Show 0 0 0 0 1 4 M embt 0 EP 0 G 0 2 0 0 0 eby epst oe C 0 0 0 0 W N U solea 0 copyright by rotor B CHAPTER IX continued 11 at the head of the single street don aime looked back A contented people he declared chilli peppers drying on every roof nud and ample corn for the tortillas hortillas tor tillas a tiny garden for onions and lettuce and beans labor eme exchanged hanged for bright calico and overalls and gingham at cost at the ranch commas tary mary no debts no rents no lawsuits freedom from a puritanical code of morals sometimes I 1 could wish 1 I too were a peon eoll boll weevil and the price of beef bothers them not nor taxes nor notes at the bank nor sheep roberta supplemented speaking of 0 which he continued we will ride out and visit the woollies after luncheon if you care for a ride S 0 0 crooked bill was wondering why his niece was such a poor correspondent when harms the butler entered with the mall crooked dill bill pounced upon it IL two envelops one slim and the other tat fat bore the return address of the rancho valle verde so crooked bill opened the slim one and read my dear mr latham 17 1 I wired you for permission to pay tny my court to your very lovely niece miss roberta antrim in granting the desired permission tor for I 1 am deeply grateful you saw fit to give me some wholly unnecessary r y and rather silly advice on how to be successful in love ione my dear mr latham you know nothing of your charming nieces disposition the finest way in the world for me to kill my feeble prospects would be tor for me to wrangle a guitar under her window and sing sobre bobre las olas 1 and anyhow y your our interest in me that causes you to be so tree free with your foolish advice I 1 suspect you would like to get me in dutch 1 I think she likes me but she know whether im crazy about her or not cot even aben I 1 swear I 1 am I 1 figure that the best way to get her winging is to keep her guessing gnessin g but quien sabe I 1 if you have any other suggestions for helping along the game of your old friend rat patricio jesus III hig aceues son let them fly sincerely yours J M crooked bill read and reread this Te remarkable document and with a huge sigh laid it aside ive overplayed oer played my hand he murmured and took up robertas letter which ran as follows dear uncle bill 1 I am ashamed of myself for havin having neglected 3 ou so but the fact Is I 1 h have ave been having such a wonderful time at don jaimes ranch 1 I call him jimmy that I 1 had time to write uncle bill lies marvelous everybody thinks so and sais so consequently it must be true ile he is very bold he sings and plays divinely he is a sort of feudal baron and he works hard bard all day with his men ile he has thousands of acres ot of cotton thousands more of alfalfa thousands thousands more of cattle range and all the cattle in the world 1 I thought of glenn hackett ackett II more than twice since coming here and then only to compare him to his disadvantage to this amazing jimmy it if hed only make love to me like a reasonable man should I 1 think id fall for him hard 1 I enclose a number of photos the one of jimmy Is excellent write soon your tour loving bondy with the calmness of despair crooked bill scrutinized the photographs the one ot of don jaime balme showed win him on a gray horse with a jay day old calf draped I 1 across his bis lap caramba murmured crooked bill this fellow is no tat fat olly oily perfumed lazy mexican with alth a mustache the boy has sized roberta up right not the width of a gnats wing sing out of line an hell win in a balk walk as sure as death and taxes unless I 1 do something and do it muy pronto I 1 dont want roberta to marry into a mixed breed like the well roberta says it if hed only make love to her like a reasonable nan man shed fall for him hard that means bhea still safe bill latham youve got to get that girl back home in a hurry burry those internal infernal sheep and my foolish scheming sent her to texas and in order to got get her home those sheep must be disposed of in a hurry burry god help me ill have to buy them myself and it if that bandit ever gets on to the identity identify of the purchaser hell induce her to soak me so hard when im unable to defend myself that ill never dever have the heart to eat a mutton chop again glenn my boy fighting your fight is going to be mighty expensive but as an adjunct to the family I 1 guess youre worth it he telephoned to ills office in new york instructing it to secure him transportation and a drawing room to los algodones Alg texas anil and the following day was en route to consummate the crook edest piece of business he be had ever contemn i plated that of swindling himself I 1 in lue course he arrived in los algodones Alg and put up at the mansion house neither the town nor the hotel had changed a particle in the twenty rive five years that had passed since ho he had seen it last nobody knew him nor did any ot of the faces aces of the loungers in the chairs tipped back against the front of 0 the hotel awaken in ID crooked rill kill the faintest flicker of recognition at the general store he purchased a pair of oe overalls a canvas coat and a gray sombrero which combined with a soft white shirt and black tie and the boots a relic of other days illch he be habitually wore metamorphosed crooked bill into a very fair imitation of a texas citizen of the wide open spaces thus garbed he called upon don Pruden prudencio clo alviso sly my names blodgett mr ile alviso he be announced and soothed his conscience with the thought that it was his middle name 1 I understand youre the attorney for tom kantrims An trims estate I 1 also understand he be left quite a smear of sheep don prudencio nodded are they tor for sale A sale might be arranged the consent of the court benor mod gett don Pruden prudencio clo answered guardedly fine said crooked bill ill buy them ive a notion I 1 can make a turn on those sheep 1 I do understand der stand an trims heir lives in new york lork so I 1 presume shell be glad to sell and git rid of a nuisance don prudencio Pruden clo shrug shrugged aged maybe so with his eyes he be inquired what senor blodgette Blod getts offer might be having looked up the malliet quotations in an el ei paso paper crooked bill promptly named a figure one dollar per head above the highest market quotations don Pruden prudencio clo stirred slightly 1 I 1 weel sell you those cheeps subject to the confirmation by the court he purred 1 I am the executor for the ee state the sheep have been count recently and I 1 weel guarantee the count I 1 weel write for you an offer for all those cheeps you will sign then I 1 weel accept subject to the confirmation by the court and you wee weel pay me now on account ten thousand dollars no I 1 am quebeck trader like you ill have the money wired to the credit of the estate in any bank you name it will be there tomorrow youve sold something don prudencio Pruden clo alviso might have looked sleepy but behind those slightly liverish eyes he be was very wide awake within ten minutes he had bad william B latham sewed up on a contract of purchase and sale provided the court approved don pruden clos cios action as executor when crooked bill had the contract safely tucked in his bis pocket he commenced talking with don Pruden prudencio clo about the deceased tom antrim and learned that for a few days following kantrims An trims deatha the sheep had remained in charge of one bill dingle kantrims An trims foreman later dingle had been rather forcibly relieved of his charges by jaime ol of the stancho valle talle verde that dingle might be a good experienced Bhe epman to care for these sheep in case the court approves the sale crooked bill suggested hopefully where might one get in touch with him don Pruden prudencio clo gave him minute directions ions lons for finding mr dingle and with a heart beating high with hope crooked bill took his departure tomorrow ill hire a car and driver and hie me out to saw those sheep off on bill dingle he decided ill give that grass thief a bargain he just naturally wont have the heart to refuse then ill get an airplane to freight me back home in in a hurry burry because I 1 tio walt waste any time eulth that nig aenes b bird rd always on the job once home ill wire roberta im very ill and to c come me home immediately after that tb the D deluge clu ge CHAPTER X for a long time after crooked bill had left ills his office don prudencio Pruden clo aliso niso sat in his swivel chair and stared hard at the opposite wall ile he was chirik thinking ing equally hard bard presently he took down the telephone and called the proprietor of the mansion house and with him held a conversation in spanish then he hung up and waited presently the telephone rang and don prudencio Pruden clo answered gracyas Gra clas lie ile bun hung up and wrote on a scratch pad the initials W B L thereafter he be continued to stare at the wall for another hour the following night he appeared at the rancho valle talle verde roberta was dressing tor for dinner and don jaime was lying in his long chair on the gallery with ken hobart beside him riello prudy what ahat brings you out don jaime hailed him 1 I am my mystified stifled don Pruden frudencio clo replied and forthm ath related in meticulous detail his bis impending sale of 0 the antrim sheep to a fatheaded fat headed beaded old gentleman tor for a very great deal more than they were worth ile he said his name was blodgett Clod gett and signed the contract william L blodgett the lawyer continued ile he did not say where he was war from but I 1 could see he knew nothing of sheep anil and was a city man lie ile did not bargain with me and he be seemed to me to be quite too anxious anslaus to buy the so I 1 telephoned to the mansion house to inquire it he was waa stopping stop pin there and when I 1 described him they said eald they had a guest there from new york by that name but that his baggage carried the initials WB 1 L rum m m don jaime grunted and sat up very straight he a very good liar Is he what does W C B L of new york want or of the antrim sheep and villy should he pay illy such a high price for them this Is indeed very mysterious trudy did he deposit the ten thousand he did it was telegraphed irom from new york 1 I wonder what the old idiot Is going to do with those sheep 1 I imagine hes going to get bill dinglo dingle to care tor for them not L ot on my range prudy the minute those sheep pass out of possession of the estate of thomas antrim deceased going to get olt off the range if they linger therell be a fight or a foot race do you suppose miss antrim will agree to sell the sheep my friend don prudencio queried sell them of course shell sell them you are her executor and you recommend the sale I 1 nm am her friend frien d and business adviser and I 1 certainly agn 09 09 al I 1 A A of 1 I gave dingle and his men a pretty tough deal recommend it and as the probate judge knows nothing of sheep and will be guided by such experts as you and me in making his decision naturally he will sign an order of sale nave have a drink atter after that long aud and interesting report P delight de light said don prudencio the following mornin morning don jalyne jaine motored in to los algodones Alg and roberta accompanied him As they swung down the main street past the mansion house with its row of chair warm ers on the front porch roberta started and laid a i half detaining hand on don jaimes arm jimmy look I 1 see that man sitting on the right of the line the one in the blue overalls and canvas oat coat yes lies hes a replica of my uncle bill it if he had uncle dills bills clothes on id get out and kiss him without question good gracious what a marked resemblance 1 why be and uncle bill are as near bear alike as twins so murmured don jaime and stepped on his foot throttle now ml mighty gaty interesting he parked in front of the bank excused himself to roberta entered and sought the cashier rd ed lie said yesterday ten thousand dollars was wired here to the C credit of the estate of thomas antrim as a first payment on account ot of the purchase by one blodgett of the antrim sheep that young lady outside in my car is kantrims An trims heir miss roberta antrim I 1 want to know what new york bank wired it certainly I 1 dont think I 1 violate any confidence the twelfth national who ordered the transfer A man by the name of glenn hackett nac kett thanks said don jaime and climbed back into the car with roberta noberta when they were halfway half way back to valle verde he said to her very casually do you know a man in new york by the name of glenn hackett ackett II roberta jerked erect with surprise why besl yes lies hes one of my dearest friends and my uncle bills attorney do you know glenn jimmy no and I 1 hope I 1 never do I 1 dislike him very much lies in love with you none of your business and besides it if he were jimmy you expect me to discuss the subject with you who has been telling you about glenn hackett ackett II the fairies don jaime replied enigmatically mati cally and though roberta rober a pressed him to tell her more and employed every feminine wile vile to break down his big resolve not to he refused As they alighted at the hacienda the outrageous man still further mystified her by saying and I 1 dont think so much of your old uncle rill bill either this statement when there was not apparently a any reason why uncle bill should ever be the subject of thought was the final feather that broke the back of robertas curiosity ja jimmy willy 11 she pleaded would you care to save a human life some humans you fi for or instance then tell me what has lowered my innocent uncle bill in your estimation lies iles crooked oh jimmy he nis ills friends call him crooked rill bill because hes well rather joyously sly cunning and prudent cut but dish dishonest onest never lies hes out to boost the stock of this glenn hackett person to you and to depress mine roberta smiled a small and knowing smile but said nothing no he play fair don taime protested ile he says one thing and moans something else so just for that im going to take your uncle bills conceit down a couple of notches how do you know he play fair ile he laid finger on lip its a secret evidently roberta replied bitterly after waiting about twenty seconds tor for him to impart the secret 1 I think ru FU go back to los al alo algo o dones he announced suddenly theres something about the atmosphere of that town that aids my powers of divination am I 1 invited to ride back with you or must I 1 mope around the house bouse until you return 1 I think you had better mope I 1 have need to do some thinking and you ditch my train of thought ile he looked at her keenly earnestly and without the slightest flicker of 0 lovelight in his eyes are you enjoying your visit at valle verde bobby ive wondered if you feel a bit lonely and neglected here oh no jimmy youre such a friendly comfortable person when you are around the house will you return from los algodones Alg in time for dinner jimmy 1 I dont know il do my best to complete my business and be back in time I 1 dont relish driving around this country at night because just at present for me at least the night has a number of eyes you mean 1 I mean that your foreman bill dingle has been across the line and something tells me he went there to hire some renegade to bump me off I 1 dont particularly blame him tor for that A man acts according to his lights and I 1 gave dingle and his men a pretty tough deal but you went to town today unarmed jimmy lie ile shook his head half re removed v ed his tropical whipcord coat and dis displayed clayel a gun under each arm in a shoulder holster bolster 1 I try to appear non polson poison ous off the ranch he explained well I 1 have a few friends who keep me advised on matters in which I 1 am interested im pretty safe in daylight but coming home in the |