The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1928-12-21
THE, MARKED MAN


black eyes like Normans mother,
were the sons and daughters of
French Canadian farmers who came
down In an onslaught from the black
hills.
Julie Richaud was one of these.
She arrived on an autumn morning
when Norman was struggling with
Ourth-grade reading. He was eleven
years old. He had grown too rapidly.
His legs were bOny, and the short
knee breeches his mother had made
for him four months before already
had crawled upward, till they did not
conceal the tops of his hand-knit
stockings. He was self-conscious and
his voice had just broken.
Julie Richaud was a small, round,
nothing for any book or the combining
routine of district school discipline.
With her arrival Norman felt for the
first time in his life dim satisfaction
that he was half-French. She made
eyes at him for three days. On the
fourth, during noon lunch period. she
kissed him on the cheek.
81 like you,' she told him. "What
funny yellow hair you gotw
+ Norman flushed and wriggled free.
He stayed out of jules reach during
the remainder of the fourth grade. The
next year he was more friendly, even
going so far as to run away from
school with her one morning recess.
They spent two ecstatic hours propped
on their elbows at the end of the
dock counting the gulls that flew
overhead.
They returned to school in the after
noon. Together, after the others were
dismissed, they wrote the word "tru-
anti five hundred times.
1t was an afternoon late in Nav
Norman was twelve years old
and the fifth-year term had less than
week to run when he
walked with Julie to the top of this
hill road where he was now sitting.
Julie was singing. 1t was not a tune.
Merely something about bean soup
hot and cold. Never for a noment
was her tongue still. She stopped
suddenly and said: Eddie Baker
cheated in spelling today, Norman.
Twice. l seen him. What do you
think teacher'd do if she catched 'im?"
Norman did not know. He could
thinf of nothing that would appall
Eddie Baker. not ever the end of the
world. AT the top of the hill he said,
See you t'-mOrrow," and lay down
by the roadside. He watched Julie
skip on through the yellow dust.
The weeds already were growing
tall enough to conceal him where he
lay. A farmers wagon, crawling out
from town, creaked its unOiled wheels
up the hill The farmer was asleep on
the high seat. Between the wheels
and through the slowly revolving
spokes, Norman made out a pair of
bare feet running behind the wagon.
The horses came abreast of him,
their driver still sleeping heavily.
Norman perceived suddenly that the
boy running behind the wagon was
the same Eddie Baker about whom
Julie had just been talking. He was
well-built, shifty-eyed, muscular
youth, year older than Norman,
two inches shorter but good ten
pounds heavier He had the name of
a ready fighter in the Madrid Bay
school. Norman knew him to be in
vincibe
The wagon passed while Norman
watched. Before he had time to speak
young Baker twisted about. He
glanced up the road and down it, then
crawled rapidly into the box Of the
wagon. He slid off directly, with two
brown paper parcels in his arms. The
farmer still slept. The thief scampered
to the side of the road scratching his
short, dusty bare legs in brambles.
AS he dropped into the grass he
saw Norman.
He did not speak for a moment.
Then, when he lied, Norman felt for
him an extravagant and pitiless scorn.
"He give it to me-" Baker said sui
lenly.
Norman looked at him, his mild,
sober blond face taking on for a mo-
ment suggestion of pink.
"You swiped itp' Norman said. He
was not accusing. He was merely
stating fact in the blunt awkward
way common to him. His father was
like that in speech. Old Gustaf made
his statements firmly, as if he did not
expect contradictions.
Eddie Baker looked a little startled
at the word. But he did not attempt
any further denial. lie unwrapped the
longer Of the two parcels. 1t con-
tanned wooden box of plug tobacco
sealed In red paper. He looked at
Norman automatically. pY e
"I'll go halves on it ]" he offered.
"You swiped itp Norman repeated
His voice arose somewhat. but still
it did not indicate anger.
81 seen you STEAL" Baker countered,
''seen you steal lots. of times :"
"Me?" Norman asked.
"And l can lick you, one hand tied
behind my back!"
Norman stood up slowly. He had no
desire to fight. He knew Eddie Bak-
er's prowess. But the formalities must
be observed. ''Try it, he challenged