Askov American. [volume] (Askov, Pine County, Minn.) 1914-current, 1928-07-19

to the hall on the Hill. The only sign
of life about the place was Bull Page,
who was filling and shining up the
lamps. Selwood spoke kindly to him
Bull was devotee. Walking to the
back of the hall, Selwood went be-
hind his desk He lifted the glass
clock dome, doubled the shoe up, and
put it into one Of his capacious peck
cts. He had resolved mentally to ask
Christie today whether this was her
shoe; If she claimed it, he meant to
make her prove her claim by trying
1t on for him.
1t was useless to pretend he could
visit her without careful preparation.
The least vain man would have tried
to look his best for a call on the only
pretty girl in Sleepy Cat-Bill Parda-
lOe claimed" she was the only pref
ty girl on the Mountain divide.
And Selwood was vain. He prob
ably did not think so, but his careful
dress among careless men condemned
him. This afternoon that he went to
call on Christie he was in that dam
gerous state of preparedness that had
given him his unwelcome nickname.
Fyler sat in a chair near the door,
summing himself. At the whip rack
out wagon whip. In the darker rear
end of the store Selwood, pausing
at the door to shake hands with
Fyler and ask after his health, caught
a glimpse of Christie talking to some
man whose back was so turned that
Selwood could not see who it was.
The quiet gambler, with his left hand
resting easily on the toe of the shoe
In his side coat pocket, chatted for
a moment with the father Of the girl
who claimed so much of his thoughts
talked with him about the news
from the East, the increase In travel,
the growing disorders in the town,
and at length, getting away from him,
walked into the store.
Big Haynes stopped him. "John."
he said, 81 understand Wentworth
will be here tomorrow"
"Yes."
bringing old General Roper with
him"
$50 I'm told"
Selwood heard Christie's voice just
then in the back of the store. And
it was raised in indignant protest. 81
don't believe any such thing" she
was saying holly.
Selwood heard a mans laugh. He
recognized it as Starbuck's. He heard
also Starbuck's subdued but satisfied
retort: "Ask him sometime"
II WILL" exclaimed Christie vehe-
mently. "I'll ask him the very next
time see him"
The talk between the two had evil
IDENTIFY gone on in ignorance of Sell
woods presence. To know that Star
buck was in the store-and talking
with Christie-was quite enough to
stir Selwood into an ugly Woodland
some intuition suggested that they
might be talking about him. Resisting
an impulse to walk back where he
COulu Dc Scou, SclWOOu, Ills ltlt uIlu
resting on a bale of blankets piled
on a dry-goods box between the two
counters, and holding in the fingers
of his left hand an unlighted cigar,
stood perfectly still, eyes and ears
open.
He had not long to wait. He soon
heard Christie's footsteps, light and
quick-she came down on her heels
with such decision! And they were
coming toward him.
She stopped as she saw SelwOod.
Her flushed face, her challenging ex-
preston and questioning eyes betOk-
ened her excitement She looked fix
edly at him. Returning her gaze, he
lifted his hat with his left hand and
laid it carelessly on the blankets.
Then he waited for her to speak, and,
as she did not at once, he broke the
pause himself. "Good morning." he
said, eff it's not too late"
Starbuck, who had followed
Christie, halted a few feet away. The
passageway was narrow and he