The herald-advance. (Milbank, S.D.) 1890-1922, 1902-08-22

others back. However, we are here
now. We shall start as soon as you
give the word. Let me introduce my
self. I am Mr.. Thomas Allyn, one Of
the belongings of BALCONIES rancho.
Believe me they will all be glad to see
you-Mrs. Glynn especially. She is the
only white roman there now"
Lois thanked him and asked:
Where is the ranche?"
Twenty miles due west, on the river.
We shall make it in two hours. We
left there this morning after breakfast.
The mules are good for a greater dis
lance in less time"
She climbed into the ambulance TAX
ing her place on a rea seat. Allyn
climbed beside her and reaching over
grasped the reins and held them until
the Mexican had resumed his position.
With a crack Of the whip they were
OF. Thinking that she had been for
getful of q courtesy, Lois looked
around to bid goodbye to the oper-
ator. He was not in sight, doubtless
inside. sleepily listening to the interim
Unable clicks of the railway orders 60
ing over the line.
For an hour she leaned back silent,
her eyes fixed on the wide country,
lulled by the easy swaying motion.
Her brain was busy with thoughts of
the possibilities ahead of her. To what
was she going? What were they like,
these people who lived in an almost
tenantless land? Would she be. happy
with them? Would she come to re-
greet even cherries, prosaic GrayDor-
ough. The man beside her was young,
handsome. gentle-mannered, well-bred,
slender of form and clean-cut Of fea-
ture. Evidently q gentleman born,
probably an %aristocrat in his home
country. Were they all like that? She
was not at all timorous and she said
to herself that IL she did not like the
land or its Inhabitants, she could only
go away, back to that north which
seemed SO distant. The Mexican In
front. swinging his whip and keeping
his four mules alternately at trot and
at gallop. spoke often, but his vocabu-
larry was limited. He said only
"Caramba!" and "Carajo!" The soft
explosives did not jar upon her ear and
her companion apparently did not hear
them. He had been watching her u
OF q orner Of his blue eye, mentally
apprising her beautiful face and figure,
the perfectly fitting travelling gown of
brown, the neatly gloved hands. the
strongly shod little feet, which peeped
from under the edge Of the gown, and
there were growing admiration and ap-
probation In him. He reflected that
the other fellows at the rancho would
envy him this ride when they came to
meet the girl and he intended to lie to
them ct length that night about the
witty things he had said and the good
they had become. BY way
Of breaking the long silence ne re-
marked quietly: "I'm hungry"
She smiled in instant response and
half turned to him. He caught a flash
Of her red-hazel eye as she answered
demurely: $50 am I. How tar is it to
the rancho"
why" he replied, ''you are on the
rancho now; this is BALCONIES land;
but the rancheria. the ranche-house. Is
ten miles away. It would be fourteen
miles from house to our front gate
and four miles from our house to u
back gate, II we had any gates, but we
haven't. We will be there, however,
in an hour. Can you hold out till
them"
'Oh, yes" she answered, "and It
doesn't do any good to think Of being
hungry. does 1t? Tell me about the
rancho and its people. That will pass
the time and will ave me asking ques-
tions when + arrive"
"Glad to oblige, I'm sure.'' said Al
Ign. "You see 1t Is this way: Glynn
came out here once, some years ago.
shooting. He liked the country and
climate and believed there were possi-
bilities in the cattle industry. When
he reached England again he talked
West Texas to his friends until they
begged him to expatriate himself for
good. He bought a hundred thousand
acres and built q ranche-house and
sent to England for his wife and ba-
bies. He knew my father well and /
wa sent out with q little capital to
assist In stocking the rancho. I'm a
younger SON, you know, and haven't
anything except hope and a broncho or
two. All the rest Of us are younger
son sent out with little capitals to
assist In stocking the rancho"
who are all the rest Of us?'" Lois
asked.
"Oh. the other fellows. you know
the other white men or the rancho.
There's q lot Of them-very good
chaps, taking them by and large. Some
are older than I and some younger, but
we get along swimmingly. There's the
Hon. Henry Lascelles, whom we call
Harry and the Hon. c. Claybrough,
the Hon. L Louis Godwyn, the Hon.
Georgia Ralph Peyton, the Hon. r.
William Fontaine. the Hon. Russell
Maude and Mr.. Royal Devsraux. We
all live near the ranche-house and try
to make things pleasant"
This was getting to be interesting,
the Maine girl thought. and she asked:
What do you dol"