| Show I i 1 i t t l v t t S GI l 1 I I 1 W 6 Sr 1 sL 1 r rh P a c r Y E r r rr i I s h U q Jill ft l 1 WHEREIN THE HEARTLESSNESS OF ONE MAN AND THE CHIVALRY OF ANOTHER r rARE ARE PORTRAYED c N i HORSEMAN rode out ot of the thicket and came to a 11 halt on the railroad track below f the water tank The keen eyes In his hard young 1 face swept the landscape r noting noUng every hollow and n every hillock that might conceal a lurking fo foe Across the pommel ot of othis his saddle rested a rifle rille i steadied by strong brown hands that caressed It carelessly MOreover the butt of a revolver pro projected prot t L Li jetted from a holster tied i down by leather thongs to the right thigh ot of his chaps Some Something po thing In the appearance ot of the mss mat some borne suggestion ot of latent force In the loung lounging lounging ing ease ot of him spoke saliently ot of his fitness to survive In the rough fringe ot of civilization where his lot had fallen tallen His glance went up and down the track to 10 where the tho shining Krupp rails merged In the distance and came back to the water tank for fot a closer Inspection Inspection tion Its spout still dripped the thin trail ot of smoke vanishing on the horizon edge told him that Its latest function had been watering the engine of the Golden State Limited d Once focused on the little hUddle ot of color that showed from behind a post of the tank the ot of his patient gaze did not relax He would have liked to proJect through that post the frowning vigilance of at his eyes to determine whether the b hand nd of death was wason wason on the trIgger to flash its l leaden aden messenger at him himAn himAn An Immense silence filled the desert The multi multitudinous multitudinous voices ot of Its dwellers were lost In a sunlit sea of space In the me blue sicy above a buzzard circled slowly round and round A swift ran across the track and rested alertly motionless on a raiL Above a hole lay coiled called a rattlesnake but the intruder was moved to no impulse to shatter Its head wIth his revolver Steadily watchful the swIft was no nomore nomore more motionless and alert than he heA heA A faint sound lifted toward him by the Imperceptible breeze brought him from th the saddle with the pony be between between tween him and the tank Warily he maneuvered round In II a wide under cover of the broncho lithe and ready as a panther crouching for Its spring Suddenly the tension snapped The vigilance ot of hand of ey eye ot of figure relaxed Humorous creases crinkled the corners comers of his eyes The huddle ot of color had resolved re resolved solved Itself Into the soft BOft outline of a feminine figure That sobs pianissimo were Shaking her in gusts was a later discovery His approach was noiseless but Into her conscious consciousness ness filtered the apprehension of another presence In this duster cluster of fair cherubic curls he displayed I 1 dont want to Intrude maam but it If there Is any anything thing I can do for tor you He noticed that even een In her tears the he swollen eyes conceded she was exquisitely pretty In a way outside of his experience The dainty charm of appealing Irresponsibility was not without Its suggestion of wildrose fragility Yet though It waS born ot of weakness her helplessness was B a potent asset I 1 was WIlS on that traIn she explained w with th a nod toward the tho disappearing haze of s smoke they west The engine had a 11 something A hot box suggested ho he ot of the walking arsenal with never a smile Yes Ye that was It We Ye got out and strolled The porter said sald the train would be here an hour Titer They an all said It would so I and a young oung man I met on the train w went nt over to see that red sandhill Then it and he ran and caught the last car but I 1 go fast here I nm em Her story end ended d In a choking sob She burled her face In a pair of hands that seemed to him as wonderfully soft sott and delicate as asa asa a Dont you fC feel l 1 tad ad maam dont you implored the youth lly He was Wa an orn ornery ry coyote for leaving you OU that way wayBe Be we m her une uneven en breaths she her despair without raising her he head d I 1 was was going to have a friend III they wrote m me lIe He put one ot of his big hands gently on h her r shoulder She was such a child that his daring seemed to justify Itself Im right sorry Borry for tor you maam I 1 am But Tucson aint moren fifty miles and that with a 0 good hose hoss under youA you youA A lifted brown eye peeped up at him despair Sus IUs Suspended for tor the moment tt It observed that his hand was taken away abruptly The mere pr presence sence ot of this lean d stranger carried Its own comfort and his embarrassment removed hers You might as well say with a Pullman carpet under me Wheres the good hers hoss she wanted to know the th glimmer of a smile at the corners of her mouth lIe He whistled and his bronco emerged from the chap chaparral arral anat At your service maam the best boss hoss In Arizona Crumbs I call him because hes fine bred His Hla name used to be Soso before I bought him She smiled frankly and her smile was like the sun breaking through an April shower t I see You chang changed ed d his name because It If he Were only Soso he could not be the 1 best est boss In Arizona The little mouth lifted the drawl out In daring parody of his Not waiting for him to answer she continued with a Childs easy lack of And what do yoU call his master I am Nell Davis Roberts Glad to meet you ou maam Evidently he was unused to the society ot of women as she was pleased to observe from his embarrassment It gave her diminutive ladyship a complacent sense of at r s r I I 3 r I s I t I ra ks 1 I If I f t rt 1 1 I Ii d 1 fit tt I i i 1 I l r rt t 1 i ir f r 11 5 ifA f s I tl t A s 1 A tt fl tg A hot box suggested he of the walking arsenal with never a smile Imm nse deserted world of empty space She looked up j through her tears Into a face faco brown as Arizona The Theun unexpectedness un ss ot of his presence as It If her need had con conjured I him from fron the depths startled her The strangeness strange ness neBS of his garb the menace ot of his weapons contributed to her t terror Her big brown childish ees eyes dilated U ted and d th the bolor olor wash washed d fr from m her wet ch cheeks eks But when he whippet whipped his Stetson from his heM head the boyish bOish smile that lit his face was as reassuring as the 1 J I dont see how we can both ride him she criticised eyeing Crumbs with tilted eyebrow Hell Helt carry double makin W Wont nt you Cr Crumbs i Id let you go alone only She wondered r d why he stopp stopped d without t enlightening h het r as s to the would not noL It WM was ch r rt of her that she ehe did not hot i let t th the fu itt r drop s so Only y why You might get et lost he finis finished bed a little lamely She tr frowned at him That what you w were re going to say sap His laugh seemed an echo of the SUn n pour OUt IV Youre Ur too smart for tor me But a good r reason ason too aint It You sure might get lost I Ill t tell yoU yell the theother theother other one tomorrow Miss Davis Dals after We r reach ach Tucson And when shall we r reach ach Tucson she said laid rising riling and shaking h her r skirts preparatory to m mounting He glanced at the declining sun i A little lIlU the yon on side elde ot of midnight maam I left there yesterday Im acquainted Sn in Tucson You mention your our friends name Maybe I 1 could tell teU how she Is Spots of pink drove the cream out out of her cheeks My frIend Is s a mana Mr Thomas Not Bob Thomas The sharp ring ot of hostility In his voice flushed h her t cheeks ks with resentment Yes Tes Bob Thomas Why do you speak In that tone She Was observing with surprise that th the had been wiped d from his face as witha sponge His kindly eyes had grown grim and narrow maam I 1 can relieve your mind on one point he told her dryly Mr Thomas aint sick at Tucson at all Not sick lIe He is better I 1 reckon n he been sick t to speak k o of u But I had a a 0 friend of his It said he might not live long longI I exp expect ct that friend tit of his ought to be killed was lils grim comment what does It mean she tattered faltered catching at her heart wh what t I dont quite saves Are ro you a relative ot of his miss The color olor came In No II 11 The voice strangled and the sooty eyelashes feU fells Roberts was not the kind of at man whose attitude to toward toward ward women Is a profanation Knowing Thom Thomas b he might have judged cynicallY any young woman woman who would tome come from far to see seo him But the tha first look Into the deep innocence of this had made such sucha a judgment You dont d nt need to tell teU me any more than you want to h he said gently But did thIs letter ask you ou for fora a any y money It said he was ill and penniless I sent then I came Ohio you know I am en enga engaged ga ed to him she added simply He swore under his breath Was Wan ever anything more tile Yet It was like Bob Thomas the weak scamp to deceive decele and then to bleed beed this child who lov loved d him have kave you any folks bath back In Ohio Miss Davis No Why do you ask What do you know What Ilo o you OU think Tell me she commanded and surprised him at the direct force of her slim young straightness ss He had his code of conduct which held as many silences as air that of at most men but It did noti t nn Intervention when a tender lamb was flinging itself to the wolves 1 I think you aint getting a square deal Bob aint the man you OU think him How do you ou mean Her quiet voice made him uneasy It was so different from what he might might have expected Men come to the coW it searches them shows in them Lots ot of nice boys bos get bUsy raising all kinds of hell when the bucking strap is ort off them Bob Thomas was that stand the freedom I guess Hes weak no account a barroom loafer The young man occupied himself with the so EO that he might not look on her anguIsh She had turned away before he finished but he could see that her slender figure was rigid and that her finger fails were sunk Bunk in the palms of her handsHe hands handsHe He left her alone for a reasonable time then called to her cheerily Ready to st start rt maam whenever you ire Start where she asked turning the delicate curve of her cheek toward him Anywhere you say Why not Tucson Z ZI I dont know what Ill do broke from her In alow a low voice I gave up my place in a school andl have no money letti left Sho nothing for tor good teachers He had reached her side and h her herto r to her place Stand you dont need to show us ourt so 0 tickled because the ladys riding you I expect maam yo you had better put your arm nit i round nd my waist t to steady you She rested her hand on the rim of the saddle but caught at his waist when Crumbs started to canter They rode straight into the glorIous t straight toward the jagged behind which the bril brilliant sky flamed out In splashes of saffron and crimson and topaz As dusk fell teU the tints soften softened and grew more lovely The purple mountains took on a t t t haze of fairyland the raw glory of f the southwest the charm of at limitless ss moonlit space dl med to a 8 perfect tone As they rode hour after hour tM the little figure b the tireless rider drooped with 9 At last a small voice to k courage to ask aRk him whether It WM was much farther He pulled up In contrition Im an IdIot Yo Youre re tired t to death ot of course Well camp campp out maam Theres a spring about half a mile from here I 1 expect Tucson win will stay right where It Is tm till morning ButIs Butia there a house He laughed a gaily The biggest one you ever slept lri in ina maam m 1111 Arizona for tor a floor and the sky for a r roof have a million electric lights t go to sleep by and the best system ot of ventilation ever invented I dont knowl never slept out she hesitated your misfortune he told her cheerfully He took It so eo much as a matter ot of course that her d doubts fled fied They cAm camped ed near the spring in a little of cot cottonwoods cottonwoods The Arizonian Arzonian Ut lit a fire and produced from his saddlebags th the r raw w for sup supper er Nell Nel DavIs had never that c coffee straight cold c n br bread d dand and bacon tried fried on the end ot of a sharpened sUck stick could make makl so delicious a meal But hunger Is a sauce that fi flavors vors even een the simplest food tood and Nell Nen was Hungry as she never had been before In her Ute life After they had bad eaten the young man gathered dead grass for a bed and showed the girl how to use to best a c for tor a pillow His saddle blan kele ho he wrapped snugly about her then made a circle round her with bis to keep away rattlesnakes lIe Ho lIew w wasn t sure aure there h re was Ras any a in r tiffs It might be bem merely m relt a cowboy but h he ga gave h r th the benefit of bf whatever virtue there ther was In It What are arc you ou doing she demanded sleepily Oh Just chores ho he answered It Ii n necessary to So remind h her t ot of rattlesnakes He ren renewed w th the fire with broken bits ot of and cottonwood pottering over the tuk longer than hOMed he need For the Y young man W mas wonderIng whether wh thet It be bean an Indelicate familiarity or merely a common courtesy to Wish his comrado co o B a good night He fie risked It finally in th the tame same offhand fashion as It If sh she had hOO been a little littleboy boy instead o of a charming young woman Sl Sleep P well wel little pardner p You dont need to be afraid There cant anything harm you Im not afraId thank k you And after a moment momen she added Good night big partner But though she WAs wan Bl sleepy ep the sandman dId not Us Its the truth Bob tr Thomas tomas you ou prince of at liars rang out a clear young oung voice behind him The fellow wheeled as on a pivot hi lips tit twitching his breath whistling Nell he gasped She looked at t him silently In a withering seer This coarse e braggart with the weak mouth and aad the shifty he was not the boy she had come Ii miles to nurse nurs h hOne One glance at her toad him he was wall less lean nothing to her from this moment You dont seem glad to death to see seo me and me a heap better than expected to find me he sneered recovering his cheap effrontery The money was right r Y YI YF I F 1 C c I L Lt r ttY ry t I dl r i t K i ir r 4 j jS r S J Az f t ta tf tt c Y t a f t c tzI tz I iS n F S r l o iI r rt I Il Ic t J t ff S 1 l hl 4 1 ti Jr c NI NItS v t Jt tS 1 t I f 6 1 ugh h the scattered bred cottonwoods she caught sight of two men mell one of them covering the other with a revolver i co for long The strangeness s ng ne s ot of her environment and the still b her t too keenly for see sleep For the first Um ln In her life lIte She lay lapped In the illimitable velvet night countless stars lIgh lighting the dream In whIch she floated The eJ enchantment qt of the loveliness s of an Arizona night swept through her sensitive pu pulses ses and thrilled her ber wIth the mystery of the great life lite of which she was an atom Awe hell hel her h willing captive B But she WS was tou touched 1 et by no fear she knew th that this slim sh YOuth whom she had met not five h urs b before for would watch over her safety till daybreak From where she la lay she could see him in the shadow beyond bey the firelIght sometimes cotton a cottonwood wood pacing up and down own wIth lo long g light even strides She thought ot of many thIngs of he her past lISi Ute life ot of her recreant lover of lh the u cert lh rut But Buther her Sentry w was s the last object in tier her mind bd d dIng Ing to steep sleeP and It was perhaps p significant th that t sh she fell 11 asleep ep smiling He Haa was the the first object that sh she saw when her ey eyes s opened on ot easy morning indeed ne d she ha had an Indistinct nd memory ot of him In the night wrapping the blankets closer er when when the the chill air 1111 h d |
