The Hope pioneer. [volume] (Hope, N.D.) 1882-1964, 1910-03-31

OF course! Let me see, come over
tomorrow to dinner"
Vail chuckled softly as he rode
away.
wonder If the Judge thought he
could string MI that way have q
very firm conviction that Bill is Kate.
and, remembering my boyish horror of
male attire, the judge headed her of.
suppose he thought he had deceived
me with his evasive statement about
her trip abroad, and invited me to-
morrow, when he will take pains to
nave Bill, alias Kate, absent. l know
OF no reason why we should not meet
In friendly fashion. l know 1 admire
her a thousand times more than l ever
did for coming out here and wearing
any kind of clothes for working pur-
poses. I'll just go over tonight,
whether | am welcome or not, and
stay to supper. Fancy the sybarite
Kate cooking!"
Late in the afternoon he rode up to
the shack, and as he expected, "Bill,"
clad in feminine attire. was in, the
doorway. She was a different girl from
the handsome, dangerous, cynically
expressioned Kate he had known.
There were the same regular features,
the high-bred figure, air and pose, but
the eyes were full Of life and the mouth
curved In almost gentle lines. Her
pale face was tinted with ruddy gold.
He wondered what his reception
would be. remembering the angry part
ing.
i I'M very glad to see you, Mr.
VAIL" she said, ~courteously, with ex-
tended hand. as he came up to her.
He instantly took the cue, addressed
her as Miss Rand and avoided all allu-
sion and reference to the past. He was
glad 1t was to be this way. He wanted
to begin acquaintance anew with this
womanly Kate.
You must stay to supper-that's
what they call the meal out here. I
shall prepare it myself tonight"
Don't you generally prepare it," he
cOu1OnC nelp asking.
NO." she said casually. bill. the
help, cooks, but he is away"
Vail decided to accept the little f1c-
ton regarding Bill. and when. the
judge came home and was informed
by his daughter that Bill had been
called away for two weeks. which was
just the length of time Vail was to be
In the vicinity. he never changed ex-
preston.
Ruth" said the Judge in reply.
RUTH" interrupted Vail in sur
prise.
She smiled.
Father calls me by my middle
name since we came out here. 1t was
my mothers name and he thinks I am
growing to be like her"
After supper, when the Judge and
Vail had smoked and visited, a neigh
Dor came to talk planting" to the
Judge.
Barry proposed to Ruth Gas he now
liked to think of herr that they ride
down the course of the canal, and she
readily accepted. He remembered how
well she used to ride and how well
her boyish slimness looked In the sad.
die. But never in city parks could they
have had this glorious canter over the
wind-swept way on the open plains.
They came back in the glory of a west
ern moonlight. When near the shack
Barry drew rein.
Shall we," he asked earnestly, ."be-
gin all W again?"
Eyes," she replied in a low. tone,
that was what I wanted to ask you
to do"
For the next two weeks every mo
ment he could snatch from his work
Barry spent at the shack. Feeling that
he was depriving the Judge of "Bill's''
help he put In some effective work on
the ranch. In his rides, walks and
talks with Kate Ruth" he felt a sense
of intimacy he had never known when
with the Kate of olden days.
Darling" he said impetuously one
night after a long silence, "can you
forget the past and my boyish superb
GRITTY? Can you learn to love me again
-Kate?"
Don't" she cried br%eathlessly. II
am not Kate!"
He looked at her in ~bewilderment.
Il am Kate's younger sister. 1 was
away at school when you knew her,
but ! used to love to hear about you
from father. didn't know at the first
that you mistook me for her. After
ward-well, I raj afraid you would
not care for me, but you can't have
her! She's engaged"
Dear" he said. gently, Il don't
want Kate. l want you. whether you
are Kate, Ruth or Bill"
"Bill?" she interrupted family.
Il knew" he laughed. "BilIs sun.