Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1911-03-21
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Corralling a Quarter Section
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Copyright 1911 by Associated Literary Press.)
By k. J. PHILLIPS

resentment welled up within her. For
there. muffied to his eyes in fur coat
behind a swiftly jogging horse. was
Arthur Brant He was headed for the
county seat. % miles away.
She had nourished a secret hope
that Peter Snyder lied; that Brant
would not seize their land. But Peter
whom she distrusted despite his plaus
lble tongue. had told the truth Brant
cared more for their land than for
their-for her-regard. Her lips trsm
bled pitifully as she turned from the
window.
The storm came apace. There was a
wind that few with the speed of a bull
let. 1t tore the snow into needle-like
atoms and hurled the singing parti-
cles resistlessly before it, Great drifts
formed. The little window disappeared
behind thick film of frost Outside
II was impossible to see a length
ahead A genuine Dakota blizzard
Was hammering the great northwest
A score of times during the day an
mconfessed anxiety drew the girl to
the window. There, melting a hole
In the frost with her breath, she peered
mo the storm. 1t was bad day even
for an enemy to be out She found
herself late in the afternoon praying
that Brant would stay In Carlin till the
storm abated He had a hired man TO
do the choresl being unmarried. they
kept bach hall'' together. He did
not need to hurry back. And yet
Another fruitless look at the blank
white wall Of flying snow
AT eight o'clock there came a muf-
fed knock. Hilda hurried to the door
and threw it open, to recoil in amaze
ment, for the mild. patient head of a
horse projected into the cabin. 1t
was Brant's horse.
With an exclamation she waded
through the snow to the cutter, There
was a huddled, fur-clad heap In the
bottom of the vehicle
AS her cry brought the others out
bareheaded into the storm, a shape
detached itself from the rushing white
gloom-Frank Oleson, Brant's hired
man. The Swede had been searching,
afoot, for his master
He bane freezingl" he cried, and
fell upon Brant like a bear, cutting,
shaking and worrying him back from
the verge of the dreaded sleep which
has no waking.
r.n1,
about him, at the faithful Oleson, at
the Pentons, scarcely less concerned,
at the cabin beyond, warm and light
and cozy His face changed as at an
unpleasant memory.
Take me home, Frank he said,
in tone that brooked no disobe,
dience
And for the second time within a
week Hilda Penton cried herself to
sleep. The last vestige of hope was
gone. He had bid in their land
That is why he would not trespass on
their hospitality.
1t was three days before little Jim
could go to the postoff1ce, two miles
away. He came back with a letter
an official looking article from the
county seat, and budget of news
that kept him jumping up and down
in excitement
The envelope was addressed to her
father, but Hilda tore it open. caught
the sense at glance and dropped
weakly into a chair.
ssATO+har fafbnrtV che oroe,,aI eef+,.
all right We won't lose our farm.
Mr. Brant has loaned US the money"
Mr.. and Mrs. Penton, grazing heads
bent together, laboriously gathered
that James Penton, by his agent, Ar
thur Brant. had paid the sum
of S14279, being the full amount due
for back taxes and penalties on the
southeast one-quarter of section,
Oh, it was all there, to the last letter
and figure Of the description
Meanwhile, little Jim, by the ex-
pedient of whooping at regular In
tervals, at last attracted the family's
attention.
Listen to me. listen to me-" he
yelled 'Lemme tell you about the
fight over to Carlin Tuesday, Bill
Samuelson, he saw it,
"Hey?" said his father, raising his
eyes at last from the magic paper.
"A fght-who?"
Arthur Brand and Peter Snyder"
chartered little jim THAT mean old
Pete was there to get our land, and
he had a check all made out. But
Mr.. Brant came in and said he was
your agent, pa, an had the money
ready. An Pete called him a liar.
and Mr.. Brant told him he was a
tax-title shark. so Pete struck at
him.
And then they fought and knocked
over chairs, an the clerk climbed up
onto the desk, and Mr. Rrant BACKED
Pete's eyes and bloodied his nose.
An
Little Jim stopped. the breath
squeezed out of his body For his sis
ter, her eyes shining like twin stars.
was hugging him TO her breast and
laughing am crying at the same
time
Jim, she said. you go and tell
Arthur TO core over here. we've
want to thank him. and beg his par
don"
Taint ne'ssary," replied Jim
wriggling free. Il asked him myself
An he said he'd come
His View.