Show the case ae ar of 0 f bert carter r t e slacker C by BARBARA KERR wf fh ff f copyright 1818 1918 by the mcclure newspaper syndicate so youre after our mn wild mild man from borneo borneo at nip you 3 on well litre here lie ho comes collies hll kid get it move on oil you son heres a friend of yours from hays Kil kansas listis 11 shei iff beardsley felt the good humored sa reasin ih the boss tone he had a hit bit how did lie know amt what sort of fellows felloe a ran the mine prop tamp camp on oil the narrow guage ile he hall had got ot 0 on ff tit at mineral hot springs und and celii come ov overland briand with it a gulda guide and tw to 0 flon donkeys keys mahe etwas three bert beit quickened ills puce pace cattle for ward ard frankly find held out its his hand from hays did you say jim well im sure glad to see feco some rome one from crays hows everybody what did you ou say your naine Is sheriff beardsley grinning rather sheepishly into the boys honest blue eyes im ap hoie here after a slacker know anything about him search met mel replied bert innocently nt at which alch the men laughed lau glied beardsley explained to bert who mho made no comment except that counted on getting out some soine extra props the trip would interfere inter feic but ills his camp comrades were cic outspoken in their disgust why anyone can see se with alth half nn nit eye ce that the kids not more moie than declared the he doss boss who was ns too fond of bert belt to take it cillin calmly lyo its simply a cooked up mess iness by some soine of those foreigners the coun countr y tor for men to make up their quota hie sheriff found himself nodding then lins tily well I 1 was as sent up licie here to get him film boys boss so ill have to take him niong along after two years in the mountains with ith only odily a flay day oft off occasionally nt allda or moffet for supplies bert ins interested in everything except ills his forthcoming trial I 1 of course couise if its up tit to tile me ill go ive had some experience killed more snakes than any other man in ili camp if im busy and one gets away I 1 just take it wall walk till I 1 find one lit in lils his place why dechuso they frighten women the sheriff on arriving at hays rec commended bail for till trial lay day in the meantime lie he loitered about the village ills arther and mother had gone konat to south america n year ear ago on business lie had not been to hays has for five years 5 ears as lie he went from school to the mountains for ins ills health agree that lie he found it six sit feet feekin in his fits stockings bronzed as an all indian with an innocent direct gaze that was as it a bit discon cei ting till you alno know hlin so when lian the board called cise case of bort bert carter cai tor sla i lacker acker lie he aro arose c to ills feet iier up front and looked all them squarely squar elv in the eyes the three men looked at him blin with honest admiration hut but mary maiv IN Tarvin the secretary wanted bert beit to feel tint that ahe he disapproved of liim him site she was as the prettiest pr girl tit in the pillage the patriot pat flot an grinj always ready to lo pull punish I li sIa cLeis that ahat carne came tier way ay bert could not help feeling lier owr attitude at nit lie he was mas mildly burlous its as to what nat peeved peed the pretty ladi but the more lie he looked tit nt tier her the sting seln of it rot got under his skin lie ile wanted to ask her outright what lat was s wrong rong with ith airm lie ile told the hoard board that ire ifo believed leli eed lie would hp be twenty one the third of june 1918 but lit in the absence of family records would swear to noth ing ih ife was as interested to know on hat ahey based their accusation that lie was as a slacker j to the board this seemed fair enough but tile the way lie said slacker made mary want to jump to tier lier feet find and scream acre am just ns as you ou might say I 1 bread and sugar mother riot bor since the board lind had brought him to I 1 I 1 biats nt at behest of gossips they must I 1 i airing in ills his accusers sirs mrs ted swore tit at was the lie same baltic ns as tier haehnel Hach Rac linel nel rachacl was twenty three last june riall be obliged oblige to berli nother sn snickered let some one twenty throe three was get diug on oil toward old hero here sirs mrs ron ben hopper swore that lie he was the lie satine same age as tommy twenty one lit in slay may she knew for the hoys boys had many a time celebrated their birth phiys by swimming lit in big greek cleek bert smiled then chuckled behind lils his hand boys were like eater easter movable fets when SwI swimming mining wa was tile celebration were hopelessly tangled birthdays of towns contemporary children were told as was time of establishing line fences buying of livestock tearing down of old landmarks but no corroborating testimony mary was in it a white neat illow how anniie can he sit there like it a lump on a log find the wl whole I 1 ole town wrangling about ills lii age she whispered The board was arnzy with etli the futility of it lt when the old editor of the free wilh walked ed in with a newspaper file fill and asked to be sworn opening it lie he read 1 I born yesterday yeste rIny to john and mary C carter arter a fine boy congratulations t olis john to tile board tile the date Is 13 june fourth 1897 the boy will be twenty one june third 1018 without comment he walked out without further ado the board adjourned jour ned congratulated bert and closed edthe the incident but the secre angry eyes eye licud bert without apparent volition he walked up to tier her and asked if she ae wished fishl A to spent speak to tf him yes I 1 dot dol exclaimed mary vehemently how could you sit there that wity why you got get up and say go anyway why miss marvin I 1 a trial was ti it trial lp would jo queer for it a man to say olt oil stop it ill confess im guilty just to stop tha fuss it well yes mary admitted but you let it come tb that why do you suppose the lord gave you all that strength it if not to defend your country oil oh why stammered bert ill RO 90 if you want nt me to but mary had walked away kay tier lier fiend in the air bert was puzzled ile he lind had board little discussion of the war to him it wits was a matter of hed go when called what was the matter with the girl hed go ask her ber mary hesitated then held out her hand hall 1 I mother says I 1 was rude to you today r forgive me and ill tell you how I 1 feel about it so bert re coved ills his first lesson in patriotism from the lips of a pretty girl too much in earnest to remember that she was pretty that bert was handsome or anything else except that she wanted v litin to be a soldier presently mrs marvin came in and bert spent the happiest evening eveking of his life when lie he arose to go lie asked and obtained to come he returning turning to the windsor lie he saw a light fight in the F free reo press office and went up to thank the editor for ills kindness ire disclaimed any credit saying ng that lie he was a friend of ills his family intimated that bert was glad not to go tu to war why no mr pressman I 1 dont don it care much either way thought id go when called but lit ive made up my illy mind min to enlist im not a cown coward rl but the editor dismissed him with a curt nod to berts belts chagrin ills lessons in ili patriotism progressed till the town if bert would st stay ay in hays or milry mary go to the mountains bert was sure that life without I 1 mary was not worth living but mary tearfully fully but flinty refused him dearly deally as she knew she loved him she could not marry a man younger than lier herself self she was past twenty bert did not tell her lie he had enlisted but said good baand took the first firs t train back to camp A dreary journey but more than one indifferent chop chap who talked to bert had ills his views changed about his duty to ills his country ills his camp fellows mot met him eagerly glad that lie he wits was back they had missed jilin him had some mall dinall for him too it was a belated letter from his mother telling him of sickness d dis ts courage ments and inability to get mall mail but the paragraph that held ills attention rend read you are now of draft ago age my illy dearest son because after it you were ere hurt and missed school I 1 gave you oil the birthday of the baby that died s so 0 not seem scorn so behind in ili school work no one knows knob this dearest dea iest 1 11 but it and you ou do as your heart bids yon y hearts all right mother dear lie he whispered kissing the letter then to the caina well fellows I 1 came back to tell you the news im engaged to the prettiest girl gill in ellis county and have haie enlisted call bcd in uncle sams army in colorado want nt to stand in the willy fy of any ailys patriots so better be good to bertle bertie while youve got a cl chance innee of course the announcement of ills his engagement wasn was gasn a bit hasty but mary corroborated it hen told the particulars |