Smyrna times., 1905-04-26
Lady Kitty'|
Temptation
BY IzOLA FORESTER
Copmight, 1901, bU IzOlG FORESTER

81 dVp'"'''
They rode slowly, Lady Kitty some
rbat ahead, probably because the
.-oH is narrow and treacherous below
Lost Moon. possibly so that Allison
.hould not see her face.
n Half mile back they had ridden
eide by side. The trail had been wider
tbpn Lady kitty did not care to re-
member any other reason for the
proximity, but the flush on her cheeks
and the slightest possible tilt to her
chin belied her powers of forgetful-
ness.
As for Allison, he was shamelessly
self possessed and at ease. She had
oven caught him whistling as they
nrned into Red Mountain gulch, and
when she had deliberately ridden
ahead he had not tried to join her.
Lady Kitty felt irritated by the i'm
penitence expressed in his confident
attitude and also by the knowledge
that be was looking at her. 1t is not
pleasant to feel PERSONS steady gaze
behind one If it had been any one
else she would certainly have reported
his unpardOnably rude conduct to
Major Dick, but she couldn't report
Allison The major would laugh at
her. More than that-and Lady Kit
TVS flush deepened-the major would
4 say the young cub had more grit than
he gave him credit for, and when any
i one as charming and deliciously low
4 able as Lady Kitty had flirted with
4 and encouraged such q man as Bob
i Allison she must expect the worst
. or the best, according to her point of
view. The major could be very ag-
gavating
And she had not fiirted with ALI
son. not at all. If they chose to call
common social civilities flirting in this
barbarous land of the lariat and COW
pOny she was not to blame. 1t had
B been lonesome at Lost Moon, or, rather,
by the time the majors party had
reached the ranch Lady Kitty had
seen so many lariats and cow ponies
y that the novelty had begun to pail, and
Z Allison had lOOmed up as a welcome
I'll
traction" to herself
He was good to look at, this tall,
4 lean, strong young westerner, with his
8 sunburn a cross tint between tan and
brick dust and his straight, close lips
opening in quick, unexpected smiles
and showing white, square teeth like
4 new corn.
! She had seen him first when he came
to meet them at the little lopsided
pine board depot at Omri. She had
u stood on the platform when the train
1 drew in, and over the majors dove col
! Ored sombrero she had caught a
4 glimpse of a silent, erect figure on a
! black pony, his hat pulled down over
his eyes, his chin up, as he leisurely
surveyed their party. She had liked
I the clear, cool glance of his gray eyes.
I There was something so serenely we'll
I balanced and self sufficient in their ex-
4 preston when they met hers that Lady
] Kitty had felt a pleasurable tingle of
4 expectancy, as though the charm of her
femiDlnity had received a challenge.
There was no doubt but what she had
Il met IT, It had not seemed serious,
merely a part of the trip. He had not
appeared worth considering, like the
1 other men, who, as the major neatly
n put it, had appreciated their blessings
{ when Lady Kitty had smiled on them.
q She had felt that in day or so she
4 could nod gOodby and leave him with
I the same comfortable regret as Red
mountain itself, with its gorgeous, sun
set tinted, sandstone peak. She had
z not taken the man himself into consld-
eratlon at all, and now, suddenly, with
& out a word of warning, the man had
leaned from his saddle and had kissed
5 her
She tried to forget to remember the
awful moment, but its few details
danced through her mind insistently.
There had been long silence after she
had told him they were going away
4 from Lost Moon In the morning. The
party was going through Arizona-the
major, Mrs. Major and the major mi
nors, all girls, and herself From Ari-
iona they would go back to England.
And suddenly the black pony had
drawn nearer to her own brown mus
tang, and Allison's arm had swung
around her, and he had kissed her. In
cldentally Lady Kitty was uncertain
mat she had not No, she had not, she
told herself positively. She had only
permitted him to kiss her, but that
was quite enough. And that was not
al-nOt quite all. She had said some
thing to him.
& l might have expected that person
IKE you would do that sort Of thing"
She had meant to crush and humil
!ate him, and he had laughed and lei
her ride on ahead. She wondered un
easily whether or not there was any
reason for his cheerfulness. Had she
Z VI had she not kissed him? In the
Buddenness of the attack and the curl
GUS contentment she had felt at being
Summarily roped and branded, so tt
Il speak, by him she had forgotten en-
urely Just how far she had revealed