The Denison review. [volume] (Denison, Iowa) 1867-current, 1902-04-08
"Catch nothin,, .Iu show

sand with you to git up out of 8
slck-bed and make a stagger at ridin
cow-pony. Easy, now, OF Sway
back; we're a-runnin' an ambulance
from this on
Ordinarily, Kilgore was reticence
personified, but on the four-mile
jaunt to the valley-throat he talked
against time, and very dull listener
could have seen the drift of it, which
was to bury the stake-pulling cpl.
sode as deeply as possible. But ]
would not let him go without his
warning.
II saw you pull a lot of the land
company's stakes, Bart" 1 said. when
the ranch lights were in sight. "I'm
afraid you'll hear from it,
"Whatll they do to me, dye reck-
on?"
Nothing, 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.
took my scolding like a guilty
schoolboy.
"You ought to be thumped," he
coi1 &uhnr hol 1,o1,,
Haven't you grain of sense left?"
PLENTY of it; it was the horse that
was lacking. I was all right as long
as he let me stay on
ooh, you were"-with fine sarcasm
well, suppose you're good for
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 I had
ennuyed myself into state of coma,
before Macpherson would let me try
1T 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 low hill dominating the
clustered farmstesds and the engi-
neer's camp at Valley Head. I want
ed to go on, bit Macpherson shook
his head.
mo; you've had enough, and more
than enough, for one day. You for
get that the nearest undertaken is
1t the fort.''
II forget nothing. Give me that
,lass."
When had focused the field glass
lie said: what do you see?"
Il see the promise of remarkably
beautiful sunset"
SIS that ALP"
mo; see log cabin which I take
o be a schoolhouse. The door is
'pen, and there is some one standing
IN the step-a young woman,
hould say" I dropped the glass
md turned upon him quickly enough
o surprise the beatific eagerness in
lis face.
TITS She" he said, rather sheepish-
y; and then: "Do you really think
Tou could manage another mile or
,wo and make out to get home
llive?''
1 laughed. His usefulness was
beautiful to behold. 81 can do better
han that; l can find my way back
ilone."
"And get thrown again-not much
you don't. Besides, 1 want you to
meet her"
do you? It's much better as it
stands. You can tell me all sorts of
little fictions about her
and | 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 vest
ward at double, and ten minutes
later we were climbing the school
house knoll. The gallop had been
out in silence, but while the
horses were breasting the hill, Mac
pherson said: "Of course, you UNDER
stand that what | told you about the
about the fracas with Wykamp
must be as if it had never happened?"
MY dear boy! Was born yester-
day? But you've seen her since,
haven't you?"
mo; 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 acct
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
Knowing Macpherson and his sterl-
ing worth, and remembering the pro-
verbal blindness of lovers in gener-
al, l was prepared to criticise the
as the facts might
But when she came to the
door to greet us, went over to the
enemy, horse, foot and dragons. I
had pictured her as young woman
of the attitudes, schooled in the in
nocent little man-entangling arts of
1 s,.l = ~.