Show I 1 Q 0 9 0 ID 0 0 edtee apet en EB im 9 0 0 0 friy y ym 0 c c copyright by reter n ayna service OA CHAPTER VIII 10 mr william B latham smiled fatuously and rubbed tits ills old b hinds binds together in pleased anticipation as he noticed the telegram beside his plate at breakfast ile he rend read the man who first called you crooked bill knew tits his onions stop I 1 have your texas record stop 1 ou permitted me to walk into a situation that Is perfectly and monstrously unusual and I 1 am horribly embarrassed stop jims alm father shot you in the foot with a forty five caliber revolver and na the impulse to be careless with deadly weapons ive apons still runs in the family only the present representative uses a bow and arrow and shoots for the heart stop nor Is the GO halt half blood bred out of the tribe stop believe it or not he has erected a headstone over uncle tom stop it Is an angel weeping and on the base of the monument he has worked in a bas bag relief of a shepherd and a sheep presumably the one that was lost stop spanish art and irish deviltry stop when I 1 compare him with glenn I 1 am torn between a desire to weep and to laugh stop glenn Is so respectable so proper so BO mindful of all the things we have been raised to admire and rie respect while this fellow stops at nothing and consults only his own desires stop my plan Is to secure the courts permission to get rid of the sheep promptly and return to hillcrest Hlll crest so I 1 can bite you on the ear BOBBY BOBBT harms the butler in the act of dropping cropping the customary two lumps of sugar into crooked bills coffee cup froze in the act and regarded his master with amazement and concern it appeared to harms that the old gentleman was about to have some sort of seizure teli ure for he had closed his eyes thrown back ilk hi head opened hla his mouth month and gasped anything wrong sir harms demanded her har I 1 yelled crooked dill bill har I 1 two bursts of maniac laughter good news sir harms suggested politely harms said crooked bill did you yoa ever hear bear of pandora oh yes sir you are referring to the lady of mythology who unlocked the box of troubles exactly well miss Roli roberta erta has unlocked a similar box bos harms get mr hackett IIa cliett on the telephone lie ile read hackett robertas message and waited for a hearty laugh it did not cot come dog your cats glenn lie he protested wheres wb erea your sense of humor morr 1 I see bee no humor in the situation mr latham I 1 can only sympathize with roberta there she Is the guest of 0 the man who killed her uncle and who has had the hardihood to make it a jest at the expense of his victim not satisfied with that exhibition of bad ba taste he has apparently commenced to pay his court to roberta immediately which Is mot embarrassing and distressing to her she will be forced to lee leale his house of course and decline to permit him to continue to serve her in the matter of conserving those damnable sheep you monkey you that exactly what I 1 planned should happen roberta practically admits it already ashes anxious to clean up on those sheep and return and when she does boy certainly look good to her 1 I wish I 1 could be as aa confident as ag you mr latham roberta lias has one weakness and that Is her sense of humor like yours its a bit er diabolical I 1 wish I 1 had never joined la in this conspiracy with you faint heart never won fair lady my bly boy dont you realize you have a chance to be a herol hero 11 1 I do not youre singularly insularly dull my stock to la still climbing and you need more money to protect me so youve decided that those sheep should be sold to get ready cash consequently youve had two important easel cases continued which will enable you to go to texas and arrange the sale rate of the sheep who will I 1 sell them tor tol to me tool fool to me pit ill give you more money for them than anybody else and the more money you realize on them the stronger be with roberta obertal It I 1 also arrive on the job in time to put a crimp in the sentimental aspirations aBlA rations of don jaime miguel niguenes better jump to texas muy pronto 11 well in order to make good on your deceit youve rented Hlll gillcrest crest so BO why not go to texas with me shave your whiskers and dress like a rancher and play the part ot of the sheep buyer by golly ill 1 11 do it glenn its a good idea when can you start in one week fine meanwhile ill keep you advised if anything new turns up hey dont hang up yet harms has just handed me another telegram it may be from bobby no its from higueres Higue nes oh lord oh lord oh lord glenn will you listen to this and he read over the telephone when you see your ward again I 1 should be a proud man to hear you address her ns as mrs Higue higueres nes or higgins whichever suits y you on best stop to that end I 1 request your permission to pay my court stop I 1 know the going will be hard bard but I 1 have neer been accustomed to getting anywhere without a battle so I 1 will take a chance stop you know my people so I 1 do not have to furnish social references stop can furnish financial credentials denti als to please any save most exacting hes a direct factionist actionist glenn hackett prowled growled lies iles his fathers son just imagine the nice courtesy that induced him to seek the permission of bobbys bobbye responsible relative before commencing work what are you going to say in reply mr latham arm im going to encourage the boy of course why do that to make him work remember glenn there Is one thing roberta will never forgive and bad taste you cant kill a girls uncle and then expect to rush her off her feet even though you killed in self defense and in so doing performed a public service I 1 tell you this man higueres HIgue nes know any better than to walk into straight lefts and rights crooked bill bur hung up and immediately dispatched the following telegram to don jaime miguel Higue higueres nes you have the nerve of a lion iton tamer stop thanks for the compliment im plied piled in your telegram but I 1 have nothing to say about it stop however you have my best wishes and I 1 will even give you some good advice stop rile pile on the high romance and sound the old castillan castl llan note your good old father knew so well stop it if there Is anything in law you should be dark haired and dark eyed like mike and with these assets a fair singing voice and a guitar sonic some moonlight and a hide I 1 should say that you stand slightly more chance than a celluloid log dog chasing an asbestos cat through the infernal regions and now lie he murmured having done my full christian duty cluty by all concerned I 1 think I 1 should return to my breakfast well had lie been nicknamed crooked bill I 1 I 1 mignon awakened roberta at seven next morning its sunday she reminded tier her discreetly what will you wear miss roberta had given considerable thought to that lery ery subject the night previous that ports suit I 1 bought just before leaving new york she answered promptly breakfast was ready on the gallery when roberta came out looking for her host the table was set for two and don jaime was mas waiting for her ills his lazy dark eyes s swept w crit her in one glance from her white kid pumps to her titian beat bead you are as beautiful as aa an army with banners miss antrim he announced in the matter of fact tone in which one proclaims that two and two make four or that a straight line Is the shortest distance betl between CeD two points nut not so much a compliment or the natural desire of a man luau to latter flatter a woman as a definite statement of fact roberta flushed flus lied and hated bated herself tor for it because it was not her habit to c exhibit such apparent plea pleasure vure at compliments ments from men had the words come from any other man she would have had a careless retort in all probability she would have told another man that be looking so very verv beautiful himself pat bit again that strange sense of bafflement 0 of stupidity almost held her speechless 1 I suppose liell hell ask me if 11 I 1 slept well she decided the usual banal query 1 lie ile did not ne ite tucked tier her into her seat beat sat down opposite looked at her casually and said 1 I see you had a good nights rest in the gigantic bed ol of my ancestors you appear much refreshed and I 1 am very glad ot of it and you arrive for breakfast promptly at eight punctuality Is a paramount virtue particularly in women so just for that you win a rose and he leaned back and plucked one from the vine that clambered around a pillar of the gallery youre too red for red roses he rambled on handing it to her so this lovely mauve rose Is just the right shade im not red im auburn thanks for the rose however its lovely well whatever it Is it suits bulls me fine you and I 1 are going to be the best of friends roberta well I 1 like them fast on their feet and youre a whiz bang jimmy ive been trying very hard to dislike you but I 1 must confide its an uphill up hill hlll job of course its very unethical to like me he admitted demurely let us say it Is unusual and let it go at that his eyes devoured her roberta youre mighty sweet I 1 think it I 1 may ill call you bobby my friends all do shamus fire away old timer she saw raw him swallow something and it was riot not food the fire died out of his eyes and the sudden wistful littleboy look faded and was replaced by gravity sternness masculinity hes nice the girl thought ile he take advantage of the fact that im his guest to appear to rush me OIL oh yes roberta oberta It knew men she could read their faces and conversely their minds for had not don jaime miguel HIgue higueres nes just assured her she was as beautiful as an army with banners banders I 1 youre a very happy man arent you jimmy it seems to me that with you life must be one glad sweet song oh it Is he assured her the singing started last night again his eyes burned into hers for a split second and again she felt her face flushing hotly to cover her contusion confusion she said inanely 1 I do wish you knew my uncle bill not interested in the alie old reprobate although it if he be should take a BEGINNING THE STORY FOR NEW READERS roberta 1 antrim beautiful eastern society girl who lives with her uncle william B latham known as crooked bill because of his hia amusing slyness receives a telegram from jaime miguel Higue higueres nes owner of the rancho valle verde in texas informing her her uncle tom antrim has died a violent death at the advice of glenn hackett who 1 is in love with hor bar roberta plans to go to texas to protect her interests since she Is her uncles sole heir to thousands of sheep which antrim had grazed on land controlled by don jaime don jaime unmarried half spa spanish nish and halt half irish Is attracted to robertas picture in a magazine antrim Is warned to take his sheep cheep oft off don ja balmes m ea ra ranch ch at once antrim ambushes don jaime the young ranch owner Is wounded and tom antrim killed on h his 9 bo body d y are found instructions to notify miss roberta antrim in the event of his death another telegram tells roberta her uncle was killed by jim higgins don jaimes anglicized name latham tells her his fortune Is in danger and she decides to go to texas to get kantrims An trims estate to save it crooked bill concocts a scheme he hopes will fotr forward ward hacketts hackette Hac ketts courtship don jaime actuated chiefly by his romantic interest in the pictured roberta allows the antrim sheep to continue to graze on his ranch at the station of valle verde roberta meets dingle tom kantrims An trims foreman who points out don jaime as her uncles slayer then flees roberta watching jim higgins sees him shoot she thinks at dingle she berates him soundly and jimmy hurries off ostensibly to tell don jaime balme of her arrival then the girl finds higgins and Higue higueres nes to be one and the same at don jaimes invitation sho she stays at his ranch notion to show up at valle verde I 1 sick the doss dogs on him have some bacon and eggs I 1 cured that bacon myself and am personally acquainted qui quain tinted ted iab with the hens that laid the elst had he noticed her confusion and was abl this gay fr holous banter merely his kind way of helping her cover it roberta had an idea it was ills his two setters slouched apologetically to the table and he appeared to forget roberta to become absorbed in the dogs feeding them strips of baron and little pieces of bread stepped in bacon grease crease talking affectionately to them the alle while Us a if they were human ro jio berta reminded herself that doti don jaime haq the first young ninn man who had ever neglected her ber to curry favor with fth a piar of in 11 h setters and W was wag interested to discover that she did not resent his action what tire are you gong going to to do about robbie slie she inquired presently presen lly oh hobble rol ble nothing very much wrung wrong with him I 1 suspected the fix he be was in and in order to verify my suspicions I 1 had bad mrs gariby bring him film here iles hes been kept tit in the house because tits ills mother despite the fact that she Is a trained nurse durse considered dered him too delicate to be allowed out very much she had bad to make a living for the two of them so necessarily she has been forced to neglect the boy ile he requires sunlight and lots of it every day he lies iles out in the sunlight mother naked I 1 gave it to him in small doses so he sun BUD burn bur now lies hes tanned one arm taid one leg are affected but bilt not very badly with increased general health he will gain strength and the desire to he be more active nobody ever exercised without wasting energy and those who have no energy to waste du not care to exercise ile he adores you jimmy well it if children and dogs do not like a man a sign he had better begin to take stock of himself I 1 like robbie I 1 like all children pen terrible children im godfather to one hundred and eighty seven and after mass this morning ill take on the one hundred and eighty eighth why are you yon so popular jimmy for two reasons it im godfather to the child of one of my people then while an Higue higueres nes lives at valle verde that child will always dwell under the mantle of the niguenes philanthropy he cant be fired oft off the ranch it if hes a male and hell get something in the way ot of a hope chest if lies hes a female you strange mani man ot of course as a godfather you have to promise that if the parents neglect to give their child a religious upbringing you will attend to the matter I 1 built a little church and I 1 a padre on my payroll imported him from mexico the arch Z 1 she marked the pride and pleasure in the young mothers mother files face bishop of this diocese know he exists so the old boys as free as air im strong for freedom myself Is that why bod you have never married or have you 1 I when an niguenes marries it takes and I 1 married because youve been such a long time showing up at my ranch IN why by jimmy 1 I thought for a while rd id surely have to go to Hil hillcrest lerest dobbs ferry westchester county new york and point out to you the error of your way but thanks to bour our uncle tom I 1 was spared that expensive journey then too I 1 proba probably b ay w hane hae showed to such good advantage in your country because of 0 the competition I 1 loathe competition it makes me just a little bit jealous for the life of tier her roberta help laughing she had a habit of laughing at men when they were proposing to her or on the brink of it she was at ease now dow no longer inhibited by some quality in this man which she had never met in any other it if he was in love with her she had him foul wherefore she laughed to tier lier chagrin he laughed with her and instantly a horrible suspicion crossed her mind was tills this texas Iong longhorn horn merely indulging in a mild |