The Bottineau courant. (Bottineau, Bottineau County, N.D.) 1895-1929, 1922-09-28

Robert Fairchild. A long moment
sire to seize her and wrest it from
her, and at last
1T was about dusk n night" she
went on. Harry came in and took
me with him into this very room. He
kissed me and told me that he must
60 away. He asked me If I would
60 with him-without knowing why.
And, Son, I trusted him, l would have
done anything for him-but I wasn't
as old then as I am now. l refused
and to this day, I don't know why. 1t
was just woman, I guess. Then he
asked me if I would help him. I said
/ would.
"He didn't tell me much; except
that he had been uptown spreading
the word that the ore had pinched
out and that the hanging rock had
caved In and that he and 'Sissie' and
your father were through, that they
were beaten and were going away that
night. But-and Harry waited a long
time before he told me this-'Sissie'
was not going with them.
"'Im putting q lot in your hands,
he told me, but you've got to help US.
"Sissie" won't be there-and I can't
tell you why. The town must think
that he Is. Your voice is just like
"Sissie's." You've got to help us out
of town
And I promised. Late that night,
the three of us drove up the main
street, your father on n side of the
seat, Harry on the other, and me,
dressed in some Of 'Sissie's' clothes,
half hidden between them. Nobody
dreamed that I was anyone else but
the Swede-my head was tipped for
ward, so they couldn't see my fea-
lures. We drove outside town and
stopped. Then w said goodby, and I
put on an old dress that I had brought
with me and sneaked back home. No
body knew the difference"
"But Larsen-"
"You know as much as I do, Son"
you saw Larsen againr'
II never saw any Of them. That
was the end"
"But Rodaine-T
"He's still here. You'll hear from
h~im-plenty SOC I could see that,
the minute Blindeye Bozeman and
Taylor Bill began taking your meas
ure. You noticed they left the table
before the meal was over3 1t was to
tell Rodaine."
"Then he'll fight me, tool"
Mother Howard laughed-and her
voice was harsh.
"Roda1ne's a rattlesnake. His sons
q rattlesnake. His wife's crazy-Old
Crazy Laura. He drove her that way.
She lives by herself, in an old house
on the Georgeville road. And she'd
kill for him, eve If he does beat her
when she goes to his house and begs
him to take her back. That's the kind
Of a crowd it Is. Just to put a good
finish on it all, the young 'un moves
In the best society In town and spends
most Of his time trying to argue the
former district Judges daughter into
marrying him. So there you are,
a all Mother Howard knows,
Son."
She turned to the door and then.
turning, patted Fairchild on the Shout
der.
Boy" came quietly, you've got q
broad back and q good head. Rodafne
beat your father-don't let him beat
Jon. And always remember one
thing: Old Mother Towards played
the game before, and she'll play Il
with you-dark streets aren't exactly
the place for you"
Robert Fairchild obeyed the In
seructions. a victim Of many q conjec~
fure, many an attempt at reasoning
O. he sought sleep that was fur away.
Again and again there rose before
him the vision Of two men In IN open
buggy. with 4 person between then
whom Qhadl haliexsd- To ha. n sonnmi-