The Argosy, October 1906 — page 161: what you’re looking at

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

of talk. He had a ‘prievance, it ap-— peared, and his grievance was against — the government, particularly that branch — of it pees over r by the Pea: general. : - Fora long. time the mail for the fort : See “had arrived a= Minnewaukon and had 2 been carted across the reservation. Now - another man, living in Devil’s Lake City, had secured ‘the contract. Henceforth ‘mail matter to and from: the post was to be carried across the lake in a small daunch to Devil’s Lake City. SS Max was not much interested in the -mail-carrier’s — _ grievance. What con- cerned him -more was the mail-carrier’s -_ trip, on the: preceding ¢ day, with Pasco. . As a test of the information vouch- =e -safed by Meigs, Max asked the mail-car- a ee “for a description of his other passen-_ 7 The description tallied exactly — with Pasco’ S Se down even to WZ zle-loading rifle et | the ‘powder-horn. i | 7 sco, the mail-carrier averred, seemed oe “nervous and excited, and was continually = ; behin i him. as though he feared — pursuit. For the rest of it, he was taci- turn” and “preoccupied : and “said nothing _ whatever about himself. = | - The maii-carrier had let tine down at. = a ‘post trader’s store, near the fort, and = had seen nothing — more of him. —— might be at Totten, or he ‘might have | = _ erossed over to. Devil’ 's Lake City—Max himself knew as much about = as the — mail- “carrier. — ——— a == From his companion “Ma ax _ learned 7 That there ° ee Spe on the Take, ‘some heleae ing to officers at the fort. and some to- ___ nautically inclined persons in the town on the opposite shore. The Jake was y la z and, owing to the great sweep of the wind across the neighboring © See _ plains, “could roll up breakers that would — ere ‘not ee ith those of —— “The = carrier “was a noe = = ~ young fellow and kept up a running fire He- Stoddard ; -_ or three Indians were in evidence, Toung- "The wind Pecise dick Conds — = came thicker overhead, — and the mail-_ carrier took critical note of the signs and whipped his- horse into a brisker ‘gait. ‘Now and then a teepee or a rude. a showed itself in the scant timber, and a- squaw, or a red man, popped into sight — = and watched the travelers ‘stoically. “YT guess we'll about hit Totten in_ time to keep out o’ the wet,” observed . the mail-carrier. ‘‘ There’s the. fort, off to the right there, on that ‘rise. If your eyes are good you can see the flag.” Max saw it; and at about the same = time he heard ‘the. angry rumble of the lake lashed by the wind. The mail-car- rier was as good as his word, and drew up in front of the post trader's store be- fore the first rain-drops had begun to” wees fall. Max settled for his ride. While he Was: doing this, a man in an oilskin coat, with a mail- -bag over his shoulder, passed by on his way to the lake shore. == “You got a fine spell o’ weather for = your first trip,” called the young fellow —-__ -who had driven Max from ‘Minnewau- — kon. | == = There was a taunt in his voice, for the = loss of a fat ‘government con’ tract 226s left malice in its wake. “Don’t you. worry none about me, Hamp Stoddard,” grinned the other. Le ain't worryin’ about you,” said ee et: ees ~about_ the = —— fag / iy LWT TONED: Te edhe elie Wn thick bee Aes y i teat 1G. hl Ped at ‘tail. « ——= Max passed into the store to rake a = few inquiries of the post ‘trader. Two ing about the counters. | Max heard a rear door slam. -_- SS ‘““Where’s the man in charge?” he < : asked of one of the Indians. ‘Fhe red men stared and shook thee heads mutely. Max’s eyes were ranging up and down the interior of the store and happened to rest ona side window just as a form pastenet aoe it on eS outside: === ——— cS Ss said pie meee an nd -S. = guess “by the time : oe ea in + chuck ‘fall a= Secse ke ee eyes were at. fault: the = form that had “passed ‘the window - was that of Jed Pasco. — == = __ Stoddard - was et t driving away and