Saint Mary's beacon. [volume] (Leonard Town, Md.) 1867-1983, 1921-05-26

BOOK THREE
The Payment.
cAAprER !.

The Lennon home. 10 the wilderness
OF the Umpqua Divide, looked rntheF
like nm emergency hospital for the HrsI
few days after Dams fight with Wits
perfoot Its old sounds Of laughter
and talk were almost entirely lacking
Two injured men aud a girl recovering
from a nervous collapse do not tend
toward cheer.
But the natural sturdincss OF all
three quickly came 10 their aid. OF
course Lennox had been severely In
jured by the falling log, and iaany
weeks would pass before he would be
able 20 walk again. lie could sic up
for short periods. however; had the
partial use Of one arm and could pro
pei hImself--aftcr the first few weeks
--at snail's pace through the rooms
IN rude wheel chair that Bits inge-
nuity had contslved. The great livid
scratches that Dan bore on bis body
quickly began to heal; and before
week wns done be began 70 venture
forth on the hills again. snowhird
had remained IN bed for three days;
then she had hoped out one bright
afternoon. swearing never to 20 back
Into Il again, Evidently the crisp, fall
mir Of the mountains had been nerve
tonic for them all
OF course there had been medical
attention. A doctor and nurse bad
motored up the day after the accident;
the physician Ind SGT the bones and
departed, and the nurse remained for
week, 20 see the grizzled mountain
ecr wen on the way Of convaiesccuce,
But n was an anxious wait. and len.
nox's car WINS kept constantly in readi-
ness to speed her nwny IN case the
SHOWS should start. AZ last she had
left him IN snowbirHfs hands, and Bill
had driven her back 10 the settlements
IN his fathers car. The die was now
cast as 20 whether or not Dan and
the remainder OF tho family should
winter IN tho mountain. Tho snow
clouds deepened every day. the frost
was ever heavier In the dawna. and
the rond would surely remain open
only few days more.
Once more the thee seemingly had
the Divide all to themselves Bert
cranston had evidently deserted his
cabin and was working q trhp-lInn on
the Umpqua side. The Ringers left
the little station, all danger OF frs
past, and went down 10 their Offices
Ia the federal building Of one Of the
little cities below. Because he was
worse than useless ia the deep SHOWS
that were sure TO come. one OF the
rnnch hands that had driven Up with
Bin rode away to the valleys the last
OF the live atock--the horse that Dan
had ridden 10 snowbird's defense.
Nothing had been heard Of Landy
Hildreth, who used TO live on the
trail 20 the marsh. and both LennOx
and his daughter wondered why. There
were also certain officials who had
begun 20 be curious. ~ yet. Dan
had told no one OF the grim find he
had made on his return from hunting.
And be would have found II m ex.
tremely difficult faet 10 explain.
It all went oack TO those inner
springs Of motive that few men can
see clearly enough within themselves
to recognize. Even the llrst day, when
be lay burning from his wounds. he
worked out his own explanation IN re-
gard to the murder mystery. lie
hadn't the slightest doubt but that
crnnston had killed Hlldreth to pre-
vent his testimony from reaching the
courts below. or course. any other
member Of the arson ring Of hsllmen
might have been the murderer; yet
Dan was inclined 20 believe that Gran
stcn. the leader OF the gang, usually
preferred to do such dangerous work
as this himself II 1t were true, some
where on that tree-clad ridge clues
would be left Moreover. II was wholly
possible that the written testimony
Hlldreth must have gathered had new
er been found or destroyed. Dan
didn't want the aid Of the courts to
find these clues. He wanted 70 work
out the case himself. II resolved Il
self into a simple mntter Of vengeance:
Dan had his debt to pay, and no want
cd to bring Cranston to ruin by his
own hand alone.
While 1t was true that he took ra-
Their more than the casual interest
that most citizens feel In the destruc-
ton Of the forest by wnnton FIRE. and
had On actual sense of duty TO do all
that he could to stop the activities OF
the arson ring, his motives. stripped
and bare, were really not utilItarinn.
He had no particular interest IN Hill
dreth's case. He remembered him sim
ply as one Of Cranston's disreputable
gang, poacher and Are bug him
self. When all Is said and done, It
remained really a personal Issue be-
tween Dan and Cranstun. And per-
sonal issues are frowned upon by law
and society. Civilization has t0iled
up from the darkness In a great meas
ure TO get away from them. But hui
man nature remains Interestingly the
same, and Dams desire 10 pay his debt
was a distinctly human emotion. Some
time breed win i've upon the earth
that can get clear away from personal
yengcance--from that age-old code
of the hills that demands blow
for blow and a life for a life--but
the time is not vet. And after all, By
oil the standards Of men as men. moi
as read In ..ldenlIstic PHILOSOPHERS.
Dams debt was entirely real BY the
Hight held high ~ his ancestors, he
on.flxt e,nf fs,rts bfe stfbA~F okh4t.