Show G C bhea r 0 0 0 0 by Ile cletru tru NM service CHAPTER VIII 10 mr william 11 I 1 latham smiled fatu boualy and rubbed hla his old hands together in pleased anticipation ns as ho he noticed the telegram elf gram beside tits ills plato plate at breakfast brenk fast ile he read the man who first called you crooked mil bill know ills hla onions oklona stop I 1 have your texas record stop you permitted me to walk into a situation that Is perfectly and monstrously unusual and I 1 am ain horribly embarrassed stop atop jims father shot you in tho ilia foot with a forty five caliber revolver and the impulse to bo be careless with deadly weapons still runs rung in tho the family only tho the present representative uses a bow and arrow anil and shoots for tho the heart sto stop p nor Is the lie Con half hair blood bred out of tho the tribe stop believe it or not lie ho has erected a vr headstone over uncle toni tom stop it Is an angel weeping and on tho the base of the monument ho he has worked in a bas relief or of a shepherd and a sheep presumably the one that was waa lost stop spanish art and irish deviltry stop when I 1 compare him with glenn I 1 am torn between a desire to weep and to laugh stop glenn Is so respectable so proper so BO mindful of lilt ill the things we have been raised to admire and respect while this fellow stopa stops at nothing ind and consults con sulta only ills hla own desires stop my plan Is to secure the courts permission to ret got rid ald of the promptly and return to Ifil lerest so I 1 can bite you on the ear car nobby 11 harms tho the butler in fit the act of dropping the customary two lumps of sugar into crooked mils coffee cup froze in the act and regarded tits hla roaster with amazement and concern it appeared to harms farms that the old gentleman was about to have some sort of seizure cel zuro for he be had closed ills his eyes thrown back hit head opened his mouth and gasped anything wrong sirl harms do banded hurl hart yelled crooked bill harl pitard two bursts of maniac laugh laughter terl I 1 good news sir harms suggested politely harms said crooked bill did you ever hear of pandora oil oh yes sir air I 1 you are referring to the lady of at mythology who unlocked the box of troubles exactly well miss roberta has unlocked unlock ca a similar box harms get mr air ilac cackett iett on the telephone ile he read hackett robertas message and waited for a hearty laugh it did not como come dog your cats olenn glenn he protested wheres where 3 your sense of humor 11 1 ll I see no humor in the situation mr lathain I 1 can only sympathize with roberta there she Is the guest of the man who killed her uncle and w who ito has haa had the hardihood to make a jest at the expense of his victim not satisfied with that exhibition of bad taste he be lias haa apparently commenced to pay ills his court to roberta immediately which Is most embarrassing and distressing to tier her she will be forced to leave tits house of course and decline to permit him to continue to serve tier her in the matter of conserving those damnable sheep you tar monkey you that exactly what I 1 planned should happen roberta practically admits it already ashes anxious to clean up on those sheep and return and when she does hoy boy certainly look good to tier her III 1 I wish I 1 enold be ba as confident as you mr latham roberta has haa one weakness and that Is tier her sense of humor like yours youra its a bit er cr diabolical I 1 wl wish ah I 1 had find never joined in tills this conspiracy with you faint heart never won fair lady my boy dont you realize you have a chance to be a hero here 1 I do not youre singularly dull my stock Is still clini climbing bing and you need more money to protect me so youve doi coded that those sheep should be sold to get ready cash consequently youve had two important cases continued which will enable you to go to texas and arrango arrange the sale of the sheep who will I 1 sol sel them to to me fool to me ill give you money for them than anybody ilse find and the more money you realize on r them the stronger bo be with Il roberta obertal also arrive on the job in time to put a crimp in the sentimental aspirations ot ol dov don jaime miguel better jump to texas muy pronto well wellin in jn order to make good on I 1 your deceit youve rented Hille so BO why not go to texas with nio me shave your whiskers and dress like a rancher and play tho the part of thes the sheep beep buyer illy by golly ril ill do it glenn blonn it its Is a good idea when can you start in one week fine meanwhile ill keep you advised if anything new turns up hey dont hang up yet harms has just handed me 1110 another telegram I 1 it may bo be from hobby bobby no its it from oil lord oil lord oil lordi abenti glonn will you listen to this and lie ho rend read over tho telephone when you sea your ward again I 1 should be a proud man toi to hear you address tier her as aa mrs Higue higueres nes or illg gins whichever suits stilts you best stop to a that end I 1 request your permission to pay iny my court stop atoll I 1 know the going will ho be hard but I 1 have never been accustomed to getting anywhere without a battlo so I 1 will vill take a chance stop you know my people so BO I 1 do not have to furnish social references stop can furnish financial credentials denti als to please tiny any save most ex acting iles hes it a direct olenn glenn hackett ackett II growled iles hes its his fathers son just imagine the nice courtesy that induced him film to seek the permission of bobbye bobbys responsible relative before commencing work what tire are you going to say in reply mr latham im going to encourage the boy of course why do that to make him film work remember glenn there Is one thing roberta noberta will never forgive and bad taste enste you cant kill a girls uncle and then expect to rush her off her feet even though you killed in self defense and in so doing performed a public service a I 1 tell you this man Higue higueres nes know any better than to walk into straight lefts and rights crooked dill hung filing up tip and immediately dispatched the following tele grain to don jaime miguel you have the nerve of rt a uon llon stop thanks for the compliment implied in your telegram but I 1 have nothing to say about it stop however you have my best wishes and I 1 will even give you some rood good advice stop pile on the high romance and sound the old castillan note your good old father knew so well stop if there Is anything in Aren dels law you should be dark haired and dark eyed like mike and assets assefa a fair singing voice and a guitar some moonlight and a hide I 1 should say that you stand slightly more chance than a celluloid dog chasing an asbestos cat through the infernal regions and now he murmured having done my full christian duty by all c concerned on I 1 think I 1 should return to my breakfast well had lie he been nicknamed crooked mill bill I 1 III III 0 0 mygnon awakened roberta berta at seven next morning its sunday 11 she reminded tier her discreetly what will you wear miss roberta had given considerable thought though t to that very subject the night previous that sports suit I 1 bought just before leaving now new york york she answered promptly breakfast was ready on the gallery when roberta came out looking for her host the table was set for two and don jaime was waiting for tier her ills lazy dark eyes swept her in one glance from her white kid pumps to tier her titian head you are as beautiful its as an army with banners miss antrim he announced in the matter ot of fact tone in which one proclaims that two and two wake make four or that a straight line Is the shortest distance between two points not so much a compliment or the natural desire of a man to flatter a woman as a definite statement fact roberta flushed and hated her herff if for it because it was not her hab habito exhibit such apparent pleasure at compliments ments from men had the words worda come from any other bitter man she would have had E a L careless retort in ili nil all ability sho she would have told another man that he looking so BO very beautiful himself but again that strange sense of bafflement of stupidity almost held hela her speechless 1 I suppose hell ask me it if I 1 slept yell sl ri 3 decided tho the usual banal query he did not ile he tucked her into her seat sat down opposite looked at tier her casualty casually and said gald 1 I 1 see BOO you yrtl had a good nights rest in the bod bed of my you appear much refreshed and I 1 nin am very glad of it ali and you arrive for breakfast promptly tit it right eight punctuality Is n paramount virtue particularly lu ili women wol lion so just for that you win n rose and ho he leaned buck back and plucked one from tho the vine that clambered around it pillar of the gallery youre too rod red for red roses ho he rambled on lin handing tidIng it to her so this lovely mauve rose la Is just the right shade 11 im not roil red ini im nuburn auburn thanks for tho the rose however its lovely well irvell whatever it la is it suits niu me title fine yua and I 1 tiro are gola to be tho best of friend Ro bertil well I 1 like them fust fast on their feet and youre ft a whiz bang jimmy ivo ive beon been trying very hard to dislike you but I 1 must confide its nn nil uphill up hill ob 1 I 1 i job of course its very unethical to like me ale ho he admitted demurely let allet ug its say it Is unusual and let it go ut at that ills eyes devoured tier her Ro roberta bertil youre mighty sweet I 1 think if I 1 may ill call you nobby bobby my imy friends all do shamus fire uway away old timer sho she saw him swallow something and it was not food the ore fire died out of ills eyes and the sudden wistful littleboy little boy look failed faded and was r replaced e by gravity stern sternness hess I 1 masculinity 1 I 1 lies hes nice tho the girl thought ile he take advantage of the fact that im his guest to appear to rush me oil oh yes roberta knew men she could read their faces and converse aly ly their minds for eror had not don jaime miguel just assured tier her she was as beautiful as an army with banners I 1 youre a very happy man arent you jimmy it scenes to me ma that with you life must be one glad sweet song oil it Is lie ho assured tier her the singing started last night again his eyes burned into hers for a split second secand and again agnin site sho felt her face flushing hotly to cover her confusion site she said inanely 1 I do wish you knew my uncle dill bill not interested in the old reprobate although if he should t take like a BEGINNING THE STORY FOR NEW READERS roberta antrim beautiful eastern society girl who lives with her uncle william B D latham known an aa crooked Croo kerl bill because of his amusing slyness receives a telegram from jaime miguel Higue higueres nes owner of the rancho nancho valle verde in texas informing her her uncle tom antrim has died a violent death at the advice of glenn hackett Hac kott who la Is in love with her roberta plans to go to texas to protect her interests since she to Is her uncles sole aole heir to thousands of sheep which antrim had grazed on land controlled by don jaime don jaime balme unmarried halt half spanish and half irish Is attracted to robertas picture in a magazine antrim Is warned to take his sheep cheep oft off don calmes ranch at once antrim ambushes don jaime the young ranch owner la in wounded and tom antrim killed on his body are found instructions to notify was miss roberta antrim in the event of his death another telegram tells telli roberta her uncle was killed by jim fliggins don jaimes anglicized name latham tells her his fortune Is in danger and she decides to go to texas to gret get kantrims An trims estate to save it crooked bill concocts a he hopes will forward hackette hacketts Hac ketts courtship don jaime actuated chiefly by his romantic romant la interest in the pictured roberta allows the antrim sheep to continue to graze on his ranch at the station of valle verde roberta meets dingle tom kantrims An trims foreman who points out don jaime as her uncles slayer then flees roberta I 1 watching jim higgins sees him shoot shfot the she thinks at dingle she berates him soundly and jimmy hurries off ostensibly to to tell it don jalma jaime of her arrival then the girl finds higgins and to be one and the same at don jaimes invitation she stays at his ranch notion to show up at valle verde I 1 sick the dogs on him nave have some bacon and eggs I 1 cured that bacon myself and am personally acquainted quain ted with tho the hens that thai laid the eggs had he noticed her confusion and was this gay IrIv frivolous olous banter merely his kind way of helping her cover it roberta had an idea it was waa ills two setters getters slouched apologetically to the te table and lie ho appeared to forget roberta to become absorbed in the dogs feeding them strips of bacon and little pieces of bread steeped in bacon grease talking affectionately to them the while as it they were human roberta reminded herself that don jaime was the first young man who had ever neglected her to curry favor with a pair of at english setters and was interested to discover that she did not resent his action what are you going to do about robbie she inquired presently oh robbie nothing very much wrong with hlin him I 1 suspected the fix I 1 lie le was inand in and in order to verify my suspicions I 1 had mrs G ganby anby bring him here lies hos been kept in the house because his mother despite the fact that she Is a trained nurse considered him too delicate to be allowed out very ry much she had to jo diviny make a living for the two of them so necessarily she has been forced to neglect the boy lie he requires sunlight and lots of it every day ho he lies out in the sunlight mother naked I 1 grive give it to him in small doses so ho he sunburn now hes bes tanned one arm and one leg are affected but not very badly with increased general health he will gain strength and the desire to be more inore active nobody ever exercised yx without wasting energy ana those who have no eb irgy to waste do not noi care to exercise tie ile adores you jimmy well it if children and dogs do not like a man thata a sign he had better beah begin to take stock of himself I 1 like rabble I 1 like all children even terrible children jm im godfather to one ill hundred undred eighty seven and after mass this morning ill take on the one hundred and eighty eighth ll 11 why are you so popular jimmy J 1 for two reasons it if im godfather to the child of one of 0 my people then willie nn nil les lives tit nt valle verde that child will alcya dwell under ilia ho mantle of the philanthropy lie ile bennt bo be fired oft off the ranch if lioa bes a male hell ret get something in ili the avay ny of 0 a hope chest it 1 lies a fe feciale niale 11 you strange innel of courso course is as a godfather you have to promise that it if the parents neglect to give their child a 1 upbringing you will attend to the matter I 1 hullt billit a little church and lin I 1 a padre on oil my iny payroll fill ported hlin from mexico the arch lo 10 a 1 1 she marked the pride and pleasure in the young mothers Mother 8 face bishop of this diocese know lie exists so BO the old boys as free na as air im strong for freedom myself la Is that why you have never married or have you 1 I when an Higue higueres nes marries it takes and I 1 married because youve been such n long time showing up tip at my ranch why jimmy I 1 1 I thought for a while id surely have to go to crest dobbs perry westchester county now new york and point out oui to you the error of your way hut but chanka to your uncle tom I 1 was spared that expensive journey then too I 1 probably have showed to such good advantage in your country because of the competition tl on I 1 loathe competition it makes mo me just jua a little bit jealous for the life of her |