The Mount Holly news. [volume] (Mount Holly, Burlington Co., N.J.) 1891-1942, 1906-04-03
II MERE
COWBOY
3, HoNoRE W1LLSlE
Copyright. 1905, BY Bs0trsr Rsad<

| III Copyright. 1905, BY Bedtrsr Rcad<
To Edith's eastern eyes the ranch
was a most fascinating place The
wide, rolling stretches of plain, fat and
brown under the autumn skies; the
Jean cottonwoods. whose scant shade
was mere joke, and the ranch house
ITSELF roomy, low and ugly, were all
beautiful In her eyes.
If you had told Edith that this strange
fascination was due to the undeniable
charms of a certain tall cowboy who
had recently been made foreman Of her
brothers ranch she would have tossed
her pretty head at you and denied your
insinuations scornfully.
What" she had exclaimed when her
sister-in-law had slyly remarked on the
regularity Of Edith's morning rides I'M
der the foreman's tutelage-"what! l
have more than an ordinary interest,
founded on curiosity, for a cOwboyi
Why, Alice, you forget where 1 was
born and bred"
At this pretty Mrs. Alcott had laugh
ed merrily.
born and Bred +" she had repeatsd.
MY dear child, when you come west
you must forget that you were born
and bred. did so Eve years ago. The
fact that you are a college girl won't
help you half SO much as the fact that
you are unlearning your eastern meth
cd Of saddle riding. These westerners
don't give a rap concerning your par
ents or your grandparents. Their In
terests are all In the present, not the
past. As Jimmy says, One man 10 as
good as another here and heap bet
ter So leave of your cendescending
airs with Harry Esterly. They are
| quite lost on him, assure you."
Edith listened In silence to Mrs. Al
colt and watched her ~ she m0yed
! quietly about the living room Of the
ranch house. which was - cozy and
homelike as the exterior Was dreAxy;
then she picked up her riding whip,
pulled the latch Of her sOmbrero under
her chin and with a disdainful little
sniff walked out toward the corral,
where Harry Esterly awaited her.
| Harry watched her keenly - she
strolled slowly toward him.
"Gad," he said to himself, shes well
put upr'
And she was-erect and 1.-the as a
young Indian, with hair that shons
bronze In the sun, with skin that glow
ed with health after the morning tub,
aud with an uphill to her beautiful
head that would well give q thrill Of
pride to any man on whom she be
slowed her friendship.
SIS that JosephineT' she called to
Harry as she drew within haiIing dis
lance
Eyes, that's Josephine" answered
Harry patting the smaller horse. liant
she beauty?"
"She is indeed" said the girl, smooth
ing the soft nose Of the pretty mare.
Are you sure she isn't part broncho?
Brother Jim says that If q horse has
ever SO little drop of broncho blood In
him, ever SO far back, he's bound to
buck at least once In his life. And
don't want to be the one to discover
that one dropp
Harry shook his head. 'eWell, Of
course" he said, Its hard to pick up
horse around here that you can vcuch
for. But really, Miss AlcOtt think 10
sephiRe Is as safe as a cradle"
Edith hung her whip on the saddle
pommel and. motioning away Harry's
offered hand, swung herself into the
saddle
''This morning" he said, I'm going
to take you to my particular pet spot.
It's only half an hours ride from here"
Out they raced across the dusty plain,
the horses taking the barbed wire
fences as lightly as birds. They drew
rein on a lonely little hillock, the only
break in the level Of the plain for
miles around
Look said Harry. See how one
side is scooped out. Some Indian made
himself a shelter here some time from
a dust storm. And now stand here on
top for moment and you will see why
| Ike this place"
Edith looked The slight eminence
gave surprising sweep of view-the
far ranch house, with the distant graz
ing herds, the blue line of haze that
marked the mountains and. farther
still, the brown of the plain, merging
into the blue of the desert. Toward the
desert Harry looked apprehensivsly.
miss Edith" he said, II believe that
wen have a dust storm here In an
hour or SO. The air felt like 1t this
morning. with this scorching wind, and
Az
the desert. j wonder IL you would be
willing to ride In to the ranch alone
while ride out to speak to Mr.. Al
cott?
Edith blushed a little. "Why, yes,
Of course I'll go, but-but wish you
would let me ride your horse back,
Mr.. Esterly. I'm SO afraid Josephine
will buck"
"Why, she's as safe as q church
And Billy here used to buck like
jack rabbit OF course, he's all right
now, though"
PLEASED" pleaded the girl
Harry jumped from his horse and
helped Edith from the saddle
''Let me change saddles quickly" he
said. We've no time to waste" And
in few minutes Edith was cantering
swiftly toward the ranch house, while
Harry rode out toward the distant
herd.
Half an hour after Edith reached the
house the dust storm was upon them.
Whirlpools of dust were hurled upon
the house by a bowling wind that
shook the very rafters.
Hour after hour of intense dry heat,
combined with the screeching of the
wind. rasped the nerves almost to the
breaking point. Edith strolled restless
~ from room to room, watching the
dust sift In through the closed window
and under the doors. Finally she APP
preached Mr.. Alcott, who had come In
Just after the storm broke.
HAS Mr.. Esterly come in?' she ask
ed. Would you mind looking, Jim
my?"
Mr.. Alcott sighed patiently and went
out into the storm. In few minutes
he returned, looking little anxious.
Hes not there" he said. He told
me he'd reach here by the time the
HAOAm uhOhc. IL - ACIlAAS Wy q Aee@cp
and I'll send some of the men out soon,
though nothing could have happened
to an old timer IKE Harry"
Edith said nothing, but as the wind
lessened she stole softly from the room
and out toward the stables. Dusk was
just beginning to deepen az she rode
swiftly out toward the stopping place
Of the morning.
IF he got caught he made for that
little shelter, / know" she said to her
self But 1 know that that Josephine
has done something, even II he ls q
cowboy. and it's all my fault"