Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1915-03-26

fer hev we fetched yer gun ter the
field?"
The boy laughed. ooh, hit amt
nothin' pertic1er." he treasured. "Hit
hain't nothin' fer gal ter fret herself |
erbout, only kinder suspicious |
strangers Jest now"
Air the truce busted?" She put the |
question in tense, deep-breathed |
whisper, and the boy replied casually,
almost indifferently.
mo, Sally, hit hain't jest ter say
busted, but pears like hits right
smart cracked. l reckon, though" he
added in half-disgust, "nothin' won't
come Of hit" !
Somewhat treasured, she bethought
herself again of her mission.
This here furriner hain't got no
harm in him, Samson she pleaded.
HE pears ter be more like gal than
a man. He's real puny. He's got
white skin and a bow of ribbon on
his neck-an' he paints pictchers."
The boys face had been hardening
with contempt as the description adj
vanced, but at the last words a glow
came to his eyes, and he demanded
almost breathlessly:
Paints pictchers? How do We know
that?"
Il seen 'em. He was paintin' one
when he fell often the rock and busted
his arm. It's shore es beautiful es-"
she broke off, then added with sud-
den peal of laughter-"es er FLETCHER"
The young man slipped down from
the fence, and reached for the rife.
The hoe he left where it stood
"TU git the nag" he announced
briefly, and swung off without further
parley toward the curling spiral of
smoke that marked a cabin a quarter
of mile below. Ten minutes later
his bare feet swung against the ribs
Of gray mule and his rifle lay bal
anced across the unsaddled withers.
Sally sat mountain fashion behind
him, facing straight to the side.
So they came along the creek bed
and into the sight of the man who
still sat propped against the messy
rock. AS Lescott looked up he closed
the case of his watch and put it back
into his pocket with smile.
"Snappy work, that!" he called out
Gust thirty-three minutes. l didn't
believe it could be done
Samson's face was masklike, but
as he surveyed the foreigner, only the
ingrained dictates Of the country's
hospitable code kept out of his eyes
a CLEAN Of scorn for this frail men,
Der of a sex which should be stalwart.
"Howdy?" he said Then he added
suspiciously: What mout yer bust
ness be in these parts, Stranger"
Lescott gave the Odyssey of his wan.
derings, since he had rented a mule
at Hixon and ridden through the coun-
try, sketching where the mood prompt
ed and sleeping wherever he found a
hospitable roof at the coming of the
evening.
"Ye come from over on Cripple
shin?" The boy flashed the question
with sudden hardening Of the voice
| dlut WHICH no VIC IlldtlN6ly ais
swered, his eyes contracted and bored
searchingly into the strangers face
!, "Where'd ye put up last night?"
, "Red Bill Hollman's house, at the
/ mouth Of Meeting House fork; do you
, know the placer"
Samsons reply was curt.
, Il knows hit all right"
/ There was a moments pause
| rather an awkward pause. Lescott'e
I mind began piecing together frag
ments of conversation he had heard
: until he had assembled a sort of men
: tai jigsaw puzzle.
The South-Hollman feud had beer
/, mentioned by the more talkative O
5 his informers, and carefully tabooeC
! by Understandable among them hi!
host of last night. 1t now dawned OF
. him that he was crossing the boun
: Diary and coming as the late guest O
r a Holman to ask the hospitality of
] South.
!. 81 didn't know whose house it was,
he fastened to explain, until / wal
| D6ulSuI6u anu dShSu lOT lOuSlnS. l0ol
were very kind to me. I'd never seer
9 them before. I'm stranger here
I abouts."
9 Samson only nodded. If the explana
ton failed to satisfy him, it at leas
+ seemed to do so.
+ 81 reckon ye'd better let me holl
we up on tibet old mule" he said
9 hits a-comin on ter be night"
With the mountaineers aid. Lescot
clambered astride the mount, then h
turned obviously.
|. I'm sorry to trouble you," he ven
: tured, "but have a paint box ant
!. some materials up there. If you'll
: bring them down here, I'll show yo1
:, how to pack the easel, and, by tn
= way" he anxiously added, pleas
to handle that fresh canvas carefully
I, by the edge-it's not dry yet.
> He had anticipated impatient cor
y tempt for his artists impedimenta
: but to his surprise the mountain bo
climbed the rock and halted befor
4 the sketch with face that slowl
= softened to an expression of amaze