The silver state. [volume] (Winnemucca, Nev.) 1909-1925, 1916-04-20
HE WAS THE MAN
BY PERcIvAL KANE.

I'm SO sick and tired trailing
around after the fortunes of the fam
ily,' declared Lot emphatically.
Don't trail. Locate" Phelps sug-
gested mildly.
"Here?" Dots glance took In the
whole radius of valley and buttes
climbing up into foothills. For PHYS
sake, Rudy, do have some discrimi-
nation. l don't belong out here. Can't
you see that?'
Not with the naked eye. / think
you fit into the landscape mighty
well" He looked her over apprecia-
lively as she rode beside him. "Wyom-
fngs all right. I've lived here five
years, and it's treated me fine and
dandy"
You mean you've treated IL fine
and dandy. You had money when you
came out here, and you could afford to
play with the whole ranching PROPOSE
ton where to Max it's a serious af-
fair. We've got to live off the pro-
ceeds of his place right now, and the
pickings are pretty small, l can tell
you"
Il don't see what he wanted to come
for anyhow. He knew better"
He was the biggest rancher out
there and Max's friend, but he was
likewise sheriff, and she wondered
just how much he knew of MAJ and
why Max had chosen to come out
there right in the midst of his career.
The shame and agony of it all were
still fresh in Grace's mind. Grace was
Dots elder sister. Ever since she
could remember there had been no
mother hand over her, only Grace, and
she had grown up with love and loyal
ty toward her. After her marriage, 1t
had been understood that Dot was to
live with them, and she had liked
Max. too, for all his easy-going ways.
Max had played the market a bit
too heavily one day and had found
himself called to produce cash when
he had none. He had used money In
trusted to him Just overnight intend
ing to replace it, and there had been
none coming in to replace it with. The
market dropped with a slump. and a
haggard, gray-faced man had returned
to Grace that night and told her the
fat truth.
Grace had money of her own, money
too, that was Dots, from their father,
and they had dubbed together and
had pulled Max over the crisis. He
had never seemed to get back his
nerve, though, and finally they had
sold everything and put the cash into
the little ranch next to Rudyard
Phelps place.
do you know why Max Gamer"
Sure" he said easily. Hell get all
over that. Just lost the reins a few
moments down there. And his wife
will get used to it"
"Oh, Grace likes it. She'd be salts
fed anywhere Max was"
I'm glad of that. l rather thought
she was more of a city woman. That's
all this place lacks-the right woman.
Amt 1t funny?" he didn't look at her,
but ahead of them. Here you're
WdhlAh6 " pun away AAOhA hCiOt 0AN
I'm wanting to stay, and / wish to God
you'd marry me, and you wish you
could escape and take up the old
life"
Dot stopped her pony with a sudden
grip on the reins, her gray eyes meet
ing his without evasion. She had only
known him three months, but 1t
seemed years.
Il had a chance to sell out and go
East a couple of weeks ago, and l
didn't"
Why not?"
Because | wanted to live next door
to you. oh, | know it's four miles
over. but it's next door Just the same.
| didn't think you'd be trying to run
away before | roped YOU" His tone
was low. Il never did any real court
ing in my life-that is, with a definite