The Bottineau courant. (Bottineau, Bottineau County, N.D.) 1895-1929, 1914-06-26

SIicul. Sue Ncul, duu Tie SpuuAS Spicdu
up and down the great watershed in
grim and orderly fashion.
When the midnight stars stood over
head there was a tiny. whispering
sound ut the culvert. and a man came
crawling cautiously Out Of it. having
merely raised the mat of dropping
ferns that concealed the mouth Of as
fine a natural underground cavern that
gave at the upper end as one might
need for such a purpose as his.
Now he Strengthened cautiously and
listened. Far up on the ridge he could
hear occasional scattered shouts where
his fellows searched for him. He
smiled grimly.
His dark eyes were full of fire and
grim determination. and the excite
ment of great hazard marked his clean
lined face. He was starting for free
dom. But the first careful step ap-
palled him by it's consequence. He
put his foot on something that rolled
and sent him rafting down the wash.
while the object of the disaster slid
with him.
With his heart stopped still he put
out his hands and felt of it. 1t was
a steel fishing rod. it's joints tied to-
gether. Dangling from it he found,
as his fingers slipped along it. a reel
full Of line and a fly book.
1t had been placed directly across
the culvert's mouth.
With his face a study in the dark
ness he crept slowly back. reaching
with his sensitive hands along the
rocky bed. They came upon the cold
metal of a gun-a neat. light rifle.
Lord" he said under his breath.
Then be sat back up on his heels. mo-
~tionless in the darkness.
The men came struggling back at
dawn for food. ate. talked. compared
notes and went out again. All day
they hunted the hills and the gOrges.
slept a bit by turns and returned to the
search.
Mcconnell was grim and angry. He
hated to send word to the authorities
until he had satisfied himself that he
could do nothing himself.
The girl watched slyly from her gray
eyes and said nothing. though she was
as tense as q drawn string.
The next morning they were a bag
gard bunch that clustered around the
long tables in the cook shack. and Nc
Connel stood at the telephone calling
for the valley town. He was sending
for help.
The voices of the men were hushed
for his benefit. and there vas only the
clatter of knives against heavy plates.
Suddenly there was an exclamation.
the rasp Of a chair pushed back on the
rough floor. and a man sprang up with
a tragic finger pointed to a window
that commanded the road.
Heavens he cried shrilly. There
he comes!"
In one hand he carried the lengths
of a steel rod and a string Of trout
fresh from the cool shadows of the
spray dashed rocks. In the other he
bore a light hunting rifle. while on his
back. properly slung with the trick of
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his breast and it's weight ON his Shout
ders. there rode a young spike buck.
'"Good morning." he smiled. by
George. I'm hungry"
Mcconnell walked Up to him. and for
a long moment the two men looked
each other between the eyes with
glances sharp as steel. Then:
Wash up" said the former shortly.
You're just in time"
As be turned to obey his dark eyes
travelled to where the girl stood at the
far side Of the tables with a dish in
her hands. and they We're full Of q
smiling light. Her lips were trembling
and her lashes wet with tears.
He nodded ever so slightly.
Presently a he washed t the basins
she passed him. and her hand rested
for q moment on hls lDls.lpd arm un-
der its torn sleeve with HI eloquent
caressing touch.
Man" she laughed TREMENDOUSLY. "oh.
mani"