The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1927-03-25


father?
Selwood turned to Christie. 81 won
der whether / could see-your father,
"a minute" He didn't want to say
'your father" being just that resent
full; Selwood wanted to say, not
'your father" but "Fyler"-so little
was he in love with him; and being
just mean enough to feel the trader
had something coming to him."
"Why not?" interposed Carpy.
He's down there in that tent right
back of Dawes"
I'D better wait till you come back"
suggested Selwood, appealing to
Christie.
"Come along to the office then; I'll
give her the medicine and you two
can go back together"
Until the two left the office, medi-
cine In hand, Carpy kept the talk
going. But when Selwood found him
self on the way to the tent in COM
pany with Christie only, the situation
grew embarrassing. Selwood's hard
ness Of heart was fast giving way
before the innocence of Christie, who.
properly, chilled as she perceived
Selwood's attempts to warm. Alto
gether, by the time the tent fly was
reached, Selwood's fine poise had
about failed him-he was feeling I'M
comfortable.
Carpy's presence was not needed to
enable him. to pass on FLYERS condl-
ton. Selwood had come in contact
with many injured men, and saw at
once from FLYERS eyes that he was
more scared than hurt. Selwood lis
tened without comment to the story
told partly by Fyler and partly
through excited interruption by
Christie. Violence was all so new to
Christie, her view of it as something
too horrible for men to resort to was
so naive in the surroundings to which
she was now condemned, that Sell
wood regarded her as the most inno-
cent person he had ever met, and felt
sorry for what might be ahead of
her on the frontier.
He offered what perfunctory conso-
lation he could, but not being skilled
in that sort of thing, did only reason
ably well at it. He asked Fyler
whether he thought he could recog-
nize his assailants. Christie inter-
vened. "How could he? 1t was pitch
dark-but Mr.. Starbuck warned
father just the other day to be care
ful''-Selwood pricked up his ears
she said the town is bothered every
night with men that come in in the
evening"" continued Christie excited
ly. "They rob people and leave again
before morning."
Selwooo nodded regretfully. "That
makes it hard ON the local talent,
doesn't it? Well. you got off with
your life" he said to Fyler. "That's
better than some men do. I'll see
whether I can find out anything. And
I'll drop in again to see how you are
coming on; hope you'll be feeling bet
ter SOON"
Christie followed him outside the
tent and, pausing a few steps away,
dppCdlCu " AtAu WILL lIOuDICu eyes.
"Do you think my father will get
well?"
I'm not a doctor, Christie"-her
name came in a kind of gulp, the first
time he had ever spoken it to her
''but I've seen a good many men
pounded on the head" he said,
flushing little with self-conscious-
ness at the admission. IF your father
were hurt badly he'd be unconscious
and he would breathe like-weIl,
like man snoring pretty hard"
HE says he doesn't want to get
well, now he's lost everything"
''If all the men in Sleepy Cat that
have lost everything were to die, there
wouldn't be Indians enough on the
reservation to bury them. He'll get
over that. Sleepy Cat money comes
easy and goes easy. Besides, wouldn't
say your fathers lost everything;
he'll get his store back, somehow"
sand he's begun gambling, too, in
this horrible place." murmured
Christie, "and that's like death to me
Il hate gamblers ~
Selwood turned red as turkey
gobbler-where was his poise now?
where's your father gambling?"
he asked, swallowing, but resolved
to bluff it out.