Askov American. [volume] (Askov, Pine County, Minn.) 1914-current, 1928-12-20
CHAPTER XVIII
Hearts In the West.

Hearts In the West.
"What's Selwood going to dor"
asked Wentworth. He was sitting
with Carpy in the sunshine on the
hotel porch. A week had passed since
the Crawling Stone tragedy, and
Sleepy Cat, though badly SCARED, had
already prof1ted, rather than lost, by
the efforts to exterminate its crooks
and murderers.
Doctor Carpy took Wentworth's
question seriously. "Selwood talked
about going back East. 'Jingr I says
to him. If you're goin' hack East I'll
hand you letter to friend of mine
there; he'll give you job counting
grass Counting grass?' he says.
Sure I says. He's superintendent
Of an insane asylum. That's what they
do with men that leave Sleepy Cat
for to go back East"
Carpy hardly paused to continue.
Christie was a good deal upset about
this roughness that's been goin' on
here-men gettin' killed and that
kind. well, Christie I says, it's
partly the fault Of the climate.
You've got to remember it's mighty
hard for a man to die here-I mean,
to die the old, bed-fashion, natural
death. This Is a wonderful climate;
it's given you, my girl, fine husband.
He came out here half dead, and If
he hadn't come, he'd "a been dead
long ago. And look at him now! Why,
Christie says, If they didn't kill
of somebody by main force once in
a while out here, or bring In some
more doctors to reduce the popula-
ton, people would get so thick, they'd
be laying out the mountainous for
town lots.
''Then," the doctor went on, "Sel-
wood talked about California. Cali
formal I says. California? Sandl
Fleas Greasersp Well, he thought
he was goin' out there, anyway, to
get hold of little freighting business
Of his own. Don't seem to be no bust
ness here he likes. I offered to sell
the hotel to him."
SWELL" remarked Wentworth, 'If
q freighting business of his own is
all he's looking for, he needn't go to
California for 1t. came up here to
offer him a third interest in our line.
II he'll live here and spend part of
his time in Thief River, he can run
this west end of the line to suit him
SELF"
swell, by gum, I'm thinking that'll
settle it," averred Carpy. "We've got
something to work on. Now let's hunt
up John, and drive that partnership
nail into him while the irons hotl"
1t was not, perhaps, most Of all, the
bride Of an already established and
congenial business that held Selwood
on the crest Of the Rocky Mountain
divide. Every morning he walked
down to the. barn after he had an
nounced he was going to California,
1t made him sick to look into the
faces of his men.
McAlpin's tail-feathers plainly
dropped; Lefever's snug trousers
waistband grew world too wide for
his shrunken sides, and new notches
had to be cut to tighten his cartridge.
belt; Pardaloe moped in and out of
the stable like an ailing mule, peevish,
stopped, and hollow-eyed; Bob Scott,
In desperation, had had his hair cut,
and no self-respecting Chippewa squaw
would longer have acknowledged him
a brother in blood.
How much Of this desperation was
weighing on Selwood's heart as he
listened, sober-faced, to Wentworth's
calm proposals? How much did the
claims Of such a man-for-man friend
ship as men never know, and never
can know, outside the wild life Of
mountain frontier, pull at his heart
while he was debating what to do
in crisis of his checkered life?
But one morning there were heard
at the barn more noise, more shout
ing, more profanity, more laughter,
and more arguments-more fights
were In the off1ng and more symp-
toms of crude, heartfelt rejoicing
were manifest than had been known
there since before the days Of the
Sleepy Cat riots. For that morning
Selwood and Christie had come down
to their hotel breakfast just as Carpy
and wentworth were leaving the din
ing-room. And there was that In
their manner that Carpy read the
moment he looked into their faces. He
was not bit surprised, even If Went
worth by any chance was, when Sell
wood-holding Christie In his arm
said to them both: "Well-I guess
we're going to stay!"
rTTIE TNn1