White Bluffs spokesman. [volume] (White Bluffs, Wash.) 1907-1938, 1924-07-04
THE WOLFER
BY
FREDERICK NIVEN
Author of Hands Up!" "rhe Lost Cabin Nine" etc.
Copyright 1928
DODD MEAD AND COMPANY

special attention to them. He opened
his own eyes wide and made on reply.
30 you'll know what mean when
you see him." said Donovan. There's
something about the grayness of
Them"
This seemed still vague, and Fiskes
mind strayed. Then he thought he
must certainly be appearing to be
rather rudely absent from his host
and looked at him again-to find that
Donovan was considering him with
great concentration in his gaze.
Eyes, my lad" said Donovan, new
note in his voice, oddly friendly, you
listen. You got to know the beginning
Of the story. l got hope, If not
bunch, you may get some more Of the
story for yourself. This man I tried
to describe by beginning with his gray
eyes: you'll see him going around
town with a walking stick-carved it
himself out of an ordinary branch. He
looks with them eyes Of his at every
body, as IL he was taking a special
note of them-with a purpose. He
looks at them as keen as Chief Loney
does-you know Loney, Chief of Po-
life. But he looks at them like" he
dropped his voice, "a crook instead of
straight man. My belief about him
of the gray eyes-Larry Shanks-is
that he is so crooked that he couldn't
lie in bed straight. g.
"He came into town a little while
back with a man he'd picked up in
the mountains-not in the slang sense
Of picked up but picked up sure
thing, OF the mountain side. This
was poor old Adam Bush. He was
too old to be out in the hills alone.
He was getting to the age Of shaky
knees, pretty near done, old Adam,
but it seemed he just had to go on
prospecting. The life had got hold of
him. Larry found him, he said, fallen
forward and moaning beside the Sew
en-Up road. He carried him to the
roadside, and then who should come
down it but this Wolfer and his part
ner. Guess you amt seen his partner.
He amt around much. Commonly
called Bunt-Bunt Bradley. That's
what he's called, though Blunt amt
his name.
They got the moribund man upon
one of their pack ponies, and Larry
Shanks he rode on another pack pony,
and so they came stringing into town
on the Seven-Up road. That's the
SEVENTH road right there" He bent
forward, making the chair creak, and
pointed a plump finger. "You see 1t
comes in right here. Poor old Adam
Bush, tied to the pack, groans so
badly right here that Walt reins in
and says to me Il was settin' on the
|veranda): II think we'd better carry
him into your house. Larry, behind
says, "No, get him along to the hos
pital.' The hospital bluff looked a
long ways further to tote man
grooming like that and it just hap
pened that at that precise moment
Doc Rose came hiking along the side
walk opposite. He saw there was
something wrong and over he came,
and Larry says: We're just taking
this man to the hospital, Doc The
doc looked at that face of poor old
Adam sagging down, and the look on
his face was as good as If he said,
You'll never get him further He's
had knock on the temple and
Larry says, I saw that when I found
him. Guess he fell on rock The
doc sure looked worried. He did what
he could, and Larry and Walt the
Wolfer and Blunt were looking on.
When I came in the doc was just ar
ranging the pillows, putting the old
man comfortable. So far as I knew
he hadn't spoken till then.
"And then he did speak. AS clear
and distinct as hale and hearty
man he says, after big sigh:
"'That's good enough And then
he gave big stretch, another long
and rejoicing sigh like man finished
a ticklish job, and the doc put his
hand on his heart, took his wrist and