Cameron County press. [volume] (Emporium, Cameron County, Pa.) 1866-1922, 1901-12-26

hopper o. mine and we'll ride and tie
you do the ridin' and I'll do the
tyin.' Blame if you hain't got your
sand with you to git up out of q
sick bed and make stagger at ridin'
cow-pony. Easy, now, OF Sway
back; we're a-runnin' an amb'lance
from this on"
Ordinarily, Kilgore was retice~ 'e
personified, but on the fourmile
jaunt to the valley-throat he talked
against time, and a very dull listener
could have seen the drift of it, which
was to bury the stake-pulling epi-
sode as deeply as possible. But I
would not let him go without his
warning.
81 saw you pull lot of the land
company's stakes, Bart" said. when
the ranch lights were in sight. "Tm
afraid you'll hear from it,"
"What1l they do to me, dye reck-
on?"
Nothing, I presume, because they
won't know who did it. But it'll
make trouble for the captain"
Kilgore plodded on in silence for a
full minute before he replied: Creek
on so? I'll be dad-burned if they do
I'll go pull up some more in the
mornin' and cyar' 'em up yonder to
His Jags' camp. Blame if 1 don't"
When we reached the ranch house
Macpherson had come home and was
about to start out in search of me.
l took my scolding like a guilty
schoolboy.
you ought to be thumped," he
said, when l had been helped down.
Haven't you a grain of sense left?"
"Plenty of it; it was the horse that
was lacking. / was all right as long
as he let me stay on"
"Oh, you were"-with fine sarcasm
-"Well, | suppose you're good for n
week in blankets to pay for it..
Knocked your good appetite silly,
didn't it?'
Come in to supper and I'll show
you. I'm good for anything, from
pate de foie gras to boiled dog"
1t was three full days, and l had
ennuyed myself into state of coma,
before Macpherson would let me try
it again, and when he finally con-
sented we went together, ambling
the length of his small kingdom and
pausing only when the horses of the
settlement came in sight from the
brow of a low hill dominating the
clustered farmsteads and the engi-
neer's camp at Valley Head. l want
ed to go on, but Macpherson shook
his head.
mo; you've had enough, and more
than enough, for one day. You for
get that the nearest undertaken is
at the fort
81 forget nothing. Give me that
glass"
When I had focused the field glass
he said: what do you see?"
81 see the promise of a remarkably
beautiful sunset
"Is that all?"
mo; | see log cabin which I take
to be a schoolhouse. The door is
open, and there is some one standing
on the step-a young woman, l
should say" l dropped the glass
and turned upon him quickly enough
to surprise the beatific eagerness in
his face.
Its She" he said, rather sheepish-
ly; and then: "Do you really think
you could manage another mile or
two and make out to get home
alive?"
l laughed. His usefulness was
beautiful to behold. 81 can do better
than that; l can find my way back
alone"
"And get thrown again-not much
you don't. Besides, l want you to
meet her"
"Do you? It's much better as it
stands. You can tell me all sorts of
affectionate little fictions about her
and 1 shan't be able to contradict
them"
81 wish you'd stop devilling me
long enough to say yes or no." he
growled.
For answer I led the way west
ward at double, and ten minutes
later we were climbing the school
house knoll. The gallop had been
wrought out in silence, but while the
horses were breasting the hill, Mac
pherson said: "Of course, you under
stand that what l told you about the
about the fracas with Wykamp
must be as if it had never happened?"
'My dear boy! Was I born yester-
day? But you've seen her since,
haven't you?"
"No; I thought she would
thought perhaps it would be better
to let it age little, you know"
Here was embarrassment made to
order, but ] found comfort in the re-
Election that the chapter of acci-
dents, helped out by a little tact
full design on my part, would
doubtless give me an oppor-
tunity to efface myself after the in
PRODUCTION.
Knowing Macpherson and his sterl-
ing worth, and remembering the pro-