him the grove of cottonwoods marking the location of Moccasin Spring.
pect of house and stable and corral with cottonwood
as a rule do not go in for flowers and shrubs. And here, besides a smal
en door. A fresh young voice in the kitchen was singing
a-goin' do
d team an'
whip an' the
t busted the
the straw,
key
ked in at the kitchen door and saw, sitting on a corner of the kitchen table, a very pretty girl. On
imself for having neglected to shave, pu
g up a slim tanned hand and tucking in behin
re that he had never before seen eyes of such a
jo on the table and sliding down till her fe
his bosom, so that he could button unseen the top button of hi
's Father, I'm th
I want, Miss Dale-
n Mrs. Morgan
ister, Miss. Her whose hoss was take
was my
it was an old lady's h
d you bring him back?..
ok one glance at the bay horse tied to th
se," she reiterated with
nconvenience to this angel. If he could only crawl off somewhere and pass away quietly. At the moment, by his own valuation, any one buy
man-" she beg
e lain down right there on the floor and let her wipe those selfsame shoes upon him. It would have been a posit
at an honest confession would restrain h
u were," sh
umbled on, feeling it incumbent upon him to say so
other sister I have. Who
, indeed! Miss Blythe to the contrary notwithstanding this girl was not within sight of middl
her long eyelashes demurely drooping, "t
s!" Hugely
ng her eyes and tilting sidewise he
gulped hard. "I mean," he resumed, hastily, "I don't understand wh
ears ago. I was only a kid then-all legs li
nkly, with a bewilderi
" he said, truthfully. "They
son, please sit down, do. I know you must be tired after your long ride. Take that chair under the mirror. It's the strongest. You can tip it back against the wall if you like.
d Racey, rasping the back of hi
e coffee. I'll have you a potful in no time. I
bet yo
es better. You'll get s
He stare
e creek bank where I can gallop.... What? Why, of course you're going with me. Jane would never forgive me if I didn't bring you. And what would Chuck say if you came this far and then didn't go on dow
d indicated. "But a feller gets tired of one place after a while. I thought
e Bend?" she asked, poking up the
the Lazy River count
r yores truly, n
to Arizona go glimmering. His eye lingere
" she asked, her
"Want to hear a c
slid the banjo to rest on his thigh, swept the strings, and broke into "Inchin'
I heard singing in Farewell yesterday. He was in the Happy Heart when I was going by, and he sang Jog
and old songs is where I live. I cut my teeth on 'The Barley Mow' and grew up with 'Barbara Allen'. M
ry Cuckoo" and "The Bailiff's Daughter". The last she liked so well
ghed apologetically. Racey stopped singing and looked toward the doorway. Standing in the
laugh at his expense. As probably he was. Racey looked at him from beneath level brows. The lid of the stranger's right eye dropped ever so little. It was the merest of
ger smiled. It was marvellous how the magic of that smile augmented the attractive good looks of the stranger's full face. It was equally singular how that self-s
ive here?" inqui
e Boreal Pole was in the tw
gan to twinkle. He made as if to enter, but went no
he h
." Clear
stranger, the smile waning a
ch," sniffed Miss
tranger, undisturbed. "
ght
o-morrow. I
stranger. "Would it be
on what you ca
silently, and pulled on his hat. "And it's a good thing standards ain't all
ed upon and caressed the girl. She shook her shoulders
if he expected a reply. But he did not get it
y, his keenly twinkling black gaze travelled over the girl from her face to her feet an
sumed in a drawl. "I had some busines
r turned an
hed him mount his horse and ford
ale, and caught her lower lip between he
ut when he com
ck. I never want to see h
n Farewell. He was with Lanpher. When I was coming ou
g Lanpher here
on, his eyes following the dwindling figure
hus Miss Dale with
sedly essayed to fasten upon Mr. Dale. But, due to the interference of Chuck Morgan, a Bar S rider, who later married Jane Dale, Lanpher's attempt had been unavailing. It may be said in passing t
at day," Racey Da
ok at the time, will you? Get your
ustn't keep Jane waitin'. Lookit, Miss Dale, as I reme
oorway. "Why, no," she told him. "
whisker. Let's be movi
resting to tell you and
y, and Racey looked over her shoulder. What stopped them short in their tracks was a spectacle-the
Miss Dale in a horr
rful whoops and topped off with a long pull at a
aid Miss Dale
decided Racey's course for him. Mr. Dale pulled a gun and, still whooping cheerily, shook five
im," Racey said, apologetically, ov
Racey that the old fellow was as drunk as a fiddler, or certainly Racey would have been buried the next day. As it was,
n't want that gun, Nawsir. Not you. Le
into the waistband of his own trousers. The old man burst into frank tears. I
full o' fleas I'm hard
dly two lines of the
ching from verse to pro
ke
hout the slightest difficulty he leaped t
ck by a sudden thought. "What's thi
Luke Tweezy," he said. "Lots o' folks don't like Luke. They say he's me
's elbow, "please go, I can get him in
was on the verge of a discovery. "Somebody is a-trying to jump yor
and embarrassment engendered by her father's condition the tr
re a-tryin' to steal it from you. You lemme t
un away had been inspired by Racey surreptitiously and severely kicking it on the fetlock. This he had done that Miss Dale's th
le toward the house. "What's this about Luke T
Fluke's after buyin' me the bottle and asked me to stay there till he
gged down against Racey's suppor
ping he picked up the limp body in
lled to Miss Dale. "
she said, with a
ung cottonwood growing at the corner of the
fleeting instant as she threw open a door
ing parent on the blanket. Expertly he pulled off the m
ld swell so after you'd never get 'em off
to leave the room. She did not
d, standing in the midd
dn't shut that
ou're not wanted here?
but a crack. He
ad good reason for believing that somebody is trying to steal yore ranch. From several
shamed blood. She leaned against the table. One closed fist rested on the
at is McFluke
he got it!" she ex
't mind telling me wher
and store on the Marys
r fo
since my t
and a half. What makes you think so
't gonna do it if I can help it. Don't you fret. It w
w-what you know
unless you're coming
an't
. I'll tell him all about
is own horse. He swung into the s