Show THE MESEr ors 1 s by william neLe od illaine V service carrat Cor rAt ii ky mul d IUM you ns as far as the sheep ranch I 1 can stop there tonight with the girls ill tell ethel what a nice boy you are and how kind to your sister bister 1 I can tell her anything its necessary for her to know he said flushing flashing beneath the tan you xou might omit something on account of being so modest he looked at her suspiciously remembering mem bering something jasper had once told him 1 I reckon youre not going to meet wils mccann are your his words struck out of her face tho the laughter the gleam ol of sisterly mallco mailco that had sparkled in her eyes what do you mean she asked tensely he was ashamed ot of himself sorry that lie he had bad spoken 1 I mean that ailien of nu all the mean things you could have said she stopped from sheer inadequacy then turned and walked swiftly into the house phil stood a moment frowning at the tha ground then slowly followed he had not meant really to hurt her and he could not let it stand so BO ile he knocked on her bedroom door was told sharply to go away and after a moment entered sorry sis als I 1 go to say it breckon I 1 reckon I 1 was ianda peeved because you were joshin me it if you think just because I 1 was civil to him at mesa after he had worked his head oft off to save dave stone shucks I 1 dont think a thing nothing in it IL I 1 just shot off oc my mouth dont be sore about it ra ill slap saddles on the and an well dwell start im not going 11 it took him ten tea minutes of coaxing to get her to relent harmony restored phil roped and saddled the horses crossing tincup pass they descended to the mesa above the painted desert the horses hoots hoofs flung flun up clouds of fine dust in the fringe ot of desolation which lay between the tha mesa and the sheep camp 1 I was sure enough spittle la cotton phil pall told ethel after he be had drunk two glasses of tho the lemonade she made tor for them down in the basin ashes certainly dry as a cork laig this time of year wilson mison mccann had not passed ann alfford told them so they sat on the the porch and waited for him anns attitude toward her neighbors was much changed her experience per peri fence ence with them had broken tho the ice ce barrier that had dammed la in her ler the tha flow of human fe fellowship ilow a bi P the manner in lal la L in er in aitch she sli e greeted the wo world ald wai was le less ss hostile fosdale Fos dile many of the kindly people who lived on the edgo edge ot of the painted desert had bad come to her with warm eyes a little awkwardly but manifestly in a friendly spirit and had con contrived triv ed to suggest that bygones bagon est be bygones through anns newborn new born faith in her fellows ran a thread of distress sho she knew that the testimony of ethel and of herself had done much to save dave stone A attle flare of fierce and primitive joy rose in her when she thought of it all her life she would be glad that she had bad done what she had she had been forced to risk her reputation or let him die and she hod had chosen the better part the a ting sting ot of shame in it was that she dl old d not know what the texan himself thought of it he had come caroe to her that night and thanked her tor for mally since then she had not seen him beneath hlo big cold and grave exterior gerior what was his real feeling about it she tortured herself with doubts it was well past four when wll WIT son eon mccann rode across the mesa leading a pack horse he had not been at home he explained when wh en phils messenger arrived hence the delay julia said it a word to him before he left they were for the moment a look after phil wont you hes only a boy standing alone look after phil wont you iles hes only a boy til do that hl thing it if I 1 cwb can he answered stalling smiling into her hep eyes by way of reassurance Is it sate safe to go up there you two alone she asked 17 1 wish wait and take a posse he shook his head cant do that wed be fol tollow lowIn ln a cold trail if we did but I 1 reckon be all right were not to bring any rustlers back with us just now were after information well dont let phu phil do anything foolish please again he promised to look after the boy ile he tightened the cinch before he h made reference to another subject on his mind father was tellin me about his bis talk with you yes tes we smoked a pipe of peace she said im sure glad far as an I 1 was concerned it necessary I 1 was abrou through b anyhow you an yore brother have done too much tor for me id never lift a hand against you but its better to have an open treaty TO BE CONTINUED |