Courier Democrat. (Langdon, N.D.) 1891-1920, 1912-03-21

or Mrs. Duncan hours off The ii!,
would make me mighty ha,rr"
"Freckles." said Duncan 20 K. tlr"an
gathering up his tools. -! :""' see
that it will hurt We tn +" ,r'' nat We
r doin' every g. y tug that
pleases the boss as mr"h as anything
ye could do. Ye're Lem uncommon
faithful. lad. and honest as old Father
Time. Mclean is ,ru>tin' We as he
would his w flesh I'D blood"
ooh. Duncan" cried the boy. "Are
you Sure?"
"Why. | know" answered Duncan.
II waC"a venture to say else. In
those first days he cautioned me ma
to tell We that. but now he wadna
care. Dye ken. Freo,:les, that some
OF the single trees ye are guardin' are
worth a thousand dollarsw
Freckles looked limp. and his eyes
popped.
I'VE see" said Duncan. that's why
they maun be watched so closely. The
other night down at camp some son
OF Baalam was suggestin' that We might
be sellin' the boss out to Jack and let
tin him tax the trees secretly and no
body wad ever ken till the gang gets
here"
A "a of scarlet flooded Freckles'
face, and he blazed holly at the insult.
And the boss" continued Duncan,
ignoring Freckles' anger, she lays back
just as cool as cowcumbers and says,
'Tll give a thousand dollars to n
man that will show me a fresh stump
when we reach the Limberlost,' says
he. Some of the men just snapped
him up that they'd find some. So you
see how the boss is trustin' We, lad"
II am gladder than 1 can ever ex-
press" said Freckles. 'And now will
l be walking double time to keep some
of them from cutting a tree to get all
that money!
"Mither O Noses" howled Duncan.
Eye "a trust the Scotch to bungle
things a'thegither. Mclean was only
meanin' to show We all confidence and
honor. He's gone and set a high price
for some dirty whelp to ruin We. 1 was
just tryin' to show We how he felt
toward We, and I've gone and give ye
that worry to bear"
81 am mighty proud Of what you
have been telling me. Duncan" said
Freckles. 81 need the warning sure,
for with the books coming 1 might be
timpted to neglect me work when dou-
BILE watching is needed
Freckles picked up his club and start
ed down the line, whistling cheerily.
Duncan went straight to the lower
camp and, calling Mclean aside. re-
peated the conversation verbatim.
"And, nae matter what happens now
or ever. dinna We dare let anything
make we believe that Freckles hasna
guarded faithful as any man could"
81 don't think anything could shake
my faith in the lad" said Mclean.
Freckles kept one eye %religiously on
the line. The other he divided be.
tween the path, his friends of the
wire and Il search of the sky for his
latest arrivals. Every day since their
coming he had seen them. either hang
ing like small black clouds above the
swamp or bobbing over logs and trees
with their queer fitting walk. When.
ever he could spare time he entered
the swamp and tried to make friends
with them, and they were the tamest
of all his unnumbered subjects. They
ducked, lodged and ambled about
him, yer logs and bushes, and not
even a near approach would drive
them to flight.
For two weeks he had found them
circling over the Limberlost regularly
but n morning the female was miss.
ing, and only the big black chicken
hung sentinel above the swamp. His
mate did not reappear in the following
days, and Freckles grew very anxious,
He spoke of it to Mrs. Duncan, and
she quieted his fears by raising a de.
lightful hope in their stead.
"Why, Freckles, if it's the hen bird
We are missing it's ten to ane she's
SAFE" she said. shes laid and is
setting, We silly. Watch him and
mark whaur he lichts. Then follow
and find the nest. Some Sabbath
we'll all gang see it,"
Accepting this theory, Freckles be-
gan searching for the nest, but as he
had no idea where to look and Duncan
could offer no helpful suggestion the
nest was no nearer being found.