The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1916-02-09
He WAS THE man
By PERcIvAL KANE.

III SO SICK anu lucu lioAihS
| 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, Ruddy, 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
we'll" He looked her over apprecia-
lively as she rode beside him. "Wyom-
ing's all right. I've lived here five
years, and it's treated me fine and
! dandy"
You mean you've treated it 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 serious at
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 Max 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, it
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 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 slump, and a
haggard, gray-faced man had returned
to Grace that night and told her the
fiat 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 came?"
"Sure," he said easily. He'll get all
over that. Just lost the reins a few
moments down there. And his wife
will get used to it"
ooh, Grace likes it. She'd be salts
fled anywhere Max was
I'm glad of that rather thought
she was more of city woman. That's
all this place lacks-the right woman
Amt it funny?" he didn't look at her
but ahead of them. Here you're
wanting to pull away from here, ant
I'm wanting to stay, and wish to Goo
you'd marry me. and you wish vol
could escape and take up the ole
life"
Dot stopped her pony with sudder
grip on the reins, her gray eyes meet
ing his without evasion. She had only
!, known him three months, but i
seemed years.
81 had chance to sell out and g
East a couple of weeks ago. and
didn't"
why not?"
Because l wanted to live next doc
to you. Oh, l know it's four milei
over, but it's next door just the same
) l didn't think you'd be trying to rul
: away before l roped you" His tom
I was low II never did any real court
, ing in my life-that is, with definite
: object in view-and know you jus
:. look at me as sort Of easy-goihg pal
> but I've hoped some day you'd &c
) tired of Max's ranch and step over tn
! line to mine. You said the other da
( you hated to live next door to nc
: where. It's been next door to paradis
= for me since you came, Dot" Dot wa
silent, weighed problems within hei
+ self, asking herself questions.
: Il know you can't be sure" he wen
on. I'm Eastern by birth. played o.
the same football team with Ma
years back; we belong to the sam
fraternity. You like me well enough,
l know that. but the point is would tn
whole world look black to you il 70
knew you never were going to sc
. me again."
= "Why-why, don't know, Ruddy. !
doesn't seem as if | could ever bea
that. Maybe I've grown used to you
I'VE wouldn't stay here all the tim,
= you know. I've got plenty of cash I
drift around on when you felt like
= change"
h. Her eyes filled with tears.
Listen, Ruddy. If it were only m,
self-but how would Max feel to thin
had taken you-oh, know all abo,
:, it, how you helped him come out her
and get this place and you put him O
- his feet, too, and believed in him, b,
he'd feel the old indignant shame {
o the past, and-and, someway, b
q seems to get the idea that he di
" graced us all. It would be all right
it were not for the other mani mea
the friend whose money he used tn,
highland lost"
Ruddy smiled at her and laid b
~ hand over hers as it held the rein.
That's o. K, Dot. We don't hay