Iron County news. [volume] (Hurley, Wis.) 1913-1950, 1916-05-27
CHAPTER XXIi-Continued.

And then he drew out the other let
ter and the curt In his lip Strengthened
out to a line OF sweetness and the
light in his eyes turned 10 a fiery, blind
alteration. The letter had been sent
to him. sealed by J Y, who had ac-
c0mpanied 1t with note. The letter
began. "To my boy at Thirty" and
signed. with undyng love- your
friend and Mother" In life he could
not remember his mother, but he saw
her now in three pages Of laboring
words traced by "A dying hand. In her
self. dying at thirty, she had seen her
boy revealed She had had no
strength-no time-left for slow APP
proaches. With the first words of her
letter she laid a cooling hand on his
burning soul She spoke the all seeing
wisdom &c death. She held him close
TO her heart and fed him with her life's
blood. All that sic had been, all that
she had learned, MI that she foresaw,
was crowded into those three pages.
They were brittle with age, the ink
yellow and faded I'm words that no
eyes but his and hers had ever seen.
They gripped his soul and held 1t
steady. Without this letter he would
have torn up the other But the other
had come as a complement and he kept
II because ii helped him to see himself.
AS Alan weakened the bridge APP
preached completion. Batches Of men,
as special work was flushed. were
dispatched TO the coast. With each
batch McDougal stroye 10 send his
master. but Alan was too weak to go
though he did not say so lie had
realized II with terror and then with
calm. NO, McDoueal not this time, -
be would say. ana finally. Il think
might just as we'll stay on til they
send up To take over. It's unprofes-
sional 10 chuck it before. 1t won't be
long now" And McDougal had cursed
low, rolling oaths aud taken 1t out oa
the men.
Alan seemed to have become child.
ish In his weakness. lie spent what
strength he had left In cutting words
into A board ripped from Kerosene
box. When he had finished he called
McDougal aud showed him HIS handi-
work. "NcDougal" he said. If any
thing should happen to keep me here
permanently just cut these words into
some big rock and lay me under II.
Re careful you net them just so. The
French are mighty particular about the
way We use their lingo. and while il
wasn't a Frcuchman that wrote this
bit guess he'd be just as particular"
"Aweel sir" said Mcpougal. sitting
his rage within him. IN DO as you
wish" He took the board and looked
at it. The words meant nothing Il
him but the scene meant much Ht
went out and concluded his agreement
with twelve quiet lowering men gath
cred from the countryside. They were
pioneers without knowing it, They
and their fathers and their fathers
fathers had held these far depths OF
the world against wild beasts ant
drought and hood since. centuries ago
the JeSuts swept through the subcou
tinent and left a trail Of settlers be
hind them They were proud. narrow
independent They we're uuinveutive
unimaginative. Ne man among then
had ever thought 70 lie They did no
steal though they were robbed when
ever they invaded civilizarya will
their wares
From iaetn Mcnougal had learned
that due east. halfway 10 the sea. wa,
g place called Ejebers aud that thl.
I-icber was known as the Americana
aud had fame as a curador Of fevers
-Four men could carry sick nan {,
li"ber's in a hammock In four days
Twelve men could dc it In two. an,
91icker than that a hundred men coult
NOT GO For the price Of three steer,
eaca--two yearolds-they wJ1ld IN