The Oakley herald. [volume] (Oakley, Idaho) 1908-1961, 1921-01-28

ey. too"
e The girl caught his fattered sleeve.
n. NO! MOI" she said. Don't say
IT that"
He looked down at the hand on hi
e sleeve; picked ii up; held it an IL
e slant suffered her TO take IL away.
t Il know who killed Louie Solomon,
: he said slowly. Il know who has III
d Blue MOon-absOlute knowledge, bu
Y no proof. He'll be on my trail tomor
row and his eyes are the most danger
( Gus eyes in the Flatwoods. He'd asl
2 nothing better than a chance TO xii
me. And | an any mans game now
Ii is marvellous how a woman's in
/; tuition will drive at the very heart OF
a matter that puzzles men. She saw al
, n lash what had escaped the wits OF
the whole village.
"You mean the-the-timber buyer
she said.
81 mean the timber buyer" he an
swered. with a quick look at her. "His
eyes see everything. You must destroy
these bloody rags. and you must rake
the yard in the morning. Rake the
east yard first, and then the west. I'm
not aiming to leave any tracks, but
it's so dark | can't make sure" He
was talking rapidly. I'm not expectin'
to leave the Flatwoods, and-you, un-
less they crowd me hard not till I've
run him down and found my proof.
But the odds are against me. If any
thing should happen. | var you to
have this money. And the minute you
hear they've got me. you must go
straight to the sheriff. Don't risk the
woods another hour. Put yourself I'M
der his protection, and tell him why
have the money transferred to you;
and-send for that surgeon"
The tears beat their way up into the
girls eyes in spite of her, and ran
down her cheeks. Her-head bent low.
1t was the one thing he knew not how
TO face. His hard life hadn't taught
him that. The tears hurt him. What
had caused them? Maybe it was just
a woman's way. Maybe he had done
wrong to come to her with his cuts
and blood and danger.
She raised her face after q time. He
drew a long breath dropped his hand
TO his side; stared in establishment.
She was smibng-smiling through the
tears-and the dimples were back. The
ways of woman-utterly beyond him.
and past finding outl She smoothed
the draft out In her hands and was
looking at him over ii.
81 wonder If | ought to take It," she
unused to herself. as much as to him.
He took the paper out of her hands,
folded it and with a masterful air
thrust 1t under a fold of the loose gar
ment across her bosom.
81 haven't a soul in the world to
leave it to but-you."
His slow eyes left her face and
hard at the basin of red water.
Stepping over to the stand, he stopped
and snuffed the candle. The huge
of him filed the room. Turn
ing away, after he had the candle
again at full flame, his eyes came back
10 the thoughtful face of his compan-
ion.
THAT revolver l saw yesterday on
he mantel-is it loaded?"
II think So"
She looked up in curious half sur
as if the question had brought
Ter thoughts back from afar.
"Aay | see it?"
"Why-yes-"
He shaded the candle again while
lifted the curtain over the door;
N pnnnnonf 70 lfSfan fn the
eavy breathing of the sleeper in the
rest room crossed to the mantel over
fireplace and brought him the re- !
I
Several minutes the man spared to I
S inspection: testing the action of !
re hammer. cylinder revolution n I
Tiger pull replacing the somewhat
caps on the tubes with new /
les; ever packing fresh grains of 7
)wder into the tubes where he h
fought necessary. q
"Do you know how II use it," he \
;ked, looking up from his inspection. N
1--WE shot lots of squirrels with 1t, IN
metlmes clear in the treetops," she IN
lswered. "And once / killed a hawk II,
at pestered. the chickens" N
A grin puckered HIS eyes for a mo- Q
ant, her his brows lowered. IN 4
her question. a hard one. had to be
ked. that set him raking over his Z
m stock of words for ways to ask 1t.
DO girls mean-have you got any -
ICE about you-yourd ress-to car
it,"
She was looking at him. her eyes
nix and wide-eyes that had no
I'd TO narrow. ca
Il haven't" she answered; but / or
! make one" fri
i advise you TO-" on
lie laid the revolver on the stand
I turned back to her. The time had bo
ne to so. and they both knew it. mo-
: a while they stood silent. once ,ve
hand reached toward her, but he an,
W II back. wa
VIII you be ready to raise the ha,
I'd when l blow out the candle" he cal
I at last. nri
he went to the window and the
{ moment the room was in dark