The Monticellonian., 1918-04-12

he cursed Buck Olney and thought he had him bound to the chair in the cab in. Hours when he watched for him, gun in hand, through the window be- side the bunk.
 He had made a final trip to Hardup two weeks before and had brought back supplies for the winter. And because his pay streak of gravel bank had yield ed fair harvest he had not stinted himself on the things he liked to eat. He lay looking over the piled boxes against the farther wall and wondered if he could reach the box of crackers and drag it up beside the bunk He was weak, and to move his leg was agony. Well, there was dish of prunes on the window sill
 Ward ate dozen or so. but he want ed the crackers He leaned as far as he could from the bed. and the box was still two feet from his outstretched fin gers. He lay and considered how he might bring the box within reach.
 At the head of the bunk stood the case of peaches and beneath that the case of canned tomatoes, the two form ing a stand for his lantern. He eyed them thoughtfully. chewing a corner of his underlip. He did not want peaches or tomatoes just then-he wanted those soda crackers.
 He took Buck Olney's knife-he was finding it a most useful souvenir of the encounter-and pried off a board from the peach box. Two nails stuck out through each end of the board. He leaned again from the bed, reached out with the board and caught the nails in crack on the upper edge of the crack CT box. He dragged the box toward him until it caught against ridge in the rough board floor, when the nails bent outward and slipped away from the crack. Ward lay back. exhausted with the effort be had made and tor mented with the pain in his leg.
 After awhile he took the piece of board and managed to slide 1t under the box, lifting a corner of 1t over the ridge. That was hard work, harder than you would believe unless you tried it yourself after lying three days fast ing with a broker leg and q fever. He had to rest again before he took the other end of the board that had the good nails and pulled the box up be- side the bunk.
 In a few minutes he made another effort and pried part of the cover off the cracker box with the knife. Then he pulled out half a dozen crackers and ate them, drank half dipper of water and felt better.
 He had held himself aloof from the men of the country. He knew the Sea beck riders by sight; he had talked q little with Floyd Carson two or three times and had met Seabeck himself. He knew Charlie Fox in a purely cas- ual way, as has been related, and Peter Rowling Dog the same.
 None of these men were likely to ride out of their way to see him. And now that his mind worked rationally he had no fear of Buck Olney's yengeful re- turn. Buck Olney, he guessed shrewd- ly, was extremely busy Just now put ting as many miles as possible between lllIiioNli anu thdl pal | ol lddilo t iitNeS Billy Louise would come or send for him he would in all probability lie alone there until he was able to walk Ward did not try to comfort himself with any delusions of hope
 As the days passed he settled himself yrimly to the business of getting through the ordeal as comfortably as possible T scant supply of water. He worked out the question of diet and of using his resources to the best advantage. He had nothing else to do and his alert mind seized upon the situation and brought it down to a fine system.
 For instance, he did not open a can of fruit until the pruneS were gone. Then he emptied a can of tomatoes into the bowl as a safeguard against pto- maine poisoning from the tin, and set the empty can on the floor. During the warm part of each day he slid open the window by his bunk and lay with the fresh air flaming his face and lifting the hair from his aching temples.
 He tried to eat regularly and to make the fruit juice save his water supply. Sometimes he ehewed jerked venison from the bag over his head, but not very often; the salt in the meat made him drink too much. On the whole, his diet was healthful and in a measure satisfying. He did not suffer from the want of any real necessity, at any rate
 He had his few books within reach. He read a good deal to keep from think ing too much, and he tried to meet the days with philosophic calm. He might easily be a great deal worse off than he was, he frequently reminded him self
 But he was lonesome-so lonesome that there were times when life looked absolutely worthless; when the blue dev- ills made him their plaything and he saw Billy Louise looking scornfully [H