Grand Forks herald. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1916-1955, 1922-03-15
plateau-be1nch Of the mountain to the

Two mornings afterward I found
out the why. and wherefore Of the old
transit and its "set up" as an engi-
neer would say. Daddy Hiram and I
were standing with our backs to the
hearth fire, waiting for breakfast to
be put on the table. when Jeanne
came in from the kitchen with a great
stack Of hit batter-cakes. AS she dart
ed out again after the coffee and ba-
CON- h paused just q fraction of q
second to put her eye to the telescope.
I didn't see what kind of a signal it
was that she passed to. Daddy Hiram,
but whatever its nature, 1t made him
get action in a tearing hurry.
up into the loft, with you, quick,
Stannie!" he Tipped at me; and as I
went stumbling up the ladder in blind
his daughter to remove my plate,
knife and fork. spoon. coffee cup and
chair; in other words. to oblitcratc
swiftly and completely all signs Of the
presence of third member Of the
family.
In a minute or so there was a eruff
hail from somebody outdoors and
Daddy got UT to go and look out.
Why. hello. Ike, you old g~eexer!'
he called. What under the, shinin'
sun fetches you up on old 'Cinnabar
SA @A "a AAo , ~ 4Ax6AS OV~ll
and come n:.:you're just In the nick
O. time for breakfast" y
While 1 was cudSeling my brain in
a vain effort to- recall what. il any,
memory association there should be
awakened in me by the mention Of an
Ike" person, this particular Isaac
presented himself at the cabin door
and clunnped in with the stiff legged
walk of a man who has ridden horse
/ ha MI fo~ 0~l hood II r lr-~-r 49, -.
! l should have been able to dig that
memory association. This was Mr..
Isaac Beasley, my Angelic friend of
the overgrown silver star and the un-
shaven c~ountenance.
"Huh!". he erunted, them griddle-
cakes shore do look mighty righteous
to me! I been ridin' sense two hours
afore sun-up; w~tld-goose chase clear
over on t'other side o. Lost mountain.
Couple O. prospectors blew into Angels
day afore yistidday and said thy'd
seen that con-dummed lunatic that
got loose from is and busted up a car
fr the railroad. them yoddleheads
said they'd seen him workin' in the
Lost Creek placers."
"A Iooney?" said, Daddy Hiram, as
innocent as a two-weeks-old lamb;
Yep; that Teller that stole an in
spection car and got it smashed up
and then took to the hills. You hain't
seen anything of him, have We ?'
Mary q lunatic," said Daddy Hi
ram calmly.
His breakfast eaten, Friend Isaac
showed no disposition to hurry away
much to my chagrin. He took time
to smoke a %leisurely pipe with Daddy
| Hiram n to ask a 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 it seemed to me-
the subject had been pretty thorough
ly talked to death. r
I heard Daddy's reply, made as to
one with whom the matter had been
canvassed before.
'Nothin' but that cippin' from
some newspaper back East. telin
about Mr.. Dudley's passin' out"
kinda curious somebody DOM
tell ye somethin', amt it," the mar.
shall put in. looks like the heirs d
be either fishin' r cuttin' bait on this
here Cinnabar layout-not as it'd de-
'em any good If they did. Didn't an,
letter come with the newspaper
piece?"
Mary a pen-scratch." Z
posted?"
"washin'ton."sS
"Aha!" said. I to myself, "I have
you, Cousin Percy! For some reason
best known to yourself you didn'
want Daddy. Hiram to get hold O
Grandfather Jaspers proper address,
His pipe smoked out, the marsha
prepared to take horse. Daddy wen,
with him to the far side Of the dunn
and the murmur of their voices came
to me in diminishing cadences. Ate,
. bit Daddy came back and called VI
20 me in the sing-song OF the miner,
after the final: blast has been tired
"A-a-l-l OYER StAnnie. reckon y.
can come down now and get you som,
breakfast"
Jeanie served me in silence whsr
I took my place at table and 1the
good old man stood#sin the doorway
keeping watch, as / made no doubt
against possible second-thought rs,
turn OF Friend Isaac, the bristIe,
bearded. ThFoughout the working
day which followed he never made
the slightest reference to the episode
OF the morning. and. truly, I think tn,
whole incident would have been bur
led in oblivion by those two simple.
minded soulssif I hadn't first spokel
This I did in the evening OF tn,
same day. when Daddy had gone Re-
make his entirely useless night. rount
~ the mine prupertyy A. on mos
evenings. Jeanne ~ q her corner$o,
the hearth. knitting. andsI was 1llint
Z bedtime, pipe. SS
s"Jeanie," I broke out, 81 wish you'x
tell me, Why you and your father af,
I'm not the crazy criminal that othel
people believe me to BET i did stea
the car and get 1t smashed, 70,
H. KNOW. HN3HTEt &gi@SfEsa4 EtsJAsaE E5sGt 4fS1fHf