The Deserter, and Other Stories

abin, he darted to the nearer of the front windows, scratched away some o

the house. The animal had been frightened by the firing, and was stil

bridle tightly, but looking intently the other way across the fields in the di

the flat, gently sloping waste of snow which stretched unbroken backward from the house to the gray fringe of woods that marked the edge of the ravin

m there was before him th

hat he seemed a mere dark speck, like the object seen from the gun-line of a turkey shoot. Perhaps this simile was suggested to Job by

n started again to run. He seemed not to be catching up with his prey-yes! now Mose was lost to sight in the wo

d, and it took him a long time to reach the house. When he came into the yard he seemed not to look toward the house at all, b

he had not been observed, the deputy marshal cal

ng out he

here old Asa still sat motionless with bowed head near the stove. Then no

an't take a step on this crust without leavin' a mark, 'specially now that it's goin' to m

he thirties, with a long, sun-browned face and a square jaw. Although his keen ey

ng furtively at him now as he stood at the horse's head, with his sharp glance roving the distant landscape and his under lip nur

e risky things he had done in the line of his duty, and

together with his hand some heavy metallic objects in one of his ov

ddenly impelled to remark. It was only after the words were out that he realized

ely downward, and regarded Job

remarked. "I guess the horsewhi

dassent lay a finger on me unless I

emitted a chuckle

n' to git thrashed for it within an inch o' your life, and go to state's prison into

omer in a fight, "I don't jest make out how you're goin' to catch up with him, even if he does leave tracks. He's got a big start, and has pretty

s in a faint, momentar

t snow-shoes

. They would run Mose down, sure enough,

e'll hitch the horse here to the fence, and take a look at the house. Did you ever see such a tumble-down plac

fence at the side. He paused now, communed with himself for an instant, then brought the h

pairs of snow-shoes somewhere,-you're bound to find plenty of 'em; the hotel-keeper'll know who's go

road, Job Parshall found himself marching back in embarrassed state toward the front door of the

n his mind, but it was a fact that Norm Hazzard had killed two men, one of them a member of a famous local gang of horse-thieves, whom

all misses. Men did run sometimes, it was said, after they had been struck by a bullet. What if M

ether with a cruel, rasping noise

open and went in, closel

settled down supinely in the armchair, his head be

b said, as he heard the door close be

d on Asa Whipple's shoulder. He paused then, as if puzzled by what his grasp felt. Then

ildered exclamation. "Here, quick, you! run a

ult of long privation and weakness, accented by the s

himself that there was no imminent danger, and he went to work to spread out the bed again behind the stove, loosen old Asa's clothes, and stretch him out to sleep at his ease,

, a parcel or two, presumably of ammunition, and a couple of curious steel wristlets, linked tog

d his curt instruction to put more wood on the fire, and the deputy marshal had seated himself by the stove with his feet balance

out his wrist. The two parts went together with a clicking snap, and the boy, after a few fruitless efforts to open th

; and he tugged away at the lock in dogged silence, until his wrist was red and sore

you this morning, and then nailed the chain up to the barn door-post, I'd have saved myself a heap

ive gaze between the steaming leather in the oven, an

ll's boy, ain't you

and forth to hint, without saying, t

"What's the matter with the old man,

hat's what's the matter with him. He told me himsel

reasy frying-pan, and the remains of

ork that way to starv

what saved his life. They hadn't been a soul near him before since the snowfall-and he laid up. Oh, that r

old man?" queried

ook hi

to give it to Mose," he replied stoutl

onto you, too." His tone lapsed to seriousness as he went on: "Maybe you know somethin' about

et it go on to the mortgage, and he promised to look out for old Asa he

comprehendingly, and blew

the horse," he said, in a musing tone. "Reckon he's about the tightest old skinflint on the whole tu

' one thing, anyway. I ain't goin' back there any more, except to git my clothes and my mo

eh?" broke in th

-I did promise Mose! You

, "to say nothin' of scootin' over here to give warnin', and bringin' that bread there in your p

he eye for a full minute, then

olin' all the time," he added, as the other produced the key from hi

zard, with simulated surpri

ell that. A sure-enough dead shot like you wouldn't fire ten shots at a man and not hit him once, if he wasn't foolin'. It was a

d to himself, and even gave an abrupt little laugh aloud, s

notions. Besides, I tell you you're mistaken. I never fired more to kill in all my

nder the overcoat, and Job felt sure that there wa

l now, if you was to catch up to Mose, and what's more, I do

Moak gets back with the snow-shoes. We'll run him down in n

d face of the speaker, found his mind conjuring up again visions o

be a sort of relenting twinkle in