Courier Democrat. (Langdon, N.D.) 1891-1920, 1912-04-11

ffeckleS yelled at the top OF
his voice: Head them off on
~ the south, boys. Fire from the
SOUTH"
AS he had hoped, Jack and Wessner
instantly plunged into the swale. A
storm of lead spattered after them.
They crossed the swale. running low.
with not ever n backward glance.
and entered the wood beyond the cor
duroy.
Then the little party gathered at the
tree.
I'D better fix this saw so they can't
be using it if they come back" said
Freckles, taking out his Ratchet and
making the saw teeth fly.
Nov we have to get out of here with
out being seem" said the Bird Woman
to the angel. 1T won't do for me to
make enemies of these men, for l am
liable to meet them about my work
any day"
"You a do it by driving straight
north on this road" said Freckles. Il
will go ahead and cut the wires for
you. The swale is almost dry. You
will only be sinking a few inches at
most. In a few rods you will strike a
cOrnfield. will take down the fence
and let you into that. Follow the fur
rows and drive straight across it until
you come to the other side. Be follow
ing the fence south until you come to a
road through the woods east of it.
Then take that road and follow east
until you reach the pike. You will
come out on your way back to town
and two miles north of anywhere they
are likely to be. Don't for your lives
ever let it out that you did this" he
earnestly cautioned. "for it's black en-
emies you would be making"
Freckles snapped the wires. and they
drove through. The angel leaned from
the carriage and held out his revolver.
Freckles looked into her face and lost
his breath. Her eyes were black and
her face a deeper rose than usual. He
felt that his own was white as death.
did I shoot high enough " she ask
ed sweetly. II really forgot about ly-
ing down."
Freckles WINGED. Did the child know
how near she had gone? Surely she
could not. Or was it possible that she
had the nerve and skill to fire like that
%purposely:
Il will send the first reliable man ]
meet for Mclean" said the Bird Wo.
man. gathering up the lines. IF l
don't meet one when we reach town
we will send IL messenger. 1t it wasn't
for having the gang see me | would so
myself
Round eyed. r'rerkles watched the
Bird Woman ana the angel drive
away. After they We're out of sight
and he was safely hidden among the
branches of Il small tree. he remem-
bered that he had neither thanked
them nor said goodby. Would the Bird
Woman and the angel come again
No other women that be had ever
known would. But We're they like any
other women he had ever known? He
thought Of the Bird Woman's unrutfled
face and the angels revolver practice.
and presently he was not so sure that
they would not come back.
What We're the people out in the big
world like? His knowledge was so
very limited. There had been people
at the home who exchanged a stilted.
perfunctory sort Of kindness for their
salaries. The visitors that called on
receiving days he had divided into
three classes-the kind that came with
u tear in the eye and hypocrisy in ev-
cry feature Of their faces: the kind
that came in silks and jewels and
handed out to those poor, little mother
hungry souls worn toys that their chill
dren no longer cared for. in exactly
the same spirit in which they pitched
biscuits to the monkeys at the 200
and for the same reason-to see how
they would take them and be amused
by what they would do: and the third
class. that he considered real people.
who made him feel they cared that
he was there and would have been
glad to see him elsewhere.
Now. here was another class that
had met him as a son and brother.
| With them he could for the only time
in his life forget the lost hand that
every day tortured him with a new
pang. What sort of people We're they
and where did they belong among the
classes he knew? He had to give it up
because he had never known others
like them. but how he loved them!
Ont in the world where he was soon