The Worthington advance. [volume] (Worthington, Minn.) 1874-1908, 1908-01-31
CHAPTER v.
At the Bon Ami,

Al the DUH AIHI'
Unlike most of those who ride much
her escort was a fast walker. Louise
had trouble in keeping up with him,
though she had always considered her.
self a good pedestrian. But Jim Num-
son was laboring under strange en-
barrassment. He was red-facedly
conscious of the attention he was at
tracing striding up the inclined
street from the station in the van OF
the prettiest and most thoroughbred
girl who had struck Velpen this long
time.
Not that he objected to attention
under normal conditions. Not he! He
courted it. His chief aim in life
seemed to be to throw the limelight
Of publicity, first, on the Three Bars
ranch as the one and only in the cate
cory of ranches, and to be connected
with it in some way, however slight,
the unquestioned aim and object of
existence of every man, woman and
child in the cattle country; secondly,
On Paul Langford, the very boss Of
bosses, whose master mind was the
prop and stay of the northwest, if not
of all Chirstendom; and lastly, upon
himself, the modest, but loyal servi-
tor in this Paradise on earth. But girls
we're far from normal conditions.
There were no women at the Three
Bars. There never had been any
woman at the Three Bars within the
memory of man. To be sure, Willis
TONS little girl had sometimes ridden
over on an errand, but she didn't
count This-this was the real thing,
and he didn't know just how to deal
with it. He needed time to enlarge
his sight to this broadened horizon.
He glanced with nonchalance over
his shoulder. After all, she was only
a glrl, and not such big one, either.
She wore longer skirts than Willis
toms girl, but he didn't believe she
was a day older. He squared about
Immediately, and what he had meant
to say he never said, on account Of
an unaccountable thickening of his
tongue
Presently he bolted into a building,
d
restaurant under the direct supervis-
ion of the fat, voluble and tragic Mrs.
Higgins, where the men from the
other side of the river had right Of
w2r and unlimited credit.
"What'n you have?" he asked, hos
pitaDiy, me familiar air of the Bon
Ami bringing him back to his accus-
toned oelf-confdent swagger.
might I have some tea and toast,
please?" said Louise, sinking into
chair at the nearest table, with two
startling yet amusing thoughts ram
pant in her brain. One was, that she
wished Aunt Helen could have seen
her swinging along in the wake of this
typical bold and licentious" man,
and calmly and comfortably sitting
down to coy little supper for two
at a public eating house; the other
startling thought was to the effect
that the invitation was redolent with
suggestiveness, and she wondered if
she was not expected to say, "A whis-
key for me, please"
"Guess you kim" answered Jim,
wonder in his voice at the exceeding
barrenness of the order. MRS. Hig-
gins, hello there, Mrs. Hissins!, say,
there, bring On some tea ana toast
for the LADY,"
Where is the Three Bars?" asked
Louise, her thoughts straying to the
terrors Of a 15-mile drive through a
strange and dncanny country with a
stranger and yet more uncanny man.
She had accepted him without ques-
ton. He was part and parcel with the
strangeness of her new position. But
the sudaenness ct the transition from
idle conjecture to startling reality had
raised her proud head and she looked
this new Development squarely in the
face without outward hint Of inward
perturbation. w.. -. h,
:l Say, where was you raised?" asked
Jim, with tolerant scorn, Z between
huge mouthfuls of boiled pork and
cabbage. interspersed with baked no.
tatoes, hot rolls and sogxy dumplings.
shoveled in with knife, fork or spoon.
He occasionally anticipated dessert
by making a sudden sortio into the
quarter Of an immense custard Die.
Fastening the end. by means Of noisy
draashts Of steaming eoKss. Truly.
the Three Bars connection had the fat
Of the land It the Bon Ami. 4. #s9ss5
s4s ~ Thy, its the Three Bars that's
br1agin' you Zero. Didl't you know,
G that There's nary 4 ! 8 80 u ia
hull senats 49, li i, i,