The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1916-12-04

each ether. ard it WIS plain that any
intentional disrespect shown her vvonlf
call forth tie ;..-,-,.ie--.as il iol II.
blows of the others.
Shortly after supper my hostess SAID
to me:
"Well, pard, since you've come al
the way out here to talk business will
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 mix
ture of Scotch and cowboy dialect,
''I'm no shot at business. l could ma
hit 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 I do but the
same thing? I'll ma interfere with ye."
This ended our business talk, and it
was not very long before preached
another subject | asked Miss. Helen
if she intended to live on the ranch
for the future as in the past.
"You bet your bottom dollar don't
she said. Then her face took on a
troubled expression as she continued;
But what can | do? Where can 60:
I'm ma 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 found no difficulty
in persuading her to assent to plan
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 school the prin-
cipal of which l 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 paid Miss MacAlis-
ter's 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
was addressed properly. The principal
OF the school considered her my ward
ana 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 profanc language, since it was
liable to come out under impulse.
Helen MacAlister remained at the
academy two years, when arranged
for her transfer to finishing school
where she remained another year. Dur
ing her schooldays | 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 | had inter.
ested In her, and then for the first time
in three years called on her.
l found beautiful woman of TWEEN
ty, In whom not trace of the ranch
remained Since l was the only per
son In the world with whom she had
the slightest connection she was nat.
1rally much moved at meeting me- In
deed, It seemed difficult for her to re.
strain herself from throwing her arms
about me.
Meanwhile | had been getting our
property into shape. The herds had
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
WINGED me that former habits are liable
to crop out under strong emotion. NV
declaration was preceded by matter
OF fact statement of our connected
business interests and the fact that |
was her only protector. From this |
dropped into a vein more akin to nv
feelings and ended by telling her that
| loved her and asked her to be my
wife.
"You betr' she exclaimed, and threw
herself into my arms.
| certainly had no objection to this
disposition of her, but 1t did not seem
to me very honorable thing for me
RI take a GIRL who bol Sono -.