Show 0 JP B mill hiie A 10 ark Cia q piar MM M M x peter it myne M 0 0 my 0 0 0 t vr AT peter IL B ayna a V service CHAPTER VIII 10 mr william B latham smiled fatuously and rubbed his old hands together in pleased anticipation as he noticed the telegram beside his plate at breakfast ile he read the man who first called you crooked bill knew his onions stop I 1 have your texas record stop you permitted me to walk into a situation that Is perfectly and monstrously unusual and iam horribly embarrassed stop jims father shot allot you ln in the foot with a forty five caliber revolver and the impulse to be careless with deadly weapons still runs in the family only the present representative uses lose s a bow and arrow and shoots for the heart stop nor Is the Con halt half blood bred out of the tribe stop belleve 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 to la a bas 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 respect while this fellow stops at nothing and consults only his own desires stop atop my plan Is to secure the courts permission to get rid of the sheep promptly and return to hillcrest nill crest so I 1 can an bite you on the ear I 1 BOBBY harms the butler in the act of dropping the customary two lumps of tugar 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 eel zure for he had bad closed his eyes thrown back hk head opened his mouth and gasped anything wrong sir air harms demanded ilar hurl I 1 yelled crooked bill illar harl I 1 two bursts of maniac laugh laughter terl 1 good news sir air harms suggested politely harms said crooked bill did you ever hear bear of pandora oil oh yes sirl YOU are referring to the lady of mythology who unlocked the box of troubles exactly well miss bliss roberta has unlocked a similar box mr hackett on the lie he read Hackett stober and waited for a hearty not come dog your cats cat protested wheres your mor norl 14 1 I see no humor in mr altham I 1 can with roberta there slie she of the man who killed who has had the hardld a jest at the expense not satisfied with that bad taste he be has appa fenced to pay his immediately which Is ing and distressing to be forced to leave his end and decline to permit dinue to serve her in conserving those you tarn atlon mo that exactly what I 1 pla happen roberta it already ashes anxious on en those sheep and she ehe does boy good to tier her 1 I wish I 1 could be as you mr latham isobe weakness anil and that Is humor like yours its diabolical I 1 wish I 1 had in this conspiracy with faint heart never my boy dont you chance to be a hero 1 I do not youre singularly dull Is 8 still climbing and money to protect me S aided that those sheep to get ready cash youve had two Im linued which will enable texas and arrange the sheep heep who will I 1 sell them to me fool to me more money for them else and the more mone on them the stronger robertah no Ro bertal also job in time to put a crimp m mental ent at aspirations of bf miguel to texas muy pronto 11 1 well yell in order to your deceit youve harms get one tas message lugh laugh it did i glenn he sense of buie situation sympathize Is the guest r uncle and lod to make ills his victim of bently corn com to roberta t embarrass r she will ie of course to cone matter of ie sheep i you nned should ally admits to clean up i and when certainly loots look confident as arta has one er sense of a bit er never Joined i n fair lady you have a my stock need more 3 youve do de be sold consequently t cases con you to go to sale or of the r ill all give you lan anybody you realize ull bo be with rive on the in the senti sent don jaime better jump ke good on id hillcrest nill crest BO 80 why riot not go eo to texas with me shave your whiskers and dress like a rancher and play the part of tile the sheep buyer 1 by golly ill do it glenn its a good idea when can you start in one week fine meanwhile ill keep you advised vis edIf it anything new turns up hey dont hang up yet harms has just handed me another telegram it may be from bobby no its from HIgue ties oil oh lord oh ch lord oh lord I 1 glenn will you listen to this and he read over the telephone when you see your ward again I 1 should he be a proud man to hear you address her as mrs Higue higueres nes or ilig gins whichever suits you best stop to that end I 1 request your permission to pay my court stop I 1 know the going will be hard but I 1 have never been accustomed to getting anywhere without a battle so I 1 will take a chance stop you know my people so I 1 do da not have to furnish social references stop can furnish financial credentials denti als to please any save most exacting lies hes a direct glenn hackett 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 im going to encourage the boy of course wily do that to make him work remember glenn there Is one thing roberta will never forgive and bad taste you tou 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 niguenes know any better than to walk into straight lefts and rights crooked bill hung up and dimmed immediately I 1 dispatched tile the following telegram to don jaime miguel HIgue higueres nes you tou have hae the none nerve of a llon lion tamer stop thanks for the compliment tin plied piled to in your telegram but I 1 have hae nothing to say about it stop however you have my best wishes and I 1 will even eien give you some good advice stop pile on the high romance and sound the old castillan castl llan note your good old father knew so BO well stop it if there Is anything in law you should be dark haired and dark eyed like mike alike and with these assets a fair singing voice and a guitar some moonlight and a tilde hide I 1 should say that you stand slightly more chance than a celluloid dog chasing an asbestos cat through the infernal regions LATHAM and now he murmured having done my full christian duty by y all concerned I 1 think I 1 should return to my breakfast well had he been nicknamed crooked bill I 1 mignon awakened roberta noberta it at seven next nest morning its sunday she reminded her discreetly Wh what atwill will you wear miss roberta had given considerable thought to that very subject the night previous that sports suit I 1 bought just before leaving new york she answered promptly breakfast Bren Mast was ready on the gallery when roberta came out looking for her host boat the table was set for two and don jaime was waiting for her his lazy dark eyes swept her in one glance from her white kid pumps to her titian head you sou are as beautiful as 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 between two points not so much a compliment or the natural desire of a man to flatter a woman as a definite statement of tact fact roberta flushed and hated herself for it because it was not her habit to exhibit such apparent pleasure at compliments ments from men had the words come from any other man she would have had a careless retort in nil all probability she would have told another man that ho he looking so very beautiful Illin himself self but again that strange sense of bafflement of 0 stupidity almost held her speechless 1 I suppose hell ask me it if I 1 slept well ole decided the usual banal query ne ile did not ile he tucked her into her seat beat sat down dowa opposite looked at her casually and said 1 I 1 see you had a good nights rest in the gigantic bed of my ancestors you appear much refreshed and I 1 am very glad of it and you arrive tor for breakfast promptly at eight punctuality la 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 lie 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 me fine you and I 1 are going to be the best of friends roberta well I 1 like them fast on their feet fee feeland tand and youre a whiz bang jimmy ive been trying very hard to dislike you but I 1 must confide its an uphill up hill job of course its very unethical to like me he admitted demurely let us say it Is unusual and let it go tit at that ills eyes devoured her roberta youre mighty sweet I 1 think if I 1 may ill call you bobby my aly friends all do shamus fire away old timer she saw him swallow something and it was not food the tire fire died out of ills hla eyes and the sudden wistful littleboy little boy look faded and was replaced by gravity sternness masu masculinity lies hes nice the girl thought lie he take advantage of the fact that im his guest to appear to rush me oh ob yes roberta knew men she could read their faces and conversely their minds for had not don jaime miguel just assured her she wasas was as beautiful as an army with banners I 1 youre toure a very happy man arent you jimmy it seems to me that with you life must be one glad sweet song oil oh it Is he assured her the singing started last night again his eyes burned into hers for a split see sec ond and again she felt her face flush ing hotly to cover tier her confusion she said inanely 1 I do wish you ou knew my mv uncle bill not interested in the old cepro bate although it if he should take a notion to show up at valle verde I 1 sick sich the dogs on him have some bacon and eggs I 1 cured that bacon myself and am personally acquainted quain ted with the hens that laid the 0 O eggs had he ha noticed her contusion confusion and was this gay frivolous banter merely his kind way of helping her cover it roberta had an idea it N as nis his two setters slouched apologetically to the table and he be appeared to forget roberta to become absorbed in the dogs feeding them strips of bacon and little pieces ot of bread steeped in bacon grease talking affectionately to them the while as it 1 they were human roberta reminded herself that don jaime was the first young man who had ever neglected her to curry f favor avor with ith a pair of english setters and w was as interested to discover that she did not resent his act action loii what ire are you going to do about robbie she inquired presently oh robbie nothing very much wrong with him I 1 suspected the fix he be was in and in order to verify my suspicions I 1 had mrs ganby bring him here lies iles been kept in the house because his mother despite the fact that she la Is a trained nurse considered him too delicate to be allowed out very much she had to make a living for the two of them so necessarily she has been forced to neglect the boy lie ile requires sunlight find and lots of it every day he ties lies out in the sunlight mother naked I 1 gave it to him in small doses so he sunburn now hes tanned one arm and one leg are affected but not very badly with increased general health lie he will gain strength and the desire to be more active nobody ever ox without wasting energy ran those who have no energy to waste do not care to exercise lie ile adores you jimmy 11 well if children and alad 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 even terrible children im godfather to onn one hundred and eighty seven and after mass this morning ill take on the one hundred and eighty eighth why ere are you so popular jimmy for two reasons it if im godfather to the child of one of my people then while an Higue higueres niguenes nes lives at valle verde that child will always dwell under the mantle of the HIgue higueres nes philanthropy ile he cant be fired off the ranch it if hes a male and hell get something in the WRY way of 0 a hope chest if hes a female you strange mant man I 1 of course as a godfather you have to promise that it if tile 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 kor she marked the pride and pleasure in the young mothers Mother 8 face bishop of this diocese know lie he exists so BO the old boys boya as f free ree as air im strong for freedom myself Is that wily why you have oever 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 wily uy jimmy 11 1 1 I thought for a while id surely have to go to crest dobbs ferry byest ch ester county new york and point out to YOU ou the error of your sour way vai hut but thinks thanks to your toni tom I 1 was spared thit that expensive journey then too I 1 probably ibl have 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 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 no longer inhibited by some quality in this man which she lad had never met la in any other it if he was in love loe with her she had him foul wherefore she laughed to her chagrin he laughed with her and instantly a horrible suspicion crossed her mind was this texas lon longhorn horA merely indulging in a mild flirtation with tier her A hot rage swelled in robertas heart and her laughter censed ceased abruptly this Is very sudden jimmy 11 ner her voice was cool that habit of being belila sudden ts is a trait that runs in the blood my father was a very sudden man when he made up his mind to marry my mother he appeared at her fathers house and said to the old man ive come to marry your daughter what have you got to say about it why nothing at all I 1 heres the license and the priests outside wheres the bride 11 well it if I 1 had been the bride your respectable parent would have received the jolt ot of his career fiddles fiddlesticks ticks I 1 don jaime retorted sharply A woman worth having Is a woman worth stealing sly my father always declared women seldom know what they want they think they want a lot of romance when what looking for Is a husband organize the show and run it with a firm hand what do you know about women something less than nothing but I 1 know ihnow a heap about men I 1 id most certainly be the head of my house so would 11 II no net t in my house bobby Is this argument in the nature ot of a left handed proposal certainly not the time rap ripe e for that nor do I 1 know that it wl will il ever be ripe im merely arguing a relative proposition a sort of hypothetical question by the way may I 1 photograph you after we return from church and may I 1 have a print just one please then you may destroy tile the plate it if you will 1 I never give my photograph to gen bemen on such short acquaintance that answering my question no then ill have to get along with tile the one I 1 love it so BO good but it will do where did yo possess yourself of my lily photography its a rotogravure and I 1 got it out of a magazine 11 ill give you the photograph graph jimmy I 1 had some scale taken just before I 1 left rod and ill send for one thank you but I 1 want you just as you it you g think you I 1 dodrv I 1 maa eying me to N stanc one c that with III bacon goes t |