The Tacoma times. [volume] (Tacoma, Wash.) 1903-1949, 1916-07-24
BY b. NJ. Bower.
Copyright, -
CHAPTER I.
Peaceful Hart Ranch.

| Peaceful Hart Ranch.
| II was somewhere In the '7Os
when old Peaceful Hart woke to
a realization that gold hunting
and lumbago do not take kindly
to one another.
| The house stood cuddled
against a rocky bluff so high 1t
dwarfed the whole ranch when
one gazed down from the rim. A
great spring gurgled out from I'M
der a huge bowlder just behind
the house, where Phoebe, his wife,
spent long hours In cool retire
ment on churning day.
Peaceful Hart must have had
streak of poetry somewhere hid
den away in his silent soul. He
built a pond against the bluff, and
let the big spring Fill 1t full and
seek an outlet at the far end,
where 1t slid away under a little
stone bridge. He planted the pond
with rainbow trout, and on the
margin a rampant of Lombardy
poplars.
Behind them grew a small
jungle of trees-tatalpa and To-
Gust among them-a jungle which
surrounded the house and in sum-
hid it from sight entirely.
A tight picket fence shut in
that tribute to the sentimental
side of Peaceful's nature. Outside
the fence dwelt sturdier. western
realities. Once the gate swung
shut upon the grove. one blinked
In the garish sunlight of the
plains. There began the real ranch
world, and still farther the desert.
|
There is a saying that the only
good Indian is dead Indian. In
the very teeth of that, and In spite
of the fact that he was neither
very good, nor an Indian-nor in
any sense "dead"-men called
Grant Imsen Good Indian" to his
face.
Because his paternal ancestry
went back to no one knows where
among the race of blue eyes and
fair skin. the Indians repudiated
relationship with him. Because
old Wolfbelly himself would
grudgingly admit under pressure
that the motser of Grant had been
the half caste daughter of Wolf
belly's sister. white men remem-
bered the faint when they were
angry, and called him Injun.
Phoebe Hart had mothered him
along with her own five sons,
from the time when his father
had sickened and died In her
house, leaving Grant there with
IL years behind him, in his hands
dirty canvas bag of gold coin
so heavy he could scarce lift it,
which stood for the mining claim
the old man had just sold, and
the command to invest every one
of the gold coins in schooling.
Phoebe had taken him literally.
And Grant had learned books and
other things not mentioned in the
curriculums of the schools she
sent him to-and when the bag
was reported by Phoebe to be
empty, he had returned with in
ward relief to the desultory life
of the Hart ranch and its immedi-
ate vicinity.
He rode, hot and thirsty and
tired, from Sage Hill one day and
found Hartley empty of interest.
Even the beer he tried left upon
his outraged palate the unhappy
memory of insipid warmth and
great bitterness.
He stared sourly at Pete Hamil-
ton, owner of the little store, who
was alphabetically opening hat
boxes for the inspection of an
Indian in a red blanket and
frowsy braids.
There was a swish of skirts
and a young woman entered. She
was bareheaded, and carried O
door key suspended from Bit
Of wood.
Don't get into a Precipitation
making up the mail, Pete" she
advised calmly. quite ignoring
both Grant and the Indian. eff.
teen is an hour late-as usual
By then she was leaning with
both elbows upon the counter be-
side the postoffice-Pete was
postmaster as we'll as storekeepei
bored beyond words-to judge
from her tone.
81 wish you weren't so old, and
hadn't quite so many chins
Pete" she complained. "Td in.
veigle you into a filtration. You
see how desperate | am for some
thing to dol"
Let me make you acquainted
with my friend, Good In-er-Mr
Imsen." Pete considered that hi
was behaving with great tact
This is Miss George Howard, the
new operator" He twinkled his
little eyes at her maliciously.
Say, he amt got but one CHR
and he's only 25 years Old" HI
felt that the inference was too
plain to be ignored.
! Good Indian looked starigh
past the girl, and scowled at Pete
Pete, you're mentally incapa
BILE of recognizing the line of de
marcation between legitimate per
siflage and Objectionable familiar
ity. An ignoramus OF your par
ticular class ought to confine hii
repartee to unqualified affirma
ton or the negative monosylla
ble." Whereupon he bowed Il
Miss George Howard. and stalket