The Western news. [volume] (Libby, Mont.) 1933-current, 1935-07-11


as well, the weekly pittance to his Leila
al The convent.
Weeks and months rolled by and the
French Canadian had now placed Il I
mules and three wagons on the road
And often. as the first golden rays Of /
the morning sun lighted the sleek
coated sides of his II patient hybrids,
Joe could not help thinking how pic
turesque his outfit must seem to any |
stranger to the country. He wondered |
in particular how it would act upon his |
Leila. should she stand by the roadside |
and see them all pass. "Ah, ma Leila"
he would then sigh, Ma chere, ma
chere enfant."
As he sat astride his near wheelmule,
guiding his leaders by jerkline, Joe
took from the inside pocket of his
coat, letter from his little daughter.
He had read this letter over many,
many times and it seemed that at each
reading he discovered few sentiments
that had not before been gathered.
And now tears gathered in his eyes
as he read along the margin of a page
the all-lettered words, expressing a
plea which was colored with deep
emotion: "Oh, mon pere, | want to 60
TO you--to be where you can feel my
kisses and hear my prayers
she shall come to me. Joe said en-
phatically to himself, and Immediately
sent by registered mail the money
which would bring her.
Joe gave more perservering attention
to his business than he ever had be-
fore His heart was light, gay and un-
troubled. If anything irked him at all,
it was the feeling that, perhaps, the
day for the arrival of his little daugh-
ter might lag. Then he would exclaim.
.Ah, when we meet, eet will be re
grand, re happy surpriser He had
placed the time for the arrival of his
Leila at seven weeks ahead, as pro-
gress up stream by river boats was
ever slow He had delivered his mer-
chandise to the different towns and
mining camps and had returned to Fort
Benton to reload for one more trip
before returning to the rivers pier to
meet the child whom he loved and
held dearer than anything else in life.
The freight offered him was five tons
of black powder, used for blasting in
mines. In heart, Joe was disinclined to
accept SO dangerous an agent which
was enclosed in one thousand canisters,
ten pounds of explosive material in
/ each receptacle. On the other hand,
to wait for the next boats cargo would
hinder his progress. So he loaded his
three wagons with the five tons of
black powder and pulled out Of Fort
Benton at early break of the next day.
II was near the close Of that day,
Joe's mules had travelled over 36 miles
of prairie roads and were now upon a
rise Of country that overlooks the long
and broad valley through which the
Missouri flows in sweeping curves. The
descent in the road that sloped into
the valley caused the wagons 10 crowd
heavily upon the teams. To check this
motion Joe, from the back of his
wheel-mule, pulled at his brake rope
and set his brakes. 3
This he did His mules flicked their
ears forward and back, crowded against
their trace chains and veered off in a
changed direction. They had sensed
the odor of burning powder which
had collected upon the brake block
from stream escaping from a damaged
can. The friction between the broad
iron tire and the heavy brake block
emitted sparks which quickly ignitec
the thin stream of powder Like flash
Of lightning, a blaze leaped to this
wagon bed, covering the whole body
and throwing out vehement, kissing
sounds.
Mules shrilled their cries of terror
and plunged to ri9fst3and to left The
, terrifying aspect-stfuck the young
, freighter with horror; he could only
shrek in terror as he leaped from the
back of his wheel-mule, "Ze gooc
God show mercy to my poor soul!' He
: had gained three hundred feet wher
the final explosion clashed agains
} earth and sky. The earth shook with
thunder out of hells single breath
mules shrilled again in terror anc
agony as black demons were destroy
ing them with exultant, thunderou
tones. Joe was blown over the grount
as an autumn leaf is blown by higf
wind
, Flying rocks and gravel had torn hi
eyes from their sockets, stripped hin
Of every shred Of clothing, and now, a
darkness had gathered all around III
ruinous and forlorn picture, he lay up
! on the ground alone, dying. There wa
! silence, save the dying mans murmur
7 ings Of agony and pain and the far
2 away cry Of coyote which was joine'
: by similar cries from the SUBMITS Q
J buttes or down in some dry creek bee
! The Benton to Helena stage ROLES
$ upon the wreck at dawn the following
morning.
/ The stage driver bent over Joe Will
I the dying man whispered in Cali
G accents. Ma chere, ma Chere Leila,
] YES, joe the driver said with tear
r in his eyes, and quaking over the aw
Y fitness of the torn up region nov
t open to his vision, she arrived las
! evening on the Belvedere, the fines
8 and the swftest boat on the river. Yes
Y | know-it was your daughter, Joe
S fair. blue-eyed girl of about 10 years
: with an abundance Of light, wavy hal
q that rippled down upon her shoulder:
{ 81 rLa could cupak well in either III