The Oklahoma miner. [volume] (Krebs, Okla.) 1912-192?, 1920-02-26

"a truck patch mostly, wild a fence
round It. Den thar comes SOM flowe.
beds"
mo pathY"
"Well, done reckon as how thar
might be a sorter path, sab, but you'd
hardly find it in de DARK. De bes'
way'd be ter sorter feel long de
fence, til yer git sight o. de front
porch"
"All right, then. am going to leave
you here while l scout around. Keep
your eyes open, and have the mule
ready to leave at any minute"
Bout how ION yer be gone, sah?"
81 cannot tell you that. AS short
time as possible. 1t may require con-
siderable explanation and urging to
get those three women to trust me.
However, all you have to do is wait,
and be sure that no one sees you. If
you should be needed for anything at
the house, I'll get word to you some
way; and If | should send Della and
Rene out here alone, without being
able to come with them myself, load
them into the cart at once, and drive
to the boat. I'll manage to join you
somewhere, and the important thing is
to get them safely away. You under
stand all this?"
"Yas, sab; leastways l reckon
does. Use ter take keer OBJ dem all,
an let yer take keer O. yerself"
Exactly, because, you see, l haven't
the slightest idea what | am going to
run up against. There may be others
In the house, and | might not dare to
leave Miss ElOise behind alone with
out some protection. | shan endeavor
to induce her to 90 to Haines at once"
Following some impulse | shook
hands with him, and then plunged into
the darkness my only guidance at first
that single ray of light streaming
through the unshaded window. As |
advanced cautiously along the fence,
low structure built Of rough rails, and
thus approached more closely to the
front of the main building, other lights
began to reveal themselves, enabling
me to perceive that the inner hallway
was likewise Illuminated, although not
brilliantly. All about me was silence,
not even the sound of a voice or the
flap Of wing breaking the intense
stiffness Of the night l came below
the ver0nda, still in the deep shadow,
utterly unconscious Of any other pres
cnCe, when suddenly, from Just above
me, and certainly not six feet distant,
a man spoke gruhly, the unexpected
sound of his strange voice interrupted
by the sharp CRATE Of a chairs leg on
the porch floor and half-smothered
yawn.
"Say, sheriff, how long are we all
goin' ter set yere, do yer know? This
don't look much like Saint Louee afore
daylight ter me-"
l stopped still, Crouching low, my
heart leaping into my throat, and
every nerve tingling.
"No, It sure don't, Tim" replied an
other, and the fellow apparently got
down from off his perch on the porch
rail. Yer see Kirby is bound he'll get
hold o. them two missin females furst,
afore he'll let me round up the mig
gers. The papers is all straight
'nough, but they've got ter be served
afore we kin lay hands on a burned
thing. The jedge tol' me fer ter do
everything just as Kirby sed, an aim
ter do it, but just the same l got ter
keep inside the law. l dunno as it
makes much difference when we strike
the OF town"
"'Taln't so much that, sheriff / kin
stan 1t fer ter be up all night, but
Bill wus tellin' me we might hav SOM
trouble down ter the Landln' unless
we finished up our Job yere afore
mornin'."
"Oh, reckon not; whut was It Bill
said2"
"Quite a rigmarole frum furst ter
last. Civ me light fer the pipe, will
yer?"
There was q flare above me, and
then darkness once more, and then the
slow drawl Of the mans voice as he re-
sumed. "Some teller by the name OV