The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1926-12-17
CHAPTER XI
lydia Ciggles

lie days ueW LSHliy ny, llSHliy Ioi
Lydia. too. in spite of the heavy Sc
cret she carried of Levine's plotting.
The day before they broke camp,
Lydia's old squaw appeared and asked
for Charlie Jackson.
Charlie and Kent were cooking din
ner
Dear me-" said Miss Towne, "tell
him to take the poor thing away, Ly
dia"
"He must feed her, first" exclaimed
Lydia, leading the old Indian over to
the cooking shelter.
Kent and Lydia exchanged glances
as Charlie led the squaw-Susie, he
called her-into the woods, after Ly-
dia had heaped her old arms with
food. Kent and Gustus had put the
dinner on the table and they all were
seated at the meal when Charlie re-
turned.
what did she want, Charlie?" asked
Olga
''You wouldn't care If 1 told you"
replied Charlie, grimly. But" he
burst forth suddenly, "some day you
whites will pay. Some day the Japs
or the Jews will do to you Americans
what you've done to us.
Look here, Lydia, Levine is up to
some new cussedness. Old Susie came
on him in council the other night with
six of the worst half-breeds in the
reservation. She lost her head and
began to jaw him so she didn't find
out what il was about And he's get
ting the last Of my timber now. Ly-
dia. you've got to help me. When you
get home, talk to Levine"
Getting the last of your timber J"
exclaimed Kent.
Eyes, the law lets 'em get the dead
and down stuff and who's going to
swear it's fresh stuff that he cut this
summer and will get out next winterT
But how does he come TO be taking
your wood? Why don't you go to see
him yourself?" asked Kent.
81 can't answer either Of those
questions" replied Charlie, sullenly.
The two young whites thought of
the attack on Levine, and looked at
each other apprehensively.
won't the Indian agent stop him?'
asked Lydia.
"He! Why, he's deep in the mire
himself with Dave Marshall. My God,
Margery Marshall went to New York
on a blind Indian boys pines Lydia,
save my pines for me! They belong
TO my tribe My father was going to
Washington three years ago to tell
the President about the graft when
they shot him from ambush. If l put
up fight, they'll shoot me. Lydia,
won't you help us?"
Neither Kent nor Lydia ever had
seen Charlie thus before. He was
neither arrogant nor sullen. He was
pleading with a tragic hopelessness
that moved his two hearers pro-
foundly.
"Oh, Charlie! I will try" cried
Lydia. 81 truly WILL
81 knew you would" said Charlie,
huskily, and he turned back abruptly
to the camp.
Lydia stared about her. Supposing,
she thought, that she owned hun
dred acres Of this pine land. She
forgot Kent and concentrated every
force of her mind on sensing what
land ownership would mean. And
suddenly there stirred within her a
desire for acreage, for trees, soil
stream and shrub, a wide demesne
that should be hers and her childrens
forever.
Are you really going to talk to LIE,
vine" Kent reused her from her
reverie.
YES! Didn't l promise to?"
Lots Of good it'll do" grunted
Kent. "And if you tell him we over
heard him in the woods, I'll be sore
'T don't see why"
Because, after | finish high school,
I'm going to tell him / know, to make
him let me in on the deal. Look here,
Lyd, don't tell him l was with you,
anyhow"
"Oh, all right" replied Lydia, cross
ly. For goodness sake, don't let's
talk about it any more. / don't see
why men always have to be plotting
I'm going back to camp and help
pack"
The driver arrived with the carry
all at nine o'clock the next morning,
and at mid-afternOon, Lydia was
dropped at the gate, where Adam took
possession of her.
The house seemed small and dingy.
Lydia dropped her suitcase in the
kitchen.
I've just got to train old Lizzie. I"
she said, $50 that she won't leave her
old carpet slippers and her apron in
the middle of the kitchen every time
she goes out l do wish we had Mis-
sion furniture instead of this ever
lasting old mahogany. / just guess
there's got to be some reforming in
this house, this summer"
Amos came in the gate shortly after
six. Lydia was waiting for him at
the front door. He looked suddenly
shabby and old to Lydia and she
kissed him very tenderly. 1t required
all the supper hour and all the re-
mainder of the evening to tell the
story Of the camp and to answer Liz
zie's and Amos questions. There
were several episodes Lydia did not
describe; that Of the half-breed coun-
Gil in the wood. for example.
Lydia was sitting on the front
steps, the next afternoon, with a book
in her lap and Adam at her feet, when
Billy Norton called. He stopped for
8 chat in the garden with her father,
before coming up to greet Lydia.
"He is awful homely. A regular old
farmer" she thought, comparing him
with the elegant Gustus and with
Kents careless grace.
Hello, Lyd! Awful glad you're
back %
He sat down on the step below her
and .udia ruI.inl,Ind har noca IIo oar