The Parma herald. (Parma, Idaho) 1903-1917, 1917-06-14

De Spain made no comment.
whilst was drinking my coffee"
who gave it to your"
"Old Bunny, the Mex. Pardaloe
goes out to the clubhouse; 1 sits down
to my supper, alone, with Bunny at
the stove. All of a sudden who comes
a-trippin' in from the front of the
house but Nan. l jumps up as
strong as l could, but / was too cold
and stiff to jump up real strong. She
4 seen me, but didn't pay no attention.
| dropped my spoon on the floor. 1t
didn't do no good, neither, so pushed
a hot plate of ham and gravy off the
/ table. 1t hit the dog n he jumped
like kingdom come. Old Bunny sails
into me, Nan a-watchin', and while
Mex was, pickin' up and cleanin' up
| sneaks over to the stove and winks
ut Nan. Say, you oughter see her
look mad at me. She was hot, but
kept a-winkin' and I says to her kind
Of huskylike: Got any letters for
Calabasas tonightT Say, she looked
at me as if she'd bore holes into me,
but l stood right up and glared back
at the little girl. Come from there
this mornin',' says I, going back to-
night. Someone waiting there for
news.
'By jng! Just as I got the words
out O my mouth, who comes a-stalk-
ing in but Gale Morgan. The minute
he seen me, he lit on me to beat the
band-called me everything he could
lay his tongue to. l let on was
drunk, but that didn't help. He or
dered me off the premises. M the
worst of it was, Nan chimed right in
and began to scold Bunny for lettin'
me in-and leaves the room, quick
like. Bunny put it on Pardaloe, and
she and Gale had it, an b. jing, Gale
put me out-said he'd pepper me. But
wait till l tell y how she fooled him.
It was rainin' like HI, n it looked
as if l was booked for a ride through
it and hadn't half drunk my second
cup of coffee at that. I starts for the
barn, when someone in the dark on
the porch grabs my arm, spins me
around like a top, throws flasher up
into my face, and there was Nan.
Bull she says, I'm sorry. I don't |
want to see you ride out in this with
nothing to eat; come this way quick
"She took me down cellar from the |
outside, under the kitchen. When |
Gale goes out again she filings up the |
trapdoor, speaks to Mex, pulls all the |
kitchen shades down, locks the doors, |
and | sets down on the trapdoOr steps |
n eats a pipin' hot supper; say
Well, l reckon I drank a couple o
Quarts of coffee. Bull she says, 4
never done you no harm, did L?
Never says I, and l never done you
none, neither, did I? And what's
more, l never will do you none Then
up and told her. Tell him., says
she, 4 can't get hold of horse, nor
Il pen, nor a piece of paper-I can't
leave the house but what 1 am
every minute. They keep
track of me day and night. Tell him.
she says, 4 can protect myself; they
think they'll break me-make me do
what they want me to-marry-but
hey can't break me, and I'll never do
tell him that
But says I, that amt the whole
case, Miss Nan. What he'll ask me,
when he's borin' through me with his
eyes like the way you're borin' me
through with yours, is: When will you
see him-when will he see yOu?'
"She looked worrit for a mint
Then she looks around, grabs UP the
over of an empty 'bacco box and a
'orIi and begins a-writing inside" Bull
With as much of a smile as he could
all into life from his broken nerves,
opened up his blanket, drew carefully
rom an inside coat pocket an oiIskin
package, unwFapped from it the fiat,
square top of a tin tobacco box, on
which Nan had scratched a message
md handed it triumphantly to De
Spain.
He read her words eagerly:
"NV0it; don't have trouble. I can
stand anything better than bloodshed,
Henry. Be patient"
While De Spain, standing close to
he lantern, deciphered the brief note.
Bull. wrapping his blanket about him
With the air of one whose responsible
ty is well ended, held out his hands
oward the blazing stove. De Spain
vent over the words one by one, and
he letters again and again. 1t was
.fter all their months of ardent meet
ngs, the first written message he had
.ver had from Nan. He famed an
,rily at the news that she was pris-