Courier Democrat. (Langdon, N.D.) 1891-1920, 1916-01-13

gave me II home When ! had none I've
lived right over yonder ut the foot of
the mountains. | was there when IN.
catt1elnen came, before the Indians
had given up this country, and l was
here when the first settlers moved in
and when the soldiers drove them out.
| was living in the cove with Brick
Wilcox when people came up from
Texas and planted miles and miles Of
wheat, and l used to play With the
rusty plows and machinery they left
scattered about after the three years
drought had starved them back to their
homes. Then Old Man Walker came
10 Red River, sent his cowboys to
drive US out Of the cove. and your sher-
iff led the bunch. And it was Brick
and myself that stood them off with
our guns, u backs to the wall and
our powder dry, and we never saw,
MizZoo in our cove again. So you see
l ought to be able to talk to western
men in a way they a appreciate, and
if there's anybody here that's not a
western mamie couldn't understand
u style anyhow-he'd better go where
he's needed, for out west you need
only western men-like Brick Wilcox,
for instance"
At reference to the we'll known Incl
dent Of Mizzoo's attempt to drive Will
lock from the cove there was a sudden
wave Of laughter, none the less hearty
because Mizzoo's face had flushed and
his mouth had opened sheepishly. But
at the recurrence Of Willock's name
the crowd grew serious. They felt the
Justice of her claim that out west only
western men were needed; they ex-
cused her for thinking Brick a model
type. But let any one else hold him
up before them as a model.
Lahoma's n changed. 1t grew
deeper and more forceful.
Men, l want to talk to you about
this case. Will you be the jury? Con.
slider what kind of man swore out that
warrant against Brick-the leader of
band Of h~ighwaymen! And who's his
chief witness? You don't know Mr.
Gledware. | do. You've heard he's /:
rich and influential citizen in the east
That's true. But I'm going to tell vol
something to show what he is, ant
what Brick Wilcox is-just one thing
that's all I'll say about the character
of either. AS to Red Kimball, you dom
have to be told. I'm not going to tall
about the general features Of the case
as to whether Brick was ever a high
| Vy0yyronp ~. MT oo f0 -Io+Io. H. I'M
ed Reds brother to a V me and my
s%tepfather, or did it in cold blood; a.
to whether he held up the stage or not
These things you've discussed. You've
formed opinions about them. l wan
to tell you something you haven
heard. Will you listenY'
AT first no II spoke. Then from tn,
crowd came a measured Impartial
voice: 1--WE got lots Of time"
She was not discouraged by the in
timation in the tone that all he1 speak
ing was in vain and plunged into tn,
midst Of her narrative.
Zone evening Brick came on a de
serted movers wagon. He'd travele,
all day with nothing to eat or drink
and he got into the wagon to escap
the blistering SUM-. In there he foun,
a dead woman, stretched on her pallet
He had a great curiosity to see he
face, so he began lifting the cloth tina
covered her. He saw a pearl and ony:
pin at her throat. 1t looked like on
his mother used to wear. So he dror
ped the cloth and never looked at he
face. She had died the evening before
and he knew she wouldn't have wanted
any n to see her then. And he du;
a grave in the sand. though she wa
nothing to him, and buried her-neve
seeing her face-and covered the spo
with a great pyramid of stones ant
prayed for her little girl was he
little girl. The Indians had carried m
away. You'll say that was a littl
thing: that anybody would have bur
led the poor, helpless body. Maybe sc
But about not looking at her face
we'll, 1 don't know. 1t was a littl
thing, of course. but somehow it jus
seems to show that Brick Willocl
wasn't little-had something great il
his soul, you know. Seems to SHOW
that he couldn't have been a commo
murderer. It's something you'll hav,
to feel for yourselves. Nobody coul,
explain it SO you'd see if you don't I'm
derstand already"
The men stared at her, somewhat be
wildered, saying nothing. In som,
breasts a ems Of something delicate
not to be defied. was stirred.
CHAPTER XVIII.