American Falls press. [volume] (American Falls, Idaho) 1907-1937, 1912-04-18
CHAPTER xIV.-contlnued.

He hung almost gleefully upon her
actions in anticipation of what the
fractions Bob was going to get. And
Bob got 1t, on his next whirl, or at
tempt, rather. for he was no more than
halfway around when the quirt met
him smack on his tender nose. There
and then, In his bewilderment. sur
prise and pain. his fore feet, just skim
ming the road, dropped down.
"Great!" Daylight %applauded. "A
couple nor will fix him. He's too
smart not to know when he's beaten"
Again Bob tried. But this time he
was barely quarter around when the
doubled quirt on his nose compelled
him to drop his fore feet to the road.
Then. with neither rein nor spur, but
by the mere threat Of the quirt. she
Strengthened him out.
Dede looked triumphantly at Day
light.
Let me give him a run?" she asked.
Daylight nodded. and she shot down
the road. He watched her out OF
sight around the bend. and watched
till she came into sight returning. She
certainly could sit her horse. was his
thought. and she was a sure enough
hummer. God. she was the wife
for a man! Made most of them
look pretty slim. And to think
OF her hammering all week at
a typewriter. That was no place
for her. She should be a mans
wife. taking 1t easy. with silks and
satins and diamonds (his frontier no.
ton of what befitted a wife beloved).
and dogs and horses. and such things.
But the quarry was doomed to pass
out of his plans for a time, for on the
following Sunday he rode alone. No
Dede or a chestnut sorrel came across
the back-road from Berkeley that day.
nor the day a week later. AS the
third week drew to a close and anoth-
or desolate Sunday confronted him.
Daylight resolved to speak. office or
no office. And as was his nature, he
went simply and directly to the point.
She had finished her work with him,
and was gathering her note pad
and pencils together to depart, when
he said:
Ous OAc nUI0 luluS, MISS HQdSOu,
and I hope you won't MING my being
frank and straight out. You've struck
me right along as a sensible-minded
girl. and | don't think you'll take Of
Tease at what I'm going to say. You
know how long yn.'ve been in the cf
iice-it's years. now. several of th$sa.
anyway; and you know I've always
hnnn cfrofrhf and ob@uah0arl 18th
you. I've never what you call-pre-
sumed. Because you were in my Office
I've tried to be more careful than II
If you wasn't In my oflce-you un-
derstand. But just the same. 1t don't
make me any the less human. I'm
a lonely sort of a fellow-don't
take that as a bid for kindness. What
l mean by T. is to try and tell you
just how much those two rides with
you have meant. And now | hope you
won't mind my just asking why you
haven't been out riding the last two
Sundays?"
She played n%ervously with a pencil
for a time. as II debating her reply.
while he waited patiently.
This riding" she began; Its not
what they call the right thing.
leave 1t to you. You know the world.
That's the trouble. It's what the
world would have to say about me
and my employer meeting regularly
and riding in the hills on Sundays.
It's funny. but it's SO. | could ride
with one of the clerks without re-
mark huf with vou-nOn |
Look here. Miss Mason" said Day
light Il know you don't like this
over of things In the Office.
Neither do I. It's part of the whole
thing. guess; a man amt supposed
to talk anything but business with his
s~tenOgrapher. Will you ride with me