Adventure, August 1917 — page 105: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

A Little Song That He Knew “T’ve got to see that battle before I go— because,”’ whimsically, ‘‘I sure won’t have a chance to see it afterward. I’ve got a score against Gud, too, you know. I feel like it was me that was to fight him through you, Hansy. Well, I think you’re ready now. So you might hand your challenge to Gud on tomorrow afternoon, with the battle to take place immediately. And listen—if I were you, I’d try to lay a certain queer kind of bet with old Johnse Flowers. Eh? Now remember these things especially, Hansy— you're to make Gud mad at the very first, so he’ll lose the little head he’s got. You’re not to let him get his hands on you, and—I am to see the fight.” The next day was Sunday. Somewhere near the middle of the morning, Hanson saw that which he had not seen for more than two months, he saw a white cloth lying ‘In a conspicuous place on the little cedar up in old Johnse Flowers’ cabin yard. So Sadie wished to see him! He threw down his fiddle and hastened by an indirect route to the meeting-place. Sadie had been waiting for half an hour, and she was impatient. Hanson took both her hands in his. By the soft brown eyes of her, he knew that she had forgotten nothing during those long weeks just gone. Then she looked toward the ground, and then she leaned against him lightly and bashfully. ‘“‘What’s the matter, Sadie?” he whis- pered. “Everything and _nothin’,”’ Sadie. “You wanted to see me?” “Yes, I wanted to see you, Wardlaw,” she admitted very readily. ‘“Well—here I am.” _ Sadie remained silent. Then under- standing dawned upon the timber-jack. She just wanted to see him again! It made him very glad. He put an arm around her fine shoulders and kissed her. “I’m goin’ to lick Rush Gudridge clean out of his boots, Sadie,”’ he said. ‘I wonder if it will make any difference with that drill- point steel daddy of yours?” ‘“‘Better let Rush alone,’’ advised Sadie. ‘‘He’d kill you, Wardlaw. Leave it to Kid Minton.” “Kid Minton!” Hanson straightened and looked at her hard. ‘‘Why, honey, Kid Minton can’t fight any more.” “Not that,’’ said the girl. “TI mean leave pap to Kid Minton. Didn’t you know? aswered 103 Kid Minton, bless his heart, has been pleadin’ your case to me and to pap for two months. Pleadin’ to me to marry you without pap’s pe’mission, and pleadin’ to pap to let me marry you. And he’s been talkin’ the Bible and religion to pap, and— Wardlaw, pap’s come to believe that the sun rises and sets in Kid Minton.” Hanson frowned, but the frown soon faded. “Poor Kid,” he said feelingly. ‘Sadie, I’m mighty slow to say I love a man, but I sure love Kid Minton. He’s white to the bone. Let’s go up to see your dad. I’ve got a sort of sportin’ proposition I want to put up to him.” They went to the girl’s home. On the honeysuckle-shaded front porch gaunt and bearded old Johnse Flowers sat poring over an illustrated Bible that Minton had found somewhere for him. Nearby sat Sadie’s distant cousin, Nathan Flowers, and he was scowling—in no way was he like Sadie. Old Johnse looked up, saw the to him despised fiddling Hanson, and rose angrily. “Wait a minute,” said the timber-jack. “I’ve been believin’ there was some real red, game blood in you. Am I right?” “Shore, ye’re right,” snorted Old Johnse. “Then I want to lay you a bet. you the wages o’ twenty years o’ hard work, against Sadie, that I can lick Rush Gud- ridge. Now where’s your red, game blood?”’ For a whole minute Old Johnse stood there staring and said nothing. Then he took a step toward Hanson. “You ain’t got no sense at all,’”’ he de- clared, speaking in the old dialect of the hills. ‘You go back down thar to the log- gin’-camp-and make ye a brew o’ catnip tea and go to bed.” Hanson gave his sweetheart a glance of good-by, turned and went down to the camp. He ate but little at the noonday meal. Neither did Rush Gudridge eat enough to make him sluggish. Hanson decided that he would give his challenge within the hour, provided Minton was there to see it all. WITHIN the hour Minton came. Go) The timber-jacks were lounging wid here and there, smoking and yarn- ing, on the long porch of the boarding- house. Hanson rose near the doorway, and his eyes met those of his trainer with the Comiclsoo T’ll bet - © 5}