The Bottineau courant. (Bottineau, Bottineau County, N.D.) 1895-1929, 1922-03-16

hadn't been recordedt you and Daddy
had both spoken OF that. / felt sure
he'd take it again. and perhaps de.
stroy II. AT first, / thought I'd tell
you or Daddy, OF both of you. But
knew that would mean trouble"
I'VE We're never very far from the
fighting edge in those days" I admit
ted. Fullerton had shown me the
gun he always carried under his arm,
and had told me what to expect In
case ! were foolish enough to lose my
temper" y" #y@ W p I&.$
II know" she nodded. 'tHe killed
a man once; 1t was when I was d
little girl and We were living In Grip
pie Creek. He was acquitted on the
plea Of seif-defense. So I didn't dare
say anything to you or to Daddy.
What I did was to steal your deed
myself, when I had a chance. Daddy
has some blank forms just like 1t, and
I sat up n night In my room and
male a copy. 1t wasn't a very good
copy-your grandfather's handwriting
was awfully hard to initiate. Besides.
/ didn't have any notaria1 seal. But
l thought 1t might do for-for some
thing to he stolen. Then I hid the
real deed and put the copy back in
the envelope in your pocket"
And Fullerton finally stole it. just
as yeu thought he would" / put in.
HE did. You are dreadfulIy care
less with YOU things; YOU are al
ways leaving your coat around, Just
where you happen to take it off. I
knew tlien that the next thing to be
done was to get your deed recorded
quickly. He-he was urging me every
day to run away with him. and I was
afraid to tell him how mucFT despised
him; afraid he'd take it out on you
and Daddy. So I just let him go on
n ak and believe what he pleased.
OF course, he wanted to ride with me
the morning we went away, but after
we got down the road a piece. I made
an excuse to go on ahead by another
trail"
"That much of what he told your
father and me-when we were having
the scrap-was true. He said you
went m ahead"
Il didn't go to Atropia. as he ex-
pected me to-" she continued calmly.
Il took the old Haversack trail across
the mountain to Greaser siding. /
knew that the Copah train would stop
there on the side-track. When / got
as far as the Haversack / thought I
heard somebody following me. I was
scared and didn't know what to do. I
was afraid my copying of the deed had
been discovered and that the original
would be taken away from me, So I
hurried to hide the real deed. The
old Haversack tunnel seemed to be q
good place, but while I was in there
! Barney began to- hark.rand I looked
out and saw that the noise I had heard
had been made by a stray COW from
one of the foothill ranches. So I re-
mounted and rode on to catch the
train to Copah. At Greaser siding I
tried TO make Barney lead the pony
home. and Barney tried his best to do
it. But Winkie wanted to Craze, and
I had to go off and leave them when
the train II That's all, I think;
except that I had to wait two days at
my cousins in Copah before I could
get the deed back from the record
er's office. They were awfully slow
about it,
"It isn't quite all," I amended. "You
haven't told me how you happened to
come back with Beasley and his
posse"
THAT was just a coincidence. I
reached Atropia on the early morning
train and met Mr.. Beasley and his
men just as they were starting up the
mountain. Cousin Buddy Fuller had
told me how he had telegraphed to
Angels for Mr.. Beasley, and I was
scared to death, of course, because I
knew what it meant. So / borrowed
the Haggertys' pony and came along
with h posse"
There vas silence for a little time;
such silence as the Gathering and
hammering Of the carpenters and
steam-fitters permitted. Then I said:
AND when you got here. the first
thing l did was to call you Mrs. Bull
lerton'. l don't blame you for not be.
ing able to forgive me, Jeanne. girl
honestly, l don't"
1T was worse than a crime" she
averred solemnly; ut was a blunder.
What made you do it,"
Partly because I was a Jealous
fool; but mostly because I was sore
and sorry and disappointed. I thought
Fullerton had beaten me to it,"
No." h said quite soberly; ut
was Miss Randle who beat you to it."
! / gasped. There were tremendous