Show L G If ic I f fIRt R 0 N J n 0 0 THE STORY Yancey Cravat Just Just returned from the newly opened Indian territory rol relates es lifs hs experiences experience to a a. largo lugo gatherinG of or the Venable Ven- Ven able ablo family Yancey Is married to bra Sl Tenable Venable is a 0 criminal lawyer lawer and editor of ot tho the Wichita 1 Wigwam VIs When tho ho Run Hun started Yancey had raced his pony pon against the thoroughbred mount I of or a n Girl The girls girl's horse was wasI I 1 Injured d and nd when Yancey stopped to shoot it she grabbed his pony I and got the land Yancey wanted Yancey announces ho Is going I back to the Oklahoma country countr I with Sabra and their year four old son Cimarron They make m I the Journey in two covered coveted wagons The They arrive at nt Osage le I where Yancey Intends to start a Do newspaper I CHAPTER III III-Continued III Continued 5 5 HI Yancey Howdy maam ma'am Past the tho Red Ked Dog saloon A group In tn chairs tilted up against the wall or about In high heeled boots and sombreros greeted Yancey now V with a familiarity that astonished Sabra Howdy Hello Yancey Yancey Yan Yan- cey I lie He He called you Ho lie Ignored h l hgr r surprised remark I Narrowly he was watching them as ashe ashe asbe he be passed Boys are up to something If It they try to get funny while youre you're here with me me- me Sabra glancing at the group from beneath her shielding hat brim did see ceo that they were behaving much like a lot of snickering schoolboys who ho are preparing to let fly a bornt bombardment bombardment bom bom- of ot snowballs an air of ot secret mischief afoot Why are they what they what do you think makes them them- them Sabra began a trifle nervously I cant can't say for or sure But I suspect suspect sus sus- suspect they're the boys that did dill dirt Who Is Is oh oh Isn't that the theman man the man the editor the editor Uie one who was found dead shot dead shot dead on the banks of the the the- Yancey I Do you mean they did It I dont don't say they did It It exactly t They know more than Is comfortable even for tor these parts I was Inquiring around last night and everybody shut up like a clam Im I'm going to find out who killed and print It In the first number cr of the Oklahoma Wig Wig- Oh Yancey Yance Yancey Im I'm frIghtened frightened frightened fright frIght- ened 1 She clung tighter to his arm The he grinning mirthless faces of themen the themen men on the saloon porch seemed to Iter lier like the fanged and snarling muzzles of wolves in a pack Nothing to be frightened of hone honey They Thy know me Im I'm no they can scare They dont don't like my white hat liat that's the truth of ot It Dared me last night down at nt the Sunny Southwest Southwest Southwest South South- west saloon to wear It this morning Just to try me out They wont won't havethe havethe have havethe the guts to come out In the open open open- The sentence never was finished Sabra heard a curious buzzing sound past her ear Something sang zing zing I Yanceys Yancey's white sombrero went spinning spinning spinning spin spin- ning into the dust of ot the tine road Sabra's mouth opened as though she were screaming but the sounds she ehe would have made malle emerged feebly as a croak Stay where you are Yancey ordered ordered or or- dered his voice low and even Time The dirty dogs She stood transfixed She could not ha have hae e run If it she had hall wanted Ranted to Yancey strolled leisurely over o to where tile the white hat lay inthe inthe in inthe the dust lIe He stooped carelessly his back to the crowd on the time saloon porch picked up up the hat surveyed It and reached toward his pocket for Ills his handkerchief At that movement there was a rush and rind a scramble on the porch Tilted chairs leaped forward forward for for- ward heels clattered a door slammed Of the group only three men remained One of these leaned Insolently against a n porch post host a second stood warily behind him and a n third was edging prudently toward the closed door There was nothing to indicate who had fired the shot that had sent Yanceys Yancey's Yancey's Yanceys Yanceys Yancey's Yan Yan- cey's hat spinning Yancey now half haIr turned toward them had taken his flue fine white handkerchief handkerchief hand hand- handkerchief kerchief from his pocket had shaken out Its ample folds with a gesture of elegant leisure and hat In hand was lucking flicking the dust from his headgear This done he surveyed the hat critically crit seemed to find It t little the worse for tor Its experience unless perhaps I one excepts the time two neat round holes that i I were drilled back and front through I the peak of its crown He now placed It on his head again aln with a gesture all alI almost al al- l I most languid tossed the fine handkerchief handkerchIef handkerchief chief into the road and with almost the same gesture or with another so lightning quick that Sabra's e eye e never followed It his hand land went to his hip There was the crack of ot a shot Theman The Theman he heman man who was was edging to toward the door clapped his hand to his ear car and brought his hand away and looked at It and It was darkly smeared Yancey still sUll stood In the time road his hand at his thigh one slim foot In Its fine high heeled Texas lexas star boot advanced ad ad- vancell carelessly His ills great mead head was lowered menacingly His eyes steel gray beneath the time brim of ot the white sombrero looked as Sabra had never seen them look They were terrible terrible terrible ter ter- eyes merciless cold hypnotic A three corn three cornered ere piece you'll find It Lon The Cravat sheep brand Cant you OU take a Joke Yancey whined one of the time three his lila eyes on Yanceys gun hand Joke Joke h h 1 I snarled t the le man 1 ho ho hoh I h had d been nicked His Ills hand was waa wast wasN i N t clapped over his ear God Goll help you Cra Cravat va t. t II lIe He always has replied Yancey piously If your our missus wasn't with you you you- H began the man whom Yancey had call called ell Lon Perhaps the rough Joke would have ended grimly enough But here suddenly Sabra herself herselt took tooka a hand In the proceedings Her lIer fright had vanished These were no longer lonser men evil sinister to be feared but mean little boys to be put In their place She now advanced on them In Inthe Inthe Inthe the majesty of her plumes and her silk her fine line eyes ejes flashing her gloved g forefinger admonis admonishing them as if they were Indeed naughty children She was every Inch the vcr very essence of that Iron woman Felice Venable enable Dont you ou missus misses me met mel 1 Youre You're a alot alot alot lot of miserable nothing good loafers loafers loaf loaf- ers that's what you are arc Shooting at at people In the streets You leave len my husband alone I declare Ive I've a notion notion no no- tion to to- to For one ridiculous dreadful moment It looked as though she meant to slap the leathery bearded cheek of the thc bad badman badman man known as ns Lon Loh Certainly Certain Certain- ly she raised her little hand In Its neat 5 P w wN N as i lyl i I TV M l r i There Was the Crack of a Shot black kid kill The eyes of ot the three were popping Lon ducked his head exactly like an urchin who Is about to tobe tobe tobe be smacked by the schoolmarm Then with a yelp of ot pure terror he lie fled tied Into the saloon followed by the time other two Sabra stood a 3 moment It really looked as ns though she ml might ht make male after them But nut she thought better of It and sailed down the steps In triumph to behold a crush crushed ell a despairing Yance Yancey Oh my G G-d G d Sabra What have you done to me i the matter This time tomorrow It'll be all over the whole Southwest from Mexico to Arkansas that Yancey Yance Cravat hid behind behind behind be be- hind a womans woman's petticoats But nut you They limey cant can't sa say so You shot him very nicely In the ear darling Thus had a scant eighteen hours in the Oklahoma country twisted her ller normal viewpoint so askew that she did not even en notice the grotesquerie of what whal she had just said The re telling It now in there A 11 r 1 1 U Ij J III uv ivr V v JUL C T men are having a little dispute Disputes Dispute I Why Yancey Cravat He lie shot your our hat right oft of your hea head What of ot It Little friendly shooting shoot- shoot Ing The enormity of ot this example of ot masculine clannishness left her temporarily temporarily temporarily tem tem- speechless with indignation Lets be getting on Yancey continued continued con con- calmly If were we're going to look at Doc r house wed we'd better look at nt it There are only two or three to be had In the whole town and his Is' Is the pick of ot them Its It's central Central 1 she thought looking about her and according to what he said suld last night theres there's a room In the time front big enough for getting out the thc paper It'll have to be newspaper and law office In one T Tn n there are four rooms In the back to live in Plenty ay By Edna FerLene Copyright by Edna Ferber NU Oh plenty echoed Sabra thinking of ot the nine or ten visiting Venables always nh comfortably tucked away awny In Inthe Inthe inthe the various high bedrooms In Inthe Inthe inthe the Wichita house They resumed their walk Sabra wondered if It she had Imagined the thc shooting outside the lied Hell Dog Doe saloon Doc veterinarian shirt sleeved ell shrewd with generations of Now New En England land ancestry behind him was seated In a n chair tipped up a against the front of ot his coveted property Inthe In Inthe Inthe the rush for or Territory town sites at atthe atthe atthe the time of ot the Opening he had hall managed managed man man- aged to In lay his gnarled hands on five choice pieces On the these e he erected dwellings tilted his chair up a against each In turn and took look his pick of ot latecomers latecomers latecomers late late- comers frantic for some sort of shelter they could call a n home The dwelling Itself looked like one of ot CIms childish drawings of a n house The roof was an nn Inverted V Y there was a front door a side door and a spindling little porch It was a box a shelter merel merely as angular and Unlovely unlovely unlovely un un- lovely as the man who owned It Taking her cue from fromi Yancey Yancey- Lovely murmured Sabra agonized Do Io very verj y nicely Perfectly comfort comfort- able I sec see I see sec I see seo There you OU are arc I They stood on the porch the tour completed Yancey Yancey Yan Yan- cey slapped his hands to together ether gayly gayl as though by so doIn doing lie he had hall summoned sum suni atoned a genie who had hall tossed up the house before their very eyes ces In the discussion of ot monthly rental he had been a In the hands of this lean lenn and grasping New ew Englander There you ou are a That's all aU settled He struck an nn attitude Survey our empire empire em em- pire and behold our home I Heh hold on a minute rasp rasped ell Doc How flow about water Sabra honey you settle these little matters between you you you-you you and the Doc will will you Ive I've got to run down the street and see Jesse Rickey about putting putting putting put put- ting up the press and setting up the type t racks and helping me haul the form tables and then weve we've got the furniture to buy for the house Meet you ou down the street at Hefner's Furniture Furni ture store Ten minutes He was off oft with a flirt of ot his coat tails She would have called Yan Yancey Yancey Yance ce cey cey I Dont Don't leave me but for a prIdeful reluctance to show fear before before before be be- fore this man with the tI tight ht lips and the gimlet eyes ees Well now repeated Doc nasally about water Water Vater How flow much you OU going to need Renting this house depends on how much water you OU think you going to need noell How ITow many barrels Sabra had hind always ahva's taken water for granted grantell like air and sunshine It was one of the time elements It was simply there But since leaving Wichita there was always s 's talk of ot water Yancey Yancey Yan Yun- cey on the prairie Journey made It the basis of ot their camping site Oh barrels she now repeated tryIng tryIng try- try trying Ing to appear Intensely practical Well let let me me see Theres There's cookIng cookIng cooking cook- cook Ing of ot course and all the time cleaning around the house and drinking and bathing I always give his bath In the evening e If I can You wouldn't believe how dirty that child gets ets by bythe bythe bythe the end of the day Well ell I should think ten barrels a day would be enough Ten ren barrels said Doc In Ina Ina ina a fiat flat voice utterly devoid old of or expression expression sion slon a ua day I should think that would be ample ample ample am am- Sabra repeated Judiciously Doc now regarded Sabra with a n look of ot active dislike Then he did a a strange thing He lle walked across the little porch shut the front door locked it put the key In his pocket seated himself In the chair and tilted It up against the lie wall at exactly the angle at which the they had hall come upon him Sabra stood there S Seeing her It would have been almost Impossible to r y r. i x 7 believe that anyone so bravely decked out In silk and plumes and pink roses could present a figure so BO bewildered so disconsolate so defeated Literally she did cUll not know leno what to do She had met and surmounted many ninny strange experiences In Jn these last ten days dus But nut she had hind been born of generations of women to whom men had paid homage Perhaps In all her life liCe she had hall never encountered the sU slightest discourtesy In a man much less this abysmal I l. l boorishness She looked at him her tier face fuce white shocked She looked up In embarrassment embarrass embarrass- ment at nt the glaring steel sk sky she looked down at nt tho the blinding bUnding red dust she looked helplessly in tho direction that Yancey had hall so blithely taken She glanced again at Doc propped so woodenly against the wall of oC his hateful house She should of ot course have gone straight up to him Wm and said Do you mean that ten barrels barrels bar bar- nl are too much I didn't know I Iam am new to all nIl this Whatever you OU OUsa sa say But she was young youn and Inexperienced encell and full of pride and terribly offended So without another wor word she sho turned and marched down the dusty street Her lIer head In Its plumed lint hut was high On either cheek burned burneda a scarlet patch Her lier e eyes es in her effort effort effort ef ef- ef- ef fort to keep back the hot tears were blazing liquid enormous She saw nothing I From Doc Yancey received l laconic Information to the effect that the house hind had been rented by a n family whose aquatic demands were more modest than Sabra was Inconsolable Inconsolable inconsolable In In- in- in consolable but Yancey did not once reproach her for her mistake It was characteristic of oC him that he was most charming and considerate In crises which might have been expected to Infuriate him Never mind sugar Dont Don't take on like that Well We'll find a 1 house And an anyway wa were we're here That's the main thing lIe He stretched his mighty arms shook himself like a great shaggy lion In all this welter of red clay and Indians and shirt sleeves and tobacco Juice and drought he seemed to find a beauty and an exhilaration that eluded Sabra quite But then Sabra after those first two days had ceased to search for tor a reason for anything She met and accepted the most grotesque the most fantastic happenings s. s When she looked back on the things she slue had hall done and the things she sho had said In Inthe Inthe inthe the first few hours of ot her Oklahoma experience it was as though she were tolerantly regarding the of a child Ten barrels of ot water a day daj I She knew now v that water in this burning land was a precious |