Los Angeles herald., 1909-08-01

RU with Chinese cook in the kitchen and four
v laboring men-what do you call em?-uaqne-
yoS-paying cards in the Hall House
Gordon took off his cap and his fingers
through his thick gray hair He was a Scotchman, fac
tor for the American properties of Sir James Dunstan
he had been for the English when the young
man before him, the fourth Of the old baronet
small boy He accustomed to eer at Dunstan's
interest in the daughter of Sweet Meadows Ranch for
many of good policy but he forgot these for the
moment.
1t won't do, a lass like that-she's too well-born-
she wouldn't understand"
No, she doesn't said the other that's why
couldn't do anything. She was standing with that
astonishing hair in two long, golden paits, playing
her violin like symphony orchestra, the pinned
up a pillar of the veranda. gave her the mail and
her fathers note. She's game Her face went white,
but she just stood and looked off gravey would have
wrung your heart-as if she'd been a woman of sixtv
and then she said, The foreman is i'll with pneumonia
Mr.. Dunstan, and my father says he superintend
the driving himself 1t is very difficult sort of thing
isn't it-drving five hundred head of cattle hun
dred miles the mountains? I'm afraid he is too
old to endure the camping-out and exposure"
Il told her that was it would be very beneficial
and that would be glad to see her safely Kings
herself
al shall have to stay here' she said quietly L can't
go and leave Wing alone For one thing m quite
he wouldn't stay"
"Ohl it seemed the father went away like that once
DeIOIe unexpectedly ana ner over 10 hlng to
visit and the who had been left there-the fore
man had to go off for few days to Lakevew-played
internal practical joke the poor heahen bound
and gagged him, you know, and made him believe they
were going to carve him up. When he found himself
finally unbound to get supper he cooked and served it
for them, and then shut up the house. stole out and
saddled horse and rode ten miles Kings that night
Nobody knows how he found the way, but he
tumbed in there as they were going to bed and called
livid and chaering, for Miss Bellinger and fell in a
faint at her feet. Nothing on earth would induce him
go back She won't leave him this time. He loves
h. 1,arI I-l,o'-
with gag that was almost sob shes staying down
there alone to be his protection against the possible
drunken brutality of her fathers servants" Gordon
muttered that the old man must be weak-mnded
He sees nothing on earth but that he's losing money
on a piece of property Americans beat me-to leave
an exquisite girl like that Couldn't you suggest the
proprlety ot-or the lmproprety, don't you know?'
Dunsans blue eyes snapped.
" If you met ST. Cecilia strolng along a sunset
cloud with that organette thing in her hand, would
you hold her up to know what she'd done with her
chaperon? wish would look into those ewes of hers
and talk propriety. tried it and she said, There's
nothing to steal and can shoot straight enough She
walked in to her fathers desk and showed me her
EN- and shooting bottles off the fence post"
Gordon got up and put hand on the others shoul-
der Come to bed" he said, she's safe, but the old
Dunstan went on obediently to his room but only
to change his clothes to warmer ones, and then slip
ping out to the stables, he took fresh horse and
ured the miles more to the Sweet Meadows Ranch
There no light in the Hall and in the great house
only one in the region of the kitchen His spurs
clanked softly on the porch and Wings terrified face
looked up from the bread-boa by the open window
"Wing," he called gently, don't be afraid"
But Wings teeth chartered.
mo spleak me nOw-goin bed'
mo, you're not going to bed" said Dunstan firmly.
YOU'RE going to listen to I'm not one of the
on the place. You know me, don't you?"
The voice and the infection, in spite of terror, made
gulf between Dunstan and the demons whom Wing
considered his helsh enemies.
Il don't want those men to harm you or Miss Bel
linger do you understand? And want you to arrange
a signal so that you can get me IN case OF need
He caught this in spite of the dlOmS.
81 let you in," he murmured
No, don't unbot the door I don't want to come
in I can talk with you perfectly here"
This was more reassurng STILL
Pm going to ride down every night after sunset and
picket in the tues yonder by the river, do you see'
No will know-if you breathe word of this, I'll
murder you Wings narrow eyes blinked once But
if any suspicion OF trouble comes to this house want
you to step out and light that beacon, do you see?'
This was too much. Wing didn't see, chiefly because
he didn't know what a beacon was, and Dunstan led
him. unWingy enough with his glmmerng white
apron removed to knoll of rimrocl beyond the wood
pile They arranged the wood nnocenty III a tall mar
row heap slender sticks and barrestaves around
Of stone. and in the of kerosene and box
of matches Dunstan had sighted the spot carefully
through the hed-gasses, and in the moonlight it stood
clear of all intervening obstacles across the miles OF
meadow.
looked at him he friend then No fees except the
unlimited gold of Miss Belngers consideration had yet
consoed him in this Siberian exile
not tell ucber-not Miss Beinger, nOboly."
In the daytime shall be at Mt. Dunstan-I can get
across the valley in half hour by cut know But
you are not to wait for trouble You light lido you
hear?-any time you get the least uneasy At night l
shall watch; in the day you watch and signal"
So it was a compact; and Dunstan hid his horse in
the tues, and counted the watches after the last light
had been put out And all night her window-curtan
blew softly, and the ripenng meadow lay like golden
floor under the the rm-rock to the east, Jagged
IRON in the shadow The solitary house with its wsfu
flower garden inside of the clean white fence stood ap
palingy alone in a vast land that knew no human his
tory whose face turned eNpressionless to the blank
heavens Beyond the rim-rock and beyond, lay leagues
OF tunbed hills and plains that had never embled under
a locomotive heard the whisper of teegraph-the
one spot in the United States where, for radius of
three hundred miles progress is but rumor
In the lonely nights he told his beads of memory. He
recalled when he had first begun to dream at all 1t
on day year ago. when he had been riding along the
river at point where their two places adjoned, and