Browning chief. [volume] (Browning, Mont.) 1941-1953, 1941-01-24
~ htlfA ToePlNC MILLER

Il reckon I'll stay here. I shot
that teller. He was fixing to steal
my timber. I'd q shot them al II
my gun hadn't jammed. Never
mowed it to do hathaway be-
fore"
But you must come, Tom. He
didn't die. He won't die. And the
mill will 60 to ruin without you. It's
your mill. Tom-part yours. You
can't let the mill down."
She's hired you, amt she?" Tom
looked levelly at Wills. 81 figured
she got put out at me when I stayed
over there SO long. I was waiting
for them fellers to come back and
it looked like they never was COM
in. Then Lon told me Mis- Morgan
had hired this Teller, so I figure I'll
just stay here a spell. Lon treats
me all right"
They argued in vain. Wills strove
to be convincing and caught a CRATE
full look in Marian's eyes. But Tom
was immovable. He tore the top
from the box of raisins and poured
some out into Marian's hand.
why did you do it, Toni" Mar
ian pleaded. "You could have
scared them off. You didn't need
to shoot"
"They was after my timber. I
had right to that piece of poplar
your ma said so. reckon l better
stay on here SPELL"
He did not, she saw, look ahead.
He was old and growing childish.
He was not thinking Of what might
lie ahead, remorselessly, for him.
He had an idea that by remaining
here, patiently, behind bars, he was
somehow paying his debt to an over
Jealous system of jurisprudence,
the payment demanded for a private
act of reasonable reprisal.
He was resigned to legal inter-
ference with his personal liberties,
but it was obvious that he had no
idea of having done a capital crime.
There was grim patience in his
attitude that went back to codes old
er than America, went back as the
mountain peoples odd speech and
ancient ballads went back to an An
glo-Saxon tradition, an older, stern
er civilization of harquebus, land
entailed and inviolate, and freemen
responsible only to a preoccupied
king or silent Heaven.
Marian choked on the thought of
what lay ahead for Tom, and flung
her arms around him suddenly.
"Oh, Tom, why did you do it? Ev-
erything is SO wrong! We can't get
along without you"
Tom gulped, Redeemed, scrubbed
his hand over his unshaven chin.
What you worrying about? Mis-
Morgan'n git along. She's enough
for whole pack of 'em. Nobody
amt never got the best of her yet"
They left him soon after that, left
him calmly experimenting the jail
er's children, who were cracking
walnuts in the corridor.
Wills, seeing the misting of tears
on Marian's eyelids, said quietly,
would you Like me to driver"
mo, I'll drive. I'm all right"
But he, Wills thought bitterly, as
they few along the curving noun
tam road, was not all right. Moth
ing was all right. He looked side
long at Marian's delicate profile, al
the sweet, strong curve of her lips,
the busting of golden freckles on her
nose, the faint tinge Of pink along
her misted lashes, and ached fierce
ly to take her into his arms. He
twisted his lips ironically, thinking
of her scathing scorn if he tried it,
missing entirely the desolation that
dimmed every line of her face, and
made her hands move duly.
Stiffiy silent, eyes straight ahead,
they drove back to the mill-two
young, angry, frustrated creatures,
yearning for each other, braced
against each other, rigidly correct
and stone-blind!
CHAPTER TX