The Irish standard., 1912-02-03

FRECKLE:S
BY
Gene SGr@G&@m-
~ " Porter
COPYRIGHT. 1904. BY DOUBLEDAY. PAGE
& CO.

like dogs and paying us starvation
wages. while he rolls up his millions
and lives like princey'
Green lights began to play through
the gray of Freckles' eyes.
"Wessner," he said impressively.
you'd make fine pattern for the ia.
Their of liars! Every man on that
gang is strong and hilthy. paid all he
earns and treated with the courtesy of
q gentleman. As for the boss living
like prince. he shares fare with you
every day Of your lives"
Wessner was not a born diplomat,
but be saw he was on the wrong tack.
and be tried another.
"Freckles. old fellow" he said. '1f
you let me give you a pointer l can
put you on to making cool five hun
dred without stepping out Of your
tracks"
Freckles drew back.
, "You needn't be afraid of speaking
up" he said. "There isn't soul in
the Lmberlost save the birds and the
beasts unless some Of your sorts come
along and's crowding the privileges Of
the legal tinints." ~
'None of my friends along" said
Wessner. Nobody knew l came but
Black il mean friend Of mine. If
you want to hear sense and act with
reason he can see you later, but it amt
necessary. We can make all the plans
needed. The tricks SO dead small and
easy"
Must be If you have the engineering
Of it." said Freckles. But he heard
with a sigh Of relief that they were
alone.
Wessner was impervious. "You Just
bet it is! Why, only think. Freckles.
slavin' away at a measly little $50 a
month. and here Is chance to clear
$500 in q. day! You surely won't be
the fool to miss it!''
"And how was you proposing for
me to stale it?'' inquired Freckles
Cor am just to find it laying In me
path about the ,line?''
THAT'S 1t, Freckles." clustered tho
Dutchman, "you're just to find it
You needn't know thing. You name
a morning when you will walk up the
west side of the swamp and then turn
round and walk back down the sam.
side again and the money Is yours
Couldn't anything be easier than that
could it?'
"Deplnds entirely on the man." saic
Freckles. The Tilt Of a lark hanging
above the swale beside them was moi
sweeter than the sweetness of his
voice. ITO some 1t would seem t.
come aisy as breathing. and to some
wringin' the last drop of their hearts
blood couldn't force thin! I'm not
the man that goes into scheme like
that with the blindfold over me eyes.
for. you see. it names to break trust
with the boss. and I've served him
faithful as knew. You'll have to be
making the thing very clear to me
understanding"
Its so dead easy" repeated Wess-
ner, lit makes me tired of the SIM
pleness Of it. You see. there's few
trees in the swamp that's real gold
mines. There's three especial. Two
are back in. but ones square on the
line. Why, your pottering old Scotch
fool of a boss nailed the wire to it
with his own hands! He never no.
ticed where the bark had been peeled
nor saw what it was. IL you will stay
on this side of the trail just one day
we can have it cut. loaded and ready
to drive out at night. Next morning
busiest man in the search for us. We
know where to fix it all safe, and easy
Then Mclean has bet up with a
couple Of the gang that there can't be
Il raw stump found in the Limberlost
There's plenty of witnesses to swear
to it, and l know three that will.
There's a cool thousand. and this tree
is worth all of that raw. Say. it's a
gold mine. tell you. and just $500 OF
1t. is yours. There's no danger on
earth to you. for you've got Mclean
that bamboozled you could sell out the
whole swamp and he'd never mistrust
you. What do you say?"
.Freckies' soul was satisfied. us
that all?" he asked.
mo, it amt" said Wessner. ''1f
you want to brace up and be man
and go into the thing for keeps you
can make Eve times that In a week.
MY friend knows dozen others we
could get out in few days. and all
you'd have to do would be to keep out
Of sight. Then you could take your
money and skip some night and begin
life like q gentleman somewhere else.
What do you think about it?"
Freckles purred like kitten.
"'Twould be rare joke on the boss.
be said. ITO be staalin from him the
very thing he's trusted me to guard
and be getting me wages all winter
throwed in free. And you're making
the pay awful high Me to be getting
Eve hundred for such simple little
thing as that. You're trafing me most
royal fndade! It's away beyond all
I'd be expecting. Sivinteen cints would
no n t,1ry rrioo for that lob 1t must