Askov American. [volume] (Askov, Pine County, Minn.) 1914-current, 1928-06-14
THE STORY

CHAPTER lat Sleepy Cat Doctor
Carpy tells Wentworth, freightins boss
Bling den, In which John selwood,
gambler, in defense Of his wounded
partner, Dave Tracy, shows remarkable
skill and nerve.
CHAPTER ia year afterward,
Selwood, now Wentworth's representa-.
tive at Sleepy Cat, driving his buck
board, comes upon a settler whose
wagon has mired in a creek. He helps
get the outfit clear, after picking up g
girls shoe and seen and been attracted
by the supposed owner thereof in Fy-
ler's (the settler's) wagon. Moses Nc
Cracker, a youth, is robbed of $500
In a Sleepy Cat gambling den. HIS
boss.
powerless, informs Selwood Of the rob-
berry, and Selwood forces the swindlers,
Bartoe and Atkins, to return the money.
CHAPTER Iv.-starbuck, head of the
crooked gamblers, demonstrates with
Selwood and is sharply rebuffed. Fyler
opens a dry goods store, with Big
Worthless goods in the place. Bill
Pardaloe, young McCracken's uncle. is
engaged by Selwood as a freighter.
his wounds. is looked after by Marga-
ret Hyde, woman of mystery, house,
keeper at Doctor Carpy's hotel. Sell
w w,ods learns ii the girl whose shoe hs
Continued from last weekly
Paradoe. picking up his gun in his
left hand and resting his right hand
on the haft Of q huge bowie knife,
fashioned from blacksmith's file and
slung at his hip, wandered on his
way. Selwood directed his steps to-
ward Tracy's tent.
To this tent quarter had also come
Christie Fyler and her father for
temporary lodgings. Selwood paid
little attention to the fiotsam Of the
tent colony. He had only been careful
to pitch and equip q tent for his
friend, a hundred yards from any
other tent. But Dave had fingered
refusing to die and not quite equal
to getting well; in consequence, the
newcomers encroached on his privacy
until the Fyler tent was pitched al
most back to back with his own; and
all that Christie had ever heard Of
her neighbours tent-a larger and bet
ter tent than the others-was that it
sheltered a sick gambler. Christie saw
at times an Indian-looking man COM
ing and going from the gamblers tent,
and at times a woman-who came
daily from somewhere to bring
broth and to tidy up the quarters of
the wounded man.
Once Christie, at her own work,
had caught glimpse of this woman's
face. She was not old in years, but
her complexion, ruined by the sun
and the winds of the mountains, made
her look old. Her features showed
traces Of an earlier beauty, and her
elastic step proved her health and
strength; 1t was care and unhappi-
ness that aged her expression. Her
eyes fixed themselves In Christie's
memory; they were dark, rather deep
eyes, with hard look, as If Of hope,
like her youth, faded. Meeting her
again in the street, as the two passed
on their ways. Christie had paused
to ask question. The response had
been cold-not calculated to invite
acquaintance.
Margaret Hyde, indeed, courted no
acquaintance. Many women passed
through Sleepy Cat, but among the
few that called Sleepy Cat their abid-
ing place she walked alone. She was
housekeeper at Doctor Carpy's hotel;
a Woodworking housekeeper under the
hardest possible conditions; but she
stuck to her Job and walked her way
alone. And cold and hard though
she was, she was never too tired to
bring delicacies to the ailing or to
sit up at night to care for sick
teamster.
On this morning that Selwood part
ed from the irascible surgeon,
Christie Fyler, leaving her own tent
to go up street, caught sight for the
first time Of a new visitor at the sick
mans tent. This was Selwood. No
day passed, indeed, without Selwood's
seeing Tracy; he made his visits
usually in the early evening. before
going to the hall. On this particular
morning his anxiety had got him up
early-for him-that Is, before noon.
to see Carpy and discuss his friends
chances. From the tent Selwood
walked back to the hotel for his own
breakfast and UNNECESSARILY one
meal On the way he had to. pass the
old building made over into store
by the trader, Fyler-the man Of
whom Carpy had so feelingly CON-
planned - and passing, Selwood.
moved by an impulse Of curiosity.
looked in.
A midday auction was in progress.
Before a counter, where Selwood en-
tered, was gathered small crowd of
men-emigrants, settlers, teamsters,
and loafers; while on the counter.
rea-faced and in his shirt-sieeves, stood
Big Haynes, running an eloquent auc-
ton. The bidding was good, stuff was
moving briskly. At the rear end of the
counter Fyler, behind dry-goods box.