Courier Democrat. (Langdon, N.D.) 1891-1920, 1915-11-25

back she was watching the lazy white
clouds that stretched like wisps of
scattered cotton across the blue field
Of the sky. The young man stretched
himself where a block of granite and.
below 1t, a cedar tree effcctually pro-
tected him from discovery. Thus hid.
den he stared at the girl u%nblinkingly.
Fol- two years he had led the life
Of a cowboy. eXiled from his kind, 60
ing with the boys from lower Texas to
Kansas along the Chisholm trail, over
seeing great herds Of cattle. caring for
them day and night, scarcely ever I'M
der q roof, even that of a dugout.
Through rain and storm the ground
had been his bed. During these two
years Of hard life, reckless companions
and exacting duties he had easily
slipped into the grooves of speech and
thought common to his fellows. Only
his face, his unconscious movements
and accents distinguished him from the
other boys Of "Old Man Walker" the
boss of the G-Bar outfit. On no other
condition but that of apparent assimi-
lation could he have retained his place
with Walkers ranchmen.
For two years he had seen nc one
like the girl Of the cove.
That was wonderful hair, it's brown
tresses cleaning, though untouched by
the sun, as if in it were enmeshed In
Vulnerable particles of light. The face
was more wonderful. There was the
seal Of innocence on the lips, the proof
OF fearlessness in the eyes, the touch
Of thought on the brow, the sign of
purpose about the resolute little chin.
The slender brown hands spoke Of life
In the ope air, and the glow of the
cheeks told Of burning suns. Her form,
her attitude, spoke not only Of 1nstinc-
tive grace, but Of a certain wildness in
admirable harmony with the surround
ing scene.
1t seemed to him that in this young
girl, who had the look and poise Of a
woman, he had found what hitherto
he had vainly sought in the wilderness
the beauty and the charm of it, re-
fined and separated from it's s%ordidness
and uncouthness-in a word, from all
that was base and ugly.
At last he tore himself away, re-
traced his steps as cautiously as he
had come and flung himself upon the
pony left waiting at a sheltered nook
far from the cove. AS he sped over
, the plains toward the distant herd it
came to him suddenly In a way not be-
fore experienced that it was May, that
the air was balmy and fragrant and
that he land, softly lighted in the
clear twilight, was singularly beauti-
> full. He seemed breathing the roses
back home, which recalled another
face, but not for long. The last time
he had seen that eastern face the dew
> had lain on the early morning roses.
How could a face SO different make
t him think Of them?
The Char headquarters was on the
{ western bank of what was then known
l as Red river, but was really the North
! fork Of Red river. "Old Man Walker"
= who was scarcely past middle age, had
{ built his corral on the margin Of the
l plain which extended to that point in
{ an unbroken level from a great dis
tance and which, having reached that
{ point, dropped without warning, q
, sheer precipice, to an extensive lake.
The young man reached the corral
after a ride Of twelve or thirteen miles,
most Of the distance through a coun-
try Of difficult sand. He galloped up
to the u d Enclosure, surrounded by a
cloud of dust through which his keen
gray eyes discovered Mizzoo on the
v Of leaving camp. Mizzoo was one
of the men whose duty it was to ride
the line all night-the line that the
young man had guarded all day-to
J, keep Walkers cattle from drifting.
Come on, Mizz," called the young
, man as the other swung upon his
broncho; I'm going back with you"
! The lean, leather skinned, sandy mus
tached cattleman uttered words not
+ meet for print, but expressive of
hearty pleasure. "Ain't you had enough
Of it, BinT' he added. I'D think you'd
want to lay up for tomorrow's work"
"Oh, 1 amt sleepy!' the young man
! declared as they rode away side by
= side. II couldn't close an eye tonight,
and I want to talk"
Mizzoo was so called from his habit
! Of attributing his most emphatic
aphorisms to "his aunt, Miss Sue of
:, Missouri" a lady held by his com
panions to be & purely fictitious char.
= acter, a convenient Mrs. Harris" to
= give weight to sayings worn smooth
from centuries Of use.
"IIl talk my head off," Mizzoo de.
clared, IF thatll keep you on the
move with me.'
What I want you to talk about is
= that little girl you met on the trail
down in Texas sever years ago."
Mizzoo burst out in a hearty laugh.
= Il reckon it suits you better to take
her as a little KID" he cried, his tall
form shaking convulsively. "Ill never
forget how you looked, Bill, when we
tried to run a bluff on her daddy last
. month. Yep, old Man Walker never
knOwed what q DroDOSitiOn ha wac