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Show yfTWO PAIRS. 1 f Ibyjiab-tham-williamb. . ' ! u 1'M bv Martha McCulIoch- fc!lU V7rf Williams.) . Ix hundred dollars! And her dog and 4r ,, t call lhat a shame a burning ?A - vmy Watts said, holding out Tnnto Jocclyn. ostensibly sympa- bal lth a gleam of satisfaction J if donV Jcel'n sald st0Utly: "A"nt 1L.! J ha never promised to make mo ' hlr She did all she said and more Le rce my eduoatlon-with a lot of Sis in the way of extras-dressed me !4k Swnd gavo me also a chance of arftg gntas her money. I wouldn't take fttnir I-I don't understand" Amy 2 'jocelyn laughed .softly. "The )) Ss would have been casy-to some y ' S?" she said. "It only meant being . &si Tou see Aunty felt that bi herself ought to have gone she Lfat she bad heard a call that way lit but her terror of men and water was 831 Ke never could venture to answer m she wanted me to till the gap which u.' "thoucht she had left In the ranks. Ztl too. the poor old dear knew I'd r? nd her money if I got it without the ,f : Wonary enreer In having good times. S6 ii l Se did so hate good times! She , mpfy couldn't be happy unless she ' A3 ven' miserable." 5-1'ou "staved with her nine years," M Ly said In a voice of nwe. Jocelyn "tS DWlbc-d out her black gown and said, .i rfully: "Yes ana i m giau oi u. ft3 fa-ards the last she clung to mo pitl-1 pitl-1 ally-called me her comfort, and all ' , hit But It broke me all up to have - - r ack my pardon for the will. As fcough I had a right to be hurt over it. 1r h lived so useless, child, I had to do IlGl i'llttle good at the very last she said io her dear missionaries got everything ' ut the place and the family silver ' kfywenttoa Challoner, down In Tex- e, the last of Ihe name. She hoped ho luitfc. Fouia come back and live on the place. y. loicehow, In spite of all her crankiness. be kept the feeling of race. I'm not -tel Ml blood kin of hers, you know only sin r stepmother grandchild" elii "whn ls lie coming this Texan?" I liny Interrupted. :e- ft 'Jocelyn laughed roguishly. "Not at 11, I suspect Amy-Mamy. You'll have , f put up with Frank Palmer after all. , 'or even If Mr Stephen Challoner jfej fould come, he Is likely to bring a lis. Challoner along. Early and often i i7the Texas motto, wien it comes to i ilrlmony and he's all of thlrty-to thlrty-to K tt." uU, b jj"Frank has no eyes now for anybody it you," Amy said, trying to mask mmmm llt with playfulness, and succeeding ZBfher 111. IBlocelyn gave her a keen Icok. In- inlly she whistled a favorite trick of in In case of great surprise. "Unless w take that back right straight, I'll , . indie you out, neck and crop, she said snU wrcly, but with twinkling eyes. "I Jl 111 deny grudging Frank to you tat woman could? But you have pos- nirlon, which is nine points of the law, it to spenk of vested interests you p were betrothed in the cradle, I've fays heard, by your respective facts fa-cts tn." vA 'Oh, that was all a joke!" Amv said hit rt blushed and bridled delightedly. Sftb ny was a pretty enough girl, unless ossli tctlyn were by to put her out of court a en wlyn was tall and 20. light on her :ph!:! et, Uthely rounded, a figure of grace. ' Hal everywhere, most of all In her ) Mch'tlnted face and laughing eyes, j i the three weeks since she hnd come El WS?''6 she had sulJuBated half of Lyn- TWlte-women no less than men. What I , fonder that she had swept Frank Pal- ;Br oft his feet! mEu Wua a ricn mftn's only child, JMjplIfil of course, but a decent fellow JBSh, dutiful to his father, and ten-y ten-y affectionate toward his invalid iK Ho had lntonded to marry Amy purpose to please his mother, who to Iff1 a of 1,10 Kirl and hntl grown to W JSii ? her sreatly. Now he had f 2li the W0UId be mch fonder of I yn .rore six months were out 1 ?ri.?nla ,hc helP u? rhe the two I ' Txht of n,m he was sa''ff this J ilih L fk ,V0,imn' who answered him m rrinr?n 5lk,,lt' cll0k,nS sobs and the 1 3Sn,eu,f wa8ted 1,a,,ds- The silence 1 Sf nnfh'in.,t0 the lKlnt f action-he H LS,alone the tree-bordered 1 aVu 0 ,ntent l,Ion his er- 1 vntMn fa!r,y Jnt0 a 11, sun- fj wSr'A wh0 stood solute up- 1 S0sehrasaltl?nrathOr g00d'" thc ia ln answer ot his apolo- 9 w a ?st 1 reckon so It gives I mln?ani,iLt0 spcak lo without fl $ to bi nC0, a c?nfldence man. I I t l.-r2. hsmed lo say it, but the H re I j l0sL ost ln Lynvllle- Tnvllle?S l0rn,a ons tin,e "BO. The V ' PUw lS2 fber was another sort treThe t,nn,l. be n publlc GQunre, ,1 ke HverlKf P,ke went down towards 1 , r"hou!.lh a lnarket uusc, and a I Franf,0 "lC0t tlle ra-1 ra-1 himself 0XI,lnled, smiling in spite I SSeafeBf M "H'm!" then I ' y. what K,5$ middl of lh,ns wltht 1 ! B rl aAMrtTof Proposition ia this ' '-know Lr r8,Jo' yn? You're bound m ("Shs '5 you llve here." i 2SBW" Frank an- ffihSvJ? J"1 1,lm' 11,80 SmI1- fr brand on ! ' 11 3 p,al sho's run l'youV n 1 nt,vho you Qre? l Vve Kot a L? U? No harm meant Sr up ,1 ve como a11 lhe cn I Eot ti ?rt. ?C even ings. 1 l-aunt? 8trnlht story of my 57 fateve. It'a nn m yn make tracks up there and mtirry that poor thing.' " "Sure you can do It?" Frank asked, a stormy red flashing Into his face. Challoner wheeled upon him. "Lord, yes," he said. "Even in Texas there aren't many would turn down Steve Challoner. Ever hear of thc Tomahawk Ten ranch? Pretty complete outfit If I do say so myself. It don't really lack much but a mistress and that It's going go-ing to have, sure as this Miss Jocelyn shows up as any sort of Texas timber She ought to be that. This llttlo old Slate of Tenncsseo raises about the best going. That's what made we wait so long I've been knowing I needed a wife ever since the Tomahawk Ten got to a fall draft of 2000 steers, but somehow some-how I couldn't fetch it, to come up here after her. Now well! I don't think I'm going home by myself not even if I find the wind blows the way I think It does." "How ls that?" Frank asked. Challoner laughed. "Why, that j-ou've gone and cut me out, before ever I was rightlj' cut In," he said. "Ain't that about right?" "I don't know," Frank Interrupted, "but," doggedly, "If you'll como nlongl with mo we'll very soon find out." "So! you'ro going to see her!" Challoner Chal-loner ejaculated, with a whistle, then, rubbing his hands, "but you haven't told me a word about yourself." Frank ran into a brief account of himself as they swung along the streot. Challoner listened attentively, and at the close asked- "Now, one thing moro are you right sure you ain't mort gaged property I don't see how you can help being living here where folks can't do much but marry specially women. Oh. ho! I thought so!" noting Frank's frowning flush. "Now you speak up the whole truth before wc go a stop further together." "Would you ruin your life to please other people?" Frank demanded. Challoner looked at him narrowly. "No man ruins his life, except by doing wrong." he said. "Tell me the whole talc then I can Judge " "Gee! But you are In a sort of a box1"' he said when he had heard the tale then, with a swift smile: "But It ought not to be hard to get you out with two men wanting lo marry and two women ready to be persuaded." "You don't mean?" FVank began, reaching for the other's hand. Challoner returned the clasp, but said oracularly: "Walt until I've seen 'em both no buying buy-ing pigs in a poke for yours truly. Then there was silence until they stood side by side upon the Craig piazza, shaking hands with the two young women whose conclave they had interrupted Five minutes later Challoner managed to wink at Frank unseen. And when, after supper, they marched away arm In arm, he burst out: "It's all right mighty right, old son! I'm with you to the last cartridge. Jocelyn has got the looks, but somehow that Amy bunch of calico is lust the size I want. We've got a whole month's time to work In. Oought to bo a pair of weddings at the end of it." There were a pair of weddings, although al-though they waited until fall. When they came off. Amy was so happy that she made a beautiful Mrs. Challoner, and Mrs. aPImer senior was nearly as much ln love with Jocelyn as her bridegroom son. |