The Tabor independent. [volume] (Tabor, S.D.) 1913-19??, 1916-05-25

harry the Loop to the limit OF wnlcn
he might go with a due regard 10 ms
own safety.
In this he succeeded In various ways,
nor at first did they at the Loop sus-
pect the source OF the annoyances. Cat
| tie rounded up for a certain purpose
overnight would be found scattered In
wild disorder in the morning.
They suspected the Raccoon River
sheep dogs, but not as incited thereto
| by q human marauder.
The milk cows turned out overnight
| in the home runs would come UP In the
morning to their calves wild eyed and
with scant milk, as though they had
been chased and terrified, and again
| suspi On fell on the dogs. Now and
| then, = of old, the slaughtered carcass
OF a calf would be discovered, sure sign
of the presence on the Loop OF a muir
| dering collie.
Then other things happened for
which dog could not be blamed. A
shelter house near the Raccoon River
border burned down. Barbed wire
fences were cut and ruined.
The obnoxious sheep again began
their invasions; and in one conflict, en-
suing between a vicious old ram and
| longhorn bull more pugnacious than
wary, the bull had been left dead on
| the field Of battle, and his companion
herd stampeded across the Owl creek,
where a steer, breaking over the low
bank, had plunged to his death in one
of Bucks sunken hogsheads.
1t was Jess Kilrain who first defin-
| itely connected Grange with these and
| other similar happenings.
That autumn morning the girl had
ridden out into the woods about the
| creek where the persimmons, touched
| by successive frosts, hung luscious
upon the trees or were dropping over
ripe to the ground. Pecan nuts, too,
| had rewarded her search; and Jess,
glorying In the crisp day. happy in her
to sapling, and, seating herself by the
trunk OF cottonwood, cracked her Pc
cans In a dreamy leisure.
She was nursing these days to her
heart.
Like a ripening flower, her own love
was coming to its perfection. She
guarded 1t jealously as yet-guarded 1t
for the fulfillment Of its promise. She
still held herself aloof from Buck, not
| In coyness, nor in coquetry, but as one
| fingers on the threshold Of q Joy, al
most afraid to profane 1t by a glimpse
| within. .. ~ '... =. =
She knew she could not continue to
| hold herself so for long.
More than once she had encountered
| q look Of determination in Bucks eyes
that had rendered her resistance as wa
ter In her veins. Since that day when
she had lain In his arms, there would
| now and then come into his face a hint
OF conscious mastery that, had he but
known IL, was as sweet as life TO the
gtrl--was life in its tremulous delight
and foreshadowing of a glad surrender.
Jess paused with the half of a pecan
on the way to her lips, and turned her
head slightly. ..r
She could almost have been cure she
had heard slap in the dead leaves OF
the woods above her.. Her pony, with
dropping head, stood immovable, its
ears, which had been indicating the ha-
bitual apathy Of the COW pony when
not in movement, now alert.
What Is 1t, Buster?" she asked, and
saw the ears answer at the name.
Il reckon it's a rabbit, or a coon, or
a possum that can't wait till night to
get some OF them sugary simmons. But
1t amt, thought"
There was more than surprise in the
sudden decision which, at the same
| time, brought Jess to her feet
There might have been nothing un-
| usual or to be startled by In the fact
| OF man being in those woods at that
hour, but intuitively the girl felt there
was something to cause both surprise
and concern in the sudden turning
| away of the horseman who must have
run almost upon her and her pony be-
| fore aware of their proximity.
Something furtive, too, about the
mans action in quickly shifting the OBJ
| ject he carried across the saddle horn,
| and his slouching body, gave Jess an
unpleasant shock.
bill Grange" she called sharply.
| What are you dom in these woods
with that brandin' rod?"
The man swung the long iron over
| his shoulder and spun around.
WHAT'S that to you, Jess Kilrain 2"
he demanded. Am I soilin' this prec-
| ious land to ride over it?''
Jess climbed the slope that lay be-
| tween them.
I'm not so sure that you amt, Bill.
Somebody's been soilin' 1t pretty often
lately. That's Racoon River iron"
she said, looking sharply from the
branding rod to the mans face. What
does you need 1t over on the Loop for?"
The man laughed with a covert IN
science.
Time was" he retorted, when you
was more interested bout the Raccoon
River than you was bout the Loop.
T'other way about now, Ell, Jess? 9th
| er chips to burnt"
The girls face flushed with anger.
You hound!' she cried below her
breath, You sneakin cayute!"
He laughed again.
"Sneakin' amt In your line now, eh %
he sneered. Didn't work no how did
1t, JESSE" He put his horse in motion
Il must be movin' on he said. I'm
bound for Shanley's forge"
You're bound for halter bout your
neck!" declared Jess. That's what
what you're bound for You've stole
that brandin' rod from the Raccoon
River. wonder why!"
Keep on wonderin', damn you!"
| Grange cried in sudden fury. But keep
your wonder to yourself. Jess Kilrain.
owes for certain things already. Don't
you force me to pay. There amt no
| love lost tween me an any one on the
Loop, let alone Buck Brannon an your
| father!"
He rode on at that, leaving the girl
not a little perturbed and vaguely un-
easy. Slowly she went back to her
/ waiting horse.
| Jess did not dream any more that
day. For a time she sat thinking, more
and more convinced that Oranges pres
ence on the Loop BODIED no good for
its interests.
| He might have been taking that iron
to the forge at the fork Of the public
roads, but for some reason Jess doubted
| ii.
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