Grand Forks herald. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1916-1955, 1922-03-24
CHAPTER Xv.-Uonuauc1.

Looks ike the Hercules Ia the
one thing they're most 1skeered Of"
said Daddy, with his queer little stint
tering chuckle. Now maybe they'll
cave us have time Ito get ourselves
dried out a mite"
Totting up the results OF tae SHOW
er-bath we'd had, a bread famine
promised to be the worst Of them.
The few cans Of beans, tomatoes and
peapheA-the campers standbys-
were unhurt, Of course. and the mud.
died bacon could be washed with wa.
ter drawn from the flooded shaft. Blu,
the flour in its sack was merely a
blob Of paste and was beyond re-
denption and the cornrneal was the
dered If Fullerton hadn't Ahrewdly
calculated upon washing our com
miesary out OF existence when he
planned his overgrown lawn-spriik-
Ter. But maybe thai was giving him
credit for more ingenuity than he
really had j. a
Through what remained Of the aft
ernoon the rifle firing continued,
coming sometimes from one angle
and sometimes from another, but al
ways cannily from a safe distance and
always under the cover Of the sur
rounding forest: Daddy Hiram; frimly
optimistic, extracted q swallow or so
Of encouragement out of the persia-
tent pot-shooting.
Dunno as you've ever noticed it,
Stannie. but If you'A only Net a hog
alone long enough he'll shove himself
Under the boo,wire fence tar enough
to get caught, she said: Charley Bul.
plsrton, now; he's plum forgot that
that sound carries mighty long dis.
tances In these mountains In clear
weather.
What difference does that MAKE? ?"
l. asked.
1T may make a heap O. difference.
Looks to me like somebody-Buddy
Fuller, r Jim Haggerty, the section
boss, r one of EN- down yonder ID
begin a-wonderin'. after a spell, what
IN tarnation all this here blastin' and
r~ifle-poppin' up on old Cinnabar is a
p'intin' at nj come and see.',
DO you think the racket will carry
that far?"
1T sure will. One night. aiore Trio.
pia had gone as dead as she is now, a
bunch o cowpunch's got intosa an argy.
ment at Blue-nose BilIs place and we
heard the crackin' and poppin' Up
here-Jeanie and me-like It Has Just
over yonder in Greaser gdich."
"Well?" said I, 'if your nephew or
O"S ~ SAC SSAAOAo AlV4I H. WAL LuSu :.
AS I asked the question one Of the
low.airned shots tore through the
side OF the building, struck the iron
frame of the hoist, flattened itself
and dropped into the old mans lap.
Picking up the hot bit Of lead to
dandle it from hand to hand he went
on much as ii picking up bullets that
were fired at him had been his daily
recreation.
Curiosity killed the cat. stannie
son. You let some n O. the folks
down yonder in 'Tropia say, BY col
II wonder what all that shootin S
for? n the ext thing you know,
somebody'l be moggin' up here to
find OUT"
Along about dusk some member .of
the bestesing party tried to make q
reconnaissance. l happened to bG
Keeping the lookout on the cabin side
|of III fortress and saw a man dodg.
ms among The pines back 81 the
house. When I reportgd to DADDY
he took a snap shot at the. place
pointed QUITO him and there was q
wild Yell and Z stir IN the young
pines as though a hog were kAllop.
ing through them.
Just to let EN- know THAI we're
still alive and ktckin" said the old
man, with another Of his quAvery
chucklSs. u reckon maybe that's
what they was amin TO find out.
Possibly it a At Eli eventss the
lifle fire stopped with the coming 81
darkness, and ~ we faced our slc-
ond night Of defense wA had plenty
OF time to sit around and think ana
speculate upon what the outcome was
going to be.
Taking It all In, 1t was the. fantas-
tic hurnor OF the thing that hit. me