White Bluffs spokesman. [volume] (White Bluffs, Wash.) 1907-1938, 1926-07-30
GODFATHER TO SATAN'S KITCHEN
BY HAPSBURG LIEBE

still alive.
"How do we feel, pardner?"
Bout the same. I'm awful cold,
Buckmaster."
"The's two officers down at the mis-
sion, pardner. see 'em.
go on" urged the muffled voice
"Pll clear ye."
OF a part of it! But the other part?
Buckmaster shut his teeth tightly.
The other part would send him to
prison for no less than twenty years.
He would put the wounded man
down there, call to the officers and
ask them to come and get him, and
make good his escape. The money he
would take with him; the mission
needed it and the mission should have
it. Just when he was about to act on
this plan, Tom Elderidge and his wife,
Liz beth and Little Billy BLY, and six
Elderidge children, followed by four
hounds, came filing singly up the path
that led from the creek trail to the
chapel Buckmaster watched Liz beth
closely; she was in coarse shoes and
stockings, blue calico and the imita-
ton Paisley shawl. He could see her
features plainly, and to him she
seemed sad. Then the chapel's new
organ made itself heard, and song
| in many willing voices burst like a
benediction on the crisp mountain air:
"There were ninety and nine that
safely lay
| In the shelter of the fold,
But one went out on the hills"
law, found himself suddenly living
over days of his childhood. The lit
! tie lowland woman, his mother, she
had sung that old, old song. The
piteous, tragic irony of it was alto
gether lost on him, the white sheep
the little lowland woman had sung
that that song. No more was he his
own master. Dazedly, like man in
trance, he gathered the gray bundle
closer against his breastand staggered
with it down to the chapel's door,
where he crumpled, unconscious, from
exhaustion.
Look to him." he muttered as he
sank to the steps. "Mebbe he'll live"
When Buckmaster came around he
was snug and warm and comfortable.
He opened his eyes to see piece of
furniture that was familiar to him;
it was cheap pine dresser which
stood beside a half-open window He
/ was in Professor Hardin's bed and
Good mornin' to We, pe'fessor!" he
said.
only it's afternoon" Hardin smiled.
Feel all right now?"
Keen as mink How's the bitsy
robber?"
Dead" Hardin said gravely "It's
a wonder he lived so long. But he
saved you Buckmaster. He swore
before us all that he held up even
those men that you help up! The Off
GERS got all the money You're all
right now"
RnCly ctpr'c n q Yrnua1
was trying to think and it was job.
But that money bring to YOU"
II kept it. l put it in with the
'bitsy' robbers money without the Off
|cers' being any the wiser. You see,
figured that you'd be caught, and l
was holding that money as evidence in
your favor; l was afraid to send it
back to it's owners, not knowing what
you'd do if l did. If you were sent
to prison / meant to circulate a petit
ton among the Presbyterians of this
State, to be sent ultimately to the gov
ernor, asking him to pardon you. 1t
would have worked, too, Buckmaster,
SO long as you had no blood to your
hands"
Buckmaster was silent for two min
utes. So stolen funds hadn't bought
the new organ, hadn't clothed Little
Billy BLY,.
"The bitsy robber, he swore lie
on his deathbed to come clean WI me,
to save me. That was fine of him,
professor, shore. After all, the's been
somethin' in my life woth livin' to
have. But the future"
ut will be just what you make it,
Buckmaster. You've cleared your
part of your name-you and the 'bitsy'
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS \