Show flan aft in the t erow 0 0 0 y betea Ms ft fyie e by poter brynk WN U CHAPTER IX continued 11 at tho the head of the single street don balme looked back A contented people ho he declared peppers drying on every roof and ample corn for tho the tortillas hortillas tor tillas a tiny garden for onions and lettuce and beans labor exchanged for bright calico calaco and overalls and gingham at cost nt at the rand ranch commas vary bury no debts no rents no lawsuits freedom from a puritanical codo code of to morals orals sometimes I 1 could wish r too were ft a peon boll and the price of beef bothers atheni not nor taxes nor notes nt at tho the bank nor sheep 11 oberta supplemented speaking of which ho he continued we will ride out find and visit the woo woollies liles after luncheon if you caro care for a ride 11 0 0 0 0 0 crooked hill was wondering why his niece was such A poor correspondent when harms tho the butler entered with the mail crooked bill pounced upon it IL two eni envelops ono one slim and the other fat boro bore tho the return address of tho the rancho valle verde so crooked opened tho the slim one and remd read my aly dear mr air latham ill 1 I wired you for permission to pay my court to your very lovely niece miss antrim antrine in granting the desired permission for which whick I 1 I 1 am deeply grateful you SAW caw fit to tc give alvo me some wholly unnecessary and rather silly advice on how to bo be sue in love my amy dear hr latham you know nothing bathing of your charming nieces glecos disposition lon the finest way in tho the world foi or me to kill my feeble prospects prospect 4 would bo be for mo me to wrangle a guitar under tinder her window and sing bobre sobro las ONO olas and anyhow your interest in rno me that causes you to bo so free with your foolish advice I 1 sus aus hect you would like to get mo me in 0 o dutch 1 I think she likes me ine but she elio 1 know now whether vm im crazy nebout her or toot loot even when I 1 swear I 1 am I 1 figure that tho the best beat way to get her winging la Is to keep her guessing but quien sabel it if you have any other suggestions for helping niong tho the gamo game ayour old friend clo jesus jesua illg crucs son BOD lot let them ly fly sincerely yours J M H crooked bill read and reread this remarkable kable document and with a huge leh alah laid it aside ive overplayed my hand he murmured and took up Robe rials letter which ran as follows dear uncle ancl bill s rl JI am ashamed of myself for having neglected you so but the fact Is I 1 have been having such buch ot a wonderful erful time tit at don jaimes ranch 1 I call him film jimmy that I 1 had time to write undo uncle rill bill hes inar every body thinks so bo ano and says so BO consequently it must be true ho fie la Is very held beld lie he sings and plays playa divinely lie ho la Is a sort of feudal baron and ho works hard all day with his men lie ie has bus thousands of aeres acres of cotton thou sands bands more of alfalfa thousands more of cuttle cattle range and all tile the cattle in the world I 1 thought of clerin hackett more than twice sino coming here and then ahen only to compare compi iro him film to tits his disadvantage to this amazing jimmy it if hed beld only make love to me like ft a rea man should I 1 think id fall for hohard film hm hard ill 1 I enclose a number of photos tho the apt jimmy Is excellent write soon your year loving BOBBY alth ith the calm calmness n ess of despair r crook crooked ed ill I 1 scrutinized uio the photographs tho tha n ne a of don jaime showed him on a gray y horse with a day old calf draped across ills his lap Ca carambat Cara rambal roba 1 murmured crooked bill athla fellow Is no fat oily perfumed lazy mexican with a mustache the boy has sized roberta up right not the width of a gnats wing out of line and hell win in a walk as sure as n death and taxes unless I 1 do something g and do it muy pronto I 1 dont dant want roberta to marry into a mixed breed like the well vell ruberta roberta says saya it if held hed only make love to her like a reasonable man shed fall for him hard that means nhea still safe bill li atham youve got to get that girl iback back home tit in a hurry those infernal sheep and my foolish scheming sent her to texas tas and in order to got get her home those sheep must bo be dig disposed posed of in a hurry help me pil ill have to buy them myself and if that bandit ever gets on to the identity of f the purchaser hell induce her ber to sonk soak me so BO hard when im unable to defend myself that ill never have tho heart sweat to eat n u mutton chop agalia galai glenn my boy fighting your 8 fight light lis 11 going to be mighty expensive but as an adjunct to the family I 1 I 1 guess youre worth it ha telephoned to lits hla aluce in irtes cw york instructing it to secure him transportation and lit a Ar drawing awing room to los algodones Alg texas fexas and ahn follow lra iday day was waa en ro route lute to consummate hiie tile crook edest clece of business tie fie had find ever contemplated of swindling I 1 14 in courso he arrived in los Algo doilis ind and put up at the Mn islon bouse neither the town nor the hotel bad changed a purt particle icle in the twenty S 0 five years that had passed since he had seen been it last nobody know knew him film nor did any of tho the facts faces of the loungers in tho the chairs chaira tipped back against tho front of tho the hotel awaken in crooked Crool ceil bill tho the faintest flicker of recognition at tho the general store he purchased a pair of overalls a canvas coat and a gray sombrero which combined with a soft white shirt and black tie and tho the boots a relic of other days which ho he habitually metamorphosed crooked hill bill into a very fair initiation imitation of a texas citizen of tho the wide open spaces thus garbed ho he culled called upon don Pruden prudencio clo alviso my names blodgett Blod Kett mr alviso ho he announced and soothed his con science with tho the thought that it was his middle 1 I understand youre tho the attorney for tom kantrims An trims estate I 1 also understand lie ho left quite a smear of sheep don prudencio Pruden clo nodded aro are they for calell A sale enlo might bo be arranged the consent of tile court honor blodgett 11 don prudencio Pruden clo answered guardedly fine said crooked dill bill ill buy them ivo ive a notion I 1 can make a turn on those sheep I 1 understand an trams alna heir lives lo in now york so I 1 presume shell bo be kind glad to sell and kit git rid of a nuisance don prudencio Pruden clo shrugged maybe so BO with his eyes he inquired inquire what senor Blod blodgette Blodgett getts fl offer might bo be hay hav in ng looked up tho the market quotations n an kl el paso paper Cro crooked old dill bill promptly named a figure ono one dollar per head above the highest market quotations don prudencio Pruden clo stirred slightly 1 I 1 wool weel poll pell you choso cheeps subject to tho the confIrm confirmation atlon by the court ho he purred 1 I am tho the executor for the co state the sheep have been count recently and I 1 weel guarantee the count I 1 weel write for you an offer for till all those cheeps you will sign then I 1 wee weel accept subject to tho the by tho the court and you wool pay mo me now on it account ten thousand dollars no I 1 am ain quebeck trader you ill have the money wired to the credit of the estate in any bank you name it will be there tomorrow youve sold something don Pruden prudencio clo alviso might have I 1 looked sleepy but behind those slightly liverish eyes lie he was waa very wide awake within ten tea minutes ho he had william D B latham sewed bowed up on a contract of purchase and sale provided the court approved don pruden dos clos action as aa executor when crooked hill had bad the contract safely tucked tit in hla his pocket he commenced talking with don prudencio Pruden clo about the deceased toni tom antrim and learned that for n few days following kantrims An trims death tho the sheep had remained in charge of one bill dingle kantrims An trims foreman later dingle had been rather forcibly relieved of hla 1119 9 oh charges arges by jaime of the rancho vallo valle verde that dingle might be a good experienced to care for these sheep in case the court approves approved the sale crooked bill suggested hopefully where might one got get in touch with him don prudencio Pruden clo gave him minute directions ions lons for finding mr dingle and with a heart benting beating high with hope crooked dill bill took hla his departure tomorrow ill hire a car and driver and life hie me out to saw those she sheep epoff ott on bill dingle ho he decided ill give that grass thief a bargain lid he just naturally wont have the heart to refuse thin then ill get an airplane to freight me back home in a hurry because I 1 waste any time with that illg bird always on the job once home ill wire roberta im very ill and to come home immediately after that the delugo delsign 11 I 1 CHAPTER R X for a long time after crooked bill had loft left his office don prudencio Pruden clo al viso sat in his swivel chair and stared hard at the opposite wall lie ile was thinking equally bard presently he took down the telephone and called the proprietor of tho the mansion house and with him film hekt a conversation in spanish then lie ho hung up anil and waited presently the telephone rang and don Pruden prudencio clo answered Gra gracing clas lie ile hung bung up and wrote ou a scratch pad tho in bals W B L thereafter lie ho I 1 continued to stare nt at the wall for another hour the follow following ln night ho be appeared at the rancho ballf verde lR oberta was dressing for dinner and don jaime was lying in its his long chair on the gallery with ken llonart beside him I hello lelo arudy what brings you out don jaime hulled balled him 1 I 1 am mys mystified tIned don replied and forthwith related in meticulous detail his impending sale of the antrim heep to a fat bended old gentleman for a very grent great deal more than they were worth ille lie salo said hl his name was blodgett and signed the contract william I 1 Il nind lodgett Rett the lawyer continued lie ile did not say where lie was from but I 1 could see lie he knew nothing of sheep and was a city man lie he did not hara liln with me and he ha v seemed to roo me to be quite too anxious to buy the sheep so I 1 telephoned to the Alan mansion slon house to inquire if ho he wan waki stopping there and when I 1 described him they said bald they had a guest there from now york by that name but that his baggage carried the initials WB L ilum m m I 1 don jaime grunted and sat ant up very straight ile he a ery cry good liar ller la Is ho he what does W ap L L b of now new york want of tho the antrim sheep and why should ho he pay such it high price for them this Is 19 indeed very mysterious arudy did lie he do de posit the ton ten thousand jio ile did it was telegraphed from new york 1 I wonder what the old idiot Is going to do with those sheep 1 I imagine hes going to get bill din glo to care for thorn them not on my range arudy the min uto those sheep pass out of possession of ilia iho estate of thomas antrim deceased going to get off the range if they linger therell bo be a fight or a foot race 11 do you suppose miss antrim will agree to sell tho the sheep my friend don Pruden prudencio clo queried sell them of course sell them you are her executor and you recommend the sale I 1 am her friend and business adviser and I 1 certainty certainly am tot 1 I gave dingle and his men a pretty tough deal recommend it and as the probate judge knows nothing of sheep and will be guided by such experts as you and wo ine in making his decision naturally he will sign nn an order of sale have a drink after that long and interesting report I 1 1 I dolight delight do de light said don pru dencho the following morning dod jaime motored in to los algodones Algo Alg donea and roberta accompanied him As they swung down the main street past the mansion house with its row of chair warm ers on tho the front porch roberta started and laid i half detaining hand on don arm jimmy look I 1 see that man sitting on the right of tho the line the one in the bloo overalls and canvas coat yes 10 lies iles a rephia of my uncle dul dill it if ho he had undo uncle bills clothes on id get out and kiss him without question good gracious what a marked resemblance I 1 why he and undo uncle bill are ns near alike alaka na an twins so murmured don jaime and stepped on hla his foot throttle tb now mighty interesting ile ho parked in front of the bank excused himself to roberta entered and 0 bought o tight the cashier ed lie said yesterday day ten thousand dollars was wired here to the credit of the estate of thomas antrim as a farst payment on account of the purchase by blie bile blodgett of the antrim sheep that young lady outside in my car Is kantrims An trims heir miss roberta antrim I 1 want vant to know what new york bank wired it certainly I 1 dont think I 1 violate any confidence the twelfth national 11 who ordered the transfer A man by the name of glenn hackett nac kett thanks said bald don jaime and climbed back bach into the car with po roberta when they were halfway half way back to vallo valle verde he said to her very casually do you know a man in new york by the name of glenn cackett roberta jerked erect with surprise why yeal iles one of my dearest friends and my uncle bills attorney do you know glenn jimmy no and I 1 hope I 1 never do I 1 dislike him very much nos fles in love with you none of your business and besides tf if he were jimmy you expect mo me to discuss the subject with you who has been telling you abo about ut glenn hackett Hac flack kott Ott the fal fairies ries don aalmo replied enig matl mati cally and though roberta pressed him to tell her more and employed every feminine wile to break breah down his resolve not to ho he refused As they alighted at the hacienda the outrageous man still further mystified tier her by saying and I 1 dont think so much of your old od I 1 uncle bill either this statement when there was not apparently any reason why undo uncle bill should ever be the subject of 0 thought was the final feather that broke the back of robertas curiosity jimmy she ehe pleaded would you care to save a human life some humans you ton for instance then tell me what has haa lowered my innocent uncle bill in your estimation 11 lies illes crooked oh jimmy ho he ills his friends call him crooked bill because hes well rather joyously sly cunning and prudent but dishonest beverl never 1 lies hes out to boost the stock of this glenn hackett ackett II person to you and to depress depres s mine roberta smiled a small and knowing smile but said nothing no ho he play fair don jaime balme protested ile ho says one thing and means something else so just for that im going to take your uncle bills conceit down a couple of notches how do you know he play fair lie ile laid finger on lip dushl its a secret evidently roberta replied bitterly after waiting about twenty seconds for him to impart the secret 1 I think ill go back to los abigo dones he be announced suddenly theres something about the atmosphere of that town that aids my powers of divination am I 1 invited to ride back with you or must I 1 mope around the house until you return 1 I think you had bad better mope I 1 have need to do some thinking and you ditch my train of thought lie ile looked at tier her keenly earnestly and without the slightest flicker of lovelight in his eyes are you enjoying your visit at valle verde bobby ive wondered if you feel it a bit lonely and neglected here oh no jimmy t youre such a friendly comfortable person wh enyou are around the house will you return from los algodones Alg in time for dinner jimmy 1 I 1 dont know ill il do my best to complete my business and be back in time lime I 1 dont relish |