The Detroit times. [volume] (Detroit, Mich.) 1903-1920, 1913-06-27

black bonnet that framed her face
game just on a level with Reddy 3
broad SHOULDERS. All her life had
been spent In Benson. she had never
been fifty miles away from there be-
fore, and she was the victim of de
pressing fear that Iteddy had made
some fatal mistake In the tram. and
that they were speeding recklessly in
the wrong direction: a circumstance
IL was impossible for her 20 conceive
could end otherwise than tragically.
Indeed the fiippancy with which her
son bought tickets and changed cars
impressed her as bordering on a sui
cidal folly. Afterward she always said
II was mercy they reached the
ranch; but Reddy never understood
what she meant by this. and she new
er enlightened him.
But reach the ranch they did--a
trlning matter OF forty miles from
carson, the nearest point on the rail-
way-and In a cloud or dust. and be-
mind span OF halfbroken colts that
were the apple OF Reddy's eve. Here
she began 10 adjust herself to the
wide horizon, TO the barrenness OF the
grey rolling plains, the distant fringe
OF mountain peaks.
strangely enough she was not lone
ly she hardly missed the gossiping
friends she had parted from at Ben.
son; she had Reddy, and there was
the ranch foreman and the ranch fore
mans wife who cooked for the boys,
and the boys themselves, who spent
their days either In idleness or on
horseback. They had neighbors. too
whose ranches dotted a strip of terri.
tory that stretched away TO the south
hundred miles, and 10 the north an
other hundred. With these, she dis
| covered, Reddy maintained a aparse
out cordial intimacy; many OF them
he saw as often as two or three times
year, but this was not true OF all /;
| there Was Colonel Rogers, whose com
fortaole ranch house Was distant a
! hard Gays ride, and whoss powerful
patronage gave Reddy a position In
that region he could not otherwise
have had.
In due time The colonel and his wife
drove over In a light blackboard for q
stay OF several days with Reddy and
| his mother, and while the ladies sat
IL the ranch parlor, which Reddy had
| furnished In hot and stuffy red plush
and exchanged condolences or gossip
ed; the two men, In their shirt
sleeves, sat on the top rail OF the cor
raj fence for the most part, smoked
pipes, and talked cattle.
The colonel was a tall grizz!ed man
with gentle, kindly manner; no one
| would have supposed him a million
| aire and man Of determined but
quiet force OF character, while Mrs
Rogers was motherly woman. whose
| faith In the colonel--she always gave
him this military title-had never ex
perienced any shocks; and her remin
| iscences Of the early days when as q
young bride he had brought her into
the country, impressed Mrs. Critten
don with a profound sense OF that
mild-mannered gentlemans capabili
ties She was glad Reddy had suct
a friend.
But what impressed her most was
! that, while they were on such intimate
terms with her son, and thought he
| was going TO marry their daughter
they yet apparently knew nothing OF
him beyond such limited condolences
as he had chosen TO indulge in; IN
deed Reddy's standing in the commun
| ity seemed to be strictly persona
matter. and It belonged to the presen,
absolutely. He had come into the
country, stranger with bunch O
cattle, he had proven himself an ex
cellent neighbor, and above all he hac
not shown any desire to put his branc
on cattle he had not maid for Che
| discovered that beyond the fact thai
Reddy originally came from Ohio
nothing was known OF his antecedents
This discovery she made one day al
dinner, and she proceeded to enl' ght
en- their guests; since to her. Reddy