The Washington herald., 1909-05-23


Il is another episode out OF the big eternal
story OF the lure OF woman To be sure.
the woman does not walk IN this scene;
but nevertheless she Is 10 be felt moving
through the skirting shadows of the tale
like a Greek fate. let Us say. Her
mother was a Msndan Sioux and her
father was French,
NOW when Mike FaIlon came 70 Fort
Aux Cedres. the scent OF the spring wss
IN the air. and the woman was at Fort
Aux Cedres. The latter fact would cas-
ilv have been enough: but the two to-
gether worked magic in the visionary
Celtic soul Of FaIlon. He forthwith sGw
the woman as she decidedly was not To
him she was the incarnation OF the vast
summer-scented prairie night, infinitely
soothing. though charged with latent
uzhtnisgs- -aIiurfng- inscrutable crown
ed with midnight and many stars
You do not see her so; and perhaps you
are right. But then-yoU were not at
Fort Aux Cedres in that particular
springtime-
Now, Nike Fallon was a very good ami
rnal-big-boned, deep-chested. lusty; aid
the woman saw this. as she very often
does. Also, Nike FaIlon was the best
rife shot in the Northwest country. and
this did not displease the woman Per
haps the intimacy that followed was not
quite according to the rules OF the game,
as we see II; perhaps. because the woman
was quite natural, and the MAXWELL,
men are pretty much the same.
Things went very well for FallOn until
the Dane came; that was Lief Jensen
Tall. raw-boned. taciturn, patient. was
Jensen. His hair suggested carded fax.
and his eyes were Of the color OF lis
flower.
The woman saw thls-and she changed
her mind. She vas the night (aCcording
to Fallon}. and Jensen was the day (ac-
cording 10 the woman); and between them
there was dawning-fOr Jensen
Now It happened with the appearance
OF the Dane that Fallon was no longer
the best rife shot in the country Jensen
was one Of them. He could bore a
squirrels eye at fifty yards quite as Of
ten as FalIon. So the two fell 70 doing
shooting stunts with a show OF good
natured rivalry. which was not thai at
al but a struggle for the mastery. The
old herd laws have dwindled 10 mere In
stincts in these latter days. Vet the best
=.f rs can feel them stirring under our
starched shirt fronts now and then
But when they had made the supreme
test, each shooting q til cup OF whisky
from the others head al sixty yards,
they shook hands and divided the honors
between them.
However Jensen kent the woman.
After that it was Jensen and FaIlOn,"
and very good friends they seemed 20 be,
though Fallon could feel wee drop Of
bad blood ranking through his system
You amt holding nothing again me.
are you. AIike?7 the good-natured Jensen
would often say: cause II you are" he
would add generously, 4 amt nailed
down here
Shut your front gate. pardner." FaI-
lon would answer laughing: 7 guess
amt man 10 get a belIyache over facts!
Sure. II was bit hard on me; but facts
have a way Of being hard.
Which was al very philosophical indeed
but not quite human For as he spoke
the words Fallon could taste that one
wee drop OF bad blood, and il was bitter.
This was FaIlon sober.
Now IL you happen 20 have a devil
lurking somewhere in the dark places Of
your soul, get tolerably drunk and & viii
come forth and look YOU in the eyes.
The summer passed and the winter
crept down across the great Northern
expanses. Il touched the turbulent Ms
souri, and turned il into a white ribbon
Il piled the snow about the stOckades OF
Fort AUX Cedres. and cast upon It the
spell OF z tedious silence
Nothing is more distracting 20 men OF
going on the principle that a noise in the
head is better than no noise at all. Jen-
sen and Fallon and their mutual friend.
Jean Der0in "a little French free-trapper
with schemes in his head. managed now
and then 10 get tOlerably drunk over
their cards Once they got very drunk:
and that was the first tine Fallon and
Jensen qUarTeleG- Il was all about the
woman, and what they said is hardly
II for history.
But little Jean managed 10 separate
them until the bad LIQUOR died out. Then
he shamed them a bit and fiattered them
more. deftly touching upon that common
weakness Of all big men-their bigness-
and talked his free-uapping schemes. IN
IT the big men shook hands and laughed
about It al, and came very near getting
drunk again as mark Of reconciliation
But the one wee drop Of bad blood IN
Fallon's system had become t7vo drops.
nevertheless.
The winter wore on toward spring. and
the drunken quarrel seemed 10 have been
forgotten; for the three played peacefully
at cards, made plans for 4 spring expe-
dition into the Black Hills fur country.
and the woman was not mentioned Oc-
casionally Failon and Jensen would meet
N little friendly bouts at craftsmanship.
sat neither proposed the feat Of shooting
TIN cups from each others heads When
you mistrust man. you don't invite him
10 shoot things OF the top OF your head,
you know.
By and by the long winter frayed out
and the grass thrust itself up among the
ragged edges Strange fogs passed
across the face Of the sun Big shadows
went wsiling through the mists. And
there was crying Of the lone flyers
wonk. wonk-feeing from the coming
mystery Out in the fog-cIoaked davs
and the drizzling nights grew I'd the duh
booming Of the ice-drift IN the river.
The blue basins Of the rain thaved out
ana washed the last trace Of winter from
the hills And then, one day, 10! g lone
robin chirped from Dastion's top. And
II was April,
That Is the time when the itch for gong
GETS into the quietest feet; the tine when
one wishes 10 be precisely where one Is
Loi- So little Jean and the Dane and
leiloa. beinS freemen. accountable 20
af4e o-lt vhiGl, the great inscrutable god
lie wsndering foot, set out upon the
oE EillS trail Into the Northwest
rfnt the three. driving their pack mules
ie. re them. And the two wee drops Of
tiOod in Fsllon's veins seemed 10
c'rf dWindled 10 none at all
l Il YOU ever loved woman, you
2id re sure 10 remember Il when y5u
campfire in the dusk OF early
E- with the scent Of growing things