Cavalier County farmers press. (Langdon, N.D.) 1920-1921, 1920-11-04

OF the sc:eE ssaco -aGar me mirror
and placed pen and ink before him.
He picked up the pen, awkwardly--a
fish spear, an oar, or a six-gun fitted
his hand better-dipped it in the ink:
laid the draft upon the stand; squared
himself; and after no small pains sue
ceeded in writing the word "Pearihunt-
er" across the back. 1t was quite evil
IDENTIFY a relief when the unaccuStomed
task was over. He laid the pen down
as if glad to be quit of it and handed
the draft to the girl.
ut means that I have five thousand
dollars in the bank" he said, land any
body that takes this draft there With
my"-he Observation-Disclosures across the
back can get the money. The banker
said so.'
Her face showed how little she
guessed what his words were leading
up to. 1t was some time before he Went
on. I'm askin' you to keep it." he
said. "And if anything should happen
to me, I'm askin' you to keep the mon
ey, too"
The girl caught his battered sleeve.
"No! No." she said Don't say
that!"
He looked down at the hand on his
sleeve; picked it up; held it an in
slant; suffered her to take it away.
! II know who killed Louie Solomon"
he said slowly. 81 know who has the
Blue Moon-abSOlute knowledge, but
no proof. He'll be on my trail tomor-
row and his eyes are the most danger
. Gus eyes in the Flatwoods He'd ask
nothing better than a chance to kill
me. And Y am any mans game now"
1t is marvellous how q woman's in
tuition will drive at the very heart of
( d matter that puzzles men. She saw at
a flash what had escaped the wits Of
! the whole village.
you mean Observation-Disclosures buyer"
she said.
II mean the timber buyer" he an
swered, with a quick look at her. "His
eyes see everything. You must destroy
these bloody rags, and you must rake
the yard in the morning. Rake the
east yard first, and then the west. I'm
not aiming to leave any tracks, but
it's so dark | casl't make sure" He
was talking rapidly. SIN not expectin'
to leave the Flatwoods, and--you, I'M
less they crowd me hard not till I've
u him down and found my proof.
But the odds are against me If any
thing should happen, I want you to
have this money. And the minute you
hear they've got me, you must go
straight to the sheriff. Don't risk the
woods another hour. Put yourself III
der his protection, and tell him why =;
have the money transferred to you;
and-send for that surgeon"
The tears beat their way up into the
girls eyes in spite of her, and ran
down her cheeks. Her head bent low.
1t was the one thing he knew not how
to face. His hard life hadn't taught
him that. The tears hurt him. What
had caused them? Maybe it was just
a woman's way. Maybe he had done
wrong to come to her with his cuts
and blood and danger.
She raised her face after a time. He
drew a long breath dropped his hand
to his side: stared in establishment
She was smiling-smiling through the
tears-and the dimples We're back. The
ways of w~onan-utterly beyond him,
and past finding out. She smoothed
the draft out in her hands and was
looking at him over it.
tT yvnnlnr if T c,rbt 70 +,1-n ~ ', chic
unused to herself, as much as to him.
He took the paper out of her hands,
folded it and with a masterful air
thrust it under a fold of the loose gar
ment across her bosom.
81 haven't a soul in the world to
leave it to ~but-yOu."
His slow eyes left her face and
stared hard at the basin of red water.
Stepping Owe to the stand, he stopped
and snuffed the candle. The huge
shadow of him filled the room. Turn
ing away, after he had the candle
to the thoughtful face of his compan-
ion.
"That revolver I saw yesterday on
the mantcl-is it loaded?'
II think So
She looked up in curious half sur
prise. as if the question had brought
her thoughts back from afar.
MAY l see it,"
"Why-yeS-'
He shaded the candle again while
she lifted the curtain over the door;
paused 4 mn to listen to the
heavy breathing of the sleeper in the
west room crossed to the mantel over
the fireplace and brought him the re-
vOlver.
Several minutes the man spared to
its inspection: testing the action of
the hammer, cylinder revolution and
trigger pun; replacing the somewhat
corrOded caps on the tubes with new
ones; even packing fresh grains Of
powder into the tubes where he
thought necessary.
DO you know how it use it?' he
asked, looking up from his inspection.
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