The Snowflake herald., 1922-01-20

Convincing sequence OF circumstances
the theft of the mail sack, the false
account of Harry's death, the failure
of his letters to reach their destina-
ton, and the fact that BIN had ac-
cepted money from Davis in time of
need. A strong suspicion of foul play
grew upon him and he began to con-
slider what he could do In the matter.
Having forded a creek he caught
the glow of a light in the darkness,
a little way up the road. 1t was the
lighted window of a cabin, before
whose door he stopped his horse and
hallooed:
II am belated and hungry traveller
on my way to Chicago" he said to
the man who presently greeted him
from the open doorway.
"Have you come through Honey
Greek settlement the la tier asked.
LEFT there about an hour ago."
Sorry, mister, but I can't let you
come into the house. If you'll move off
few feet I'll lay some grub on the
chopin block an up the road about
a half-mile you'll find barn with
some hay in it, where you and your
horse can spend the night under
cover"
Samson moved away and soon. the
man brought package of food and
laid 1t on the block and ran back to
the door.
"Tll lay a piece Of silver on the
block" Samson called.
mot darned cent" the man an
swered. ~ hate like p'ison to turn a
feller away In the night, but we're
awful skeered here with children in
the house. GOOd-by. You can't miss
the barn. It's close ag'in' the road"
Samson ate his luncheon in the dark
ness, as he rode, and presently came
upon the barn and unsaddled and
hitched and fed his horse In one end
of 1.-THE beast having drunk his fill
at the creek they had lately forded-
and lay down to rest for the night,
with the saddle blanket beneath him
and his coat for a cover. A wind
from the north began to wall and
whistle through the cracks in the barn
and over it's roof bringing cold wealth
er. SamSOn's feet and legs had been
wet in the crossing, SO that he found
1t difficult to keep warm. He crept
to the side Of his horse, which had
laid down, and found degree of COM
fort in the heat of the animal. But
it was bad night, at best.
1--WE had many long, hard night,
but this is the worst of them," Sam
son thought.
There's many a bad night in the
history of the pioneers, it's shadows
falling on lonely, Unmarked roads,
cut by rivers creeks and marshes and
strung through unnumbered miles of
wild country. Samson was up and
off at daylight in a bitter wind and
six inches of snow. 1t was kind Of
work he would not have undertaken
upon any call less commanding than
that of friendship.
He reached Chicago at noon, having
had nothing to eat that day. There
was no such eager, noisy crowd in the
streets as he had seen before. The
fever of speculation had passed. But
there were many people on the main
thOroughfareS, among whom were
Europeans who had arrived the
autumn before. They were changing
but the marks of the yoke were still
upon them. In Chicago were the
vitals of the West and they were very
much alive in spite of the pahic.
Samson bought some new clothes
and had a bath and a good dinner at
the City hotel. Then he went to the
Office of Mr.. Lionel Davis. There to
his surprise he met his old acquaint-
ance, Eli Fredenberg, who greeted
him with great warmth and told of
having settled in Chicago.
A well-dressed young man came out
of an inner office.
I'D like TO see Mr.. Davis" said
Samson. "Tell him that I've got some
money that belongs to him and that
I'm ready to deliver it."
(TO BE CONTINUED.)