Track's End

hink the first Day alone: with

he fact is that I had thought a long time after I went to bed and had decided on two things–first, that I was safe from the robbers as long as the storm lasted, and, second and more important, that I had a plan which might serve

degrees below zero. I found the stock at the barn all right and cheerful; the chickens were down making breakfast of what I had given them for supper, all except

ins, and other vegetables; all of which I knew before, but I observed that such things looked different to me now. I couldn't count much on the pumpkins because I didn't know how to make pumpkin pie, but I knew that the cow would be very glad to get the

l my heart that I was out of it all, and thought every minute what a fool I was to have acted the way I did. But there wer

helf, and I wiped out the barrel and filled the magazine. It was fifteen-shot and forty-five caliber, and seemed like a good gun. I stood it under the counter in the office and out of sigh

d the 55 wind swept down the street with such fury, that it seemed next to impossible to get there. But I was anxious to

n sight, I concluded that the men had probably carried them over to the depot. I tried to see this through the driving snow,

I knew of course it was only the wind. "It'll be a long time before you hear any such music

day, and got a piece of paper to begin on, when I noticed a calendar behind the desk. I took the pen and scratched off "December 17," which was gone, and which was the beginning of my life alone in Track's End; and the first thing every morning after that while I stayed I marked off the day before; and so I never lost my reckoning. Tho

D I AT A MEA

y poor cooking. Kaiser and Pawsy appeared willing to do what they could to make it pleasant; and this time I put a chair 57 at one end of the little table, and the cat jumped up in it and began to purr like a young tiger, while

h glimpses of the railroad windmill. I saw that I must start the plan I had thought of the night before for keeping off the Pike gang without any delay. My idea was that I must not let them know that I was alone, and if possible make them think that there were

ion. I went first across the street to the bank building. The lower part of it was locked, but I went up the outside stairs and found everything in Mr. Clerkinwell's rooms as we

ck window, reached in with a stick, and shot back the bolt of the rear door, and soon had a good smoky fire here, too. I decided that one more would do for that

breaking a window. There were the guns as I

strument, but it was silent. I remembered that Tom had told me that the line had gone down beyond Siding No. 15, which was the first one east from Track's End. Everything made me th

to the top of the windmill tower and took a look at Mountain's house with the field-glass, but could see nothing. I walked around town

im, though the dog ought to have known that it was like chasing a streak of lightning. I stood with my hand on the door-knob watching the rabbit leave the dog behind, when suddenly I saw Kaiser stop as an

disgusted at seeing Kaiser making such a cowardly run. On he came like a whirlwind. I opened the door and stepped in. He bolted in