Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1921-03-04
CHAPTER xII-continued.

rusty hat.
did your grandpa send you?"
"Uh-huh! / brung y'u a letter.
Gran'pa tends t. tn post office now.
The oil postmaster had a stroke night
b'fore last, an hain't knowed nothin'
since. So gran'pa tends to it,"
He unbuttoned the bosom of his
waist, drew out a letter and handed it
over.
"Air you Box 23?"
"I-yes-I guess So" was the
startled answer as she took the letter.
"Huh! That's funny name-fer a
GIRL"
But she was too busy with the let
ter to notice the remark 1t was adj
dressed in a very bold and legible
hand: Box %, Buckeye, Ind. The
postmark she could not be sure of. 1t
appeared to be Vincennes but some of
the letters were too dull to read with
certainty.
''Is that your r'volver?"
There was not much chance to read
letters or do anything else-with a
youngster like that in the house.
"Yes. Have they found that man
that escaped from jail last night?
'Naw! An I hope they don't. I
met that timber buyin' feller on the
way down here" He came near the
girls chair. IF they's anybody hate,
it's him. Gran'pa says'-he leant
nearer, and spoke 1ow-''he kills peo-
hIof Goo h,,+ 7 xx,,1s cIyoorod x,I,oT 7
saw him a-comin' down tn road He
wus awful mad, an a-swearin' to his
self. He slashed at me with a switch.
But ducked, an cut dirt, an Skinned
over tn fence When / looked back
he was a-goin' on toward town, an
streaked it through tn woods lickety-
split"
The very information she had been
about to venture forth into the woods
to acquire.
"How is your grandma today?"
ooh, she's well ag'in. She cooks
lots of things now. She fried me
some screw-calSes yisterdy."
He was gone 'lickety-split"
The girl closed the door, laughing
softly, and turned toward the curtains.
The Pearlhunter was just coming
through them. 1T couldn't have
turned out better" he said "The
dark, one stroke more, and things will
take a turn"
"That stroke" She was very
thoughtful, her eyes searching the side
of his face toward her. ''You speak
of it lightly; but so you spoke Of that
dreadful fight with the mob"
He sat still long time.
II don't know why I shouldn't tell
you," he said at last. "The only rea-
son I didn't was to. save you the
thought of it. But girl like you'd
ask no better backin' in a tight place."
Her face lighted.
"Then why not take me with your"
He started, turned his slow eyes
toward her. A moment he studied
her, and then shook his head.
"No"-the word seemed final. 'It
Won't do for a girl-a lady-to hear
what will have to be heard tonight
and see what will have to be seen"
Her eyes dropped; so did his. They
both met at the same focus-the letter
in her hand. She passed it TO him. He
turned it over and over, looked at the
address, the postscript, and handed it
back.
81 never got letter in my life" he
said, NOR wrote one"
Neither did l." She turned the let
ter over and over, studying it. 'Box
o." she unused. ''It's for Daddy! He
couldn't read it, even if he were here.
Do you think / should open it,"
eyes, l think. you should" he adj
vised.
She tore open the end of the envel-
Ope and drew out folded sheet of
legal cap AS she unfolded it, bill
Ia greenback- fell out upon her lap
She pounced upon it.
Fifty dollars! Why-why-!"
"The letter will TELL" he said, lean
ing eagerly toward her.
She unfolded the stiff sheet, the in
ner side of it covered with the letter,
written in clear, readable hand:
"Vincennes, Ind, June Is, 1874.
''My Dear Colonel:
Enclosed am sending the usual
monthly remittance, as per your order
when you left.
'Why haven't you answered any of
my letters? I have sent the remit
tance regularly but have not heard
word from you for nearly seven years.
AS I have repeatedly told you, your
estate has Increased till I hardly know
how to invest it further. If / don't
near from you / shall have to come
up to Buckeye for a consultation.
"The little girl-little Hesper Dawn
must be quite a woman now. AS
have written you, her grandfather, old
Godfrey Dawn, died last year. He re-
pented in his last hours and left her
sole heir to his fortune, which, as you
know, is even more considerable than
your own. The estate is in my hands
ready to convey to her. The legal age
of a woman in this state is eighteen
If old Godfrey has not misinformed
me, she will be twenty the twentieth
of this present month. So. she has
been for some time legally competent
to come into her estate. If under
the terms of your will, she should fall
heir to your fortune as well, which
she bids fair to do, as no word has
come and none likely to come at this
late day, she will be quite the richest