The Press., 1915-03-10
A Woman
 Hater How She Won Him
By IDA SPEED
Copyright by Frank A. Munsey Co

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 Women folks can usually git the widest kind of fellers to eatin' out of their hands by just feedin' lem fiat tery.
 The sorriest horse in the world can tell the difference between just good smellin' feed and the kind that will stick to his ribs, but it's just once ill awhile you'll find a man that knows what's good for his soul.
 Bill Christy was this kind. He was also the handsomest man ever saw.
 He come to work at the Walkn' Stick ranch and went by the name Chris.
 He had so much energy he worked the rest of us to death tryin' to keep up with him. There wasn't any un- dertakin' he wasn't equal to except one that had women connected with it. He just wouldn't stand for the skirts, and his favorite pony, Limbo, was just like him in this respect.
 Ed Beverstock, owner of the Walkin' Stick, had been married just a year. His wife had been to school back east and liked to put it on strong. She brought a cook with her, and us boys was so tired of batchin' that we wei comed her right now.
 When summer came Mrs. Ed takes up a notion to have big house party. So she invites crowd out from town and also MT. Lawson, the rich. unmar- ried owner of the D Blanks, neigh borin' ranch. Ed tells us boys he has hired band of three pieces at $25 a day to play for the dancin'.
 "You fellers have at it,' he says "Your pay goes on just the same. bUt you are paid to show the company |, good time."
 The evenin' before the bunch arriv- ed the wind stopped blowin', and su naturally the windmills stopped pump in progress, cattle still want to drink water.
 'This is too bad," Ed says, "but you fellers can take turns runnin' the en. zine so none of you will miss much of the fun.''
 "No need of that" says Chris. "I'll run the engine night and day. This is where slough."
 The whole house party centered around Della Dumont, a schOolmate of Mrs. Eds. who had never been in the west before. She seemed powerful pleased with our way of doin' things.
 By the first evenin' they all got on to Chris not likin' the girls, and every female in the bunch begins to make a smoke at him. They nearly badgered him to death. but timidity ain't fail in with Chris. and he held his own.
 The second mornin' several couples of us have just come in from ride and are loungin' on the front gallery with our saddles on the fence, where we've left 'em.
 Chris rides up in gallOp on Limbo and throws the bridle over his pony $ head and makes for the dog house, which is our name for the bunk house in this country. He never looks at us, but runs in for pair of pliers to fix somethin' about the engine.
 Dee Dumont runs out to Limbo, in tendin' to put her saddle on him for fun and show us a stunt, though no body knew her intention.
 Dee don't know about western sad dies, so she starts to pull this one off. and, it bein' strapped to Limbo, he be- gins to kick, and Dee trips over root and falls. In a second or two Limbo has made some bad dents in $75 of Bill Christy's increment invested in that hand carved saddle. We all run to Dee, but Chris beats us.
 He helps her up without even askin' If she's hurt and then calls Limbo some awful hard names, tellin' him to come there.
 'I'm so sorry about your saddle, MT. Christy," says Dee. "I was just seized with a wild desire to ride your pretty pony. do hope you'll forgive me. It was all my fault"
 "Limbo won't stand for women," he says and rides off.
 The last night of the house party the wind began to blow so the engine wasn't needed.
 Ed Beverstock looked up his engi- neerman.
 "Step to it tonight, Chris,'' he says. "It's your last chance, and the ladies are all anxious to dance with you."
 There wasn't any gettin' around it. so Chris washed up and put on his serge clothes and soft white shirt and a dark blue strip of tie down the front.
 "Wonder if he dances as well as he looks." says Miss Hubbard, the school teacher from Headwater.
 ''Divinely," says Mrs. Ed. "I don't know what might have happened if I'd seen him before I saw my hus- band"
 "Nothin', believe mev' says Dee Du- mont, and they all laugh.
 Dee had been the life of the crowd all week, teachin' us turkey trots and stunts like Put Your Little Foot and 'Comin' Thro' the Rye" that was so old they was new to her.
 I had just had twostep with her and kept sayin' to myself that tomor- row was the last, and was half glad.
 Dee makes for the back door of the big. broad hall, where Chris is smokin' and chattin' the musicians. I'm trail in :ll,ug alter her, and Lawson saun- ters up just as we do.
 Chris has been dancin' every time, but has never got around to Dee.
 "Mr. Christy,' says Dee, If they'll play for us I'll teach you the turkey trot next time." And she smiles at him and the musicians too.
 Thanks says Chris, throwin' away his cigarette, but I've got this num- Der. Try me again"
 She turns away to hide the way her lips is quiverin.
 Lawson steps up.
 Miss Dumont," he says, "mav have the honor?"
 I was glad he accented honor. liked him better than I did Chris right then.
 But don't you know before the dance 7, ,,n Chris, bn,. fo xxyoIt1 xry;AI,