The Wolf Point herald. (Wolf Point, Mont.) 1913-1940, 1924-01-31

about him, and what boone of him
All that money he stol'd Tuck ava,
from i'm at the parsonage the evening
of the-funeral, and drove i'm out O
Flatwoods. That's why he went. ant
all that stuff he told y'u about-Ker
was jist lies. I've got all hat money
hid, and Wen put it back in the safe
as soon as you're able t. open it."
The eyes came back from the distant
point where Alpine island split the sill
yer rim of the bottoms.
81 know now that what he said was
all lies, but l didn't then. AS soon as
I got on the boat I saw-Ken wasn't
there. but Hopkins locked the door and
wouldn't let me off. And such a cabin
] as that house-boat had-tight as a Jail.
He made all the apologies a man could
FIR raisin' false hopes about-Ken, and
told me he'd done it all FIR my own
men %plannin' to rob the safe that night
and he'd brung me on the boat t. git
me out O. danger"
She paused; looked at the man;
went on.
"He said he was goin' t. git you t.
hep i'm and you'd both watch the
house, and after the danger was over
you'd come and bring me home. He
said one o. the robbers would be Slim
Finger Doolin, the most dangerous pis-
toll fighter i'll the world. / asked i'm
how e found it all out-not KNOWN
then that he 'imself was Slim Finger
Doolin-but he said he'd rather tell
me all about it next day. From that
minute I was afear'd of him, though he
was as polite and respectful to me as
e could be, short of lettin' me 60"
She felt the eyes of the woodsman
upon her. He looked away and she
went on.
"From that minute / mistrusted he
was one O. the robbers, though / never
let on, and as soon as he was gone /
tried all l could t git out. I was
afear'd*-she looked down at the blan-
ket crumpled a corner of it hard in
her 1ngers-"you might chance t.
hear 'em, and l knowed if y'u did you'd
fight, and / was half wild FIR fear
they'd kill y'u. Oh, if I'd only knowed
it was you that moved the boat -
Jack why didn't y'u let me out-!'
The man stared at the floor and
twisted his great hands till the
knuckles turned white.
cd" he g~roaned-"if / only had
But I thought you'd be safest there. 1t
was the worst mistake I ever made in
my life-that and lettin' Hopkins
preach Pap Simon's-funeral, but l
didn't have no good proof on i'm
then"
The girl glanced at his bowed form.
The tick of the tall old clock in the
corner throbbed loud on the silence;
through the open window came the call
of crows flying home.
"It was away in the night the girl
went on at last, thoughtful and slow.
"b'fore I finly got out by beatin' a hole
In the roof with a stove leg, swum
ashore and run home as fast as 1 could.
I'd jist got in the yard when l saw you
a-standin' there by the winder. Then
that shot and l thought Slim Fin
ger Doolin had-killed y'u. l don't
know what happened after-that-''
after that" the man echoed, his
voice low and broken, we've all ben
to OAK the bravest and most
wonderful girl in the world back to
ife."
'Life!" she murmured, as if the
word came new and strange to her
lfter being so fearfully close to death.
oh, | want so much t have it all back
"And y'u shall have it back I" the
nan cried, catching the appeal in her
'oIce. You've got it now. Every
'reath brings the woods and hills, the
sunshine and flowers, jist that mucn
learer-w'y, you're as good as well
his very minute"
The smile in her eyes came alive
lgain, stole out over her face and
back a heartening suggestion
# the dimples.
BY some intangible bridge all unseen
# human eyes, the smile found it's
way across to the mans grave and seri-
us face; kindled it-like the CLINT of
morning upon the front of Black rock.
He picked up her hand; touched the
AIDED orchid in her palm.
Il low y'u amt f'rgot the day we
found it"
He felt the twitch of her fingers.
Il tried t. ask y'u t'-promise me
hat day-T'm askin' y'u t-promise
le-now-"
1t was the biggest word he had ever
aid in his life. Much like a man who
ad committed a crime and awaited
is sentence, he raised his head ven
lred a glance at the girl.
Something very wonderful had come
her face-like the birth of morning:
nd her eyes like star trails-a mar
TRANSPORTATION that only one
ling in the world can bring.
He slipped from the footstool and