Montana oil and mining journal. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1931-1953, 1936-05-30
The Getaway


Publiuhsd BY Special Arransements with The
Chicago Tribune-New YORK News Syndicate,
incorporated
! Copyright: 1885: BY Ssruthers Burt
IN TWO PARTs-PART ONE
-WHE UPPER E Bar e. the dude
send of the e Bar Z ranches, cat
tie, and dudes, from Shall Frs
n kline, owner, to Charles c. Lee,
Chinese cook, was deeply. II I'M
spokenly, sorry for Uncle Henry Wisely.
UnSpokenIy, because If the Upper E
Bar E had expressed its sympathy Uncle
Henry would have been insulted. Uncle
Henry was "a native born, selt-re-
spectin' American citizen, by thunderl"
and all his life had taken care Of him
self
Uncle Henry was one Of the Upper
E Bar Els faVOrite neighbors and visit
ors. He lived 10 miles down Cabin creek
valley on q homestead no one but re-
tired prospector-if there is such q
thing as a retired prospector would
have taken up. The 100 acres consisted
almost entirely Of willows and bog
land, their sole advantages being that
Uncle Henry was difficult to find, un-
less you knew your way in, and could
disappear without anyone knowing
where he had gone. But he hadn't been
quick enough for his nephew, George,
and Georges wife, Violet. Violet and
George had caught him unaware, ar
irving unannounced from Chicago,
which they claimed as their home, in
a battered touring car which, after
sideling up to the poles Of Uncle Henrys
small and dusty corral, had coughed
once and shaken its head, and from
then on had never been seen to work
again.
This, however, did not bother George
and Violet. They used quite conteated-
ly Uncle Henry's equally battered car.
In fact, George and ViOlet'S leading
characteristic seemed to be their con-
tentment with other peoples posses
sions only they took this contentment
out differently.
George was silent, disdainful, and
secretive; contented so long as nobody
asked him to do anything Violet was
garrulous, busting, and filled with IL
logical advice and disconnected gossip.
Her main preoccupation was a fanatic
al desire to change the habits and the
furniture of others.
George resembled lima bean plant
that had succumbed TO the inroads Of
drouth and moles. He was wilted. He
was short and thin and straw colored,
and his blue eyes were opaque and
pale, with slight cast in one of them.
Nor did it end there. There we're times
when George was sinister That was
when, out of the corner of his mouth, a
cigaret dangling from it, he was adj
miring the corrupt and murderous.
Violet what mad prank on the
part of parents had given her the
name? conveyed no impression of |
being anything but merely silly. Had
she been born 20 years earlier and |
country girl, she would have pulled her !
thin, neutral colored hair into tight |
knot on top of her head and let 1t go
at that; being urban, she went In Tor
beach pajamaS, and bobbed her hair
and parted it in a vague imitation Of
Greta Carlo. This emphasized her high
forehead, also her teeth. Furthermore,
Violet's ideas Of makeup were impress
sionistic so long as she had rouge
on her face she was happy.
kinda like a red sunset" Gar Brit
,en, foreman of the Upper z Bar e,
nused wonderingly to Shall Erskine.
And It don't look good for tomorrow.
Car Britten, q fatalist, like most
nature men who have lived In large
countries where flood, forest fire, snow,
and livestock were prevalent remarked
% Erskine that life was a diSorderly
affair He said this the second time he
aw Violet and George. Il
ct amt no good" he said, mind
". yOuI OWN BUoluCdct VI bSAA4H q 4CesA 4
rood Christian character like Uncle
Henry No. sir, 1t amt no good at all.
t amt even no good being a bachelor.
Zou says to yourself, won't have no
hildren, and 8 sister or something
wishes a George and Violet on you = {
Even Uncle Henry was puzzled. AT
he end of two weeks OF George and !
Toilet, marked by q complete silence on
is part, he arrived at the Upper e {
bar e and sat In the shade OF saddle :
he'd In the company Of Shall and Gar &
lritten, and surveyed with the mildest .
blue eyes the bright, cool morning. :,
They made an interesting contrast, y
hail and Gar. Shall was six feet tall,
nd dark haired, and gray eyed, and 2
i'm, and smiling. Gar was short and
nick set. his lined face the color Of Q
Gather, his eyes black, his straight
lack hair streaked with gray. z
Gar had brought Shall up. Shall had =
lherited him from his father, who !,
ad founded the e Bar E.
Uncle Henry Stroked his short, =
hite beard, and surveyed the bright, Y
lue morning. He spoke with difficulty =
nd deprecatingly. Uncle Henry hated =
, say anything disparaging about any g
ling about man, or q woman, or Q
horse, or even the weather.
81 never did understand her right q
- he said In his high, remote voice, q
lie partly to deafness and partly to- y
sars of lonely prospecting He was u
,eaking about his sister, Georges =
y I...-o.z,, Lo1I W