The Challis messenger. (Challis, Idaho) 1912-current, 1924-04-23
Of Tale
of the
FLatwoods

be with us imself." He glanced at
the envelope. ivy, he's In town
what the"
Belden took the envelope, stuffed
the letter clumsily back In 1t and PM
1t In his pocket.
"Wonder what e meant" he NUT
tered, "by cautionin' us s. dern p'inted
pitcher not T. hurt the CALF she's
thar. If she's thar-where else would
she be? Says we mustn't hurt 'er, even
If we hat t. cut out an leave the
swag" He glanced away in the direc-
ton Of the squalid cabin up at the
head Of the hollow; black look
crossed his face, and the man at the
chink wondered If he was thinking Of
that scene at the pallet under the win
dow the night before. wonder what
e thinks we air." he went on. Don't
hurt 'er-if she's thar-h-lW
The two outlaws hunted their pipes,
lounged down sn the two boxes and
smoked for some moments in thought
full silence. Betden suddenly straight
ened; slapped his hand down on his
knee.
"Must take some nerve" he chuckled,
"t' murder a man, an then preach Is
| funeral"
| Black Bogus drew hard on his pipe;
pulled out the smoke slowly; shrugged
his heavy shoulders.
"Nerve-huh-he don't give up the
spoon t nobody when it comes t
nerve, he don't.'
Nearly an hour the two sat smoking
and Internationally discussing their
plans, no detail Of which escaped tbs
listener.
Belden was the first to leave. Black
Bogus waited several minutes before
following; finally slipped out, with far
greater caution than Belden had
shown; stopped low through the weeds
and only came out into the road when
some distance above the yard, at a
point where the bushes grew dense
along both sides.
The woodsman waited till he was
well out of sight and sound before
creeping from under the wild cucum-
Der vines and stealing through the
bushes up the hill. He had found out
what he wanted to know.
The landscape lay before him In all
It's midday splendor. Mrs. Curry had
doubtless just mended the fire in the
kitchen stove at the red-roofed cot
tage, for white wood smoke curled up
from the chimney hut the air was
evidently too light and still to bear
1t up, for it drifted lazily away, to set
tie in long bank Of airy fluffiness
that draped itself above the orchard
trees like the veil Of a goddess lost !
out of the skies. Above the homestead,
and farther away over the bottoms,
swift-winged swallows skinned the |
air; a dozen or so blackbirds Hoped
down out of the woods and stopped !
long enough in the big elm for a short
concert.
Down by the road gate Graylock lift
ed his head, whinnied, came trotting
up the barn-lot and the man set his
feet to the rough path that wound
down among the rocks.
He had let the horses into the barn
and fed them, and was on the way to
his cabin, with the intention Of carry
ing the hidden bundles of money to
Texie and taking her into his full con-
fidence, when he saw Mrs. Curry, fat
and portly, hurrying across the
orchard at her pudgy best.
Here's a note Texie left FIR y'u."
She held up an envelope, sealed.
left FIR meY'-he was in at the
gate in three strides and hurrying
across the yardZ"where's she gomez"
"She got letter this mornin'," Mrs.
Curry puffed, land she said she'd hat
T. go t. town. She writ you this note,
Brownie and rode away lick
ety-split. She said If she didn't come
back this evenin' l wuz t git you t
sleep at our house. and I wus t. stay
with Aunt Liza"
The woodsman mad snatched the
note and was eagerly glancing II
through:
Dear Jack:
1--WE had such wonderful news. Ken
amt dead, after ALL He is in the city
at a womans house named Doll Baker
On Brickbat alley. He is sick and
wants me to come Mr.. Hopkins got
4 letter from him askin' him to come,
Dein' his old classmate, so he went last
night and wrote back to me this morn
ing. Pore Ken, l guess he Is awful
proud, and he is so sick. Mr.. Hopkins
thought he better not tell him nothing
about father. He don't want me to tell
nobody, and to come alone. But l
would of told you, for know you wont
tell, but l saw you going up In the
woods this morning, so wrote you this
note. o, Jack. amt you glad
"TEXIE."
(TO BE CONTINUED.)
English Quakes.