Herald and news. [volume] (West Randolph, Vt.) 1878-1943, 1906-12-13
The Tail of
the Serpent
by A. \. BoNNEY,

doorway Of her ranch house home
You are just mad al me, Charley
Farrel," she cried, cause ! went rid
Ing with Mr. Mcintyre"
Il don't just trust these tenderieel
who come browsing around In store
clothes" he replied, for I've seen TOO
many Of that kind OF cattle, and
think too much OF you TO give anyone
a chance TO play low-down mean tricks
on you.
Jealous, amt youg" she ieered,
"No, not jealous" he said, low and
quiet like, "only, love you"
- love you, | love you, she
maeked. Il don't believe You love a
thing on earth except yourself and
that brute OF pony you ride
Considering that her love for Niger
was fully as great as his own, the re-
mark showed that she was becoming
quite unreasonable, and the man
smiled.
"of course love Mig" he said, "and
so do you"
She stared unwinkingly at the dis
tant mountains. "Stin, love you bet
ter than anything else In the world,
Mollie. /"
Jim Noman told me the same thing
only yesterday" she said, with a side
glance at his troubled face.
IF | catch that coyote prowling
around here" he growled, I'm attend
-"
Jealous" she laughed,
Realizing that he was getting the
worst OF It, as men always will in such
encounters, and also feeling his hot
temper rising. he left her abruptly,
Presently, as she worked. voice
from a nearby window startled her.
May come in, Miss Mollie?" 1t
said.
why, Mr., Mcintyre. where did you
come from?'
Same old place." laconically.
And what brought you here?" inno-
Gently.
Same old thing-no-I mean-er-
the same"
"Your horse?" ignoring his meaning
glances.
We'll, rode the pony, of course" he
laughed. las am much too lazy to
walk However, did not come to see
the horse with a suggestive accent on
the see"
Want to see dad?" Gathering the
dishes she was washing.
Saw him on the way over"
Maybe you want to see Mr.. Farrell
He's down"
Charley? Oh, he is down at the
corall, playing with Niger No, Mollie,
came to see YOU" leaning in at the
window and trying to take her hand.
'Me?" with brazen effort to APP
pear surprised What for?"
"oh, just want to see you--you-
know Il"
Unsophisticated girl that she was,
womanly intuition told her that some
thing was lacking, and all the anger
and resentment she had felt while
quarreling with Farrell fared up blind
ingly. From the corner of her eye she
could see Mcintyre pulling at his long,
blonde mustache, while he smiled COM
placently, and his air of easy self-as-
-swrance added fuel to her rage. She
had felt the fascination of his genial
personality, still it might be as Charley
had said. She turned on him in blind,
unreasoning fury.
you just want to see me-" she
stormed. "Well, look at me, with your
big, green eyes, Chase Mcintyre, and
what do you see? Think I'm a fool
Do you think you can come here, where
people don't know anything about the
world, and make fun of us? Do you
think we cant see through your store
clothes and boiled shirts, and-and-'
"Mollie! Mollie!" he kept interject-
ing, while she ragged, what in the
world do you mean? Surely, | have
never done anything to deserve this
have |, Miss Mollie?"
She was, however, deaf to all he said
weeping stormily in corner of the
room, where she had crowded herself
beyond his reach
What have ever done to cause you
to talk so to me?"
Jim Norman says"
well, what does that exemplifica.
ton OF reptiiian cunning have to say
of me?"
He says" came snarling voice
from behind Mcintyre, that yer "a
- sneak, trying to get yer iron onto
other peoples cattle"
Mcintyre had turned at the frs
i sound of the mans voice to find him
self looking into the muzzle of pistol
He had been warned of the mans COW
ardly methods Of attack, and realized
with sickening rush of blood to hi
/ heart that a word or move meant in
slant DEATH and while his whole ma
tire revolted, he stood quiet, boil
hands in sight
"Ye swallows it," sneered Noman
with an exasperating leer, trying t,
goad the other into the slightest shoy
of hostility. Don't We, We dirty COW
ard?"
Mollie could see the white of McIn
tyres cheek growing a dull red. tn
muscles of his neck swelling tense an,
hard. then she scrambled through tn