Vernon Parish Democrat., 1921-06-30

Dan had never heard of the Ump- |
qua divide, but he couldn't doubt but |
that the sender of the wire referred |
to his grandfather. He wired in the
affirmative. The head of the Chamber
of Commerce received the wire, read
1t, thrust 1t into his desk, and In the
face of a really important piece of
business proceeded to forget all about
it. Thus it came about that, except
for one thing Dan Failing would have
probably stepped off the train at his
destination wholly unheralded and un-
met. The one thing that changed his
destiny was that at a meeting of a
certain widely known fraternal order
the next night, the Chamber of Com
merce crossed trails with the Frontier
in the person of another old resident
who had his home in the farthest
reaches of the Umpqua divide. The
latter asked the former to come up
for a few days shoOting-the deer be-
ing fatter and more numerous than
any previous season since the days of
the grizzlies.
"Too busy, I'm afraid" the Cham
ber of Commerce had replied. But
Lennox-that reminds me. Do you
remember old Dan Failing?"
Lennox probed back into the years
for a single instant, Strengthened out
all the kinks of his memory in less
time than the wind straightens out
the folds of flag, and turned a most
interested face. Remember him r. he
exclaimed. 81 should say I do" The
middle-aged man half-closed his pierc-
ing, gray eyes.
Listen, Steele" he said, ST saw Dan
Failing make a bet once. I was just
a kid, but 1 wake up in my sleep to
marvel at it. We had a full long
glimpse of a black-tail bounding up
long slope. 1t was just a spike-buck,
and Dan Failing said he could take
the left-hand spike off with one shot
from his old Sharpe's. Three Of us
bet him-the whole thing in less than
two seconds. With the next shot
he'd get the deer. He won the bet
and now if 1 ever forget Dan Failing,
1 want to die"
you're just the man I'm looking
for then. You're not going out till the
day after tOmorrow"
''No."
"On the limited, hitting here tomor-
row morning, there's a grandson Of
Dan Failing. His name is Dan Fail
ing, too, and he wants to go up to your
place to hunt Stay all summer and
pay board"
Lennox's eyes said that he couldn't
believe it was true. After while his
tongue spoke, too. "Good Lord" he
said. 81 used to foller Dan around
like old-Shag, before he died, followed
Snowbird. OF course he can come.
But he can't pay board"
| It was rather characteristic of the
mountain men-that the grandson of
Dan Failing couldn't possibly pay
board. But Steele knew the ways of
| cities and of men, and he only smiled.
"He won't come, then" he explained.
Anyway, have that out with him at
the end of his stay. He wants fish
ing, and you've got that in the North
fork. Moreover you're a thousand
miles back"
"Only one hundred if you must
know. But Steele-do you suppose
he's tlfe man his grandfather was be-
fore him-that all the Failings have
been since the first days Of the Ore
gon trail? If he is-well, my hats
off to him before he steps off the
train"
The mountaineer's brOnzed face was
earnest and intent in the bright lights
of the club. Steele thought he had
known his breed. Now he began to
have doubts of his own knowledge
"He won't be; don't count on, it," he
said humbly. "The Failings have done
much for this region, and I'm glad
enough to do a little to pay it back
but don't count much on this eastern
boy. He's lived in cities besides, he's
a sick man. He said so in his wire.
You ought to know 1t before you take
him In"
The bronzed face changed; possibly
a shadow of disappointment came in
to. his eyes. "a lunger, eh?" Lennox
repeated "Yes-it's true that if he'd
been like the other Failings, he'd never
have been that. Why, Steele, you
couldn't have given that old man a
cold if you'd tied him in the Rogue
river overnight. OF course you couldn't
count on the line keeping up forever.
But I'll take him, for the memory Of
his grandfather"
r'You're not afraid tor
afraid, HI! He can't infect those
two strapping children of mine Snow
bird weighs. one hundred and twenty
pounds and is hard as steel. Never
knew sick day in her life And you
know Bill, Of course"