full JOY of rest after
battle, when Rodney came up to me with
puckered line between his eyebrows.
I'm afraid" he remarked, "we're going
to get let down for the rest of the day."
why, man" l calculated, you
wouldn't be going through that sort of
racket each hour in the twenty-four.
would your?
lie smiled at my answer. mot exactly.
but just at present we're playing the part
OF lot OF cooped up rats too realistical-
" to suit your humble servant. I'll be
expecting them to set fire to the house
next Besides that, l shouldn't be sur
prised II the club would start search for
me at any moment. Anything may han
pened In my office, the market may have
gone to pot, and my customers be ready
to tar and feather me-"
Well.I agreed, that's all true. and
yet If you go 1t leaves Duponceau lust go
much more unprotected"
Know he mused thoughtfully. rub
ping his cheek with his hand. 81 wish to
the deuce knew who the man was" He
looked at me sharply. Haven't vou an
inkling, Felixf"
shook my head. "An know is that
ne came out of the sea In a storm. with
his precious treasure-box, and that Foto
has apparently appointed us to protect
Pin from his enemies until he sees f;t 10
return into the sea again. On one subject
hes absolutely unapproachable. his ante
cedents." "A'e
Ihen why" pursued Rodney, did Won
ever take such an internal liking to him ~
| considered. "why did youf"
Our eyes met, and we both sm;lod
chuckled, and then laughed.
There's an old French adaee" ss;d
i'odhey- cheschez la femme.'n He
took turn or two up and down the room,
linen See here, Felix he said. "there,s
no denying the fact that we're both ~
US In the same boat, figuratively speaking
even II no longer physically. You had .
great drag from the start, because vou
were living such an unusual sort of iifs
and were probably woman-bater oar
ainiy mad no use for society. Those
tninss take with a girl brought up in New
York" :" A'e"
smoked stolidly. "You won the 6rst
wound, and that takes with a woman onr,
where" any
he looked at his bandaged arm and
smiled reminiscentlyH He was proba bIr
thinking Oh that half-hour VIXEN ste had
dressed It. Ae nau
d. IL
But the main point is," he resumed
tnat we both knew that the particrla
girl In question loved romance better tban
anything else In the world"
And that Duponceau was rou.
personiied," l added, which fully a~.
plains our actions"
Rodney puffed at his cigarette IN Il.
lence. III si-
Yet I've grown very fond of the man y
ne said presently. Hes brave, and he's
gentleman" a'u ne 8
q, fond OF him, too. l wouldn't give
nm up now for the world. I inland ~
s'ay right here until something hapnensn y
Rodney finished his cigarette and thra,,
IL away. If you don't mind" be sa;S
IN steal over to your farmers and r,ds
no.se 70 the club. I've feeling that
soms!ning may be doing in the outer
so,ia' s, and that l ought to get next to .
.hs' I III not be long, and l don't think
'neyh come back before afternoon
1o, py all means. The man vii, civ.
you tne horse and show you an inland
rvao' 20 you'll not fall In with these peo-
sE p.s; we can get on all right until nirht.
again. en turned
was sore he said. shat first after
noon when l found you and Barbara hsv.
ing tea here. I'll admit that I'd followsd
nsr from New York. expecting to hsys
c'sar neid but-well. one can't aIwsv.
tSt .Ss. "na. one wants, and there's luck in
.Sn .Sn @ sort OF fight, just as there /. In
'n' stssst' but 1t Is good aeht And