The Coolidge examiner., 1936-05-15

someone asked.
He twisted his head doubtfulIy,
and a sharp pang of dismay ran his
heart.
The girls one arm, hanging in
ert over the log, swayed dismally
as he worked. :.
Fifteen minutes; the watchers
were moving and muttering. The
childs eyes were half open.
Brown eyes, he saw.
Twenty minutes.
Figures were running along the
high bank. A man hurtled down
toward them, and the crowd part
ed to let him through. 1t was Jim
Hinkle, painting, his face the color
of suet. His eyes, large and des-
perate with query, turned to Young.
This must be his child!
Cant tell, Jim," Kerry replied
to the unspoken question. I'VE
should have an outside chance. And
we won't quit!"
His shoulders and back ached.
The inside of one knee had rubbed
raw on the log.
And then Nan Downer was there,
standing just inside the circle of
men. One hand was at her lips
and her eyes were dark with sus-
pense. He smiled assurance at her
as he worked. E.
A full hour had passed since he
carried her from the water. Now
and again Jim Hinkle looked at
Young, and his lips would twitch.
Others were talking loWly, moving
about, their tensity gone. Kerry
could see shrugs and heads shaken.
They had given up hope.
Don't you Think" Mel Knight,
the storekeeper at the Landing,
asked as he came close, that it'd
be as we'll . You see, they got to
realize it sometime"
mo, we won't quit"
He had just started the pres
sure, but relaxed it. He held his
hand on the small back and turned
his head, intently waiting for what
he had thought he felt to come
again.
. Then it came again just the
whisper of a cough!
Careful, jim! Steady nOw.w He
held the trembling father back with
one arm, and began to chafe one
of the little girls wrists rapidly.
He beckoned Nan to him.
Get after the feet" he said qui-
etly. "She's on her way"
Ten minutes later Kerry gave the
moaning child into her father's
arms and stood beside Nan, watch
ing her carried tenderly away. The
look on the mothers face, the vast
relief and thanksgiving which
showed in the very set of Jim's
shoulders, touched things within
Young.
A breed had turned to join the
ragged procession moving up the
bank.
"Who's the Injun?' he asked the
girl, eyes following the great frame
of the man, strength of which could
not be concealed by the cotton shirt
and faded overalls and moccasins.
His name is Bluejay Frank
Blueiay," she answered; and then,
as if pointedly: "Why?'
He shrugged. "He was spying
on me from across the river this
morning"
A slight gasp escaped her.
"Bluejay too! He's a bad citi-
zen," she whispered. Everyone dis
trusts him except Tod West. He
works for him, when he works."
A hard smile came into Young's
eyes and he nodded.
"When he works, eh?" he asked.
They parted then, Nan going to-
ward the mill, Young mounting the
trestle abutment slowly.
"Hi, Bluejay!" he hailed.
The breed turned, standing on
the ties.
"What you want?" he asked.
with the accent of his race, and
his look was clearly a belligerent
one.
Young did not answer until he
had covered the distance between
them. When, at rm's-length, Kerry
stopped, he said quietly:
81 want to know this: why were
you watching me from cover this
morning? And when I've found that
out, I'm going to ask you why you
were fighting me under water down
there?"
who's askin' that?" Bluejay
asked. You? Huh! 1 tell you;
1 say to you, it's none Of your dam
business what I dot" He nodded
slowly, head thrust forward 81
say something more to you, eh?
say these; you get to hell outta
here before something very bad
catch up with"
He did not finish the threat. Sure
of himself as a bad man we'll and
long feared will be, he was unpre-
pared for Kerry's quick move.
He swung sharply and stoutly,
putting all his strength into the
swing. His palm caught Bluejay