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Show I THE PAYSONIAN, PAYSON, UTAH CH AT THE WOLY tale cf the wild outdoor life of pioneer days that called forth all the courage and resourcefulness of men and women inured to danger and hardship A (Copyright, Little, Brown 6 By B. M. BOWER Co.) CHAPTER XIV. 10 Billy Louisa Gets a Surprise. worried, sick at her crowding doubts and suspicions had suddenly de- veloped Into black certainty Just when she had thought them dead forever, Billy Louise rode up the narrow, rocky gorge. She had come to have a vague comprehension of the tempta- Bon Ward must have felt. She had come to accept pityingly the possibility that the canker of old influences had eaten more deeply than appeared on She had set herself the surface. tanchly beside him as his friend, who would help him win back his self-- 1 respect. She felt sure that he must suffer terribly with that keen, analytical mind of his, when he stopped to think at all. He had no warped ethics wherewith to ease his conscience. She knew his Ideas of right and wrong were as uncompromising as her own, and if he stole cattle, he did it with his eyes wide open to the wrong he was doing. And yet "Thats bad enough, bat to try and fasten evidence on someone else I Billy Louise gritted her teeth over the treachery of 1L She believed he had done that very thing. How could she help It? She had seen the corral and had seen Ward ride away from it In the dusk of the evening; or she believed she had seen him, which was the same thing. And she knew what lay behind him. Was his version of the past after all the correct one? Wight not the paragraph she had burned been nothing more than the Frightened, ruth? j j ' . j j ' I Billy Louise fought for him ; fought with her stern, youthful judgment which was so uncompromising. It takes years of close contact with life to give one a sure understanding of human wetness and human endeavor. At the ,ord, when Blue would have crossed and taken the trail home, Billy Louise reined him Impulsively the other way. Until that instant she bad not Intended to seek Ward, but once her fingers had twitched the reins against Blues neck, she did not hesitate ; she did not even argue with herself. She just glanced up at the aun, saw that It was not yet noon so much may happen in two or three hours! and sent Blue up the bill at a lope. She did not know what she would do or what she would say when she saw Ward. The two mares fed dispiritedly at the lowest corner of the field, their hair rough with exposure to the winter winds and the storms, their ribs showing. With all the hay he had put ap, Ward might at least keep his horses in better shape, Billy Louise censured, as she passed them by. Farther along, Billy Louise heard a welcoming nicker and turned her head. d and Here came Battler, shallow a down rough-coatetrotting gulley to meet Blue. The two horses chummed together whenever Wsrd was at the Wolverine. Billy Louise pulled up and waited till Battler reached her. He and Blue rubbed noses, and Blue laid back his ears and shook his head with teeth bared. In Battler playful pretense of anger. kicked up his heels in disdain at the threat and trotted alongside them. Billy Louise rode with puckered eyebrows. Ward might neglect his stock, bat he would never neglect Battler like this. And he must be at home, since here was his horse. Or else . . She struck Blue suddenly with her rein-end- s and went clattering up the trail where the snow lay In shaded, crusty patches rimmed with dirt. The trail was untracked save by the loose pck. Where was Ward? What bad happened to him? She looked again at Battler. There was no sign of recent saddle marks along his side, no telltale imprint of the cinch under his belly. Where was Ward? Blind, unreasoning terror filled Billy Louise. She struck Blue again and plunged into the Icy creek crossing near the stable. She stopped there just long enough to see how empty and desolate It was, and how the horses and cattle had huddled against Its sheltering wall out of the biting winds ; and how the door was shut and fastened so that they could not get In. She opened it and looked In. and shut it again. Then she turned to the cabin. and ran, white-faceWhere was Ward? What had happened to Ward? Thief or honest man, treacherous or true what had happened to him? Billy Louise saw the doorstep banked over with old, crusted snow. Her heart gave a jump and stopped still. She felt her knees shake under her. Her face seemed to pinch together, the flesh clinging close to the bones. Her whole being seemed to contract with the deadly fear that gripped her. It was like that chill morning when she had crept out of her cot and gone over to tnommies bed and had lifted mom-inle- s hand that was hanging down. . . . She came to herself ; she was running up the creek, away from the cabin. Running and stumbling over kocks, and getting tripped with her Wding skirt She stopped, as soon as toe realized what she was doing; she topped and stood with her hands pressed bard against each tide of her thin-flanke- d, d, j j face, foicing herself to calmness again or at least to sanity. She had to go back. She told herself so, many times. So Billy Lonise went back to the cabin, slowly, with shaking legs and a heart that fluttered and stopped, fluttered and jumped and stopped, and made her stagger as she walked. She reached the doorstep and stood there with her palm3 pressing hard against her cheeks again. Youve got to do It. Yoave got to! she whispered to herself commaudingly. She never doubted that Ward was Inside. She thought she would find him dead dead and horrible, perhaps. No other solution seemed to fit the circumstances. Ha was In there, dead. It took courage to open that door, but Billy Louise had courage enough to open It, and to step inside and close the door after her. She did not look Kt anything In the cabin while she did it, though. She kept her eyelids down so that she only saw the floor directly In front of the door. She bad a sense of relief that It looked perfectly natural, though dusty. "Throw up your hands! came hoarsely from the bunk. Billy Louise gasped and pulled her gun, and dropped crouching to the floor. Also she looked up. From her crouching position she looked Into Wards fever-wil- d eyes. He was sitting up in the bunk, and he was pointing his big forty-fiv- e at her Get up from there ! he relentlessly. ordered sternly. Dont try any game like that on me. Buck Olneyl Get up and go over and sit In that chair. Ive got a few things to say to you. Billy Louise somehow grasped the truth, up to a certain point Ward was sick ; so sick he didnt know her. She thought she would better humor him. She got up and went and sat in the chair as he dlrecoj. Ward, keeping thi anm pointing her way, sneered at her In a way that made the soul of Billy Louise crimple. She faced him too amazed at the change In him to feel any fear that he would harm her. He had whiskers two Inches long. She wouldnt have known him except for his hair and that was terribly tousled; and his eyes, though they were wild and angry. His voice was hoarse, and while he glared at her, he coughed with a hard, croupy resonance. So you came back, did yuh? he asked grimly at last Well, yon didn't get a chance to plug me in the back. IIow long did yon lay up there on the bluff thla time, waiting to catch me when I wasnt looking? Ive been wishing Id left that rope so It would have 1" (Billy Loulae hung you. you to certain man-size- d listened round-eye- d big-eye- epithets strange to her ears.) I suppose you and Foxy and that halfbreed have been fixing up some more evidence, huh? You figure that I cant catch em this time and work tha brands over, so theyll stand YCa, and ni get railroaded to the pen. I wont take any chances it again. Im going to protect myself right. You throw that gun on the bed. (Billy Louise did so, her eyes still Now, get upon Ward's flushed face.) down that tablet from the shelf. Here's a pencil. lie drew one from under his pillow and tossed It toward her. ' Now you write the truth about all this rustling. Its a bigger thing than shows right In this neighborhood. I know that And I know, too, that Foxy has been pulling down some on the side. He never paid for all the stock thats running around vented and rebranded UK. Ive got that sized np. Pretty smooth trick, too; a heap better than working brands. He ought to have been satisfied with that but a crook never Is satisfied. I knew he wasnt the tenderfoot he tried to make out, and when I saw some of his stock and that gate fixed to ring a bell when it was opened, I knew he was a crook. But he made a big mistake when he threw la with you, you I want you to write down the truth about that Hardup deal; who was In with you. I know, all right, but I want it down on paper. And I want to know how long Foxy's been in with you, and whos working the game on the outside. Get busy; write It all down. Ill give you all the time you need ; dont leave out anything. Dates and all, I want the whole graft. Dont try to get away. Ive got this gun loaded to the guards, and you kBow He Im aching for an excuse stopped and coughed again, hoarsely, rackingly. Then he lay quiet, except for his rasping breath and watched. Billy Louise, with the tablet on her trembling knees, pretended to write. From under her lashes she watched Ward curiously. She saw his attention waver, saw his eyes wander aimlessly about the room. She sat very still and waited, making scrawly marks that had no meaning at all. She saw Wards fingers loosen on the revolver, saw his head turn wearily on the pillow. He was staring out through the window at the brilliant blue of the sky with the dazzling white clouds drifting like bits of cotton to the northward. He had forgotten her. ing to yuh. on your not trying She got the washbasin and a towel and prepared to br.the his head. He wanted a drink. And when she held a cup to his lips and saw how greedily he drank, a little sob broke She unexpectedly from her lips. gritted her teeth after It and forced g laugh. Toure sure a hard drinker, she bantered and wet her handkerchief to lay on his trow. Thats the first decent drink Ive had for a month, he told her, dropping back to the pillow, refreshed to the point of clear thinking. Old Lady Fortunes still playing football with me, William. Ive been laid up with a broken leg for about six weeks. And when I got gay and thought I could handle myself again, I put myself out of business for a while, and caught this cold before I came to and crawled back Into bed. Im sure glad yon showed np, old girl. I was getting up He coughed. against it for fair. Looks like It. Billy Louise held herself rigidly back from any emotional expression. She could not afford to go to pieces now. She tried to think just what a trained nnrse would do, in such a case. Her hospital experience would be of some use here, she told herself. She remembered reading somewhere that no experience Is valueless, If one only applies the knowledge gained. First, she said cheerfully, the patient must be kept quiet and cheerful. So dont go Jumping up and down on your broken leg, Ward Warren; the nurse forbids it And smile, If it kills obeyed. Sick Ward grinned appreciatively. as he was, he realized the gameness of Billy Louise ; what he failed to realize was the gameness of himself. Im a pretty worthless specimen right now, he said apologetically. "But Im yours to command, Youre the doctor. Nope, Tm the cook, right now. Ive got a hunch. How would yon like a cup of tea, patient? Td rather have coffee Doctor William." Tea, you mean. Fll have It ready In ten minutes. Then she weakened before his Imploring eyes. Ton really oughtnt to drink coffee, with that fever, Ward. But, maybe If I dont make CHtfTER XV. it very strong and pnt In lots of cream Well take a chance, bnckaThe Hookin'-Coug-h Man. LOUISE waited another roo I" How much sugar, patient? Billy BILLY or two, weighing the postoShe saw Wards fin- Louise turned toward Jm with the sibilities. mato can sugar bowl In her hands. from the gers drop away gun, but they None. I want to taste the coffee, remained close enough for a dangerthis trip." of it if the ously quick gripping again, Ob. an right! Its the worst thing Still surely to whim seized him. could think of, but thats the way goodness. Ward would never get crazy yon with a patient Patients always want 1 to femhurt her enough Perhaps her what they mustnt have." inine assurance of her hold on him, Sure get It too. Ward spoke bemore than her courage, kept her nerves tween long, satisfying gulps. Hows fairly steady. She bit the pencil abyour other patient Wllhelmlna? Howe sently, watching him. mommle? Ward turned his head restlessly on Oh, Ward! Shes dead mommles the pillow and coughed again. Billy unI 'utse got up quietly, went close to dead!" Billy Lonise broke downwent She and expectedly completely. the bed. and laid her hand on his forehead. His head was hot, and the veins down on her knees beside the bed and she were swollen and throbbing on his cried as ehe had not cried since looked the last time at mommles still temples. face, held In that terrifying calm. She Brave Buckaroo got a headache? cried until Wards excited mutteri'gs ehe queried softly, stroking his temwarned her that she must pull herself hookln-cougGot the ples soothingly. too. Got every measly thing he together. Yon be she commanded can think of. E-'- -n got a grouch against her former safe for Raneh-ohbrokenly, fighting ! Flower of the the Her Im all right Pity voice was croonlngly soft and sweet, cheerfulness. as If she were murmuring over a sleepy yourself, if youve got to pity someI can stand my trouble. I body. baby. Ward closed his eyes, opened thpm, havent got any broken leg and and looked up Into her fare. One bookin cough. She managed a laugh hand came up uncertainly and caught then and took Wards hand from her Wllhelralna-mlne- ! hair and laid It down on the blankets. her fingers closely. be said, in his hoarse voice. "Now we wont talk about things any His eyes cleared to sanity under her more. Youve got to have something done for that cold on your lungs. She touch. rose and stood looking down at him reof a Louise small drew sigh Billy with with puckered eyebrows. lief and reached unobtrusively Mommle would say you ought to her free hand for the gun. She slid It down away from his fingers, and have a good sweat, she decided. Got ny ginger? when he still paid no attention, she I dunno. I guess not," Ward mut-- I picked It up quite openly and laid It not tered did Ward footboard. the confusedly. against Well, Ill go out and find some sage, say anything. Hs seemed altogether occupied with the amazing reality of then, and give you sage tea. Thats another cure-all.- " her presence. She did not spend all her time pick-- I Youve got a terrible cold ; and from the looks of things, youve had It for lng sage twigs. A bush grew at the about six months, said Billy Louise. corner of the cabin within easy reach. Her eyes went comprehensively about She went first down to the stable and that end of the cabin, with the de- led Blue Inside and unsaddled him. Ward was lying quiet when she went pleted cracker box, the boxes of peaches and tomatoes, and in, except that he was waving her the buckets that were all but empty handkerchief to and fro by the cor- of water. She was shocked at the piti- ners to cool It Billy Louise took It ful evidence of long helplessness. She from him, wet it again with cold water, did not quite understand. Surely and scolded him for getting his arms Wards cold had not kept him in bed from under the covers. That, she said, was no nice way for a hookin-coug- h so long. Well, this is no time for mirth or man to do. Ward meekly submitted to beirg covlaughter, she said briskly, to hide how since it ered to his eyes. Then he wriggled his close she was to hysteria, looks very much lftte the morning chin free and demanded that she kis after. First, weve got to tackle that him. Ward was fairly drunk with hapfever of yours. She picked up a piness because she was there, in the water pail and started for the door. cabin. As she passed the foot of the bunk, Ward Warren, youro a perfectly she confiscated the two revolvers and awful hookin-congnmn There. Now took them outside with her. She had thats going to be the only ope Ob, no desire to be mistaken again for Ward, it Isnt! She knelt and curved Burk Olney. an arm around his face and kissed When she came back Wards eyes him again and yet again. "J do love were wild again, and be starred up you, Ward. Ive been a weak-kneein bed and glared at her. Billy Lou- horrid thing, and Pm ashamed to the ise laughed at him and told him to lie middle of my hones. You're my own down like a nice bnckaroo, and Ward, hrave buckaroo always nlwny I recalled to himself by her voice, Ytmvs done what no ether man would ' Well, youve overplayed your hand, I let you fellows down easy, last time. I dont reckon Foxy objected much to those few I turned back to him, and I dont reckon you did any kicking when you found I'd cut the rope so It wouldn't hold your rotten carcass. You cant let well enough alone, though. You thought youd raise me, did you? You thought youd come back and try another whack at me behind my back. You knew hanged well I wasnt the kind of man that would jump the country. You knew youd find ina right here, attending to my business like Ive always done. But yoave overplayed your hand. This time Im going to get you and Foxy and the breed along with you. It was a rotten trick, running Y6s over Reabecks brand. If I hadnt caught you In the act, you'd have planted them cattle where all h 1 couldn't have saved me when they were found. If I hadnt caught you at It and run UK monograms over the whole cheese, Id have been up against It for fair So now you're going to get what's com old-time- r. CENEFITS OF CONCRETE have to love you about a million years before I cun quit feeling ashamed. She kissed him again with a passion of remorse for her doubts of him. Are you through being pals, Ward broke rules and freed an arm, so that he could hold her closer. Just beNo, Pm Just beginning. ginning right. I'm your pal for keeps. Make dont whine about It; and Ive been weak and horrid; and Ill But" I love you for keeps, lady mine." Ward stifled another congh. When are yon going to marry me? Oh, when you get over the hookin cough, I apose." Once more Billy Louise, for the good of her patient, forced herself into safe flippancy that was not flippant at all, but merely a tender pretense. Now Its up to you to show ms whether you are In any hurry at all to get well, she said. Keep your hands under the covers while I make some ten. That fever of yours has got to be stopped Immediately to once." She went over and busied herself about the stove, never once looking toward the bed, though she must have felt Ward's eyes worshipping her. She hunted through the cupboards and found a bottle of turpentlns; and yellowed with age, but pungent with strength. She fonnd soma sir-up- y half-emptie- d k , 1 ROAD Travel Quick, Safe and Easy, Clean and Comfortable Saves More Than It Costs. Concrete roads are country boulevards They hem fit a community in making travel quick, safe, easy, clean and comfortable. They exteud neighborhood limits, bring more people into touch with each other, Increase sociul opportunities aud thereby remote the monotony of isolation; bring greater content to the youth on the farm, make city and country near neighbors and increase school attendance, thus cultivating a desire for a broader knowledge and higher standards of living. Concrete roads make daily rural mail delivery a fact, every home unit In the community is put on the news wire with the political, financial, industrial uud trading centers of the earth. The best thought of the world In every line of human effort and human achievement Is transmitted overnight to the breakfast table of the community served by a network of concrete roads. A concrete road saves more than It costs. It Is open to maximum traffic all the year round. It brings greater freedom and ease of movement In travel and transportation and permanently Increases land values. MADAM WAS ROAD REPAIRER He Originated Method of Covering Sur- face of Ground With Impermeable Crust or Covering. you. h, So You Cams Back, Did Yuh? do, and you . Just 200 years ago was born the first of the pioneers who took up the work of scientific road building. John Metcalf showed how to carry solid' highways across difficult bogs, and Thomas Telford built his roads, topped with gravel, on a solid foundation of stone blocks. But the great reform of the art cume In with John Louden who traveled 80,000 miles over the English and Scottish roads to study the conditions and needs for himself. Bestowing a new word on the language, he originated the method of cov- Mc-Ada- 8ha Want Down on Her Knees Be aids tha Bed and Crlsd. lard In a small bucket and melted hall a cupful. Then she tore up a woolen undershirt she found hanging on a nail and bore relentlessly down upon Macadamlzed Road. him. You gotta bo greased all ovsr yout s lungs, she announced with a that cost her something; for Billy Louises Innate modesty was only Just topped by her good sense. Ward submitted without protest while she bared bis chest and applied the warm mixture with a smoothly vigorous palm. That'll fix the hookin cough," she said, as she spread the warm layers of woolen cloth smoothly How does from shoulder to shoulder. it feel?" Great, he assured her succinctly, and wisely omitted any love making. Will your game leg let you turn over? Because there's some dope left, and It ought to go between your shoul-ders.- erlng the surface of the ground with on Impermeable crust, cover or coating, so that water would not penetraU to the soil beneath. A' road thus macadamized was fonnd to yield less easily to weights pressing upon. It, and could not be broken up by the action of frost. But while the Inventors fame spread his resources dwindled, and though made surveyor general of roads, he had to depend for his recompense n a parliamentary grant McAdam was a road repairer rather than a road builder, but his system went all over the world. matter-of-factnes- SPRING Every spring before the ground becomes too hard the road should be thoroughly gone over with a grader to clean out the ditches, so that the water may have a free outlet. The ruts ana holes should be filled, elevations in the road and shoulders on the side of the road planed off, the grade improved, and the road put In good condition. Earth roads have a pronounced tendency to rut. When ruts begin to appear on the surface great care should he used In selecting new material, with which they should be filled Immediately. One fundamental principle that Is f special Importance In the repair f any road is that whatever material .s used in the construction of the su face, the same material and no otV r should be used in its repair. A good road with a surface sf clay should he repaired by using clay, a grael road with gravel and u surtuee of limestone with limestone. me, Pd have been trying to walk on It by now. Better give It time since youve been game enough to lie here all thla while and take care of It I dont believe Id have had nerve enough for She poured turpentine that. Ward. and lard Into her palm, reached Inside his collar and rubbed it on his shoulGood thing you hsd plenty of ders. grub handy. But It must have been awful It was pretty lonesome," he admit ted laconically, and that was as far as his complainings went Billy Louise then poured the water off the sage leaves she had been brewing In a tin basin, carefully fished out a stem or two, and made Ward drink every bitter drop. Then she covered hm to the eyes and hardened her heart pgr.inst his discomfort while .she kept the handkerchief cord on Ids head and hetv eon times swept the floor with n Carefully dampened broom and wiped the dust off things and restored tha room to Us most cheerful atmosphere of livableness. 1 Hog Needs Protect. on. The hog is rather scent. .v provided with hair aiul the warmer the cviuntry the less hair. Iherelore, lie needs protection during the storms of winter. Unless jou provide it, you invite colds. Influenza, lung troubles, rhetunatisin. BE CONTINUED.) Zinc in Tennessee. Over 52.000,000 pounds of zinc was produeed by Tennessee mines In 1918, the largest operators being the American Zinc company, at Mascot, and tha Embree Iron company, at Ktnbreeville. Tha production of gold,- - silver and copper In 1910 was less than (he production in 1915, but the output of lead aud zinc Increased. OF HIGHWAYS Go Over Road With Grader to Clean Out Ditches Fill All Ruts With New Material. The game leg ought to stand more than that, he told her, turning slowly, If I hadn't got this cold tacked onto (TO CARE Sowing Slow Seeds, la sowing seeds that shirr slowly, celery, etc., it i well to with them a li w strong, seeds to tweak lie crust and mark the rows so that cultivation may begin early. as i par-ulp- s, sow- - q.nck-germiimU- |
