The Tabor independent. [volume] (Tabor, S.D.) 1913-19??, 1916-05-04

sheep don't turn out wolves in sleeps
| clothin'. Amt you ever heard of the
| bitter bein' bit? You talk sheep so
much I'd tbink your mouth d get
wolly. What you say sounds like t
was, anyway"
II forgot, Jess" the young fellow
answered, somewhat abashed, that
you was so partial to Cardross."
The girls eyes flashed angrily. She
saw her aunt transfix Kilrain with a
| triumphant stare.
Some folks tongues" the girl re-
marked, in a tone of meaning, stays
as silly as some sheep, an as far from
home-only the words amt worth
corralin' an tallIin' bout"
She turned sharply to her aunt.
What are you bobbin' your head so
at father for, Aunt Agnes? You look
like a chicken what's chokin.'"
Agnes looked very like that, indeed,
as she swallowed her anger, for Kill
rain had laughed, and Buck had smiled.
and Jess own lips had twitched with
q wicked mirth.
Never mind her, Agnes" said
Kilrain, with clumsy intent to pacify.
Jess is always seein' resemblances"
"'Tain't what / mind, Martin" Ag-
mes complained. IT'S what she don't
mind-an' that's nothin'. You'll come
to grief yet. Jess Kilrain, I'm fear
In"
"Praps," assented Jess. IF does,
reckon I'll scramble through somehow
What's the use Of diggin' graves, Aunt
Agnes, when there amt no corpse to
bury? Now you sit still while clear
the table an wash up. II Buck 10 goin
to play his accordyum I want all the
dishes rattlin roun me can get an
a wall between"
Buck played rather dismally after
that, though he had a knack Of max
ing a concertina talk, and, when he
chose to sing, he had q voice. That lit
his ardor. He had not meant to be
disloyal to her.
And Jess did not mean to relent to-
ward him.
She more than half suspected from
Cardross' warning that Buck had been
led to say something to him Of her;
ReSenting this, and, moreover, not
wishing to encourage his late lingering
that night, she did not, when she had
finished the dishes, return to the sit
ting room.
Going, instead, to her own room.
which occupied an extension Of the lit
tie house opposite to that which held
the kitchen, she began making her
preparations against that time when
Buck Brannon should have retired to
his own cabin, and her father and aunt
to their rooms. Nor did she have very
long to wait for this, and half an hour
after Buck had taken his departure,
the concertina having for some time
ceased its dispirited music, the cottage
was hushed and in darkness.
Yet fov some time longer Jess wait
ed in hSI own unlighted room.
Perhaps an hour went by before the
girl rose and leisurely dressed herself
in riding clothes, slipping a pistol in
her be:t when all was finished. No
man Of them all on the Loop knew the
use of one any better than Jess Kilrain,
and use for 1t she might have this
night.
Then, arming herself with a light
blacksnake Of her fathers which she
had previously secured, she stepped out
from her room into the main portion
of the house.
The door Of her fathers room was
ajar-that being his Invariable habit
but Jess knew the soundness Of his
slumber, and she knew, too, where she
would find what she must have II she
was to carry out her plan. She felt no
qualms of conscience in what she was
doing.
II she was abetting Cardross, she had
good reason to believe the result would
relieve her father, also, even should he
come to suspect her agency in the deed.
So, tiptoeing into his room, she
noiselessIy possessed herself Of his keys
where they lay on the table beside his
bed, his revolver guarding them to
small profit The man on the bed In
the first deep relaxation Of sleep, did
not stir.
Letting herself out Of the house, Jess
went carefully onward toward the
stables, carefully but not stealthily, for
she felt little fear that any of the out
fit would be sleeping less soundly than
her father.
She saddled and bridled her pony,
leading him thereafter over to the cor
raish where Cardross's sheep were
locked In. Hitching him there behind
the gate, which she unlocked and threw
wide open, Jess walked in among the
recumbent sheep.
So secure against interruption did
she feel that the girl went about round
ing up the stupid animals with perfect
calmness, cracking her blacksnake soft
ly, and never once looking about her to
the dark masses OF the silent cabins.
Had she looked she might have seen
a moving shadow close to the outer side
of the corral fence-a shadow that
crept cautiously nearer until It paused
motionless on a line with herself.
There 1t chung to the thicker obscurity
of a post, and watched the proceedings
with a curious intentness.
Whatever might have been the emo
tons of that silent witness OF Jess Kill
RAIN 8 nlaneuVeTSp LnSy ul1 HOI lcdo
their possessor to seek to stop the girl.
Slowly she got the sheep started, head
ed for the gate, and so out upon the
open space beyond.
Pausing to close and loIk the gate
behind them, she mounted her horse,
and with little trouble carried the sheep
beyond the barns to the unobstructed
plains. There, turing them south
ward, the click of their tcotting feet
could be heard as she crowded them
before her toward the Raccoon river
range.
Not until the last echo had died
away did that shadow by the post OF
the corral fence turn around. Then
Buck Brannon stood erect and squared
his chest.
"A sheep Is a sheep" he muttered,
AN Blass Cardross In a skunk, but
amt Jess a queen? just couldn't stop
her!"
Which, seeing how the queen had
tyrannized over him, and why, was
very generous in Buck.
Cardross started from his sleep,
reused by the sharp crack Of several
pistol shots, followed by the scurrying