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plied his son. beginning to roll down his
sleeves preparatory to donning his, coat.
The girl noticed that he was dressed,
Mushly and that a several days’ growth
or heard was on his’i'uce. “You're sure
you don't want to take up my proposi-
tion?" '
"No, siree," replicd Abner with oh-
siinats emphasis. "I've
. Good-ll)’.
He held out his big hand.
Aren't-aren't you going to stay?" she
Ialtered. taking the hsn .
“You bet be ain't ' shrilled old Abner
excitedly. “He kin go back to his ughtin‘
if he wants to. Anyhow, I ain't goin’ to
have no love-makln' gain’ on under iuy
nose any more. I stood all I wanted to.
nin't!f‘ almost screamed Abner,
clawing his way out of the chair. "She
won't be lg fer three months. An’ she
belongs to me ‘till alie’s 18! You hear
glil. Ills son's grim face did
not relax. “I'll be around in roe
months, then." He glanced at the girl.
and was rewarded by the rosy glow that
Hooded her face from her neck to her
temples. “if you're so set against both
love-making and lighting. 1’ou won't be
troubled by either. Dad. take them
both away where you won’t be bothered
with them." ’
Without warning he seized the girl
and kissed her. Then he strode to the
door. opened it and was one. They saw
h ta form swing down the path to the
h he vaulted. In a mo-
Old Abner fairly quivered with rage.
"An‘ you let him!" he accused. .
”I couldn't help myself,” she replied
with spirit. “You ought to be nshamed
of yourself, to treat your own son like
I lit!"
"Vifell, I ain't," rctorted Abner. his
whiskers sticking straight out from his
chin. "I'm powerful sot in my ways. 'n
I give 'im his choice two years ago." He
surveyed her cunnlngly. "He thot he
could come back home to be with you.
But I fooled him."
She did not reply. Abner reached
into his hip pocket nnd brought out R-
plug of tobacco, from which he bit a
generous chew. .
“I've fooled him [er three months.
anyhow," hc qualified.
As For. Jim Sntvdgrnss. the memory
of the kiss was such as to send his
He had kissed his adopted sister rnoro
than once. ii( the course of their life
the kisses had
' He
had felt her heart beat against his for
the instant he had crushed her to him,
und he had fell the indescribable rc-
other side.
e warm kiss still
lingered on his lips.
In a few minutes he had reached the
outer edge of the trees. Farther on.
where the late afternoon sun did not
penetrate, it was gloomy. lie vaulted
maples, whose leaves interlocked over-
head in an almost impenetrable mass.
Three hundred feet from the fence
the ground began to fall away toward a
distant hollow.
"That's the creek." its muttered.
Probably it'll
e s. mudholel to me
look
now. ny-
ow?
no paused. listening. A rumble of
i
Mm-cu Brings Out Itnvnxhtiy Spots.
Ba ‘'0 I-lnslly. ,
e woman with tender skin dreads March
because it likely to cover her ace with
No matter how thick her veil,
inds have a strong tendency to
make her freckle.
Fortunately for her peace of mind. Othlne
-double if. Dossibla for even
a s
How to
strength. makes
Get an ouncs from your druxxist and banlsli
the freckles. A Money back it it saiisrnr ...
restrained himself.
CHICAGO
voices-men's voices-reached his ears.
“Wonder who's down there?".he mut-
ed.
p
m
-1
few years before he would have
announced his coming
Now he advanced cautiously. until he
reached a. place where a on o
rested on the edge of a slight dcriivity.
lie raised his head silently over the
top of the log.
Three men sat o the edge of the
swimming iiolc, their backs to the un-
nuen watcher. Their conversation was
plainly discernible. He noted that they
were dressed in lite nundescrlilt liabili-
ments of “hobo:-s." and his ocvaslonai
glimpses of their profiles told him that
they were unsliavcu. The man in the
huddle was talking.
"“'s gotta do it quick.
comes thru here about seven
gotta do it ‘tore then, see?"
“But it'll be mii;'hty early yut." Oh-
lected ths man on his right.
“That don't make no difference. Aln‘t
I telltn‘xyuh there ain't nobody in N1’
house but th' old man‘an' th‘ girl‘! He's
Th’ rattler
balls. “'3
sons pete full 0' coin. too. if We
don't make is quick getaway on that
miller:-"
"How we gonna grab th' kale?“ This
from the man on the left of the
speaker.
"“'ell sap th' old guy on th' be-an
wit’ this." The man in the middle
raised aloft 8. heavy railroad svlke
"Then we'll make th' girl tell us th'
combination. if t’ l3ete's locke ’
"“'ot'll we do it‘ til’
The man in the middle turned to the
questioner and the listener could see
the nsring red of his u ly sums thru
his heard, as ho grimnced savagely.
“That's a fool question." he remarked
significantly.
Young Snodgrass could feel the hair
rising at the nape of bis.neck. some-
thing seemed to crawl down his s ine.
like is trickle of icy water. It came over
him that his father kept a safe in his
bedroom. The three ram s must be
talking of Abner Snodgrass and Hettyi
--Listen, youse guys." the tramp strokes-
man was saying. "We Want no
slip up on this job. It's th' pen fer us'if
we don't make a clean getaway.
"Spike. You stays outside ’n keeps yer
glims open. see? Nobody lives wit'in 3.
mile 0’ ti house, but somebody mllrht
happen along. if yuh see anybody. make
a noise like a locust. That‘ll give us
th' ofllce. ‘n we'll beat it out th‘ back
door. . -
"Bull. you 'n mo gets inside. see? It
th' dame tries to put
on th' back of hcr car.
up, I reckon.’ I'll sap th' old guy wit’ th'
spike. Then we‘ll make th' dame open
th’ box, grab th' kale ‘n heat it.
pull th' 10b in time to grab th' freight,
like I say. By In’ time th' old guy wakes
up we're fifty miles away an’ goin’
strong. see?"
“Wh s to hinder th' (lame from
makin' a squeal as soon as we beat it, an’
startin' th' rube hulls on our trail?" one
of the other: conspirators wanted ‘to
w.
The spikesrrilan laughed dlsagrecably‘.
“VV'e takes th' dame With us. yuh poor
sirnp," he explained. ,
man behind the, log listened with
h e fists knotted.
presence known mg the dis-
cussion to an unharrilded conclusion. I-Is
however, re-
mained crouched thru the ensuing con-
ference. holding himself in only by the
exercise of iron st-if-control. ,-
Ths‘hlthy character of the comments
of the three plotters made his ears burn
hurry to Millervillo and inform
irf, fearing to leave the men unguarded
for s. momen
So he remslncd behind his shield until
the sun had sct'nnd the long shadows
cast by the malllcl had thickened into
the gloom of early night. The men con-
tinued to talk; occasionally one of them
lighted a cigarette. the glow the
match within cupped hands illuminating
the unshaven. evil pro le.
e was hurrying thru the
waist-high wheat, his eye on the single
light that slowed in the distance.
i ’ .‘i
‘WITHIN the house the evening meal
was in the course ofnpreparation.
lIetiy's face boro distinct traces of tears
she bent over the cook stove. Old
Abner sat. in the sitting-room, his skinny
form slumped in the spilt-hickory cair
and his thin-llpperl mouth a straight line.
The appetizlng odor of fried ham perme-
ated the room. but the old man’: nostrils
did not twitch with their usual spprecia-
tion of his foster daughter's culinary art.
It was evident that he was thinking, and
thinking hard. .
Arslngle electric globe lllumined the
room. hangln by a cord suspended from
the ceiling. Suddenly the old man saw
it quiver, in response to a step on the
porch outside. He had just shaped his
mouth to call an invitation to enter,
when. without the preliminary of n
to
u
.qulckly inside.
3 shout.
’what ye kin find.
LEDGER i , '
giilk $&&iEE
Beautifully Beaded
-Georgentte, meg:
knock, two rough looking men stepped
The door closed behind
One of the men stood
lth his back to it.
Old Abner stared at the ill-favored
pair.
“W110 are you?” he demanded in his
squeaky voice.
"it don't need to make no difference
who we urc, 1-ul," the smaller of the
invaders growled, showing his teeth
his raxged eard. "SVa‘ra after
money. see?" Ills blue eyes raved
over the room.
a was dimly
discernible. "‘Twon't do yuh no good
to holler. There ain't a. body within :1.
mile. Are yuh gonna shell out, or have "mud nu, ma’ -‘
we gotta land on yer bean" wiilboghsrrfuiiyrun -
KundOd.0I‘dI'nuIi
not slow in grasping the situation.
native craft came to h .
“.VVhy. boys, I ain't got much,” he re-
turned. “I guess you're ,weiconie to
Jes' go right in that
room e nd me." He half turned in
the chair and jerked iiis skinny thurnl)
over his shoulder,
"Say, do we look like we Jest fell
off a load 0' hey?" the spokesman
growled. advancing toward Abner with
one hand held behind him. “(lit in there
an’ open th' box, d-n quick!"
here was unmistakable menace In
his tone, and quailod involun-
tarily. The other man had rcmalned
with his back to the door. lletty. her
eyes wide, uppenred in the kitchen door-
n wooden-handled fork in her
Ills
hind. At sight of the lsblenu she be-
came rigid. Then she screamed.
"Look out. papa!" she cried. “He's
going to hit you.’
it B confused picture of the
second [ramp springing toward her. and
of a cruel-looking spike in the hands
of the first one, raised over the head
of Abner 'She closed her cycs and
raised her hands, expecting to hear the
sickening thud of run against bone.
She felt the fetid breath of the second
tramp in her face: the next instant her
us were assailed by the
double crash, and she was aware that
y some miracle she was still un-
harmed. t
She opened her eyes.
e
an l..u.n.u.. u
anlhwv-am uuhnyin rm--ru
Kr-Iibinfmuh srlhinbu
u.1.han-Anngprinoolw
an
-uuld
no.
3-ct“Noi’3!
in: ...-o
CA!
I u tn-man u.
nonv.4ios.c-in-u
Standing over
laudnsi
I .
um. n‘-‘.""""" ""‘r’.':.'l.‘." .. n...
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