OCR Text |
Show SHE WAS A WOMAN. And For This Keason There Was No Cic.i.-fcion Cic.i.-fcion For Surprise. The sun beat down that blistering aft-' ernoon on the little adobe cabin just beyond be-yond the arroyo, and on the far .idi ia the shades sas two sweltering cow punchers punch-ers with a p:K:k of cards between them. It was too hot for even this mild exercise, exer-cise, but it served to keep their minds off tho weather, and they played lazily along. At last one of them threw his card.? down. "By gravy, Bill," ho exclaimed, "I can't play any more." "What's the matter?" inquired Bill "Too hot for you?" "No. 'Tain't that, though the Lord knows it's most hot enough for anything. any-thing. It's thnt little -girl down there at old Slocum 's. " "What's she pot to do with the game?" asked Bill in surprise. "Nothing much, I guess, but a good deal with me." "licw?" and Bill picked up the pack and began shuffling tho cards aimlessly. "Oil, I don't know. " "Stuck on her?" inquired Bill, with a laugh, which struck his companion as rather harsh. "Not exactly, I g:iess. "She's tho purtkst thing in this valley," val-ley," said Bill admiringly. "I know it," admitted tho other. "I was down there last night, and she was sweeter than ever. " "Well," impatiently, "what are yon going to do about it?" "What would you advise?" "That depends on what kind of advice ad-vice you want. " "I was thinking about marrying her. " Bill gave a long whistle and stopped shufning tho cards. "What, marry a half breed, and you having tho kind of folks you have back in the east?" ho said seriously. "I don't seo how I can get out of it honorably," he reluctantly confessed. "I've been going down there to seo her for six mouths now, and she has been kind of expecting me to como. I didn't think much about it at first, but now blame me if I don't think about hor pretty much all tho time. The last four or five times I've been to Bee her she showed mo straight that she thought a lot of me, and last night she told mo everything, and said if I left her hex heart would break and she would drown herself in the river. I can't stand that, you know, and besides I'd rather marry her myself than have anybody else marry her." "She'll git old man Slocum's property prop-erty when he goes over tho divide, " said Bill thoughtfully, "and that 's worth a pile." "Yes, but I don't care for that. It's tho girl aud my own honorable action in the matter. " They talked until the sun had sunk behind tho mountain, and by that time it was decided that Bill would go with his friend Joe and settle the business with the girl's father, old man Slocum. Early the next morning they set out, and before the sun had reached the hot place in the heavens they were at Slocum's. Slo-cum's. "Where's Meg?" asked Joe, after they had passed the compliments of tho morning. "Oh, she's skipped," answered Slo-enm, Slo-enm, with a laugh. "Skipped?" gaspod Joe. "Yes. Skipped some time in the night with Pete Smiley, and she needn't 'a' done it, fer Pete was agroeable to me," and he laughed again. Joe felt something rise in his throat and drop back again like a piece of lead. Bill looked at him curiously. "Gals will be gals, " said Bill, turning to Slocum, "but what we come down here to see you about, Mr. Slocum, is cattle," and he carried it through nobly. no-bly. Detroit Free Press. |