The Challis messenger. (Challis, Idaho) 1912-current, 1925-04-01

whadya tlnk OF him. boys?" he de
manded again OF the men, who ha
formed a close cir:ie around the pail
"fIe don fight an he got de nerve t
say dat II be ALI to Pierre Cauchon
No. by gar. guess you know bette
dan to fght,' he continued, adding |
foul epithet; and, grinning. he lurchet
insolently past toward the bar. shout
dering Lee as he passed.
He looked back for an instant tt
see whether the other would accept
the provocatIon. and, seeing that he
showed no signs OF doing so. he went
on his way with Shorty. The crowd
gave Lee the once-over contemptu-
ously. II had no love for the bully,
hut an Individual without the fighting
instinct Is not supposed to pose as a
lady's champion and then back down.
The minds of the prospectors were
too obtuse to see that Lee had simply
been satisfied with gaining his point
and enabling the girl to get away un-
molested.
Lee paced the stoop for a while,
finished a pipe. and went early to his
blankets.
4 He interested himself In specializing
who the girl was. She was almost
certainly going to the mission; there
could be no other destination. Perhaps
he would see her again. He thought
of the possibility quite without emo
tion. He ceased to think OF her. and.
tired after the days ride. began to
doze.
He was awakened when the men be-
gan TO stagger into the parlor. Nearly
all of them were drunk, some were
rolling drunk. and, after sporadic,
noisy alterations. they were soon
sprawled out like logs all over the
floor. and snoring loudly. Several
times Lee was obliged to remove
heads, arms. and feet from various
portions OF his anatomy.
He was Just falling asleep again
when the sound Of a name, whispered
almost in his ear, startled him into
instant wakefulness.
Lee recognized the voice as that Of |
the breed. Pierre Cauchon.
For a moment or two he could not |
Imagine from where the man was
speaking. Then he discovered that the
roice came from the other side Of the
arge. empty stove which stood at his
lead, a little out from the wall. His
nee and Plerres were separated,
therefore,, by no more than the cir
OF the metal contalner.
hough Pierre, OF course. did not guess
hat Lee lay on the other side Of 1t,
Tor that he would he likely to have
ny particular lnteres, in what he was
aging.
But the unme that had startled Lee
nto wakefulness was that Of Pelly. /
lis subccnsciousness. alert through
lumber. had caught 1t and communi-
ated the warning.
Before Lee had quite attuned his {
mrs to catch Plerre's remark. Shorty,
he other man, broke in: c
'"You fool. Pierre, you nearly give |
re game away tonight fer shore. You 1
int got no sense at ALL buttin' In q
Ike that and frlghteh,n her away. I
on didn't spose she'd got our photy- h
-nfts In her pocket. did va? The
ouhle with yev Is you CANT hold yer !.
1uor."
Pierre growled: IL didn't have no a
lanst to say word before that four |,
isher butted In. wish I'd beat him
, now. Mebbe I'll git the chanst in l.
4 mornln'."
"well. and why didn't va? I'll tell T
why. Because you saw he amt Il
four-husher. He's tough, that fell b.
r Is. an he was watchIn' va like a
I. Don't va make no mistake about
At. And It's lucky you didn't get no
INST to spill what va was goin' to. or
nd shore have scairt the girl away.
''You listen here" he continued
on keep out of this to-morrer till n,
e's gone. and then we en- ride hard n
d ketch up with her at shutdown and M
plain that we're friends OF hern." IN
Their voices became inarticulate. la
g strained his ears to catch the I'M We
IT OF their conversation. bur he hi
I'D hear pcthing but the low whls- M
Of their voices.
Well. guess you're right, Shorty" al
d Pierre after while. 1--WE got to lie
she don't give us de slip. though" tr,
shorty snickered and whispered hit
nething to which the other CLICKED ha
,roval.
she CANT, neither" he said m,
here's only one way into the range SO
when we got her there we got her VIZ
ere we want her." gr
60 more was said. and soon the SIX
ring from the other side of the OPP
We Indicated that the pair had sue
nbed to sleep. But all desire for thu
pp was banished from Lees brain. thI
there was the alternative OF two be
rises Of action: he could warn the tel
In the morning. placing himself at all
; disposition or he could keep her w'
NJ or iess In sight during his Jour LII
! to following day, with q view to WI