Show r A i aames kopines opines AP U mes te WILLSIE HONORE aia v 4 hy FREDERICK drederick ERICK A STOKES CO CHAPTER XIV continued 14 it was lydias first acknowledgment of tier her to america and it left felt tier her a little Wat bleill and item illyff hw lie to the ra fond kid rod and made tier wily way swiftly to 6 ahonor the norton place said mild punting panting her checko bright and tier her yellow liate blowing im against ngit dist the indian grafting nilly billy put out hla his hand solemn solemnly vil 1 anil tile the two shook for foe nil hilly billy wits four years older than lydia they the both were very very cry young lio 80 young that lint they believed that they could fight single handed the whole world of intrigue and greed agreed in their little community was set and yet futile na as they may seem cwm it la Is in young loung decisions k such na as these that the uno un o creeps upward I 1 what aro are you ou going to do billy I 1 lydia ill going to get a government in started somehow lie he re piled liu tutee talce time but ril ill go got t tt it bo be lovely muck muckraking raking lydi 1 I isto hate to think of it she said bald un nn etea Me denolly dlly nolly lizzle li Is InIs miserable erable today will you tell your mother hilly billy and 61 ask ark her to come over to see tier her tills this evening I 1 stop any longer now poor old wats indeed for years she fihe had bad struggled against rheumatism luit but now tt it had hound tier her hand linh and foot allu norton carne over in tho the evening lizzie was in ile bed M shivering and flushed and with pain sin aln walled till lizzie slept then she khe arild annl amos hint doctor fulton lind had better lip ap culled and amos with a worried air for town at once lowr lo 10 bior fulton shook his big head ail and sites in for a run of rheumatic lovci ra vei lee banul extra hot water bottles ail and aake up till your mind for a long 1410 i 1 anti and it vas a u I 1 in nr g siege sy S weeks week ot of agony for lizzie of nursing find and housework an and worrying for lydia mn ala norton and tile the neighbors gie gave what time they could hut but the brunt of course courne fell on lydia clydla nilly billy called every evening on hn his way home to 0 o supper john leville sat eat up two to or three nights a week kent cattle came out once a week with a heery cheery word and a basket of fruit and at frequent intervals tile the mar shrill surrey stopped at the gate and or dave appeared with some or of Elv elviras irys delicious cookery fer lydia end nd amos during all tills this time she sold mid nothing to hilly billy about his muck muckraking raking campaign lie finla hed his law course in june and entered ex senator at al vord g oile afflec na an tie ho had planned there wa will knober election tit in the lie fall fail and john belne was returned to congress tills ills time almost without it struggle str uRKle like lake a lomb late tit in december fell the news mat the indian commission slon er had ben been calleta before a senate to anwer quest questions lons re burding tile the relations of lake city to the reer reservation while follow following ilig close tn on the iwas of tills this announcement caule word that a congressional commission till slon of three had been appointed to sit kit at lake city alt to investigate in ili dlan matters billy how ild did you do itt III asked lydid in ili omster nation lie ile had overt laken iken her one niter bitter cold Juat january iarY afternoon noon on tier her way hume from col lege 1 I do dopuch doi puch uch said hilly 1 I iii l got diozt dozens us of them bowing lowing frauds bud and gaa them thein t to 1 alord ile he lus has a lot of i in it fience Ii ence anang the senators arnd Is a ers personal onal friend of f the president Irel dent ardla I 1 s lips were set tightly as s she aed ilal along the auw road all sin she mild finally nil ill are you wu I 1 this it to fait I 1 ean ean avith duvo dave mar 1 J 1 I I 1 in collir it beirise bei iise 1 m ashamed ashi nud i allm nhit nem t I 1 ail s lune lillne dolle ia h i dwir herit lurlia alze and nd im 1 m doing t fr fir iiii oil to ro muke make a name for ou N 11 at m t going tu io murry marry tile me soine day da I 1 ellit I 1 m nt not t mid lydia flatly hullt laughed lau lashed hed lu cant help litile li its tute fate for both of 0 r 1 uie twe along home youre you ro ering when hen you talk that way I 1 nate you ani 1 I exclaimed lydia but hilly billy on I 1 amii bcd again the commissioners sat for months 1 and in that time they ther exposed to the hiir ning sun suit of publicity the muck of fluery art aril dishonor on which lale lake cites alt 8 placid beauty was nas built marriage tage after mar riuZo of equals f 71 with lake city citizens was nas unearthed i i lwft of the thiebe e same citizens also havill liu ln a white faulty hundreds of tracts of lands that md had been ob issued by stealing vr or by fraud from pj 0 auri uil boods booda were listed bags of alts rf of jewelry jew elry bolts of cotton 61 iliad i beet been exchanged br r pine worth A of dolam i ft i M I 1 it t was a nervo nerv period for or lake city whether purposely or not the lie net did not begin to close round john levine till toward the end ot of the lie hearing not nor did come houte home until into in tiro the summer when tile had been ing for or timo moritas hs 4 4 in spite of a sense anse of apprehension that would not lift the alio year was waa a happy ono one for L ydun in the first place aluce site alto went to three hrco college bauc ing parties during tile the year in tho the second place kent asked tier her to go 90 with bilu to the last party and to lydiab mind a notable conversation took place ut at that time thanks kent suld lydia carelessly lut but im going with hilly billy 11 billy I 1 always billy I 1 snorted kent why you and I 1 were acro friends before wo we ever heird of hilly billy I 1 yoa yes returned lydia calmly youve always liked tile me as I 1 havu have you hut but youve always been ashamed of my clothes I 1 dont blame you a bit hut but you can imagine how low I 1 feel about chos taken me clothes or no clothes vlot hoB it was kents turn to lush flush billang it lyd ive been an internal inferno ad lints till hilll t and lydia went on mercilessly ive got nothing to wear now but the annio old graduating dress I 1 suppose ou on worp hopins for better things nga stop iti krut kent shouted 11 1 I deserve it 11 but im not going to take it im asking you for just ono one reason and that Is a ive waked up to th fact that youre the finest girl in tho the world no 0 o one can call told it 11 candle to you there was a sudden hit lilt in fit lydias voice that did not escape i kent us ns slid answered laughingly well if you feet tile same banie atter after seeing margery this mi mu nimer ill be glud glad to go to one of tile the iloilo hops next fall with you and iliano you deeply mr moulton PAU all right said rent kent soberly go berly alie abio first hop next foil fall la Is mine aillie and ta as many more us I 1 can set it wits late in tile the spring and after the iho conversation with kent that it began to ile be rumored about town that x Alv alvarda Al vorda office was tit nt the of the indian investigation kint kent accused hilly billy of tills openly one sunday afternoon ot at lydias Lyd laa to take the blame if necessary said billy nice thine to do to your friends and neighbors bill kent ken went on what the deuce did you do it for hilly billy shrugged his hl shoulders and s said rid nothing kent appealed to lydia would you hate gone to parties with him if known what ho be wits was doing to his town aydt lyd kent I 1 knew it said lydia after 11 1 pan pause se you know knew it I 1 you let a lot of sickly sentimentality ruin lale lake city in tile the eyes CPS of the world not only that think coming to john leanel I 1 think coming coining to me though rb ive done little enough 1 alien then im glad it came to stop you while still done litt little lel I 1 cried ledta oil oh theres Mar margery geryl 1 she bhe lovely I 1 it wits was larcery Mar cery just home front from school where she gally gaily announced its as site she shook hands she he had been finally finished margery cried lydia lydan youre so 80 beautiful that youre ouro simply ale above envy what a duck of a dress dres 41 I 1 it agreed margary Marg vry what w were nere you till all discussing so solemnly naly when hen I 1 interrupted indian graft said ald billy lacon icalla lynll it awful oil oh billy by the wa vay daddy sis tys he thinks senator alord started the tie whole thing did he yik e I 1 helped replied nill dortly hort ly well weil I 1 think you ou ought to 0 o he be als twined d of di cried hi aniber Mn argery iBer airily lom don t iou ou lydia leiai no I 1 dont im proud of him though im I 1 m seared scared to deuth death bald elvdia L ilia well I 1 just tell you fally norton there here was a sudden bhrell note lu in gers ceris bolce it if anything anith lne really horrid Is unearthed about daddy ril ill never sl pak ak to you again would you iou kent 1 I dont don t intend to anyhow replied kent coolly yet tile me take you home ill iii my illy toot toot hut but I 1 just got here protested Sl slagger arger its now or never sald said kent rising ive ITC r to run along oh it ir its that serf serloma ser loua oui margery anuk kents arm ann uy by by bydia I 1 come coine over a er and see sec my now new dresses aar iney were gone billy sat at up and looked at ledla lydia ldla lie he said bald im going to quit you know ive worked with charlie jackson right along quit quatt kut but billy why 1 I 1 I think altink you minded kent and margery that much I 1 11 1 I dont mind them theio at all hat but lr dla I 1 found yester yesterday yet erday dar my father tot got one hundred and twenty acres acre from a nten ten year old full all blood blad boy for five A dolar ollars and aid a bicycle lut ast week charlie unearthed a fall blood from whom your father had gotten two hundred and aua forty acres for an aa old sewing owing machine and twenty five dollars dolln rt rid ive done no much for the abe indians indiana and charlie Is 1 so BO fond of you that bat hell shut theae thae indiana indian up but bat I 1 cant KO go on after that of co course yes tea 40 so on billy lydio voice waa very low after I 1 faced what would como come to john levine levane through this I 1 can face anything billy genvo a little groan and bowed hla his head on lydias knee suddenly elii 06 felt years yearn older than billy llly SM she d his tumbled blond hair 1 I told you ull all the battles of the world were fought for a woman he said dear ill hl go on break mothers heart it wont brenk tier her heart said lydia hearts doyt dont break over oer that sort of thing CHAPTER XV duck duch amor patriae it was the last week in august when john L 0 rin a w was as a d before the lydia a aad d aghos amoa were summoned with lift him n there were two long ion tit at ono one antl of the room behind oneff oneo which out bat the three commissioners at the other table were the clil ralphers and charlie jackson Jac kHon before tile the were chairs and und here bere were jolin john levine and kent pa norton and billy old susie and a younger squaw with several bucks lydia gave cave a sigh of relief when levine caught her eye across the room und find smiled at her she looked at the commissioners curiously blie knew them hem fairly well from the many 1171 I 1 1 r I 1 I 1 I 1 I 1 all right said kent soberly newspaper pictures she had seen of them tho the fat gentleman with penetrating blue eyes and a clean shaven face was senator smith of texas the roly poly roan man with black eyes and a grizzled beard was senator elway of maine and tile the tall smooth shaven ninn man with red hilr bair was senator james of new york mr levine said senator smith ve we have hae found that you had carried on so BO binny er that we finally n illy decided to choose three or four sample cuss and lot let our ease case stand on those jackson cull crippled dear bear charlie spoke quickly to one of the bucks who rose and took the chair by charlie ile he bogan began to talk at once charlie interpreting slowly and carefully 1 I 1 au ant a mixed blood many moons ago the man levine found rue me drunk tit in the snow lie picked me up anil and kept me in his house over night when I 1 was waa sober lie he fed me then ile he made tills this phill I 1 was to gather halt half a dozen half breeds t geaber he could trust in the spring tie he would come up to the reservation and talk to us I 1 did tills this and he come came we were very hungry when hequet heta et us la in the woods woodi and he gave gae u food and money then he told us he was going to get the big fathers at wash washington ington to let us sell our aur pines so we could ildas always il was line haie money and rood food never neer he be hungry any more neer linn he said while lie was getting that done he would pa pay us a little avery month to go through 1 tile the wood and chop down the abe bet trees tilt the ill dig father will let whites get dead and down don timber out of 0 indian woods lie he said but not let whites whiles cut any an so we say yes es and thou h full bloods are very mad when we cut down big I 1 trees ret a we do it for many moons wo we do it and in winter white men haul it to sawmills every little while levine cornet comes up there and we haie hae a council and tell him film everything that bap happens pens all about things marshall and other whites white do and he pays us ua always then he tells us its that the hie big father will let gaited bloods sell their pine lands but not full bloods so then we agree when he wan wants any full blood land to swear that any full blood Is mixed and we hae done this now perhaps twenty tivies the mixed blood and charlie paused mr smith took up a paper 1 I have here mr lir levine a butement of your dealings with the lake city lumber company you have had sawed by them durin durans the post past six or eight years sears millions of feet of pine lumber I 1 find that you art aro holding indian i 1 lands la 14 the namo pt clydla dudley iliad nd her father er atacio amo dudley ay iy hee lands legally belonging to fall blondi lines athoa dudley la alx abo purchaser of land from fall ill bloods nods sis la ii william torton norton br W you v ar uvine rose ro quickly 4 ve gentlemen n t 1 e 1 a he 6 exclaimed ya yo it car can ll 11 find enough counts against me without in eluding miss dudley who has never beard of the matter you mentton mention 1 v james spoke for tha 1 firari time suppose wego tho witnesses before we open hayl with mr jackson what have these squaw to will tell I 1 charlie called old susie and old the death of her daughter from starvation land and cold uila sume some daughter having sold her to for a five dollar but bill and it a dollar v watch fitch stio sho held beld 64 out the watch toward levine ta la one trembling old hind hand 1 find this in dress dresa when she dead sh ftfe ft trong it taue take he hermany days to die I 1 old I 1 pray great spirit taka me yol no I 1 I 1 starve I 1 I 1 freeze I 1 I 1 no 0 can die she young she have little bally baby she die suddenly bud denly she flung the watch at leanea Lel nea feet and sank trembling trebling into h her er chair there wits ans silence tor for a moment to in at a lio open window winda came the ramble of a street car levine cleared bis big threat all this ll li dramatic of course but make tuo me the wart murderer lerer odthe of the squaw no I 1 but you yon killed my father I 1 shouted charlie Cliar llo jackson and rising lie he hurled forth the story he bad ba told lydia years lears before lydia ldla sat eat witti with tier her hands clasped tightly in her top lap lr oes eyes fastened in horror on charlies faco face it seemed to lydia that the noose was fastened fant closer round jolius johns neck |