The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1916-06-14
Breaking In
Miss Willy
Story of a Girl on a
Ranch
By cLARIssA RAcKIE

MISS w linelmlna moore was urea
out. She had been hard worked for
many months and had made money
How she made 1t her friends In the
quiet town where she lived did not
know and she did not enlighten them
When she was at work she was abb
sent from Mertonville and returned at
long intervals, usually tired as she was
at the present time.
Just why Miss Moore kept her pro-
fession or her business secret was
also . mystery. Some said that it
was because she was ashamed Of it;
some that she did not care to tell 9TH
ers how abe made so 'much money lest
they NIL 90 into the same line and thus
subject her to competition. Whatever
was the cause, one thing was certain
her reticence excited the curiosity of
every woman in Mertonville.
However these things were, VIII
! heimina had come back home from one
Of her trips, longer than usual. looking
as IL she had been keelhauIed. Her
doctor gave her tonic, but 1t did not
seem to suffice. He recommended
horseback riding, but she said she did
not see how such exhausting exercise
could rest her. Then he suggested 60
ing into the country, where she could
live an out Of door life and breathe the
fresh air.
Wilhelmina's uncle owned big ranch
in the west, and the moment her doc
tor suggested an out of door life she
thought that she would like to visit
him, sit on the veranda and do moth
ing. So she wrote her uncle asking II
he would permit her to go to him and
received reply extending an invita-
| ton, but at the same time warning her
| that she would find few associates
such as she had been accustomed to,
most of them being cowboys. who
were a very rough lot She might
| come any time she liked and remain
till she had got well rested. AS soon
as she received this letter she packed
such articles as would be appropriate
| for ranch life and In due time arrived
at her destination.
The moment Miss Wilhelmina Moore
appeared in Scraggy Creek every mar
on the Big Y outfit declared that Of
all the tenderfoot maidens out Of the
east none had ever been SO green, sc
timid. so exasperatingly afraid of .
horse as the girl they dubbed Miss
WHY.
I'm plumb disappointed" muttered
Dade Holcomb after dinner the next
day. II thought maybe she'd be the
kind of girs Teller could enjoy teach
ing few lessons in broncho Dustin o,
something OF that sort"
Bob Linton grinned.
4You might suggest 1t to Miss Willy,
he said. Perhaps she really would
enjoy broncho busting"
"Oh, shut upr' snapped Dade. TN
not taking any chances with those
slim, pale, scary eyed females whe
shudder at sight of gun and faint
dead away If one goes off promiscuous
like"
you might feel the same sensation
II you were introduced to crowded
subway station at the rush hour IL
New York" retorted Bob. II under
stood from Mrs. Besse that her nice,
had been i'll and was here for a rest"
TOO much society,"" shifted Dade
Miss Willy can't throw a rope arount
me now. I'm not in the market whel
these society fiuffs are around"
"Sour grapes" laughed Bob as the.
parted company, he to ride ON TO Scrag
gy Creek postoffice for the mail ant
the newspapers and Dade to go over t,
the. south range to relieve one OF tn
line riders.
"This here Miss Willy girl ought t
be broken In to western ways" re
; marked Hannibal at supper that night
II was cleaning my gun this after
/ noon, and she come upon me spddel
around the corner of the barn. Whe
she saw the gun she jumped like
! rabbit and beat It for the house
J Scared to death she was"
, II suppose IL we shot up the ranc
! she might get used to it, remarke
/ Dade thoughtfully. mo use talking
: boys; Miss WHY'S got to be broken 1
! or there won't be no loving ON tn
: Big z"
Bob here was holding her knittin
wool this afternoon while she wa
: winding 1t on bali. Our little Bobb
!. will soon be house broke" sneere
Fenton.
Bob flushed holly and lighted his pip
in grim silence. All through the mel
he had been thinking Of Willy Moore
tired smile, her wonderful black lashe
. gray eyes, the soft contour Of her co
: orless cheek. She was slim, gracef'
girl. with quantities of fair hair, whic
d she wore In a thick braid down b,
e back.
II "She dresses like a cowboy and &C
like timid New England schoolmarm
n went on Dade. "I've good mind
Ie lend her Black Satan and tell Mi
s. Willy that he's the gentlest pony we
d OF New Hampshire"
" Don't" warned Bob Linton as /
1. went out into the night.
10 The men around the table star.
ar afterhim
r. Suddenly Dade laughed.
10 plumb locoed.s he declared.
q. But his remark was followed by
uncomfortable silence
n The next day Dade did offer Bla,
: Satan to Willy Moore.
"a 'Sure he won't harm you" protest.
Dade as WHY laid slim white bal