Cavalier County farmers press. (Langdon, N.D.) 1920-1921, 1920-10-21

But the man tor whose ear 1t was IN
tended never shifted his position;
never changed, wen in the slightest,
his easy smile. He did slip his hand
down the front Of his frock coat and
loosen it against his side, but that
"a all.
The sheriff swore; turned slowly in
his saddle and glanced the crowd over.
Ladies an gentlemen" he said, rails
ing his voice, "as I said before, this
man is entitled to a trial, an a trial
he'll git. He'll hang-but it'll be the
law that hangs i'm, an not you. I adj
wise YOU to break up this damn fool
ishness an go home"
1t could be Seen with half an eye
that the sheriff was in no humor to
stand any back talk. The crowd didn't
try it; they obeyed-many sullenly,
some grumbling openly. A few stayed.
The man leaning against the hitch
rack went back to the Mud Hen.
The village of Buckeye struggles
for a quarter of a mile along the river
road. The road is a bigger institution
than the town. 1t formed the princi-
pal street. The village lookup, or
Jail, stood in plain sight a short way
to the west on the north side of the
road.
The sheriff d~ismounted, picked up
the slit and trampled blouse, threw it
about the shoulders Of his prisoner
and united the severed rope end still
knotted about his neck. With Il NUT
tered command, he made a slight mo-
ton toward the Jail with his revolver.
The P%earlhunter, still with bound
hands, his shirt so tattered that it
left him %half-naked from his waist up,
the blood upon his face and body fast
stiffening into clOts. obeyed the COM
mand.
Inside the lookup the sheriff cut his
hands loose, and Immediately stepped
outside and locked. the door, seeming
to have no fancy to tarry after his
prisoners hands were free. Turning
back to his prisoner he pointed out
his house and told him he would bring
over some supper later on.
The Buckeye lookup was a two
story, rectangular structure Of heavy
logs. There were two cells. with a
hallway between, on the first floor,
and the same arrangement above. The
P%earlhunter vas the only prisoner, so
he had free range Of both lower cells.
The barred gate opening to the stair
leading to the upper floor was heavily
padlocked. The door Of the Jail faced
south-faced the river road. Each
cell had one window; the window Of
the one looking east, the window Of
the other looking west. These win
dows were both rather larger than
might have been expected. Each con-
tanned a single sash. with the four
bars to each window, set in anger
holes in the logs ut the top and bot
tom. The sash was hinged at the side
s. as to swing in.
The Pearlhunter opened the sash at
the west window and swung it back
as far as it would go. Through the
bars he could look out under the cool,
calm trees in the Jail yard. The river
road wound dusty and dry toward the
e. "oullu " luC u1SL CuIfc
and hid itself in the hills; wound on
to that sharp turn at the rim of the
deep woods by the low fence. And
there the path began, the dim slim
path worn by wonderful feet; the path
that led to a girl with eyes like the
placid sky at the bottom Of the
spring; eyes that trusted" him, that
would look for him. What would they
be like when he didn't come; when
the word reached her that he was the
Red Mask? He thought Of that bit of
scarlet cloth behind the books, with
the knife thrust near an eyehole.
What if he should have the
chance to set himself right-if he
should die without the chance? What
would the eyes be like then?
The thought distressed hin we'll
nigh past bearing. He WINGED as
though it had been a blade that
stabbed him. The crinkle of paper in
his tattered blouse caught his atten-
ton. He drew the paper forth-the
draft! In the fast failing light he
smoothed it out and pored over the
words again.
His day! His great day! He had
watched it slip into a starry world
upon the crest of midnight; had
watched it unbar the gates of dawn.
And now it had driven across the
world and out at the gates of sunset.
Dead! Gone back into the night!
He left the window; dropped down
upon the one broken chair in the cell
and buried his face in his hands.
tCont1nued Next WeeF'