Ladysmith news-budget. [volume] (Ladysmith, Rusk County, Wis.) 1907-1927, 1916-12-01
CHAPTER v.
By-PIay.


Sunrise found Vandervyn riding
down the valley on his nimble-footed
pinto. He left the road and cantered
across into the bend where Redbear
had pointed out his new house to
Hardy. When Vandervyn rode up,
Redbear was shoveling clay upon the
uncovered brush thatch at one corner
of the roof. The halfbreed did not
stop work until his visitor drew rein
almost within arms reach. Nandervyn
met his civil greeting with q cynical
smile.
$50 you've buil0ed you a home
Charlie. HoW's your sister Wilma
That's the name, isn't it?''
"No, we say it O-ee-nah. The school
people made her get up at four. ] told
her to sleep all day, if she liked"
"Come up the creek. want to tell
you something replied Vanderyyn.
When they had gone beyond earsllot Of
the cabin, he stopped his pony and
faced the uneasy halfbreed with d look
OF sympathetic concern. Charlie, it's
I'LL up.
Reabear's face turned notified gray.
"All---all up?' he gasped.
Amounts to the same thing" an
swered Vandervyn. eve sounded him
last night. He won't sit in to the game
the board-backed fool No chance
to deal with him, and you know what
that means. Next thing, he'll have It
oil out of the chiefs-fhe mine-every-
thing"
NO, no, Mr.. Van! He can't find out.
They don't know about what you and
me Nobody saw us-nobody. II
there'd been fresh track anywhere
inside a quarter-mile, I couldn't have
missed it,
Vandervyn shrugged. I'm not SO
sure of that. You are not a full-blood
traclSer. But what if that is covered?
It's bad enough. AS soon as lie finds
out about the mine, he will kick the
whole bunch Of us off the reservation.
That's the kind Of fool he isl
"He/ can't put me off. I'm a member
of the tribe"
eyes, and Jake is q member by mar
rage. Lots Of good that viii do you
hoth--in the guardRouse.n
Redbear criaged af the word. "But
my sister He won't put me in"
wait and see when he finds out
how things have been going here. Let
him find out anything against you, and
It's Charlie in the jug, with his jon
gone glimmering.s
The halfbreed looked up, his eyes
desperate, his face set in the grin of a
cofnered rat. He mnttered curse.
''That's it, boy!" encouraged YAM
deryyn. Don't lay down. We're with
you. But remember, we've got to make
a bluff. It's up. to us to bluff him off,
or throw down."
Il don't understand you, Mr.. Van."
sHere it is, then. He doesn't know
word of Lakotah. The tribe doesn't
know English. You are the interpreter.
Get that?'
Redbear shook his head. mo, i
DON'T
J Eyes, you do, Charlie. We've already
told Hardy that there is a lot of bad
blood stirred up. It will be easy to
translate the talk of the chiefs that
way. You can start in by telling them
how he pacified the Mores. He killed
nearly as many Of them as there are
members of this tribe. The chiefs he
put in jail. All the rest lie moved to
another island-you can say, to an
other reservation
"But if that is lie"
1T isn't. It's exactly what hap
pened. The Moro head chief was kept
In Jail until he was hung. Be sure to
tell that to old Thunderbolt. If it fails
to warm him
"Hoganny-hunk y gasped Redbear,
"They once put him in jail for week.
If tell him, it will make him fighting
mad
ssThat's what we want. I'll post you
to interpret what he says, in a way
that will get IIardy's goat. No man
has nerve to stand up to whole tribe.
He will have to quit. Then the job
comes to me. You know what that
"You promised me a full share"
eyes, and that means third of the
net proceeds, now tat Negen is out Of