Show J RANC 1 l 1 C I i I t if 11 I INI t I tV 1 0 00 i rH CD-rH er CY r aRar tr a c o I Billy Louise saw the doorstep per over per with old crusted snow Her peart eart gave n a Jump and stopped still She felt her knees shake under her Her ller face tace seemed to pinch together the eSh clinging close to the bones Her ner Herle whole le being seemed 1 to contract ct with the deadly fear that gripped her It was like that chill morning when sho she had Imd crept out of her cot and gone over overto overto overto to bed and had lifted mom mom- r Jules hand that was hanging down She came to herself i she was running running running run run- ning up the creek away from tram the cabin Running and stumbling over rocks Jocks and getting tripped with her riding skirt She stopped as soon as she phe he realized what she was doing i she stopped and stood with her hands pressed hard against each ench side of her herace race face forcing herself to calmness again or or at least to sanity She had to go back She told herself so many times I So Billy Louise went back to the tho cabin slowly with shaking legs and anda 11 n a heart beart that fluttered and stopped fluttered and jand Jumped and stopped and made her stagger as she walked Sho She reached the doorstep and stood there wig it her palms pressing hard against Youve to do tier her cheeks again got It t. t Youve You've got to tol I she whispered to herself ersell commandingly I She never doubted that Ward was de She tl thought ought she would fin find him pia lm dead dead dead-dead dead and horrible perhaps iNo No o other solution seemed to fit the tho circumstances He was In there dead It took courage to open that door taut but Billy Louise had courage enough to open It and to step Inside and close the door after her She did not look nt fit anything In the cabin while she did it though She kept her eyelids down fa o that she only saw the floor directly In front of the door She had a sense of relief that It looked perfectly natural natural natural nat nat- ural though dusty Throw up your hands bands I came hoarsely from the bunk Billy Louise gasped a ped and pulled her gun and dropped crouching to the floor Also she looked up From her crouching position sho hooked Joo ed into Into Wards Ward's wild fever eyes He ne was sitting up In the bunk and he was Vas pointing his big forty-five forty at her relentlessly Get up from there I 1 he be ordered sternly Dont try any game like that on me Buck Olney 1 I Get up and go over and sit In that chair Ive I've Fot Pot a few things to say to you Billy Louise somehow grasped the truth up to a certain point Ward was SIck ick so sick he didn't know herShe her She thought she would better humor him She got up and went and sat In Inthe Inthe inthe the chair as he directed Ward keeping the gun pointing her hernay nay ay sneered at her In a way that made the soul of Billy Louise crimple She he faced him e eyed big etI too amazed at the change In him to feel any fear tear that he would harm her He had whiskers whiskers whiskers whis whis- kers two Inches long She wouldn't have bave known him except for his hair hair hair- had end that was terribly tousled i and md his eyes though they word werd wild and angry His voice w was us hoarse and while he glared at her he coughed with n u hard soupy resonance So you came back did yuh he asked grimly at last Well you didn't get a chance to plug me In the back How lIow long did you ou lay up there on the bluff this time waiting to catch me I When I wasn't looking Ive I've been wishIng wish- wish lag Ing Id I'd left that rope so It would have hung ng you you I 10 r Billy Louise I listened round-eyed round to certain man man- man man-I sized sized epithets strange to her ears cars I I suppo suppose c you and Foxy and that halfbreed have hn been fixing up some t more evidence huh 1 You figure that I cant can't catch em this time and work the brands over so they'll stand and Ill I'll Ill get railroaded to the pen Well youve you've overplayed your hand old I let you fellows down easy time I dont don't reckon Fo Foxy ry objected object object- ed much to those few I X back baek to him lm and I dont don't reckon you did any I when you yon found Id I'd cut the rope so BO It wouldn't hold your our rotten Carcass You cant can't let well enough Pol Alone one though You thought you'd raise toe We did you You thought you'd come comeback come back tm a k and try another whack at me bend be be- i hind nd my back You knew hanged banged well J wasn't the kind of man that would i jump the country You knew you'd find me right here attending to my my business like Uke re Ive always done II hand But youve you've overplayed your I lime time Im I'm going to get jou and you and roxy oxy and tho the breed along with you It was a rotten trick running YOs YO's over Seabeck's brand If It I hadn't caught you you In the tho act you'd have hav planted them cattle where nil all h l h 1 couldn't have saved me when whon they were found If I 1 hadn't caught you at It and run IlK MK monograms over o the whole cheese Id I'd have lave been up against It for tor fair I So Eo now now youre you're going to get what's cornIng corn corn- com I I I Ing lag to yulu yuh I wont won't take any chances on on your pot not trying It again Im I'm going i to protect myself right j You throw that gun n on the bed I. I Louise did so her eyes sUU upon uron w s Hushed face Now Wow get down that tablet from the shelf shelt Heres Here's a pencil penen He drew one from under his pillow and tossed It toward her Now you write the truth about all this rustling Its It's 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 never paid for all the tho stock that's running around vented and MK Ive I've got that sized up Pretty smooth trick too i a heap better than working brands He ought to have been satisfied with that that hut but a crook never Is satisfied I knew he be wasn't the tenderfoot he lie 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 wasa a a crook But he made matIo a big mistake when he ha threw In with you you you you- I want you to write down the truth about that Hardup deal i who was In with you I know all aft right but butY butI 1 Y want It down on paper And I want to know how v long Foxy's been In with you and who's working the game on the outside Get busy write It all down PIl give you all the time you need i dont don't leave out anything Dates and all I want the whole graft Dont Don't try to get away Ive I've got this gun loaded to the guards and you know Im I'm aching for an excuse excuse- He topped Stopped and coughed again hoarsely Then he lay quiet except f r his rasping breath and watched Billy Louise with the tablet on her trembling knees pretended pretend d to write From under her lier lashes Inshes she watched Ward curiously She saw his attention waver saw his eyes wander aimlessly about the room room She sat very still sUll and waited making marks that had no meaning at atall all She saw Wards Ward's fingers loosen on the revolver saw his head bead turn wearily on the pil pU- low He was staring out through the window at the brilliant blue of the sky with the dazzling white clouds drifting like mee bits of cotton to the north north- ward He lIe had forgotten her CHA CHAPTER TER XV The H Cough Cough Man ILLY waited another B BILLY minute or two weighing the pos pos- She saw Wards Ward's fingers fin fin- fingers gers drop rop away from the gun but th they y remained close enough for a dangerously dangerously danger danger- quick gripping of It again If the whim seized him Still surely Still surely to goodness Ward Vard would never get crazy enough to hurt her 1 l Perhaps her feminine feminine feminine fem fem- assurance of her hold on him more than her courage kept her nerves fairly steady She bit the pencil absently absently absently ab ab- watching him Ward turned his head restlessly on the pillow and coughed again Billy Louise got up quietly went close to the bed and ami laid her hand on his forehead fore fore- head hend Ills HIs head was hot and the veins were swollen and throbbing on his temples Brave Buckaroo got a n headache ehe queried softly stroking his tern tern- pies soothingly Got the cough too Got every measly thing he can think of Even got a grouch against the Flower of ot the Ranch Ranch-oh I 1 Her voice was soft and sweet I I I S 'S s. s S 1 n So USo You Came Back Did Yuh Yuhl as If It she were murmuring over a sleepy baby Ward closed his eyes opened them and looked up Into her face One Ono hand came up uncertainly and caught her fingers closely Wilhelmina mine I ho said In to his hoarse voice Ills eyes cleared to sanity under her touch Billy Louise drew a small sigh of relief relief re re- re- re lief hot and reached unobtrusively with her free free freehand hand for tor the he gun cun un She sM IL i away nom n tits ors nn angers ers ana when he be still paid no attention she sha picked it up quite openly and laid It against the footboard Ward did not say anything He seemed altogether occupied with the amazing reality of her presence Youve You got a n terrible cold and from the looks of things youve you've had It for about six months said Billy Louise Her ler eyes went comprehensively about that hat end of the cabin with the depleted depleted deleted de de- cracker box the half emptied boxes of peaches and tomatoes and the buckets that were all nil but empty of water She was shocked at the pitiful piti- piti ful ul evidence of long helplessness She Shedid Shedid Shedid did not quite understand Surely Wards Ward's cold had not kept him In bed so longWell longWell long Well this Is no time for mirth or laughter aughter she said briskly to hide how bow close she was to hysteria since It looks very much like the morning after First weve we've got to tackle that fever of at yours your She picked up a awater awater awater water pall pail and started for tor the door As she he passed the foot of the bunk she ehe confiscated the two revolvers and took ook them outside with he her She had no desire to be mistaken again for Buck Suck Olne Olney When she came back Wards Ward's eyes were wild ft again aln and he be started up In n bed And glared at her Billy Louse LouIse Louise Lou Lou- Ise se laughed at him and told him to lie Ue down like a nice buckaroo and Ward recalled to himself by her voice obeyed She got the tho washbasin and anda a towel and prepared to bathe his head lead He wanted a drink And when she held a cup to his lips and saw how greedily he drank a little sob broke unexpectedly from her lips She gritted her teeth after atter it and forced a laugh Youre sure a hard drinker she bantered and wet her handkerchief to toay tolay tolay lay ay on his brow That the first decent drink Ive I've had for a month he told her dropping drop drop- ping back to the pillow refreshed tc the point of Old Lady Fortunes Fortune's still playing football with me William Ive I've been laid up with witha a broken leg for about six weeks And when I got gay and thought I could handle myself again I put myself out or of business for a while and caught this cold before I came to and crawled back Into bed Pm sure Im sure glad you showed up old girl I was was getting getting up against It for tor fair fall He coughed Looks Loots like It It Billy Louise held herself rigidly back from any emotional emo emo- emotional expression She could not afford afford afford af af- af- af ford to go to piece pieces now She tried to think Just what a trained nurse nursa would do In such a case Her Ber hospital hospi hospi- tal experience would be of some use here here she told herself She remembered remembered remembered reading g somewhere that no experience experience experience ex ex- Is valueless if one only applies ap ap- applies plies the knowledge gained First First she said cheerfully the patient patient patient pa pa- tient must be kept quiet and cheerful So dont don't go Jumping up and down on your broken leg Ward Warren the nurse forbids It And smile if it kills you you Ward grinned appreciatively Sick as he was he realized the gameness of Billy Louise what he failed to realize realize realize real real- ize was the gameness of himself Im Ima a pretty worthless specimen right now he lie said apologetically But Im I'm Im I'm yours to command the Bill Youre You're the doctor r. r Nope hope Im I'm the l cv wok ok right now Ive I've got a hunch How would you like a acup acup cup up of tea patient Id rather rattler have coffee Doctor coffee Doctor Wll Wll- llam Tea you mean Ill I'll have It ready rendy Jn n ten minutes Then Thea she weakened before his Imploring eyes You really oughtn't to drink coffee with that feU fe- fe U r 1 k i She Went Down on Her Knees Beside Belde tho the Bed and Cried ver Ward But maybe if I dont don't make mako it very strong and put in lots ol of at atI I cream cream- Well Wel take a n chance bucka buckaroo roo I t Inow How now much sugar patient Billy Louise turned toward him with the tho tomato tomato to to- mato can sugar bowl in tn her hands None I want to taste the coffee cottee this trip Oh all aU right 1 I Its It's the worst thing you could think of but that's the way with a patient Patients always wan want what they mustn't have Sure Sure get get It too Ward spoke between between be- be tween long satisfying gulps Hows flows your other patients patient Hows How's mommie Oh Ward I She's dead dead mommies dead I Billy Louise broke do down n unexpectedly un- un expectedly and completely She wen went down on her knees beside the tho bed ant and cried as she had not cried since shek sho she k looked the tbs lat two time at s sun still race face ace held in that terrifying calm tine Zine cried ried until Wards Ward's excited mutterings warned her that she nhe must pull herself together You be s still sho she commanded brokenly fighting for tor her former safe cheerfulness Im all right Pity Pits yourself If It youve you've got to pity some- some body ody I can I-can can stand stand stand-my my trouble I lavent haven't got any broken leg and and and- cough She managed a laugh then hen and antI took Wards Ward's hand from her hair lair and laid it down on the blankets Now we wont won't talk about things any more Youve You've got to have something done one for that cold on your lungs She rose ose and stood looking down at him with puckered eyebrows Mommie would say you ought to have a n good sweat sweat she decided Got any ny ginger I dunno I guess not not Ward muttered muttered mut- mut ered confusedly Well Ill I'll go out and find some sage then and give you sage tea ten That's another cure all She did not spend all her time Ume pickIng picking pick pick- Ing ng sage twigs A bush grew at the corner orner of the cabin within easy reach She went first down to the stable and lal ed Blue Inside nod Dud unsaddled him WID Ward was lying when she went In n except that he was waving her handkerchief to and fro by the corners corners corners cor cor- ners to cool It Billy Louise took it from rom him wet It again with cold water and scolded him for getting his arms from under the covers That she said was no nice way for a cough man to do Ward meekly submitted to being c covered cov covered cov- cov vered v- v ered to his eyes Then he wriggled his hie I chin free and demanded that she kiss i him ilm Ward was fairly drunk with happiness happiness hap hap- because she was there In the cabin Ward Warren youre you're a n perfectly awful man cough man 1 I There Now that's going to be the only one one one-Oh Oh Ward It Isn't l She Sho knelt and curved an arm around his face tace and kissed him again and yet again I do love you Ward Ive I've been a weak kneed horrid thing and Im I'm ashamed to the middle of my bones Youre You're my own brave buckaroo always always r I Youve You've |