The Meridian times. (Meridian, Idaho) 1909-1938, 1916-05-26
CHAPTER xxII--contInusd.

Aud then he drew out the other let
ter and the curl in his lip Strengthened
out to n line OF sweetness and the
light in his eyes turned to fiery, blind
alteration. The letter had been sent
20 him, sealed. by j. Y. who had ac
c0mpanied II with a note. The letter
began. ITO my boy at Thirty" and
signed, "wlth undylng 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 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 cooling hand on his
burning soul. She spoke the all-seeing
wisdom OF death. She held him close
10 her heart aud fed him with her llfe's
blood. All that she had been. all that
she had learned. all that she foresaw.
was crowded into those three pages.
They were brittle with age, the Ink
yellow aud faded In words that no
eyes but his and hers had ever seen.
They gripped his soul and held II
steady. Without this letter he would
have torn up the other. But the other
had come as complement and he kept
Il because II helped him to see himself
AS Alan weakened the bridge ap.
preached completion. Batches OF men.
rs special work was finished. were
a oh an hA -.
batch McDougal stroye TO send his
master. but Alan was too weak 70 20,
though he did not say so. He had
realized Il with terror and then with
calm. mo, McDougal, not this time"
he would say, and finally. 81 think I
might Just as well stay on TIL they
send up TO take over. Its unprofes-
sional TO chuck II before. II won't be
long now" And McDougal had cursed
low, rolling oaths and taken II out on
the men.
Alan seemed 20 have become child.
fish IN his weakness. He spent what
strength he had left in cutting words
into board ripped from kerosene
box. When he had finished he called
McDougal and showed him his handi-
work. "McDougal." he said. III any
thing should happen 70 keep me here
permanently just cut these words into
some big rock and lay me under II.
BE careful you get them just so. The
French are mighty particular about the
way we use their lingo, and while 1t
wasn't a Frenchman that wrot, this
bit. guess he'd be just as particular I"
"Aweel, sir" said McDougal. stifling
his rage within him. I'm do as You
wish" He took the board and looked
AZ It, The words meant nothing 10
him but the scene meant much. He
vent out and concluded his agreement
With twelve quiet, lowering men gath
red from the countryside. They were
pioneers without knowing It. They
nd their fathers and their fathers
athers had held these Tar depths OF
be world against wild beasts and
rougbt and food since, centuries ago.
be Jesuits swept through the subcon-
nent and left trail of settlers be-
ind them. They were proud, narrow,
They were uninventive,
No man among them
ad ever thought to lie. They did NOT
.eal, though they were robbed when
Fer they invaded civilization with
leir wares.
From them McDougal had learned
lat due east halfway to the sea, was
place called Lieber's and that this
ieber was known as the Americana
nd had fame as curador of feyers. |
our men could carry sick man to
Heosr's In a hammock in four days. |
suscksr men men could DO It In two. and
s ss... go r ~ snnt a hundred men could
-s~as se price OF three steers