The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1916-12-12

CoNh othCi, IL was pldlu lIdt any
intentional disrespect shown her would
call forth the anathemas if not the
blows Of the others.
Shortly after supper my hostess said
to me:
well, pard, since you've come all
the way out here to talk business with
, me suppose we get away from these
galoots and have powwow."
She led the way out on to the veran.
dab, threw herself into hommock.
lit cigarette and said:
Fire away.'
had prepared an exposition of the
condition of the property and began
at the beginning, but had not proceed
ed far before she stopped me-
"See here, pard," she said In a mix
ture Of Scotch and cowboy dialect,
I'm no shot at business. l could ma
hit a barn door that Away. My ia
Their and your father run this ranch
together so long as my father lived.
since when your father dealt the cards
You say your father left the manage
ment to you. What can l do but the
same thing? I'll ma interfere with We"
This ended our business talk, and 1t
was not very long before l preached
another subject. l asked Miss Helen
If she intended to live on the ranch
for the future as in the past
"You bet your bottom dollar l don't"
she said. Then her face took ON a
tro1hlod ayproSs;Op nc che continued.
"But what can do? Where can l go?
I'm M fit to associate with girls who
have been brought up as girls. I'm
nothin' but cOwboy"-the adjective
preceding the word cowboy is omitted
Girls of my age would turn the cold
shoulder to me. All I'm fit for is to
hobnob with punchers."
My father had been her adviser and
had submitted plans for her bringing
up, but had not insisted on any Of
them. Now she was beginning to re-
alize the necessity for getting educated
and polished, and I found no difficulty
in persuading her to assent to plan
l proposed. 1t was simply to take her
east with me and place her at boarding
school
remained several weeks on the
ranch studying the estate to which
had fallen joint heir with Helen Mac
Alister. Then we started east togeth-
er. and at the end of the journey she
became an inmate Of a school the prin-
cipal of which I informed Of her an
tecedents and received the lady's prom
Use that she would treat Helen accord
ingly.
| There was no money income to our
Joint estate, SO I paid Miss MacAlis-
ters expenses from any funds that
happened to have on hand, keeping an
account of the expenditures. She ask
ed no questions as to where the money
came from. nor did she ever inquire as
to the condition of her property. She
wrote me frequently, at first address
ing me as "Dear pard," but soon the
new influences changed all this, and I
was addressed properly. The principal
Of the school considered her my ward
and sent me reports Of her progress, as
surfing me that she was getting on ia
mously. One Of the most difficult of
her former habits to eradicate was that
of using profane language. since 1t was
liable to come out under impulse.
Helen MacAlister remained at the
academy two years, when I arranged
for her transfer to a finishing school
where she remained another year. Dur
ing her schooldays I never saw her.
She complained that left her "for.
lOrn," she having no one but me to be
interested in. At the end of the third
year Of her studies arranged that she
should visit lady whom l had inter
ested In her. and then for the first time
In three years called on her.
! found beautiful woman Of TWEEN
ty, in whom not a trace Of the ranch
remained. Since I was the only per-
son in the world with whom she had
the slightest connection she was nat.
urally much moved at meeting me. In.
deed, It seemed difficult for her to re.
strain herself from throwing her arms
about me.
i Meanwhile had been getting our
| pIOI'eTty lnlO Sudpe. LIE neTuS mao
grown from hundreds to thousands
and the necessary sales Of cattle pro.
duced large income. The most rea.
sonable plan for me with one who
though not legally, had really become
my ward, was, If she was so disposed.
to marry her.
Her reception Of my proposal con.
vinced me that former habits are liable
to crop out under strong emotion. My
declaration was preceded by a matter
OF fact statement of our connected
business. interests and the fact that |
was her only protector. From this
dropped into q vein more akin to my
feelings and ended by telling her that
loved her and asked her to be my
wife.
"You betT she exclaimed, and threw
herself into my arms.
certainly had no objection to this
disposition Of her. but 1t did not seem
to me a very honorable thing for me
to take a girl who had seen no men, a
girl with something Of a fortune, and
appropriate her to myself / formed
very virtuous resolution, which was
to arrange home for her with some
older person of her own sex to guide