Askov American. [volume] (Askov, Pine County, Minn.) 1914-current, 1929-04-18

.And BY morning they'll be thirty
miles away. That sort Of killing
was never fastened on to any man
yet"
The old man raised a doubled fist
and his face was lined with sorrow.
"Bangs was almost q son to me-" he
said. II taught him to ride-and
we've rode together on every job since
then. You hear mel Some one Is 60
ing to die for this !"
During the next week the girl In
wardly accused the men Of heartless-
ness. They Tested as carelessly as If
nothing unusual had occurred and
she heard no mention Of Bangs. It
seemed that 1t took but q day for
them to forget former comrade who
had come to an untimely end. Rifle
Foster had disappeared but on the
fifth day he turned up at the Three
Bar wagon and resumed his work
without the least explanation of his
absence.
The old man was gloomy and silent,
his face set in sorrowful lines as he
went about his work, and 1t was evil
dent that he was continually brood
ing over the fate of the youth he had
loved.
Billie could not shake off the re-
membrance Of the boys adoring gaze
as his eyes had followed every move
she made and In some vague way she
felt that she was responsible for the
accident. She often rode near Rile
Foster. knowing what was In his
mind. He spoke but little and, in
common with the rest, he never once
mentioned Bangs.
At the end Of q week Slade rode
up to the wagon as the men were
working the cows gathered in the sec.
ond circle Of the day. He jerked
his head to draw her aside out of
range of Waddles' ears.
"HOw's the Three Bar showing up
this spring?" he asked abruptly.
Better than ever" she retorted and
he caught note of defiance in her
voice.
You're lying, Billie" he asserted
calmly. "The Three Bar will show
another shrinkage this year."
"HOw do you known" she flashed !;
and the distrust Of him that Harris
had reused In her, lately submerged
beneath The troubling thoughts of
Bangs, was suddenly quickened and
thrown uppermost in her mind.
Il know" he asserted. "It's my
business to know everything that goes
on anywhere near my range. You
say you want to run the Three Bar
brand yourself. There's not man
in this country that would touch q
Three Bar cow If you was hooked up
with me-"
"And then the Three Bar would be
only one out of a dozen or more Slade
brands" she said.
For no reason at all she was sud.
denly convinced of the truth of Har-
ris' suspicious concerning Slade. She
noted that his eyes travelled from one
man to the next till he had scru-
tinzed every one that worked the
herd.
Are you looking for Morrow" she
demanded, and instantly regretted her
remark. SHADES face did not change
by so much as the bat of an eye and
he failed to reply for a space-too
long space, she ref1ected-then
turned to her.
"MOrrow-who's he?" he asked.
"And why should l look for him?"
HE rode for you last year." she
said.
"Oh! That fellow. I recall him
now. Bleak-looking CITIZEN" he said.
"And what about him?"
"YOu tell me-" she countered.
'That new foreman of yOurs-the
fellow that was scouting round alone
for a few months-has been talking
with his mouth" Slade said. eff he
keeps that up I'll have to ask him to
speak right out what's on his mind"
"He'll tell you." she prophesied.
"What them"
"Then I'll kill him." the man stated.
The girl motioned to Lanky Evans
and he rode across to them.
Ldnky, 1 want you TO remember
this" she said. "Slade has just prom.
Used to kill Harris. And If he does
I'll spend every dollar l own seeing
that he's hung for it." she turned to
Slade. "You might repeat what you
just told me-" she suggested.
Slade looked at her steadily.
"You misunderstood me-" he stated.
II don't recall any remark to that eff
feet or even to mentioning the name
Of Harris. Who is he, anyhow"
Evans slouched easily in the saddle
and twisted smoke.
"Now let's get this straight what
I'm to remember" he said. "Mr. Slade
was saying that he planned to down
Cal Harris the first time he caught
him out alone. l heard him remark
to that effect" He turned and grinned
cheerfully at Slade. "That's his very
words-and I'd swear to it as long as
my breath held out I'll sort Of repeat
it over to myself so that l can give it
to the judge word for word when the
time comes"
Slade favored him with long stare
which Lanky bore with uncOncern