Askov American. [volume] (Askov, Pine County, Minn.) 1914-current, 1927-03-03

how are you going to pay for its
Lydia asked.
Don't you worry, I'll tend to that"
replied Amos. "John's going to hold
it for me, till I can get the pine cut
off. That1l pay for the land"
"How much did you pay for it, Mr..
Levine?" asked Lydia.
Levine grinned. II forgetr'
Lydia sat with her chin cupped in
her palm, her blue eyes on Levine
To the surprise Of both men, she said
nothing.
After the supper dishes were
washed, and Amos was attending to
the chickens, Lydia came slowly out
to the front steps where Levine was
sitting. She leaned her head against
his arm and they sat in silence.
Lydia" said John, finally, "how
does the Great Search go onr'
81 don't thing I make much head
way" replied Lydia. ''The older I
grow, the less I understand men and
I've always felt as If, II there was a
God, He was a man.
"You mean male, rather than fe-
male" agreed John. Lydia, dear, 1
wish you did have faith"
But do you believe, yourselfT"
urged Lydia.
Eyes. I know that the soul can't
die" said the man, quietly. "And the
thing that makes me surest is the
feeling have for you. I know that
I'll have another chance"
'What do you mean" asked Lydia
wonderingly.
"That, you'll never know" he re-
piled.
"Well, I know that you're DEAR"
said the young girl, Unexpectedly, mo
matter how you get your Indian lands
And I love you to death"
She patted his cheek caressingly,
and John Levine smiled sadly to him
self in the darkness
College life was not much unlike
high school life for Lydia. She was
very timid at first: suffered agony
when called on to recite; reached all
her classes as early as possible and
sat In far corner to escape notice.
But gradually, among the six thousand
students she began to lose her self
consciousness and to feel that, after
all, she was only attending a larger
high school.
Except for flying visits home, John
Levine spent the year at Washington.
He was returned to congress practical
ly automatically, at the end Of his
term. Kent throve nightly as a real
estate man. He continued to call on.
lydia at irregular intervals In order
to boast, she thought, of his real estate
acumen and of his correspondence
with Margery and Olga, both Of
whom were now at boarding school.
One Sunday afternoon in March
Amos was in town with John Levine,
who was on one of his hurried visits
home, when Billy Norton came over to
the cottage.
Lydia saw at once that something
was wrong.
whats worrying you, Billy?" she
asked.
Lydia" he said, dropping into
Amos chair and folding his big arms,
you know my tract of land-the one
I was going to buy from an Indian?
l paid young Lone Wolf ten-dollar
option on it while l looked round to
see how 1 could raise enough to pay
him a fair price. He's only kid Of
seventeen and stone blind from ira
choma. Well, yesterday l found that
Marshall had bought it in. He looked
young Lone Wolf up and gave him a
bag of candy. The Indians are crazy
for candy. Then he told him to make
his cross on piece of paper. That
that was receipt that he was to keep
and If he'd show it at the store when
ever he wanted candy, he'd have all
he wanted, for nothing. And he had
two half-breeds witness it. What Mar
shall had done was to get Lone Wolf
to sim a warranty deed, giving Mar
shall his pine land The poor devil of
an Indian didn't know it till yester-
day when he showed me his receipt
in great glee. OF course, they'll swear
he's q mixed blood"
Lydia burst out, ooh. l wish that
reservation had never been heard OF!
It demoralizes every one who comes
in contact with it."
Lydia" said Billy, slowly, I'm
going to expose Marshall. I'm going
to show up his crooked deals with the
Indians. I'm going to rip this reserva-
ton graft wide open. I'm not going
to touch an acre of the land myself
SO can go in with clean hands and
I'm not going to forget that | came
pretty close to being skunk, my
SELF"
"Oh. but, Billy!" cried Lydia.