The Hope pioneer. [volume] (Hope, N.D.) 1882-1964, 1914-04-23
TRICKS OF the GAME
BY DOROTHY

~SO~
1T certainly 10 exciting to get .
Bridge pad for . present when you
know nothing about Bridge and care
less!" lamented Bees Watrous, han
ding the brown leather SCORE pad shs
had received BY parcel post.
you should keep your friends in.
formed" teased her brother. picking
up the pad and examining It He
snined. "And it smells Of camphor
balls! Worse yeti Some one must
have given 1t to Mary last Christmas
and she's palming it OF on you this
year. That's one way to do with I'm.
welcome gifts. I must say" Ralph
Watrous laughed mirthfully. Its a
nice little pencil. anyway-with an
ivory tip. sis. Sect"
Il do see-but you may have it, tip
and ALL"
Sort O. peevish, aren't youf Cheer
up. sis!"
I'm not the least bit peevish,
though I am provoked. and I have
more than half q notion to sit down
and write Mary . straightforward let.
ter telling her that she is q chump! I
certainly can't conscientiously say
Thank you for the lovely present,
etc. for then I would be as big a
chump az she. We're good enough
friends to be frank"
"All right-you know Mary Ayres
better than l d."
And. believing that she did know
her friend Mary sufficiently we'll to
reprimand her for her carelessness-
for 1t was not the first time she had
displayed 1t in gift gtving-Bess Wat.
rous wrote a letter. Also, she returned
the Bridge score pad, since, as she OK.
planned, she had no earthly use for it.
Some weeks later q reply came.
"Your letter amused me 20 much
that I read it aloud to Jim and his
friend Tom Cassidy. who 10 spending
the winter with us on the ranch. Tom
was so much tickled with the frank.
ness Of the writer that he insisted on
knowing all about you. I have told
him all I know. but he seems insati.
able and keeps %bothering me to ask
you down here while he IL with US.
Can you come? OF course you can't
at this busy season, bury yourself ON
a Texas ranch. but-at least I've ask.
ed you"
This. in part, was Mary's letter, and
Bess vas not pleased, at first, at the
idea of having had her letter read for
the amusement Of two men-Jim
Ayres and this Tom Cassidy.
"And yet" she said to her brother
that night. II really would. enjoy the
novelty Of a ranch in winter. Mary ia
only half-hearted in her invitation.
Would you go. Ralph"
Il surely would II I was az crazy to
meet a strange man as you are, sis.
Don't you have enough on your string
now"
When she was on the train bound
Tor the remote ranch in Texas on
which her old friend Mary had been
willing to bury herself for Jim Ayres
she could not help smiling inwardly
at the way in which Fate had seemed
to push her into this step.
She thought Of this again al she
was being driven quickly through the
moonlit roads to the ranch house the
night she arrived at the village in
southern Texas.
Il tried to get Tom Cassidy to come
In for you. Bess," her host explained,
with a twinkle in his eye: "but he had
a game Of Bridge on with Mary and a
couple of our friends in a neighboring
ranch and he hated to leave"
Bess laughed. You're as frank as
ever, Jim-as frank as l wal about
the silly present Mary sent me. I'm
afraid your Mr.. Tom Cassidy wouldn't
thank you for telling me his excuse
for not coming, would he?"
Maybe not" admitted Jim. But
he's mighty fine, Bess, mighty fine
stuff ia Toni"
Bess did see the lights between the
trees and as they drove quickly to.
ward the house they were silent. and
she imagined Tom Cassidy coming to!
ward her. She wondered why she
took such an interest in a man who
did not care enough about seeing her
to leave a game Of cards.
TIT IL you, isn't it, Bess?" she
heard him saying. as he took her hand
when Mary introduced him. II
thought it must be. Even as q wee
girl you were frank enough to tell me
you didn't care to play with a red.
headed, freckled boy named Cas-.
sidy."
Bess blushed furiously. You're red,
headed yet, but-well, the freckles are
gone at least" che said, trying to hide
her embarrassment.
"And you still won't play with him
because-you don't like Bridge:
laughed Mary, her arm about Bess.
F.. II don't know what I'll do down
here II you're all such tends for the
game" Bess replied, looking ct Cas-.
Isidy.
Learn it." said Jim.
Bess shook her head.
YOU'D better" added Cassidy.
~ V~N