Show r RANC 1 I C lilt ti 1 C l lI I INI I r a rr o 1 r rr OMOs OMO's AIr AIrI c s cur I 5 IM I'M want your written w worn wora a that yuh wont won't Charlie nor help nobody else him Anted Marthy l with sudden shrewdness If It men Billy Louise signs this note well we'll pay It and we want some perfection pern per per- from you fer Charlie i mm I I see I He lIe turned and went Trent ent back to the littered desk and wrote carefully again upon another sheet of paper I think this will be quite satisfactory he lie said and banded hand band ed cd the paper to Marthy Git OIt my specs Billy Louse Louise Louise the shelf shelt over there she said and read the paper laboriously her lips forming the letters of ot every word which contained more than one syl- syl J i lable Marthy remember was a plains plans woman born and bred I guess that'll do she pronounced at last pushing the spectacles up on her lined forehead You read rend it Billy BUly I Louise n see what yuh think UI wI think Its It's nil all right Marthy said eald Billy hilly Louise after she had read the tho document twice Its a bill bUl of sale and It also wipes the slate clean of any possible possible- I think Mr Seabeck Is very c I Whereupon Ji vy signed the note I with a spluttering of the abused pen In j I her stiffened old fingers' fingers and a great twisting of ot her grim mouth as she for formed ned the capitals Then Billy BUly Louise wrote her name with a fine schoolgirl case and n a little curl on the end of ot the thelast thelast last Jast d. d Se Seabeck beck took the paper from the tips of Billy Louises Louise's supercilious fingers returned with it to the desk for n a a blotter hunted bunted an envelope folded the note carefully and laid it away Inside I Z 1 believe that Is all Mrs I X bope hope you will suffer Buffer no further uneasiness uneasiness uneasiness ness on account of your your nephew nephew Im liable t suffer some gittin that five e hundred dollars paid up Marthy returned with some acerbity Im Imn much to yuh Mr Seabeck fer bean beIn so easy on ifs us If yuh hadn't drug D Billy Louise Into it t Id I'd say yer too go good d to to be he human mm n not min not t at all all Seabeck stammered deprecatingly and left the room with what haste his natural dig dig- would permit That ended the Seabeck part of the whole hole sordid affair except that he remained re re- re- re I for tor another hour doing chores chorea and making everything snug for tor the night Also he filled the kitchen n wood wood- 1 box QS fiS high as he lie could pile the sticks sticks' and brought water to last overnight overnIght- since Charlies Charlie's plan to pipe water Into I Ithe the cabin had remained a beautiful plan and nothing more Billy Louise thanked Seabeck wh when n he was wa ready to go I I know iou you were square square and youre you're really bib so bg-so soiled too Ill remember It I always 8 Mr Seabeck 1 Will WIIl you Seabeck looked down at ot at her with his hand upon the latch Even if It you ou are put in a position where you must pay that note you note you will still still-Hr still sUII mm Urn Urn-mm mm I see sec Before Defore I Igo go 0 Miss MacDonald I should like your our permission to send a man down here to look after niter things No you Billy Dilly Louise spoke with prompt decision Marthy might think you ou were you were you see it wouldn't do Ill I'll see about getting a tl man If you will take this note up and leave it in the mailbox for fur me John Pringle will come up tomorrow Well We'll manage nil all rI right ht Youre quite right But Dut Miss Mao Mae Donald there is something else I ir I r should like to give you OU a little wed little wedding wed wed- ding gift gUt since you honored me with the news ne of ot your approaching mm In m m marrIa marriage e. e As an old neighbor andt and t tZ one one of ot your most sincere admirers who would feel greatly honored by llY your our friendship I should I-should should like m to have you accept this this this- He Dc held something out outto to to Billy Dilly Louise Louise and pulled open Ollen thedoor the thedoor I door for tor Instant escape Good night Miss MacDonald I think it will I storm Then he was gone hurrying down down the tho narrow path with long strides his tall figure bent to the wind his coat flapping around d his lean legs Billy Dilly Louise closed the door and her half open half open mouth and let down her lifted eyelids Standing with her back against the wall she turned that some some- thing thing nn an over envelope envelope over twice some some-I then tore off the end and pulled out the contents It was the note she and Marthy Mar- Mar thy had signed no longer than an hour j jogo ago ogo and written large across the face taco pf t it were the wor words s Paid Pad Samuel Seabeck The The old old darling 1 I said Billy LouIse Lou Lou- Ise lse under her breath and went straight In to show It to Marthy Murthy CHAPTER All AH Right and Comfy T HE B next morning Billy Louise erode 1 rode up the tho creek creel at nt n a long lope and she pulled up at the stable and end slid sUd ort oft Blue She went to a 0 corner of ot the hay corral and stopped stooped with her bel hands bands the tho top wire Ward Yard Warren for tor heavens heaven's sake what are you doing dong You couldn't have told from her tone that she had hud been crying a mile mUe back from sheer anxiety or that she loved him hm to pieces peces She sounded as If t she did not love him at nt all nn and was merely disgusted disgust disgust- ed cd with his actions Im trying to sink my loop on this head buzzard-head of a 0 horse Ward retorted retorted re re- re- re glumly Ive been trying for about an nn hour he be added grinning a little at nt his hs own plight I Well Its It's a luck lucky thing for you he I wont won't let you Billy Dilly Louise Louse Informed I him sternly stooping to crawl under the bottom wire Youve got about as much sense as ns- ns as- as She Shedid did not say what Give me that rope and you take yourself and your crutches out of ot the corral Mr Smarty I jest had hod hada a hunch you ou couldn't be trusted to behave behave behave be be- have yourself Brave Drave Buckaroo got lonesome Ward said looking at her with eyes alight as he hobbled slowly toward her ber have to open the gate forme for forme forme me William make a break brenk i for the open if It f he sees n a crack as wide as your little finger By then he was near enough to reach out an arm mm and pull her close to him Oh William girl Im I'm sure glad to see you once more I got scared I thought maybe I Just dreamed you were here so I tackled tackled- You tackled more than you could handle You ought to know you mustn't try to ride Rattler RattIer Ward Word What if Sf hed he'd pitch with you In urn that case Id I'd pile pUe up I reckon Say William WilIiam a n broken leg does take a deuce of a time to get well wen But all the same Ill I'll stop old Rattler all aU right Id I'd top anything rather than spend another another an an- other night in that Jail Youn ride Blue Billy Dilly Louise Louse told him calmly Im going to ride Rattler myself Yes you are not are not 1 I Do you mean to sa say I cant can't Do you think think Oh OhI 1 guess you can all right but butWelL but to WelL Welt if I can Im I'm going coins ong to If you rou iI iIi r i iIII i Ui I 1 I II t r I f fISho She She Sho Went Straight to the Hay Corral and Stopped think 1 I cant can't handle a n measly ota ole that like Hes been running out for tor nearly two months month Wilhemina- Wilhemina And look at his ribs I f If you'll Just kindly go in the house while I saddle sad 1 dle dIe le- Ill kindly kIndl- stay right here lad lady lady- girl You don don't dont t know Rattler Rattler- And you dont don't know Billy BlUy Louise Louse MacDonald She wrinkled her ber nose at nt him and turned back to unsaddle Blue I I really didn't intend to go goback goback goback back right now she said but seeing youve you've got your heart set on on it I suppose suppose sup sup- pose we might ns as well wen Then she added Were only going as far fur as the Cove anyway and I really ought to hurry back to look after niter Marthy Charlie Fox and Peter pulled out and left her there all aU solitary alone Ive I've I J I been staying with her overnight I told her ber wed we'd be down there and stay till further till further notice Billy Louise Louse did not give Ward much opportunity for tor argument lie He was too awkward with his hs crutches to keep up with her hep he and she managed to be on the move most of ot the time When she had helped Ward upon Blue and Blue and that was not easy either considering that he be only had one leg fit to stand on on and and had gone to the cabin for tor her hag of ot nuggets and andWard's andWard's Wards Ward's roll of ot money which he had bad forgotten for tor gotten and had exhausted every other excuse for tor delay she pl picked ked up Rattlers Rattlers Rattler's Rat fl-at- tiers tier's reins and wound her fingers in his mane and took hold bold of ot the stirrup stirrup- as IlS nonchalantly as if It she were mount mount- e Now were we're nil all right and comfy she announced breathlessly when the first fight was over and nod Rattler RattIer like his master had yielded to the Inevitable And we know who's boss and were we're all aU of ot us happy because 1 wee head d for home Arent Aren't we buckaroo I I suppose so Ward mumbled doubtingly for a moment eyeing her het sidelong And say buckaroo I l n Billy Louise Louis reined close so that she could read reach out and pinch his arm a little bit Soon as ns your leg Is s all an well wen and youre you're every speck over the cough why you why you can be the boss I 1 ICan ICan Can I j Honest you can Billy Ive Billy Lou Louise Louise Louse ise se had the grace to blush a little UttI Ive always thought Id I'd love to hav have somebody bully me and boss me a anti mIl buse me And I I- I Her lips twitched n o little I think you can qua qualify ry I They came to the tIle gate and Billy Louise Louse freed her hand from his clasp and dismounted dIsmounted since It was n a wire gate and anel could not be opened on horseback horse horse- back She closed it after him looked ed to her cinch tightened it a n little patted patted pat pat- patted ted Rattler on the neck caught the horn with one hand and the stirrup with the other and went up quite n a man while Ward watched her In intently In sooth I know not why you are areso so BO sa saad sa ad murmured Billy Louise Louse when she swung alongside in the trail Ward caught her hand again agan and did not let go so they rode hand In hand down the narrow valley I 1 was wondering wondering- he hest hesitated ted drawing In a n corner of ot his lip biting It and letting It go If It old Lady Fortune takes a n notion to give me another kick or two Just when life looks so good to me me- me Why well we'll kick back Just as hard bard hardas bardas as ns she does threatened Billy Louisa Louise courageously Dont let happiness g get geton geton t ton on your our nerves Ward 1 If It I wasn't crippled it wouldn't But nut when hen a mans man's down and out he hem he- thinks a lot The last three days Ivo lived a whole lifetime lady Everything Every Every- thIng seems to be coming my way all nIl at at once And Im I'm afraid what if it 1 I cant can't make ake good If It I cant can't make you happy he happy he squeezed her bel fingers so that Billy Dilly Louise had lend to grit her teeth to keep from interrupting him or him or if It anything should happen to you you Lord Lord I 1 Youve got nerves buckaroo Youve You've been shut up there so long you See fee things all distorted Were We're going to be happy because well we'll be together and weve we've so much to do and so much to think of You must realize Ward that weve we've got three places to take care cara of and you rou and me and poor old Mar thy She hasn't an anybody body Ward Vard hut but us And she's changed so got so-got got so old just Just in the last few days I never knew a person could change so much in such a n little while She's Just let go goan all an holds and kind of sagged down mentally and physically Well We'll have to take care of her Ward Yard as long as she Jives That's why Im I'm taking you there so so we can look after arter her She won wont won't t leave the Cove I I-I I I was hoping she added shyly that we could sit in n front of our own fireplace Ward and nave nice cozy evenings but but well well there always seems to be so something for me to do for somebody Ward Oh you 1 Ward slipped sUpped his arm around her to the disgust 1st o Rattler and Blue and made shift to kiss her twice Long as you live you'll always always' be doing something for fors s somebody that's the way youre you're made And nobody's been doing things for you but if the Lord lets me live that's going to be my Job from now on He said a great deal more o of course They had nearly fifteen miles mUes to go and they rode at a walk and a aman aman aman man and a maid can say a good deal at such a time But I dont don't think they would like to have it all on repeated Their thoughts ranged far tar back over the past m and d far Into the future an and I clung close to the miracle of ot love that I had brought them together There I Ione la 19 laone one thing which Billy Louise even in il ii her most self revealing mood did not tell Ward and that is her doubts 0 of him Never once did he be dream that she had suspected him and wrung her heart because of her suspicions n suspicions and andin in that I think she was wise and kind They TIley found Seabeck and Floyd Car Car- J I son and another cowboy at the Cove Just preparing to leave Marthy it transpired had sent for tor them because she wanted to make her will so that Billy Louise Louse would have the Cove when Marthy was done with it Billy cried a little and argued a n good deal but DUt Marthy had not lost all aU her stubborn stubbornness stub stub- born ness and the will stood un un-i un changed I Billy Louise and Ward were married married Just as soon as ns Ward was able to make mako the trip to the seat county which wad was Just as soon as ns he could walk comfortably comfort ably with a cane Th They y stayed the winter in the Cove Cove and a part of the tho spring Then the they burled buried grim gray old Marthy up on sIde Bide hill near Jase where she ha haC asked them hem to lay her worn work body when sue she was gone I I. I They were very busy and very happ happy and pretty prosperous with their three thee ranches They never heard of ot Charlie Fox again or of ot Buck Bude Olney Olney and and they they never wanted to i If It you should some time Ume ride through throng a n certain portion of ot Idaho you mn ma may find the tiny valley of ot the Wolverine j and the tho decaying cabins which prove pro how impossible It Is for tor a n couple t to live In three places nt at once If It yo you should be so fortunate as to meet Billy Louise she might take you through the canon and point out to you through he her cave It is possible that she might also show you the washout which always allay made her and Ward laugh when they it And if you ride up over th the pill Dill and along the ana sue mown bown own another hill bill you cannot fall taU to find the entrance to th the Cove and perhaps you will like to ride down the gorge and ond see sec the little Eden hidden away there And if you should meet them gIve mf regards to Billy Louise and Ward Ward- Word Ward who never calls cans himself a n football these days THE TUB END 0 lION HON VANCE r- r I l I Ii I i I t I I j I II I a 4 4 i I I II I If I r f r L Chairman of the United States War Trade Board Doard |