Los Angeles herald., 1910-10-23

showing him the open window.
"Thank you" he stammered, pain
fully, 81 assure you'll wish"
The girl laughed under her breath.
That's all right" she said, heartily,
II owe you that for calling old whis-
kers off his bronze" and she kissed
him.
The messenger, trembling with self
consciousness, climbed hastily through
the window, ran the broad loop oil
the satchel up his arm and instead of
dropping to the ground, as the girl
had expected, swung himself lightly
into the branches of rather large
scrub oak that grew near. She listened
to the rustic of the leaves for mo-
ment as he neared the trunk, and then,
unable longer to restrain her curiosity
in regard to the doings below, turned
to the stairway.
AS she did so two men mounted.
They examined the three rooms of the
upper story hastily but carefully, pay
ing scant attention to her, and de-
parted swearing. In few moments
they returned for the strangers trunk.
Nell followed them down the stairs
as far as the doorway. There she
heard and saw things, and fled in Dit
ter dismay to the back of the house
when Billy Knapp was oyerpowered
At the window she knelt, clasplng
her hands and sinking her head be-
tween her arms Women in the west,
at least women like Nell, do not weep.
But she came near it. Suddenly she
raised her head. A voice next her
ear had addressed her.
She looked here and there and
around, but could discover nothing.
Here outside" came the low,
guarded voice, lin the tree"
Then she saw that the little stranger
had not stirred from his first alighting
place.
beg yore pardon, maam fer start
ling you or fer addressing you at ALL
which 1 shouldn't, but--'
ooh, never mind that" said the girl,
impatiently shaking back her hair. SO
deprecating and timid were the tones
that almost without an effort of the
imagination she could picture the llttle
mans bushes and his half-sldllns
method of delivery. At this supreme
moment his littleness and lack of sell
assertion Jared on her mood: What
re you doin' there? Thought youu
vamoosed."
at was safer here" explained the
stranger, az left no trail"
She nodded comprehension of the
common sense of this.
But, ma'am, I took the liberty or
speakin' to you because you seems 10
he in trouble. OF course I amt got
no TISnI W dSh, an IL yON 49,
to tell me"
They're goin to kill Billy broke
in Nell, with a sob.
What for?'
81 don't Jest rightly make out. They,s
after some one, and they thinks B1liys
cacheing him. I reckon it's you. Billy
amt cachelng nothin', but they thinks
he is"
IT'S me they's after, all right, Now
Won know where I am why don't you
tel them and save Billy?"
The girl started but her keen west
ern mind saw the difficulty at once
"They thinks Billy pertects you jest
tn same" 49,.
stranger.
fessed Nell, sobbing, but l jest do
that" and she dropped her head again
The invisible stranger in the gloom
felI silent. considering
"I'm a pretty rank proposition my
self" said he at least as if to MN
self, land I've got job on hand when
same I oughta put through without
givin' attention to anything else. AS
usual thing folks don't care fer me,
and I don't care much fer folks. Wom-
en- especial. They drives me plumb
tired l reckon I don't stack up very
high in thu blue chips when it comes to
cashin' in. with the gentle sex, any
how; but in general they gives me as
much notice as they lavishes on a
doodle bug l amt kickin', you un-
derstand. nary bit; but onct in dogs
age I kind of bankers fer a decent
look from one of 'em. 1 amt never