Graham guardian., 1922-01-06

beHsleN, my Angelic friend of the over
grown silver star and tie unshayen
cs.1ntenance.
Huh" he grunted, "them grlddle-
cakes shore do look mighty righteous
to me l been rldln' sense two hours
afore sun-up; wlld-goose chase clear
over Oh tother side o Lost mountain.
Couple O. pr"spectOrs blew into Angels
day afOre ylstidday and said they'd
seen that cOn.dumned iunatict that got
loose from ny and busted up car rr
the railroad; them yoddleheads said
they'd seen him workin' In the Lost
Creek placers."
"A looney?" said Daddy Hiram, us
Innocent as a two-weeks-old lamb.
"Ycp; that felJcr that stole nm In
spcctlon car and got It smashed up
and then took TO the hills. You hain't
seen anything Of him, have YET"
Nary lunatic," said Daddy Hiram
calmly.
His breakfast eaten, Friend Isaac
showed no disposition to hurry away
much to my chagrin. He took time
to smoke leisurely pipe with Daddy
Hiram and to ask n lot of indifferent
questions about the drowned mine.
"Hain't heard nothin' firm yer own
ers yit, have We, Hiram?" he wanted
to know, after-as 1t seemed to me-
the subject had been pretty thoroughly
talked ia death.
| heard Daddy's reply. made as 10
one with whom the matter he'd been
canvassed before.
"Nothln' but that clippin' from some
newspaper back East, tellln' about Mr..
Dudley's pasSin' OUT
kinda curious somebody don't tell
ye sOmethln', ain't it?" the marshal
put In. "LOoks like the heirs d he
either flshn' r cuttin' bait on this
here Cinnabar IayOut--nOt as it'd do
'em any good If they did. Didn't any
letter come with the newspaper piece?"
Nary a pen.scratch."
'WhcrcabOut was the envelope
postedf"
"WaShin'ton."
'Aha !" said to myself. 81 have you,
Cousin Percy! For some reason best
known TO yourself you didn't want
Daddy Hiram to get hold of Grand
father Jasper's proper address
His pipe smoked out. the marshal
prepared to take horse Daddy went
with him to the far side Of the dump
and the murmur of their voices came
to me In diminishing cadcnces. After
Il bit Daddy came back and called up
to me in the sing-song of the miners
after the final blast has been fired
"A-n-ll over. Stannie. reckon We
can come down now and get you some
breakfast"
Jeanie served me In silence when
] took my place at table and the good
old man stood in the doorway. keeping
watch. as I made no doubt, against
n possible second-thought return OF
Friend Isaac, the bflstle-bearded,
Throughout the working day which
followed he never made the slightest
reference to the episode Of the MORN
ing and. truly. ! think the whole Incl
dent would have been buried In Obliv-
ion by those two simple.mnded souls
II hadn't first spoken OF It myself.
This ] did In the evening of tho
same day. when Daddy had gone TO
make his entirely useless night round
OF the mine property. As on most
evenings. Jeanle sat at her corner OF
the hearth, knitting, and | was filling
a bedtime pipe.
Jeanie,' broke out, "I wish you'd
tell me why You and your father are
so good to me. How do you know that /
I'm not the crazy criminal that other /
people believe me to be? did steal |
the car and get II smashed, you know"
You are not a criminal and | am
sure YOU didn't mean to get the car
smashed. Besides, you had taken
shelter under our roof"
lou are true BedouIns," / laughed.
is that the code In the West Your
c"de?-to defend anybody who has eat
en- salt with your"
y should think it would be any
bodys code"
You and your father were expecting
thlS man Beasley to come here look
ing for me?"
Daddy thought he might just hap
pen along. We Rrr only four miles
from Atropia, you know"
And was that the reason you nut |,
the old transit at the window $50
you might watch for hlm?"
"Of course"