Courier Democrat. (Langdon, N.D.) 1891-1920, 1915-12-16

one tnat got away.
He doesn't look that brave. Later, I
asked him if it could be possible that he
was with the wagon train we We're in,
but he said there wasn't any Mr.. or Mrs.
Wilcox in his party and no little girl
named Lahoma Wilcox. But mes been
through what my father vent through,
and it made me feel kinder to him some
how.
Now. I've come to the day when 1 sent
you the telegram and why l sent it, SO be
prepared! There was to be a big picnic
today near Il town called Independence
and, as it happened, l didn't feel like go
ing. so begged off-let me tell you why:
l began Il novel last night. full of bright
conversation. the pages all broken up in
little scr3@S Of print that hurry you along
as If building steps for you to run down
it was ever and ever more interesting
than real people can be. So I stayed to
finish that book.
Now, there is Il nook In Mr.. Gledware'
library. a sort of alcove where you nave
q window all to yourself, but are shut
off from the rest of the room. and that IS
where | was when two men came in soft
ly and closed and locked the door behind
Them. l couldn't sec them. but just as l
was starting up to find out what it meant
one of them-it was Mr.. Glcdwarc, which
surprised me greatly, as he had gone with
the rest to the p~icnic-spoke your name.
Brick. AS soon as l heard that name, and
particularly on account of the way he
spoke it, l determined to lay low and
scout out tho trouble.
The other man. / soon found. was Red
Kinlball. They had about finished their
conversation before coming into the room.
SO the first part was lost. Mr.. Gledwarc
had come for his check book. and the
check was for Red KimbalI Red Kim
ball used to be the leader of q band of
h~lShwaymen up in Gimarron when it was
No Mans Land; it was his band that at
tackled the wagon train when Mr.. Gled-
ware acted the h~ero-only. as they We're
disguised as Indians. Mr.. Giedware didn't
know they We're such till later. He came
on them afterward without their dis
guises, and they would have killed him
II you. Brick. hadn't knocked down Red
and shot his brother. So, as l listened,
l found out that Mr.. Gledware wasn't the
hero he claimed to he. but was the man
you saved, and he is my stepfatler. and /
was carried away by him and taken from
him by the Indians. but he wasn't killed
at all. And I an nc kin to you. at all,
Brick. YOU just took me in and cared for
me because you are Brick Wilcox, the
dearest, tenderest friend u lite girl ever
had-and these lines are crooked because
there are tears-because you are not my
cousin.
IL III ne KIN 10 you IMAM married
to a prince.
Red Kimball says you were one Of his
gang of highwaymen, but | know it isn't
true, SO you don't lave to say e word.
But he is determined to be revenged on
you for killing his brother. And the rea-
son he's waited this long is because he
didn't know where you w~ere-good rea-
son. isn't it? Tell you how he found out
1t all comes from M getting civilized.
He's a porter at our Kansas City hotel.
so when he heard the men talking about
how l had once been kidnapped by the In
dams and wrote nearly every day to my
cousin, Brick Wilcox. which they thought
an odd name. he guessed the rest.
1t makes my blood turn cold to think
that all the time we were living quietly
and happily in the cove that awful Red
kimball was hunting for you. meaning to
) have your life, and in a way that I'm
ashamed to write, but must, SO you'll
know everything. He means to nave you
arrested and tried for his brother's muir
Aer-and he says he can hang you!
And Mr.. Gledware is his witness. That's
why Red has come after him.. You'll
, think it strange that after his gang were
, about to kill Mr.. Gledware in the prairie
that he should come to ask him to ac,
as witness against another man. That's
what Mr.. Gledware told him. But Red
Kimball answered that it was all a bluff
they had never dreamed Of shooting hin
or his little girl.
When No Mans Land was added tc
Oklahoma a pardon was offered to Rec
kimball and all his gang If they would
come in and lay down their arms ant
swear to keep the p~eace-you see, mos
Of their crimes had been committed where
no courts could touch them. Well. all the
gang came in. But what do you think
That terrible Red Kimball swears tina
you were one of his gang, and that a:
you didn't come In and surrender your
l self the pardon doesn't apply to you! l
was all 1 could do to keep from stepping
!, right out and telling him you were on
of the most peaceable and harmless o
men and that you Just happened to b.
riding about when you saw MIR. Gled
wares danger and just had to shoot Kan
sas Kimball to save me and my stepfa
!, Their. You. a highwayman. indeed!
could laugh at that if it didn't make M
: too mad when | think about it.
Then Mr.. Gledware talked. He sait
maybe it was a bluff against him. tina
standing him up against the moon to b.
shot at, but it wasn't one he was apt t
l forget, and he could never be on any kim
of terms with Red; besides. he said. i
: Brick Wilcox hadn't saved his life he,
always thought so, so wouldn't witnes
against him, though he had no doubt II
l belonged to Reds gang. But that wa
1 nothing to him. And he couldn't under
stand how Red could have the face t
come to him about anything. but wa
, willing to pay a sum to keep all the pas
l hushed up. as he didn't want any 'com
plications" from being claimed as a step
l father by Lahoma! The past was ove1
he said, and Lahoma had a home of he
own, and he was satisfied to be free O
her-and he would pay Red something t
. keep the past buried.
S Then Red spoke pretty ugly. saying
wasn't the past he was anxious to hav
buried, but Brick Wilcox. And he sal
that Mr.. Giedware was a witness to tn
murder. whether he wanted to be or no
and Red was willing to confess to every
\ thing in order to nave Brick hanged.
! Then Mr.. Gledware. in a cold. unmove
voice, said he must go back to the picnic
1 and M Kimball' could do as he pleased
But that wasn't the end. do 20
e know" says NJ kimball," ''that Re
Q Feather is in town laying for you?" h
says. Mr.. Gledware gave a dreadful kin
t Of low scream, such as turned me sick t
e hear. The room was as still as death 70