Five Mile Beach weekly journal., 1915-03-12

monthly letter from London town In
his pocket.
In front of the store was Mollie
Owen. mounted on her brown pony.
The sight was enough to make any
man pause, but there was more than
her beauty and grace to check the
Englishman, for a moment later she
began to cry.
Beside her stood Lin Dewing. a grin
on his face and cheerful contentment
fairly emanating from his personality.
From a lounger at the door of the
postofice Crittenden caught a remark
that sent the blood faster through his
heart.
"Lin's got her dead to rights. She
can't meet the payments on the Upper
Bend outfit. and he won't give her
time. No fool woman can run the
ranch. no matter how good looking she
is. 1t needs a man!'
Nobody will ever know whether the
spark of British chiyalry collided with
an instantaneous appreciation of Mol
lies points or whether it was purely
~subconscious action regulated by fate's
decree, sex attraction and opportune
propinquity. Suffice it to say that
some irresistible current turned Crit
tepden's footsteps in the direction of
the brown pony and Mollie.
II understand. Miss Owen" he be-
gan, with the delightful drawl that
gave Goldspur goosedesh, "that you
need a foreman I'VE ut your place"
Mollie met his eyes and stopped cry
ing. She liked his eyes. There was a
CLINT of humor in them. and they were
a relief after the little black Sits that
furnished Inns soul with loopholes.
"I1l take you if you want to try it."
she flashed back. Whats your name?"
John Crittenden."
Mollie felt a slight thrill of disturb
ance. She had heard of John Critten-
den. Everybody around Goldspur had.
Rumor said he was a remittance
man. and rode in every month for the
purpose of receiving a certain letter
from London.
She said to Dewing:
I've got thirty days. haven't l, Mr..
Dewing. if l can raise the baIancel
The interest is paid up to the 10TH
.Yeh'm, you sure baves'' responded
Lin happily. And l hope you can
raise it. If you can't. l guess I'll have
to take the place off your hands"
Mollie smiled and frightened the reins.
"All right. I'll be here on the 10th,
then. You'll come over tomorrow, Mr..
CrittendenT'
Next morning while the early mist
still curled like low campfire smoke up
the hillsides he rode to Upper Bend.
Mollie was out feeding her chickens
when he arrived.
1--WE got three other men working
here, but they aren't a bit of good"
she told him. 1.-TWO look after the
sheep, and one stays around handy to
help me here at the ranch. The place
is all run down. 1t needs a mans hand
and point of view. l hope you'll get
down to business and work a straight
deal with me-
Il WILL said Crittenden. That's
what | came for"
But he did not tell her how strange
it seemed. this buckling into harness
after nearly two years of inertia. He
himself hardly sensed the keen, buoy
ant spur of responsibility.
One day Mollie stopped him as she
was riding.
Things are picking up. John She
called him John quite naturally now.
Il think Wen pull through. There's
$500 to pay by the 10th. I've got some
saved toward it, and | heard today
those new folks down the valley want
to buy sheep. We could let a bunch
go, couldn't WEI"
would you mind taking in a partner
here, Miss Owen?' asked Crittenden
slowly. 81 like it, and | think l could
make a good thing out of it. / can put
in my share. and that would pay off
Dewing and give us a start"
The color rose in Mollie's face. She
did not meet his eyes. 1t was not an
easy thing she had to tell him, but she
went ahead bravely.
.John. | want to be frank with you.
| like you. You know that, don't your
mo, / didn't" said Crittenden, and
the look in his eyes almost made Mol
lie lose her courage.
you're a bully foreman she added
firmly. But would you stick? I've
heard all about you. of course
what have you heard?'
THAT you are a remittance man."
Then Crittenden told her simply.
without any show of repentance or
excuse for the past. He had made a
failure Of life at home. He was NJ
criminal. but he had been a spend
thrift and general ne'er-do-welI. He
had come to the west to try to find
himself, to learn his bent in life. to
see whether there was a groove that
he fitted