Shoshone journal. [volume] (Shoshone, Idaho) 1884-1931, 1912-08-30
suddenly he arose and made a nasty

toilet Then be came out, saddled
Stebbins and rode away down the
moonlit trail When he came to the
place where the trails divided. one
leading straight to the town of Per
dition, another to the right leading TO
| Lone Tree and one 10 the ieft-the
Chincapin trail-he hesitated. and then
with sharp sigh he turned into the
Lone Tree trail and gathered briskly
toward the home of Miss Gertie Gibbs
Here he spent pleasant evening lis
tening to Miss Gertie's yiyacious chat
ter enjoying the conventional music
she clattered from the tinny piano and
even joining in the chorus Of that pop
ular melody Because | Love You So
until old man Gibbs pounded on the
parlor door and requested silence that
he might snatch few hours rest be-
fore he arose to pursue his daily yo-
cation of engineering the stagecoach
down to the nearest railroad station.
Later in the evening Bert Fletcher
appeared and close at his heels came
Frank Blair When the rivals found
| Luke Prentice installed as court IA
vorite they unburdened themselves OF
/ large boxes Of candy and took
! gloomy departure. Blair galloping back
| to the Chincapn to tell his sister or
the faithless Prentice. Estelie sneered
openly and then fitted of to bed with
out even a good night
Back in the Gibbs house Luke Prem
tice and Miss Gertie opened the boxes
Of candy and enjoyed the contents
hugely. and when Luke departed Miss
Gertie tied handful Of chocolates into
a corner Of his cleanest pocket hand
kerchief
Seven Wednesday evenings Luke
Prentice called upon Miss Gibbs. and
then the following seven Wednesdays
he rode down the Chincapin trail. but
in every instance. strange to relate. he
did not dnd Miss Estelle at home.
The Swedish housekeeper. eyed him
blankly the seventh time
81 woden't t'ink Miss Blair be seein'
youse Her says her amt to, home.
but her is" she explained with
world Of pity in her light blue eyes
Stebbins. muzzling the parched grass
In the doeryard. brought up his head
with a jerk as Prentice passed through
the gate. Suddenly he halted and look
ed back at the ranch house where he
had known many pleasant hours pick
eted under the trees where the herb
age was green and succulent and
where Jumps of sugar were rendered
him in Estele's pink and white palm.
Luke dug his spurs IN Stebbins'
tanks and tapped the relns about the
pony's ears. Get along, you son OF
Satani' he muttered angrily. "You
trying to make more kinds of fool out
of me than I naturally am? Hump
yourself!'
The pony started forward just as a
shutter opened cautiously in a second
story window and low whistle sound
ed softly across the yard. A soft, Sc
duetive whistle it was, and In the old
DAYS It always served as an invitation
to partake of a lump of sugar from
Miss Blair's hand. Luke did not hear
the whistle, but Stebbins did and in
stantly turned and shot through the
gate and galloped wildly toward the
house, while Luke sawed at the reins,
mad clean through at the notifying
spectacle he was making Of himself
before the round eyed Swedish wom-
an who gaped at him around a corner
af the house.
"She says she woden't be to home"
she mumbled excitedly as Stebbins cur
veted and pranced and baked and ut
terly refused to leave the hospitable
Blair doorstep.
Then it was that Luke Prentice
brought forth a Mexican quirt from
beneath his saddle blanket and cut the
balky Stebbins once across the tanks.
As a result he found himself sitting on
the ground ten feet away with badly
wrenched arm, while Stebbins whin-
MED sharply near the front door.
Luke dragged himself painfully to-
ward a convenient chincapin and
leaned YEARLY against the trunk and
closed his eyes. Instantly he forgot all
his troubles. When he opened his eyes
to consciousness again Estelle was
kneeling beside him binding his arm In
strong cool bandages while the Swed
ish woman held an ice cold cloth to
his aching head.
II can get along all right now, Sci
ma" said Estelle briskly, and when
the woman had departed her voice
dropped almost to a whisper. I'm so
sorry, LukeI 1t was all my fault, you
see. l whistled to Stebbins. / could
see he didn't want to go. He knew
better than his master what his mas
ter ought to do. Why didn't you come
and make me give you an explanation,
Luke? 1 wanted you to just boss me
around. only you never, never would,
and l thought maybe If | made you
stay away from me we'd both find |
out There. I'm not going to say it |
ALL"
Luke Prentice said his part with
such good effect that he rode away
from the Chincapin with radiant
smile on his handsome face.
fbo Snrtyr Dr-pntfaa rnaf two do |