The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1905-11-23


head. what was his present ven
ture" Her eye had not changed in ex-
preston, nor a tone of her voice, but in
her heart was a sickening distrust for
all things. Her mind was busy with q
multitude of schemes Fool though she
had been, she would not be the instru-
ment of her brothers undoing.
1--WE come too far!'' she cried in sud-
den dismay. II should have stopped at
the foot of the divide I've never been
over the trail before"
"You foolish child! Why should you
stop in the middle of the wilderness?"
She wheeled the mare about and
faced him, a figure of craven resolu-
ton.
II promised to meet Tom Lorimer
there. Now you know"
With which she cracked Dolly sharp
~ with her heel and began to retrace
her way over the trail. Peter turned
his horse and followed, with the feel
ing Of utter helplessness that a man
has when confronted With the granite
obstinacy OF women. Judith had
meanwhile expected that the announce
ment of her mythical appointment with
Tom Lorimer would be received diff
ferently. Tom Lorimer's reputation
was of the worst. An eastern man for
merly, an absconder from justice, ru-
NOR was busy with tales OF ungodly
merrymaking that went on at his
ranch, where no woman went except
painted wisps from the dance halls.
But Peter was too loyal friend, de-
spite his shortcomings as a lover, to
see in Judith's statement anything
more than slsterly devotion so deeply
unsel6sh that it failed to take into
account the danger to which she sub
jeeted herself.
However, it was plainly his duty to
prevent an unprotected rendezvous
with Lorimer, to reason, to plead, and.
if he should fail to bring her to
reasonable frame Of mind, to go with
her. come what would of the result
There were reasons innumerable why
he, a cattleman, should avoid the ap-
pearance of dealing with the sheep fac
ton, he reflected grimly. Lorimer
owned sheep, many thousand head. His
herds had been allowed to Craze un-
molested, while smaller owners, like
Jim Rodney, had been crowded out be-
cause his influence, politically, was
thing to be reckoned with, so Peter
followed Judith, pleading Judith's
cause. She did not understand, he
told her, What she was doing and,
While perhaps there was not another
man in the country who would not
honor her unselfshness in coming to
him, Lorimers chivalry was not thing
to be reckoned with, drunken beast
that he was. and Judith, worn with
the struggle, tried beyond measure,
made reckless by the daily infusion
of ill fortune, pulled up the mare and
laughed unpleasantly.
You think I'm going to see Lorimer
about Jim? I'm going with him to a
merrymaking. We're old pals, Lorimer
and t.
judith, dear, has it come to thiG-
mat you not only distrust an old friend,
but that you try to degrade yourself
to hide from him the fact that you are
going to your brothers.? You've never
spoken to Lorimer I heard him say,
not a week ago, that he had never sue
ceeded in making you recognize him.
You deceived me at first when you
spoke of meeting him-I thought you
had q MESA ee from Iirn-h,,t +h;s 70 IL
OF merrymaking is beneath you" He
shrugged his shoulders in disgust. He
felt the torrent of grief that rent ~