The Barnwell people. (Barnwell, S.C.) 1884-1925, February 26, 1925, Image 2

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r A r V-' u- ,/M Page Two THE BARNWELL PEOPLE, BARNWELL, SOUTH CAROLINA. i / Thursday, February 26, 1925. THE TRADERS By VICTOR ROUSSEAU “AND YOU?" (Copyright by W O Chapman.) WNU Service. SYNOf’KIS—l,«e Anderson. R^y- ul ('uriHfllHn Mounted Police ser geant, is sent to, Stony rann© to arrest a rnan named Pelly for murder. He Is also Instructed to look after Jim Rathway. reputed head of the Free Traders.' Illicit liquor runners At*Uttle Falls he finds pelly is credited With haviriK found a K<rld mine, and Is mlssInK At the\ hotel appears a a'lrl. obviously oit. of plai'e In t )ie rouah surroundlntfs A half- breed, Pierre, and a companion, "Shof t-v." annoy*.the Klrl. An- dersi^r Interferes in her behalf prolertlnjj her from the pair of ruf-. 1 force carries on the tradition of the old 1 linns whenever they made tlielr ap- pea ranee. _ But he could not afford to take any action which would Rive the clue to his status and activities* and apart CHAPTER II—Continued —2— 1 le-*took refute in Irony. “Well, whadya fink of him, hoys?” he de- mandtsi nRain of the men, who liad formed a elose circle arotirvd (lie pair, “lie don' liL'ht an' lie Rot de nerve to say ‘thit ’ll he all’ to Pierre t’auchon. No, by Riir, 1 Rtiess you know better tlan to flRhf," tie continued, addihR^ a foufepithet; and. RrinninR, lie lurciied Insolently past toward the har, shotil- derinR I.ee us hA passed. He looked tiack for an instant to see whether the oilier would accept the provocation, and, seeiriR that he showed no siRns of doinR so, tie went on his way with Shorty. The crowd Rave i.ee the ottee-nver contemptu ously. It had no love for the bully, hut an individual without the hRhtinR instinct is not supposed to pose as a lady’s champion and then hack down. The minds of the prospectors were too obtuse to see tlrflT Lee had simply been satisfied with RititiinR his point and eniiblinjj the Rirl to Ret away un molested. I.ee paced the stoop for a while, finished a pipe, and went early to his blankets. He Interested himself In speculation who the Rirl was. She was almost certainly roIhr to, the mission; there could be no other destination. Perhaps he would see her HRain. lie thouRht of the possibility quite without emo tion. He ceased to think of her, and, tired after the day's ride, beRan to doze. He was awakened when the men he- Rim to stuRRer Into the parlor. Nearly alP of them were drunk, some were rolling dnink, and. after sporadic, noisy -altercations, they were soon sprawled out like Iors all over the floor, and snorinR loudly. Several times Lee was obliged to remove heads, arms, and feet from various portions of his anatomy. He was Just falling, asleep BRjiln when tiie sound of a name, whispered almost In his ear, startled him into Instant wakefulness. Lee recognized the voice as that of the breed, Pierre Cauehon. For a moment or two he could not Imagine from where the man was speaking. Then he discovered that the voice came from the other side of tint large, empty stove which stood at his head, a little out from the wall. His face and Pierre's were separated, therefore, by no more than the cir cumference of the metal container, though Pierre, of course, did not guess that Lee lay on the other sitle of It, nor that he would he likely to have any particular Interest in what he was saying. But the name that had startled Lee Into wakefulness was that of Pelly. His subconsciousness, alert through slumber, had caught it and communi cated the warning. \ Before Lee had quite attuned his ears to catch Pierre's remark, Shorty, i he other man, broke in : “You fool, Pierre, you nearly give the git me away tonight fer shore. You ain't got no sense at «ll. buttin’ in like that and frightenin’ her away. You didn't s’pose she'd got our idiotv- her from that, he wanted to keep In touch with the two men. In case they could North-West; if does not return with out Its man.. Siston lake was admirably adapted for the needs of the Free Traders. It was at the extreme northern limits of the range, or a little beyond, and the head of a lake and river svstem-by^ furnistr any clue to Polly's where abouts—if he were alive. Some time early In the morning he fell Into a restless slumber, from which he was partly groused by the sound of a > horse's hoofs-Mattering In which communication could be bad by water north to Fort Churchill or Y’ork Factory or west as far as Lake Atha basca, The York boat, laden to the gunwale with supplies of liquor, could push the yard. He wondered sleepily .'anywhere along the thousands of lakes whether this w;m an early departure | and streams, acting as mother bmit In or some belated arrival, and then, ! turn to the canoe, with one or more V. v griifls Til her pocket, did ya? The trouble with you is you eain't hold yer liquor.” Pierre growled: "I didn't have no clumst to say a word before that four- flusher hutted in. I wish I’d beat him up now. Mebhe PI) git the chanst in the rnornin ." “We.ll, and why didn't ya? I'll fell ya why P.-'canse you saw • he ain’t no four (lusher, lie's tough, that fel ler Is. an he was watchin' ya like a cat. Don't \ a make no mistake-about that. And it s ho ky y>>r dlcn't get no chanst to spiii what ya was gOIn' 1 to, or you'd shore have senir* the girl away "You listen Here,'' he continued “you keep out of this to morrer till she's gone, rtml then we e'n ride hard andl ketch up with her at sundown and explain that we're friend* .of hern.” . Their-“yroiees became itiarttciilate Lee strariled his ears to catch the ini port of their conversation,—but he lould he;$r'nothirg but tin* low whis per of their voices. “Well, I guess you're right. Shorty," said Pierre after a while*. “We got to see she don't, give us de slip, though." Shorty snjrkered and whispered something to w'hic ( [i the ot^ier clucked approval. “ "SIR 1 cKin't. neither,” he said. “There's only one way into the range. 1 un' when we got her there we got her where we want her ” No more was said, and soon the anorlng from the other side of the stove indicated that the pair had suc cumbed to sleep. But all desire for sleep was banished from Lee's brain. There was the alternative of two courses of action; he could warn the *ir! In the morning, placing himself at her disposition; or he could keep h^r more or lesa in sight during his Jour ney the following tfsy, witl* a view to turning over, managed to lose con sciousness fur an hour or two longer. At last, when further sleep had he roine impossible, he sat up, struck a match, and looking at his watch, dis covered that it was nearly six o’clock. He threw his blankets over his arm. stepped over the sprawling limbs of the sleepers, and went out to the stable where he watered his horse, afterward kicking' his heels about the place until, in the first glimpse of the dawn, the squaw came shuffling into the kitchen. Lee went in. “Let me a cup of c<>f fee and a pieee of bread," he said, putting a fifty-eent piece Into her hand. "That'll he enough for me. I’ve got to he moving." The woman filled the kettle from it pall of water on the kitchen table. Lee asked : "You know that girl who came last night ?" “Me not know um," the squaw grunted, as she set the kettle on the stove. "Don’t know what time she's leav ing, l suppose?" “(Url um gone. Gone at four o’clock,’’ grunted the squaw. Lee whistled softly. That was her horse that he had heard, then. !slie was losing no time, whatever her busi ness and destination might he. Lee fidgeted while the coffeetcanie to the boil, and had Just gulped down a cup ful and taken a few bites at the bread and butter which the woman gave him when the landlord came sleepily in, and I-ee took the opportunity of set tling his bill. "Well, you’re shore off early," grumbled the fat proprietor. "Say, she heat you to It. though!" "Who Ip she?" Lee inquired. “Blamed ef I know. Nobody here abouts seems to know her. But shucks, Little Falls ain't* more'n three or four year old! Guess she's the gal of one of the old-timers hack from school or college. Or she’ll be goln’ up to the Moravian mission, like sis not. Yes. sir, that shore must he It. She wouldn’t he goin' to any of them hooch-runners up t<b»Siston hike." “That's Bnthway’s Joint, Isn't “So they say." A cunning look came Into his eyes. “I guess we ain’t botherin’ our heads none about that Free Trader outfit since they’re there to stay. No, sir, It don't do to know too much about Captain Carcajou, now that the police Is in with him.” Lee almost -betrayed himself as he struggled not to display his Indigna tion. "You mean the It C, M. It's been bought by that scum In Mont real?’’ he demanded. "That's what they’re savin’ In these here parts. See here, stranger, ef that ain't so, why don’t they git after that Captain Carcajou as they calls him? Ydii heerd what die did to that camp of Indians Inst summer? Shore! Well, I ain’t savin' nothin' and I ain't speak- in’ for moself, you understand. I'm only sayin' what other folks say. Why, there's two of Bath way's gang In this cases. And over all this v:| t, ill-de fined district the hooch-runner had almost unlimited sivay, proving a serious rival to the legitimate trading interests, since he carried his poison into the Indian's camping grounds and took his [dek of Jhe choicest furs. Ills trade embraced a viler one. All along tiie fringe of white settlement it was active, it had sprung up like a fungus overnight, during the disorgan ization of the police in consequence of the war and the readjustment. The gang were steadily embittering the re lations between whites and reds, which had been amicable almost since the advent of the lir.Nt pioneer. Whichever district the girl was bound for, it was impossible to mis take the course that she would take initially. In front of Lee lay a long backbone of mountain, with only a single pass into the interior over a range of many miles. , Scanning the valley carefully, Lee saw, about a mile beyond the pass, a thin curl of Smoke rising into the still air. Satisfied that he had the girl in sight, Lee hesitated for a while, un decided whether to ride up to her, or to camp where lie was, keeping a look out for Pierre and Shorty. In the end he decided that- the better course would lie to make himself known, and accordingly he descended the slope and followed the trull along the hank of the river until he reached the camp. The girl had already set up her tent, her ‘horse was tethered near the stream, and she was cooking her din ner at a tire which she had made. She looked verv trim and business- "You mean the Mg breed and the red headed man?" "Shore I do.” The landlord winked at him. "Hooch-runners from Siston lake.” “What’re they doing here?” asked Lee. “I guess they ain't here fer no good. That's why I was wlshlri’ you'd had the sand to stand up to 'em last night, bov!’’ ' in a hurried manner, repeated his companion’s gestures. For several moments the light of the camp Are silhouetted the calm faces of the girl and Lee and tiie vindictive, scowling ones of the two men. Then IMerre leaped to the ground. “By gar, It’s de feller dat tell me ‘dat’ll be all’,” he shouted. "What you r'ink you’re doing here, you d-r-n four- flusher?" —EMaybe tiie same ns you,", said Lee. "Ho, ho, (hit's good!” roared the breed. “You t’lnk we take vou in as pujdner. hein?’ Wouldn't go with you. I’ve got Very deliberately Lee drew ids anto matlc from Ids belt. lie had no doubt that IMerre and Shorty were planning mischief; most probably they meant to attack him as a preliminary to over powering the girl. , And he lay watching them and grimly waiting for their stealthy onset. He felt more than a match for the pair of them. Minutes went by, however. '1 he pair seemed an unconscionable time mak ing their arrangements, and all the while the discussion, which was just audible without being Intelligible, went on. Lee wondered how long he had been lying there. It was too dark to s(k> ids watch. He wondered why they had not waited tiil morning, when She Looked Very Trim like With Her Sleeves Rolled Up to Elbows and Her Air of Being Completely at Home in These Sur- rodnefjngs. my own hand to play,’’ Lee answered. "You won’t play it here,, then!" bel lowed Shorty. ’ y Onths poured from his lips. “Pack and vamose!’’ yelled Pierre. The two advanced on Lee with belligerent ges tures. Lee held up his hand as the fists threatened him. "Didn't I tell you 1 don't fight?" he drawled deceptively. “You (Jon' fight? By gar. you’re goln' to fight dis time or git !" yelled Pierre. "You 'frald of gittln' whipped, eh ?’’ “That’s about the size of it,” laughed Lee. "That’s why I shoot In stead—quick and straight and sure, gentlemen !’* His right hand made a movement In his coiig pocket, but his automatic was in the holster at the hack of his hip, and there was nothing in the pocket more .lethal than his pipe. But Pierre, who was nearest, changed color. The man was a cur at heart, as Lee had suspected. IB* leaped" back with a snarlT Shorty stepped back, too. though not quite so violently, and the two, withdrawing out of range, proceeded to hold a whispered colloquy, at the end of which/ turning away without another word to Lee, they proceeded to set up their camp at a little distance. Lee turned to the girl, who had stood a silent spectator of the scene. "I ought to have explained, per haps," he said. "You recognized that man who. insulted you last, night. A little later I happened to overhear the pair of them speaking of a plan they had formed for Intercepting you to night. I didn't want t<> alarm you, In case they failed to appear, hut that Is why I proposed to camp beside’you. I think they are unscrupulous custom ers, and you’ve probably reached the same decision after the s^oene that has J Just taken [dace.” -"Thank you, hut I assure you that I am quite capable of protecting my self.” answered the girl, and Lee saw her fingers stray toward a service- size revolver holster at her belt. "Of. course I don’t want to intrude," said Lee. "But as long as these men are here, I think I ought to remain.” She took a step or two toward him, looking at him fixedly. "Who and what are you?’?- she demanded with quhering lips. "How am I to know that you are not those men’s friend, that this Is not all part of an arranged plan?” "I am not a friend, or associate of Umse men," answered Lee Indignantly. “I never saw either of them until one of them insulted you.in the hotel yes terday evening. I know that they are planning to do you some harm." "Well, and—you?” she asked, trying to keep her voice steady. "You suspect me?" "I don’t know. I trust nobody. I ask you why you are here." “My object in camping here beside you tonight Is simply to protect you,” Lee equivocated. She answered, with an effort at irony. “And my answer to you is that I do not m*ed protection, but that this country is free for all—for those men and for you." She went hack into her tent, leav- T+rr there would he a better chance of taking him unawares. At last the black shadows separated. One of them was coining* tow ard him with stealthy footsteps. . Lee_Ruessed that It was Shorty, the more courage ous of the two. The fl-gure came slowly on. Lee aimed the automatic, his finger stead ied on the trigger. He would fire as. soon as it made the first hostile move ment, as soon us it raised its weapon to cover him. And then, in amazement, he let the muzzle of his automatic drop. For the figure was not coming towajrt him, it was going toward the girl's tent.' And it was the girl herself! Had she then some secret under standing with the two ruffians, and had the episode of the evening at the hotel been a performance staged for some pdHleular purpose? That might almost have appeared credible, hut for the conversation that Lee had overheard beside the stove In the light of that, Lee had ‘.o dis miss the credibility of his su.mise. The only possible explanation at which he could arrive was that the girl had gone to the confederates with his own story, had taxed them, and, of course had been persuaded that his tale was false. Probably they had convinced her that they were friends, and that he had designs upon her. ffrr Colds, 'Grip, Influ* enza and as $ Preventive l iV Take 1 Laxative tw ML * tablets The First and Original Cold and Grip Tablet Proven Safe for more than a Quarter of a Century. The box bears this signature (c.sfc&ri Price 3fffc. IT BEATS ALL How Those Old, Creaky, Stiff Joints Limber Right Up With Mystified and humiliated. Lee tuned CHAPTER III An Unwelcome Guardian Leo rode hfT hot with indignation rlt tl$ landlord’s innuendo about the K. N-. M. P. But this soon yielded to j anxiety'about tin* girl. The. dlscliisurl' that The two men were fhmi SisToh | lake and the lecolleetion of the con versation he had overheard, convinced him that the? were planning to kid nap and comey her there. Such a plan would seem inconceiv able but I.ee knew that the gang, re lieving their. organization firmly en trenched in power, would stop at very little. Other things equally sinister had been done by them. However, Lee began Mo breathe* more freely When he had left the squalid little town behind him. He walked or trotted l^ls horse till noon, gradually ascenTttifg(Joward tiie out skirts of the rangeJthrough a fulrly open country. .- like with her'sleeves rolled up to her elbows and her air of being completely at home in these surroundings. As Lee jumped from his horse she started, then looked at him with an expression of calm which was tin at tempt to conceal a very obvious trepl- datlon. “Good evening,’L...h^,..calle<l. “I’m travelling your way, and saw your camp tin*, so took the liberty bf join ing you. if there's no objection." She stared hard at hlnfas if his ad vent were some long expected blow that had suddenly fallen. For a few moments she s* etnod under the in fluence of an all-possessing fear. Then mastering it. she answered with the same affectation of indifference: "You can. camp w here you like, of course. The range is free for all." I.ee, a little staggered at (lie unwil-' lingness of t'lis Invitation, decided that it w'buld he better for the present Tiie snowsTnjght hold p, not to alarm her with any explana tions and proceeded to pitch his tent near hers. While he was unloading his pack and 'watering his horse, the girl went on witl| her meal, without paying any attention to hlio. • Lee. feeling both uncomfortable and foolish, was beginning to wish he had waited, when a horse neighed close at hand. Ids horse and tiie girl’s answered, anffi a minute later Pierre three weeks yet, and Lee that well within that tie able to bring back p%lod he wi PeUy. if the would lat ter were in the reglrtfa^rtiljess he took alarm, in which event of course Lee Little Falls and prepare for a long winter's chase. The new dominion iff /or ( two .or felt.eonfidetit-kCauchon and his companion Shorty rode Into view through the gathering darkifess. Pierre’s behavior at the sight of Lee was almost ludicrous. He pulled his would have to bring his horse hack tn horse up short with an oath, and sat looking from Lee to the girl in almost comical surprise. Shorty, dismounting on ntnpehtM':—The purr were ilf' ready seated In front of their fire, munching slabs of bread and raw- bacon. They bad been watching Lee and the girl furtively throughout (lie Interview. Lee wondered whether the girl's demeanor had given them any Inkling of Its termination. He had nPver felt so foolish. If they persuaded her that they were nuire to be trusted, the situation would be a serious one for her. LeP’s ' t position, was certainly far more em- hnrrasslng than he had anticipated. It! was almost as If the girl had (b 1 - cldeo to throw In her lot with the pair of Free Trader agents. He had not succeeded in convincing her that their motives were evil, perhaps because he had not ventured to voice his real sus picions of them to her. And he had only succeeded in arousing her hos tility. And, looking at the matter in n common-sense light, Lew realized that he had acted wrongly. He should have warned her on his first arrival. He could not blame her for effusing j£o accept his word. But what was at the bottpm of her evident fear of him? The only thing left for him to do was to try to protect her In spite of herself. 1 . , . The friendly forest had suddenly grown hateful and alien. And. then Lee knew what the .trouble was. It was the submerged memories of Es telle. She meant nothing to him now, less than nothing, and yet—well, that had been years ago, and he had gone through nil that. Still, the Imprint was there—, -——-^4 . Suddenly, as on the night before, he^ was startled by the low spundl of voices. Peering across the grass, he could just distinguish the shadowy outlines of two figures against the men’s fire. to sleep ut last with his ears attuned for any unexpected sound or move merit and the automatic within his immediate grasp. Long practice with prisoners whom he had brought single-handed out of the wilds had given him the faculty of sleeping In as complete watchfulness as a wild animal; no enemy could surprise him while he dozed. But there was no need for these precautions for nothing disturbed him, and It was the sun. blinking*' on the edge of the horizon, that awakened him the next morning. « The girl was already cooking her breakfast outside her tent when he emerged, and she returned.his saluta tion with a stiff little how, keeping her face averted. Lee attended to his horse and then prepared his breakfast. He had fin ished before IMerre and Shorty came on the scene. They looked as if they had been drinking heavily the night before, but they made no movement toward either him or the girl until the horses were loaded and ready to start, the girl briefly declining Lee’s assist ance and handling her own gear like an expert. Then* Shorty came up to Lee. “See here, pardner, what's the great idea?” he asked, In a tone that was Tneant to .be conciliatory. "My . {art* nor and me was wonderin’ if we couldn't fix up this little misunder- standin’. I guess you’re bark'n’ up the wrong tree, ain't you?" “Meaning?" “Meaning as how* my pardner and me don't mean no harm to this young lady. We're on a prospectin' trip, and nacherally we don’t want no outsiders buttin’ In on our property." “How about this lady?” "Now, pardner, vou got things sized * '• w | up wrong, I tell you. Kf she’s goln' our way, why. nacherally, we ain't going to purtend not to see each other. ■Now ■4-4nwno where i (iiiM'r'''tnrrrr»riT~f(Tr;' Just nib on the new application called Joint-Ease if you want to know what real joint comfort is. It’s for stiff, swollen, or pain-tor tured Joints whether caused by rheu matism or not. A few seconds’ rubbing and it soak# right in through skin and flesh right down to ligament and hone. It oils up and limbers up the Joints, subdues the inflammation and reduces the swelling. Joint-Ease is the one great remedy for all joint trouble* and live druggists have it yr <*:n get It for you—a tube for cents. Always remember, when .Inint-Ease gets in .joint agony gets out- quick. Made Autos Register Disgust with routine work is n fer tile mother of inventions. A part of the job of <'. It. .McFarland, for* m ranger in the CaM-ude National forest’. rtn-oTegon. ua< to keep track of the. number of automobile'- that traversed the government road* It was tiresome < work, and mechanical. So Mr. McFar land invented a machine to do it. The trathe counter, as he calls' fri< dev has is a small , platform resting upon Springs, buried flush with the track in a narrow place'in the road. It is con nected hv lever- to a counting in. - chine on-a .post. Each ear depresses the [ilatiwnii aboui one half inch, enough tu work the counting machine but not enough 1o jolt the-car A scientist advises all men cun fempjnt'mg marriage tic choose waunec with high insteps. Sure Relief <c FOR INDIGESTION and I don't care, hdt I give you the best tip you ever had. ef you don’t like trouble, which, I, understand you to say yj^+u don't. There ain't no gold in Stony range, and the he.st thing you kin do is to heat It hack to Little Falls. That’s all about It.” "If there’s no gold in Stony range, why are you .prospecting here?" "Say," shouted Shortyr’T guess my pardner' and me knows our business without no outsider buttin’ in. I’ve put the cards face up on the table. Now how about It?" “Nothing doinc." 6 Bell ans Hot'water Sure Relief ELL-ANS 25<t AND 75$ PACKAGES EVERYWHERI S.S.S, stoj>s Rheumatism if :l Mysterious and efficient young female, this girl! But can she take care of fierseff in such surroundings? 7VC. (TO BE CONTINUED.) Regrowing Forests The regrowth of timber provided for In the national forests where the or iginal stand of timber is cut and re moved varies with the forest types Involved; In many forest types the regrowth is present In the form of seedlings or saplings at the time that the overstore of old and mature tim ber Is removed. Where this Is not the case carefully selected trees are left standing. From these trees come the seed that regenerates the area. In the case of Douglas fir on the Pacific coast, seed Is stored up of such quan tities In the duff on the ground that the best results are obtained by cut ting the area clean and depending on thla stored seed supply for regenera tion.^ In some cases it is necessary to plant after cutting in order to inaura a second crop within n reasonable * v , ’; “MY Rheumatism is all gone. I feci ' L a wonderful glory again in the free motion I used to Lave when my days wete younger. I can thank S. S. S. —? for it all! Do not close your eyes and think that health, free motion and strength are gone from you for ever! It is not so. S. S. S. is waiting to help you. When you increase the num ber of your red-blood-cells, the entire system undergoes a tremendous change. Everything depends on blood-strength. Blood which is minus sufficient red-cells leads to a long list of troubles. Rheumatism ia one of them.” S. S. S. it the great blood-cleanser, blood-builder, system itrengthener, and nerve invigorator. Free Booklet Send name and address to 8. S. 8. Co., Ill 8 8 8. Bldg., Atlanta, Qa., for special booklet on Rheu matism A Blood. t S. S. S. is aold at all good drug atorea la two sixes. The larger rise la more economical. I a- 7 4 7