The Celina Democrat. (Celina, O. [Ohio]) 1895-1921, 1918-01-11
CHAPTER X.
$50 Lona. Ruek!D

wv had gone out long ago, ana SET
the dishpan on the stove with
water to heat He remade his bunk,
spreading on the army blanket which
he took from the saddle on Rather.
He swept the floor as neatly as any
woman could have done 1t and laid
two wolf skins down in their places
where they did duty as rugs. He
washed and wiped his few dishes,
keeping Bucks knife always within
reach and sending an inquiring glance
toward Buck whenever that unhappy
man made the slightest movement,
though, truth to tell. Buck did not
make many. He brought two pals of
water and set them on the bench in
side, and in the meantime he had cook
ed u mess Of prunes and set them in a
bowl on the window sill beside his
bunk, where the air was coolest. He
stropped his razor painstakingly and
shaved himself in lelsurely fashion and
sent an occasional glance toward his
prisoner from the looking glass, which
made Buck swallow hard at his Ad-
ans apple.
And Buck during all this time never
once opened his lips, except to lick his
tongue across them, and never once
took his eyes Off Ward
I've sure put the fear of the Lord
into you, haven't |, BuckY' Ward OBJ
served maliciously, wiping a blob of
hairy lather upon page torn from an
old mail-order catalogue. II was
kind hoping you had more nerve. l
wanted to get whack at you just to
prove I'm not joshing"
Buck swallowed again, but he made
no reply.
Ward washed his face in a basin of
steaming water got a can of talcum
out of the dish cupboard and took the
soap shine off his cheeks and chin. He
combed his hair before the little mir
ror, trying unavailingly to take the
wave out of it with water and leaving
it more crinkly over his temples than
it had been in the first place, and re-
tied the four-in-hand under the soft
collar of his shirt
II wish you'd talk, Buck" he said,
turning toward the other. He looked
very bOyish and almost handsome ex-
cept for the expression of his eyes,
which gave Buck the shivers, and the
set of his lips, which was cruel "I've
read how the Chinks hand out what
they call the death-of- a-thousand-cuts.
| was thinking I'd like to try it out on
you. Butch, well, this is Friday. 1t
may as well go as a hanging" He
made poor job of his calm irony, but
Buck was not in the mental condition
to he critical.
The main facts were sufficiently
ominous to offset Wards attempt at
facetiOusnesS. Indeed, the very weak
ness of the attempt was in itself omi-
nous. Ward might try to be coldly
but the light that burned
in his eyes and the rage that frightened
his lips gave the lie to his forced COM
Dosure.
He went out and led up the horses
to the door. He came back and started
10 unite Buck Olney's feet, then be-
-hought him of the statement he had
promised to write. He got magazine
md tore out the froGtispiece-which,
oddly enough, was Z somber picture of
Death lowering with outstretched
wings over a battlefeld-and wrote
several lines in pencil on the back of it,
where the paper was smooth and
white.
'How's that?' he asked, holding up
he paper so that Buck could read
What he had written. Il amt in the
mood to sit down and write a whole
'ook, so had to boil down your pedi-
rec. But that will do the business all
light, don't you think?"
Buck read with staring eyes, looked
lto Wards face and opened his lips
or protest or pleading Then he fol-
1wed Wards glance to the knife on
he table and shut his mouth with
nap. Ward laughed grimly, picked
p the knife and ran his thumb lightly |
yer the edge to test its keenness. |
Put a fresh edge ON it for me, huhT' l
e commented. "Well, we may as well
ct started, reckon. I'm getting al I
Eighty sick of seeing you around" '
He loosened the rope that bound '
uck to the chair and stood scowling G
own at him, drawing in corner of 6
Is lip and biting 1t thoughtfully. Then
took his revolver and held 1t in his b
IT hand, while with his right he un- Il
d the rope which bound Bucks p
lnds. h
"Stlck your hands out In front Of b
'u," he commanded. "Youll have TO 4