The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1914-07-16
PAR II.

~ Icu lle Tree access OF the com
munity | cannot say. 1t was GER
tain that. in Mother SYMPTOMS words
he "didnt say cards once" during that
evening HAPPY the time was beguiled
by an accordion produced somewhat
ostentatously by Tom Simson from
his pack. Notwithstanding some diff
culties attending the manipulation OF
this instrument, Piney Woods man
aged to pluck several reluctant melo
dies from its keys, to the accOmpani
ment Of the Innocent on a pair Of bone
castanetS. But the browning feStivity
OF the evening was reached in a rude
camp meeting hymn, which the lovers
Joining hands. sang with great earnest
certain defiant tone and Covennnters
swing to its chorus, rather than any
devotional quality, caused it speedily
to infect the others. who at last joined
in the refrain:
I'm proud tc live in the service Of the
Lord
And I'm bourl to die in his army.
The pines rocked, the storm eddied
and whirIed above the miserabl grouI
and the hanes Of their altar leaped
heavenWard. us If in token Ut the VOW
At midnight the storm abated. the
rolling clouds parted and the stars
glittered kernly above the sleeping
camp. Mr.. Oakhurst. whose profess
SiOnal habits had enabled him to live
on the smallest possible amount Of
sleep, In dividing the watch with Tom
Simson. somehow managed to take
upon himself the greater part of that
duty. He excused himself to the In
nocent by saying that he had often
been week without sleep" Doing
what?" asked Tom. "Poker"' replied
Oakhurst sententiously. when a man
gets a streak Of luck-nigger lucl1-he
don't get tired. The luck gives in first.
Luck" continued the gambler retlec-
lively. us a mighty queer thing. All
you know about it for certain is that
it's bound to change. And it's finding
out when it's going to change that
makes you. We've had streak OF
bad luck since we left Poker Flat-you
come along and. slap you get into it
too. If you can hold your cards right
along you're all right. For" added
the gambler. with cheerful irrelevance,
I'm proud to live in the service Of the
Lord.
And I'm bound to die in his army
The third day came, and the sun,
looking through the white curtained
valley. saw the outcasts divide their
slowly decreasing store OF provisions
for the morning meal. 1t was one OF
the pecularities of that mountain eli
mate that its rays diffused a kindly
warmth over the wintry landscape, as
if in regretful commiseration of the
past But it revealed drift on drift
of snow piled high around the hut-a
hopeless. uncharted, trackless sea Of
white lying below the rocky shores
to which the castaways still chung.
the marveIously clear air the
smoke Of the pastoral village of Poker
Flat rose miles away. Mother Shipton
saw it and from a remote pinnacle Of
her rocky fastness hurled in that direc-
ton final malediction. 1t was her
last vituperative attempt, and perhaps
for that reason was invested with
certain degree uf sublimity. 1t did her
good. she privately informed the
Duchess. "Just you go out there and
cuss and see" She then set herself to
the task OF amusing the child" as
she and the Duchess were pleased to
call Piney. Piney was no chicken. but
It was a soothing and original theory
If the pair thus to account for the fact
that she didn't swear and wasn't i'm
proper.
When night crept up again through
he gorges the reedy notes of the ac-
Gordon rose and fell in ftful spasms
md long drawn gasps by the Pickering
campfire. But music failed to ill en-
:irely the aching void left by INSULT.
:ient food, and a new diversion was
proposed by Piney-story telling Nci
her Mr.. Oakhurst nor his female com
'anions caring to relate their persona!
this plan would have fail
I'd. too. but for the Innocent. Some
months before he had CHANGED upon a
stray copy Of Mr.. Pope's ingenious
translation of the "Iliad." He now
to narrate the principa! Incl
Tents of that poem-having thoroughly
mastered the argument and fairly for
gotten the words-in the current ver-
lacular of Sandy Bar. And so for the
est Of that night the Homeric demi
,ods again walked the earth Trojan
'ully and willy Greek wrestled in the
Winds, and the great pines in the can
'on seemed to bow to the wrath of the
ION of Peleus. Mr.. Oakhurst listened
With quiet satisfaction. Most especial
y was he interested in the fate Of
'Ash-heels." as the Innocent persisted
n denominating the swift footed
Achilles"
So with small food and much of Ho-
ner and the accordion week passed
'ver the heads Of the outcasts. The
un again forsook them. and again
rom leaden skies the snowflakes were
lifted over the land. Day by day
loser around them drew the snowy
ircle until at last they looked from