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Show m sX Ji G &bs iIlN. ! ' J gone better since 1 discarded my compass. com-pass. The bullocks never took kindly to the compass. No doubt It waa foolish notion of mine that a furrow should run either east and west r north and south, seeing that tha whoU farm has to be plowed anyway. I now let them veer and tack as they please, and we are making considerable headway." head-way." "Any crop In?" "Not this year. A chap In Reglna advised me to plant a sack of rolled oau and raise my own porridge, but, thank Heaven. I'm not Scotch. No reflection on the Scotch," he added hurriedly, noting a warning flash In Marjorle's eyes. "They are a very wonderful people. They eat oatmeal, and thrlvt on It A very wonderful people. Oh, I say I Can't we have some tea? Beastly dry business, homesteadlng; no afternoon tea. I must speak to my man about that. He's the same man as mixes my whisky and sodas, according accord-ing to the governor's Idea of It," Spoof explained. The girls went Inside, and In a short while brought out tea and sandwiches. "Do you know," said Spoof, when the girls had cleared up the tea things and were out of hearing, "the thing of which I stand most In need at the present moment that thing which Is so essentially English, and from which I have been divorced for more days than I care to number that thing for which I would gladly give half of my kingdom, meaning the northwest quarter quar-ter of section Two? No? Observe the blushes beneath my sunburned cuticle as I admit that for weeks I have not had a bath. For weeks, literally. lit-erally. If my poor governor could know that, not even the hide of a polar bear would reconcile him to leaving me to live the life of a savage." "We can soon fix that I mean, we can furnish the wherewithal," said I, "and I will expect the deed of eighty acres in return." So we led Spoof down to the pond. "My word, my word I" said Spoof. "Why didn't Jake tell me about this? I will have that land guide's gizzard for this omission I My word, If only I had a bathing suit! I say, do you think there would be any great danger dan-ger any danger at all, that is of an interruption?" "T'ot a bit. We have that all organized," or-ganized," and I showed him a red handkerchief tied to a stick. "When the pond is In use we fly this banner on the bunk of the gully, and we're as safe as Sunday. The girls usually have their plunge In the middle of the afternoon, for that matter, and leave us undivided possession in the evening." eve-ning." Spoof was already half undressed. "My word, and do the young ladies swim ?" "Jean Is the best swimmer I ever knew," I confessed, modestly. "We lived beside a river at home, and she had a way of bagging all the prizes at our swimming races." "She bagged bigger game than that," Jack put In. "She stored up a lot of trouble for herself and the rest of us by pulling our worthy Frank out of the millpond one day, after the bubbles Mid begun to come." So then I had to tell Spoof about that Incident. But I avoided reference to the pledge that had followed it. This girl Jean seems to be pretty interesting to any male who comes along. Is Frank jealous of Spoof? (TO BE CONTINUED.) mffiTuuiUiesound of his wagon umhllng over the soft earth came outing back on the breeze as a sort of accompaniment to the bellicose voice which Jack affected when he wns ox-drivlng. My next effort was the digging of a cellar. The location of our shack had to he decided upon, and for this I called Marjorie and Jean Into council. We agreed that It should he ciose to one brow of the ravine, and that Jack should build his close to the other, so that each, would command an unbroken un-broken view of his neighbor. Perhaps even then we hud some premonition of the specter of loneliness creeping down upon us through the night mists of the summer or the snow-wrolths of the blizzard, nnd already we were planning our lines of defense. "How many rooms will there be?" asked Jean. "Let me see reception room, living room, parlor, dinin:: room you n-.;.st nt least hnve that." "We shall." I said, "and one door will lead Into them all. A room Is anything you call It. We can change the name as we change the purpose. One moment It Is kitchen, the next, living room, and so on." "Draw a plan of It." said Marjorle. turning up the planed side of a board. So I sat down and drew a plan, while the girls watched over my shoulders with as much Intentness as though I were an architect designing a pulace. "The house will be one story," I explained, "nnd long, and narrow, be-nuse be-nuse that is the simplest as well as the cheapest way to build It, and we are to be our own carpenters. The walls will be of shiplap, covered with matched siding, with tar paper between. The roof will be of two thicknesses of boards, bent to a gentle oval over a stout ridge-pole, and again with tar puper between. You have no Idea "low much the West owes to tar paper. pa-per. Wherever the new settler goes, toes tar paper. I would almost say." I continued, warming up to my subject, sub-ject, "that If a ting is ever needed for these western prairies It should be a hnnner of tar paper, nailed be tweeo two laths. 'Oh, sny, dops the .at paper hnnner still wave?" you see. It luis possibilities." "nut Uti'i it nwfully smelly stuff?" I lean, who had a strain of delicacy It that at times conflicted with 1-mrroundIngs. In, that Is one of Its chief virtues. may not know yet, but you will I at least, so Jake assured mc population Is not nearly so scarce le prairies as It seems. He says the Inmates of one of these little i llor shacks In many cases number lly millions. Millions. Well llon't like tar paper. Blessed be liperl" Iratched the outline of the shack I sod with my shovel and began 4 a cellar In the center of the lilot For a depth of nearly two I due through a brownish-black 1 that turned easily and threw f rom the shovel. Then I struck I y, yellow clay, and the going Inch slower. But by the time lrd Jack's hoarse voice and his lixen clicking their hoofs up I I on the evening of the sec-V sec-V I had succeeded In making Ihleh we agreed to call a cellar lilay we set about our build lirnest There were no union lih us. We worked from early I until after sunset, and laid r tools at last with affeetlon-ltance. affeetlon-ltance. We were stiff and lvery Joint and muscle; our Ire calloused and our finger le battered with misdirected l:t our hearts were with the 1 relate only absolute truth I that when our shack was moved into It with a sense lllshment such as perhaps r knew amid the luxury of lis our first building was Istnrted a similar one for ln. Then we built a little lin the gully for the oxen. j;Ig, and the hens; we lm-lossing lm-lossing of the stream; we tve plowed a small area 1 and planted It to oats, l ent on plowing for next I I as He Brought His Horse I to a Standstill. Jop; we bought a mowing machine and rake on credit and cut an ample supply of wild pruirie hay for our winter needs. We had decided that, as fall came on. Jack and I, with the yoke of oxen, should make a pilgrimage pil-grimage into the more settled districts with a view to getting work with some farmer, and so replenishing our resources. re-sources. It was a hot day In the middle of July when, up the trail from the south a speck grew out of the distance. Traffic did not often come our way, and Jack and I both stopped work in the field to study Its approach and to conjecture as to whom or what it might be. As we watched, the figure took the form of a horse and rider of heroic size charging down upon us literally out of the heavens. As it approached the mirage lost its illusion and horse and rider came back to earth. By this time we were sure that the glint of color which had seemed to dance vaguely about the figure had a basis in fact ; there was no longer a doubt that an atom of scarlet was approaching along the trail. Leaving the oxen to their midday meditations we walked over to my shack, where Jean had already joined Marjorle. It could now be seen that the figure was approaching at a rapid gait, and its outline, no longer blurred by the shimmering o the mirage, stood out sharp aud clean against the distance. It was a mounted policeman. As he drew up beside us I had a sense of being in the presence of physical phys-ical perfection. His horse, although wet over the flanks, showed little sign of fatigue; the dust of travel clung to the rider's sunburned face, but the smartness of his bearing and uniform was unimpaired. He saluted as he brought his horse to a standstill; then sprang lightly to the ground. "I fief I am right," he said, addressing address-ing Morjorie and Jean. "Wod't you Introduce me?" Marjorle was the first to act, although al-though 1 suspected, even then, that he had spoken more particularly to Jean "My brother, Frank," she said, "and .lean's brother, Jack. This is Mr. Brook." We shook hands cordially, and Jean asked our visitor If he had had dinner "I have not," he confessed, "but please By ROBERT STEAD Author of "The Cow Puncher," "Tht Homuttadert" WNUSerric. Copyright by Robert Stea4 don't go to any trouble." But the girls were already in the house, making mak-ing preparations. "There's a stream around here, if my maps are right." the policeman continued, con-tinued, speaking to us, "and both Dick and I could do with water." We led him dwn to the stream, and to the well, and although I was disposed to be prejudiced against this strapping young fellow who seemed to take more thnn a casual interest in Jean, I lost much of that prejudice through a little incident that happened hap-pened when we reached the water. Although Brook was undoubtedly suffering suf-fering from thirst lie removed his horse's bit, so that he could drink In comfort, before he accepted the proffered cup of water which Jack brought him from the well. Jack and I spoke of It afterward and agreed that a chap who did that sort of thing was a good bit of a man. After a hearty drink Brook took off his hat and tunic, produced towel, soap, comb nnd brush, and cleaned up even more thoroughly than seemed necessary. As I watched him parting his hair by the reflection In the water 1 realized that Brook had not forgotten what so many of us pioneers often did forget the value of personal appearance. ap-pearance. While we walked up the bunk together I admitted to myself that although I was as good a man as lie was, I didn't look it. The meal which the girls had prepared pre-pared loosened all our tongues, and before be-fore It was over we were chatting merrily. Brook had the latest gossip from Regina, and Interesting news about himself. At last he had escaped es-caped from barracks, temporarily, at any rate. He was detailed to two months' relief duty at a point farther west; he promised himself another meal at our board on his way back, a prospect which Jean and Marjorie and Jack received with much satisfaction, and I trust I showed no smallness about it. At length Brook insisted that he must be on his way, but before going he laid a dollar bill on the table in payment pay-ment for his meal. We objected most strenuously to accepting money for our hospitality, but as he poiuted out that it was the government that footed the bill, we allowed ourselves to be persuaded. per-suaded. Governments, like railways, are legitimate prey. Also, from somewhere, some-where, the policeman produced a small box of candy, which he presented impartially im-partially to Marjorie and Jean. But most important, in so far as this story is concerned, was a bundle of letters. They were tied together with a stout string, with only the backs of the envelopes en-velopes exposed, and on them was written in a bold hand the single word "Spoof." "They're for a young Englishman who is to be a neighbor of yours," Brook explained. "He left word at the Itegina post office, asking to have his mail sent out if there was any chance. It seems he had some local fame under the name of Spoof, and the clerk In the post office readdressed his letters that way. That's discipline for you I My word, what they wouldn't do to a man in the force " "I know him," I broke In; "at least I have heard of him. Jake, our land guide told us about him. Where does he settle?" "Northwest quarter of Two," said the policeman. "Two miles due south of you, as the crow flies, or would fly if he had occasion to. Spoof isn't there yet I cume by the quarter this morning. morn-ing. I suppose he's traveling by ox team nnd will arrive some time later In the season. You'll see his sign up on Two when he gets here, and perhaps per-haps one of you wouldn't mind dropping drop-ping in on him with this mail. If he doesn't call on you within a few days. He's English, and he may wait for an Introduction." We shook hands with the policeman and parted with him, and the girls stood watching the scarlet figure as It faded to a speck in the distance. "Isn't he wonderful, Frank?" said Jean, turning to me with an enthusiasm enthu-siasm dancing In her eyes which, under any other circumstances, it would have been good to see. "Don't you think that he that all of the mounted police are very wonderful?" "All of the mounted police are wonderful," won-derful," I agreed, catching at the impersonal im-personal noun. Two mornings later we saw the white gleam of a tent on section Two. We quit work early that afternoon, hitched the oxen to the wagou, and went down en masse to call on Spoof. He saw us when we were yet 'afar off, and, when it was evident we were headed for his tent, he came striding out to meet us. He was tail and slim and sunburned; he wore leggings and corduroy trousers and a belt, and he took off his hat when he saw the girls. "My first callers," he said. In his clear, English voice. "This Is jolly decent de-cent of you. Won't you get down, Indies, and visit my farm this Is it, all around here while we unhitch the bullocks and turn them .to grass I suspect you are my neighbors from Fourteen?" "Fourteen and Twenty-two," said 1, acting as spokesman, and introducing our little party. "We have heard of you. but only as Spoof." "Spoof Is good enough. In fact, T think it Is rather a ripping unme. don't you? And I know enough already ......... ........ about the West to know that a catchy nickname, once applied, sticks. So Spoof I am. to everybody, except the dear folks at home, who. of course, could never understand. When I wrote the governor and said the people here called me Spoof he answered, 'Such Insolence! I'd have the law on them I Remember you are still an Englishman!' English-man!' Poor old governor!" "Here are some letters. Mr. Spoof," said Jean, extending the little bundle. "Mr. Brook, the policeman, left them as he rode by a few days ago." "Good old post office I" Spoof exclaimed. ex-claimed. "Wonderful how they chase a beggar down, isn't it? They even know me by my Canadian name. Good old P. O." Spoof made ns come Into his tent. The furnishings were not elaborate, but they had a little air of something that seemed to be missing In ours. There was a tin trunk, which had been sat on until It had a great depression In the top, and a leather trunk, generously gener-ously plastered with labels. There was a great box, which he used as a table, and dishes of Inappropriately delicate china. There was a folding cot with steamer rugs. Quite a handsome hand-some shaving set was strapped to a wall of the tent, and a great cartridge belt with a prodigious revolver hung from a tent pole, while a rifle leaned against it. Spoof evidently meant to sell his life dearly, If there should be any demand for It. Three or four English Eng-lish magazines lay about, and a tobacco to-bacco jar with pipes stood in the center cen-ter of the table. But what caught Jean's eyes were the pictures on the walls. Spoof's tent was up less than a day, and there were pictures on the walls. "This Is my diggings," our host was saying. "A little crowded inside, but plenty of room outside. The law of compensation, you know. Have to do for the present. Beastly expensive business farming. We'll have some tea presently, if there's any spirit left in the spirit lamp. Sorry I can't offer you anything better." So he rattled on and made us feel very much at home, even while I found rising in my heart some yearning of sympathy for him. The sun was setting when our little caravan.. started homeward, casting its mammoth shadows across the soft, warm prairies, and bearing Spoof's promise to return our visit at the earliest opportunity. CHAPTER VI Spoof was as good as his word. The following Sunday we saw his ox team ns a slowly-growing speck on section Eleven, and a mile away we heard remarks re-marks to the "bally bullocks" which, presumably, were Intended to be confidential. confi-dential. "I just brought the bullocks for exercise," ex-ercise," he explained, when he drew up before our shack. "I could have walked much easier, and much quicker, but they keep my arms and voice In form." The girls were waiting in the shade at the eastern side of the shack ; In their Sunday dresses of flimsy stuff appropriate to the hot weather they looked very sweet and charming. "Ah, here are the ladies," said Spoof, and In his manner there was a touch of gallantry that In some way seemed foreign to either Jack or me. "Real prairie roses, and no mistake," as he took their hands in his. "It's jolly decent to ask a stranger over. All this out-of-doors; dawns, sunsets, sky, distance all very fine, but it Isn't good to be too much alone with it. Rather overwhelms one, don't you think?" "I have felt that," said Jean, while Marjorle was fumbling for words. "It's too grand ; it oppresses one It's it's all soul ; no body." "That's it that's it 1" Spoof agreed. "All soul no body. I shall write that to the governor. The governor, dear old chap, thinks this country is rather a bit off the map. I have promised to shoot him a polar bear for Christmas, and he's quite looking forward to it. He writes to know If I find the native labor satisfactory, and can my man mix a decent whisky and soda. I must set his mind at rest. I let him think I run quite an establishment, you understand; un-derstand; he sends a check now and again, which, of course, bears a relationship rela-tionship to the position I am supposed to occupy in local society." "Doesn't your conscience trouble you?" Marjorle queried, the conversation conversa-tion having swung Into her orbit "Not at all. I am doing the governor gov-ernor a kindness. He spends rather too much money on whisky and soda particularly the former so I am merely mere-ly getting liim Interested In another kind of extravagance. A Younger Son Is a very successful form of extravagance, extrav-agance, don't you think? What Is it Kipling snys 'By the bitter rod the Younger Son must tread,' or something like that? So why shouldn't t!i- governor gov-ernor sweeten the bitter road IPUe, and drink less whisky to his sodaT" ' While we were busy thinking of some appropriate remark Spoof remembered re-membered his bundle of papers. "I ventured to bring these over," he said, tendering them to Jean. "Just some old copies of the Illustrated London Lon-don News and the Graphic. There are some sketches by an artist showing his conception of homestead life. I rather suspect the governor has let him read my letters." Presently the conversation turned to agricultural topics, and we were more :it ense. 'My plowing," Spoof explained, "bas |