The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1915-05-14

Claiming made no answer. II vas
time TO return to camp, and he led the
way down the narrow trail, Billy fol.
lowing dejectedly.
Billy prepared supper while Chan
ming skinned and cut up a goat he
had shot earlier In the day. While the
juicy steaks broiled over the fire. Chan
ming scanned the surrounding peaks
with his strong field glasses hoping
against hope that the giant ram might
still be in the neighborhood.
The chances were against good luck.
| BY this time the ram might be many
miles away and might not cross their
track for months.
Il wanted those horns" groaned
Charming as he sat down to supper.
I'll get 'em for you before l leave
these regions" declared Billy, with
murder in his eye.
Il promised them to Ethel for the
dining room." went on Charming,
whose wife was In Europe.
You'll have them If l spend the rest
OF my days here" said Billy, doggedly.
You'll never have another shot like
that" predicted Charming.
Perhaps"
Later as they sat before the camp
fire smoking in silence. Claiming, who
had been watching Billy's gloomily
thoughtful face for some time. broke
out suddenly:
whats the matter with you, any
way, Billy"
Billy exhaled a cloud of smoke and
looked into the bowl of his pipe.
'Er-nothing," he answered.
That means girl" said Claiming
judicially.
Billy was silent.
What became of the pretty red
haired girl you used to follow around
last winter" pursued Charming, con-
fident that now he was on the right
trail to the source of Billy's extraor-
binary behavior, for normally Billy
Jelliff was an ardent sportsman.
Billy affected nonchalance. 1--WE
followed SO many girls around" he
murmured with wry smile.
ooh, I can remember her name IL
/ must! She was a chum Of Ethels
at school-Amy-Amy Ray! Where
Is she now-married?
For all l know" murmured Billy
indifferently. but there was that in
his voice that told much to his ex-
perienced companion
"Of course / don't want to butt in,
~ I,,,t a;
chest any to talk about 1t, tell it to
me-Tm as safe as tomb"
Thereupon with many haltings
Billy unbosomed himself to Charming
even to telling about the letter he
had written to Amy and Of her cool
reply.
what do you think of that for
reply to a letter like mine?" he de-
manded taking Amy's worn little note
from his bill case and giving it to his
friend.
Jim Charming held the note close to
the fire and read 1t; then, with the ex-
perience Of the married, he turned the
sheet over looked at the back, unfold !
ed 1t and peered inside.
"Of course you read the postscript"
he said. whats the matter with
that?"
Postscript yelled Billy. What?
Where?"
"Why inside here-between the
sheets-just where any shy little girl
like Amy Ray would hide it. I'm 60
ing for stroll. Don't kick yourself
off the mountain before I come back"
Billy did not hear him-he was
reading the little postscript which
Amy had tucked away inside the
pages. confident that his sharp eyes
would find it.
81 can't write what I want to say
to you-but l will tell you when you
come to tea, dear Billy! Yours.
Amy"
Charming came back to find him
brooding tenderly over the postscript.
II suspect I'll have to shoot here
alone now" he grumbled.
"Not on your life!" promised Billy.
I'm going down the mountain to
mail letter tomorrow--then I'll como
back and get that big goat for you
I've got to get pair Of horns for
Amy, you know"
"Ah!" grinned Charming. 81 sup
pose the postscript to this affair will
be wedding bells-eh?"
II hope So" said Rjlly solemplv