The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1915-01-28
The door opened IN inch or two. -

cut. Sal; you tended it,
Come in! Come inr's
followed Joe into the house and
turned to look at Sally. | saw a slim
girl with gentle red brown eyes that
matched the red brown OF her rebel
i,;,s hair. Il smah face. pale under its
weather tan. but showing line of
milk White skin above her brows She
was. in fact. extremely pretty. with
kind of good looks l had not expected.
and ten seconds later |. too. had fallen
under the spell of that charm. which
was all the more powerful because
Sally herself was unconscious of it.
you've been long in coming. joe"
she said. with Il sudden smile. "You
were away. Of course?"
Aye. just got back fore we started
for here" He looked around. where's
young DAM
'l've Just got him off to sleep on the
bed there" She pointed to a deerskin
;urtain in the corner.
"What: They been frightening him?"
Mrs. Rome looked oddly at November.
mo. but if he heard us talking he
been robbing NE was in this room not
six hours ago. and Danny saw him."
November raised his eyebrows.
Huh. That's tierce"' he said. Dan
ny's rising three. amt he! He could
cell"
Of oil l. oft .,,.l-
and the man had his face muttied
Danny said he wls real good man
He gave him sugar from the cup
board said Sally.
His hands. what like was his hands !
Ee gave the sugar"
Il thought Of that, but Danny says
he had mitts on. It's more'n three
weeks now since | found out the traps
were being medded with. 1t was done
very cunning. but l have my own way
of batting them. and the thief. though
he's clever woodsman and knows a
heap, never dropped to that. Some
times he'd set 'eln and bait 'em like as
if they were never touched at all. and
other times he'd just make it appear
as if the animal had got itself out"
He must have left tracks," said Joe
"Some, yes But he mostly worked
when snow was falling. He's Gun
ming"
did any one ever see his tracks but
your
'Sylvester did"
How was that?" said Joe. with sud
den interest.
II came on Sylvester one evening
when was trailing the robber."
Perhaps Sylvester himself was the
robber.'
Mrs. Rome shook her head.
'It wasn't him. Joe. He couldn't "a
known was comm on him. and his
tracks was quite different"
well. but tonight? You say the
thief come here tonight? What did he
do that for?' said Joe. pushing the to-
bacco firmly into his pipe bowl.
He had a good reason." replied Sal
II, with bitterness. Last Thursday
when was on my way back from put
ting my letter under your door / heard
something rustling through the scrub
ahead Of me. 1t might have been a
lynx, or it might have been dog. but
when | come to the trap l saw the
thief had made off that minute, for
he'd been trying to force open the trap
and when he heard me he wrenched
hard. you bet. but he was bound to
take care-not to be too rough"
Good fur, you meanT
"Good?" Sally's face flushed soft
crimson. Good? Why. I've never
seen one to match it. 1t was black
| fox, lying dead there. but still warm
for it had but just been killed. The
! pelt was fair in it's prime. long and
silky and glossy. You can guess. No
vember, what that meant for Danny
and me next winter, that I've beer
worrying about lot. The whoopins
coughs weakened him down bad. ant
l thought of the things I could get fol
| him willie l was skinning out the pelt.
! Sally's voice shook. and her eyes filled
| with tears. "Oh, Joe. it's hard-hard
The skin was worth $500 anywhere
and come home just singing. l fixet
it at once. and then, being scared-like
| hid it in the cupboard over there be
hind those old magazines. No one bu
Ruby knew that l had got it. lef
Ruby here. but Mrs. Seats had her sew
enth yesterday morning. and Ruby raj
over to help for awhile after she pu
| Danny to bed. The thief must hav,
been on the watch and seen her CO."
"Wheres Ruby now:" Joe inquired.
''She's stopping the night. They sen
over to tell me-" replied Sally. well
to go on. l had lynx in one Of m!
traps which got dragged right down b.
Deerhorn pond. so l was more thai
special late. Danny began at once t.
/ tell me about the man that came in
rushed across and looked in the cup
board. The black fox pelt was gone
of courser'
What. did Danny say about tn
| man?'
said he had OF q big hat and
neckerchief. He didn't speak word
gave Danny sugar, as have said. H
must Il been here some time. for he
ransacked the place high and low ant
took nearly every pelt L got this sea
SON"
Joe looked up. ''Those pelts mark
ed?"
"Yes. My marks on some-sevel
| pricks of needle
you've looked around the house +
see if lie left anything"
''Surer' Sally put her hand in he
pocket.