Warren sheaf. [volume] (Warren, Marshall County, Minn.) 1880-current, 1915-09-29
path. knew her at nce--knew In q.
minute how our Dave had lost his

L uAAAAAtO wv SuA A0SC uuu tO0L lAAS
heart
You're a stranger to Captain" she
seq. smilin' to excuse him. Then. with
her hand on the bulldogs collar. she
looked searchin' into my wrinkled face.
When she found there what she'd
been lookin' for Wild Rose put out her
! hand
II must be friends with my neigh
bors." she SEE. II have so few"
Friends with her neighbours! This
tiny woman friends with rough wood
men like Jake an me!
| Wait she cries. "Fll show you
Janet" An Jane was the baby. Like
her mother. as Dave had said. but the
eyes-oh. they were different!
MY names Jenkins" l seq at last.
IAN if can help you any time you
call on me. Mrs. -"
IL WILL" she seq and smiled, but the
Wild Rose woman didn't tell her name.
! Things was different for us after
that. Adoptin' woman an child to
| look after made MS more like what
we'd ought to been. But our good
times stopped pretty soon. an the
| change began with Dave. He moped
around with such gloom on him
Jake an me was afraid to. open our
mouths. An Wild Rose grew white
an thin, with hurt look in her eyes.
"She's hidin' from the childs father
Dave burst out one night. IAN mans
best love can't help her any"
II thought James father was Dead
seq l.
"He isn't Dave answers jerky.
! docs she think she can go on Twin
! in that hole all winter?" Jake asks.
Dave laughs short.
"She thinks so," he sez. "She's got
some nonsense in her head. Says If
she's found she can be imprisoned for
life for committin' crime"
what crime could that girl COM
mit?" Jake asks holly.
It was after this talk that Dave dis
appeared. Night after night we hal
loed for him, our calls echoin' down in
the canyon. We lay awake nights
wonderin' where he could be. Then
went up to see Wild Rose.
When spoke about him, "Dave loves
me-" she seq, ''but there isn't any use
or hope in his love, so l had to send
him away" She caught her breath
sharp. II must live ere," she sez. "For
Jane this is the only place, safe hid in
the mountain
One night Jake comes down trail,
carryin' Jane on his shoulder "Wild
Rose is goin away for couple OF
leave the kid with u.s.
! Jane kept Jake an me so amused we
| almost forgot to worry bout Dave, an
| then, unexpected, he come back.
He said nothin' when we told him
about the girl. but he wouldn't ret Jane
out of his sight. an next evening when
| come home in the twilight Dave was
sittin' inside the door holdin' the kid
an two strange men were standin' be-
side him. In a minute Jake was be-
hind me, whisperin' in hoarse rage
They're goin to take the kid away"
he seq. "They say she's been kidnapped
from her dad-stole out O her cradle
while she slept He's worth a lot O.
money. the father is. an he's goin' to
hunt the kidnapers down till he locks
'em up in Jail. They've been ravin' at
Dave about it, an the boy sets there
an sez nothin'." Reckon the father
won't have no trouble provin' his
claim" SEE Jake. look at the mans
! eyes. then look at James,"
Dave fred few sharp questions
back at the men, while Jake and me
had the sense to keep quiet, an after
awhile he sits considerin' with his chin
on James curly crown. then the boy
raises his head an looks at the men.
| Take me along when you are
ready" he sez calm an COOL
(, Jake and me stared helpless. W.
couldn't see no sense in this. but thu
kids father frowned.
your he cried. why, wlma1
was the person suspected!'
1.-THE child's mother?" asked Dave
an his voice sounds shaky.
1.-THE child has no mother. He
mother died when she was born"
Something went round in my head
Then Dave jumped to his feet.
II am the person you want" he seq
brisk and positive, IAN guess tn,
game is up. been keepin' the kit
here in this shack. an these mel
know nothing about it. just walked
in on 'em one night an asked fo
work. They couldn't tell you my
name or even where l came from
Which was all so true that Jake an
me gasped as we listened The de
tective fell for it too.
"All right be seq. Get ready an
come along
1t was a sight easier. to handcuf
Dave an lead him out to the hors,
than it was to carry off Jane Sh'
few at her father when he tried t,
take her. leaving the marks Of he
claws on his face; then she turns
coaxin' to me, an it strikes me quee
that cho oop l00t- On 1iko VVild Pose