Five Mile Beach weekly journal., 1917-12-21
n a STOOD In ner eyes anu the qu1ver
of her mouth.

Ludt cbOOQ III uCI CJC6 anu LIE QuINtE
of her mouth.
Several minutes they stood there
talking, while Billy Louise patted the
horse absently, and Ward looked down
at her and did not miss n little light
or shadow in her face.
you saw mommie, of course. You
came from homer"
"No, 1 did not. I got as far as the
creek and saw Blues tracks coming
down, so / just sort of trailed along
seeing it was mommie's daughter I felt
most like talking to-"
"Mommie's daughter, laughed a lit
tie and ~instinctively made a change In
the subject.
tive got to go in and wash the
Dishes" she said, stepping back from
him. "Of purse nothing was done In
the cabin, and I've been doing a little
housekeeping. 1 guess the dishwater
is hot by this time-if it hasn't all
boiled away"
Ward, as a matter of course. tied his
horse to the fence and went into the
cabin with her. He also asked her to
stake him to a dish towel, which she
did after a good deal of rummagingl
He stood with his hat on the back of
his head, a cigarette between his lips,
and wiped the dishes with much APP
parent enjoyment. He objected strong
ly to Billy Louise's assertion that she
meant to scrub the floor, but when he
found her quite obdurate he changed
his method without in the least degree
yielding his point, though for diplomat
ic reasons he appeared to yield.
He carried water from the creek and
filed the teakettle, the big iron pot and
both pals. Then, when Billy Louise
had turned her back upon him while
she looked in a dark corner for the
mop, he suddenly seized her under the
arms and lifted her upon the table, and
before she had finished her astonished
gaspings he caught up a pail of water
and sloshed it upon the floor under her.
Then he grinned in his triumph.
Billy Louise gave a soueal of conster-
nation and hen sat absolutely still,
staring round eyed through the door
way. Ward stepped back-even his
composure was slightly ~jarred-and
twisted his lips amusedly.
Hello" he said after q few blank
seconds. you missed some of it, didn't
your" His tone was mildly commiser-
ating. "Will you come in?'
"N-o-o, thank you, 1 don't believe I
will" The speaker looked In, however,
saw Billy Louise perched upon the ia
BILE and took off his hat. He was well
plastered with dirty water that ran
down and left streaks of mud behind.
II must have got off the road" he said.
I'm looking for Jason Meilke's ranch"
Billy Louise tucked her feet farther
under her skirts and continued to stare
dumbly. Ward, glancing at her from
the corner of his eyes. stepped consid-
erately between her and the stranger
so that his broad shoulders quite hid
her from the mans curious stare.
you've struck the right place." he
said calmly. This is it." He picked
up another pail of water and sloshed it
upon the wet floor to rinse off the mud.
"Is-ah-Mrs. Meilke I'M" One could
not accuse the young man o~f~cfaning,
but he certainly did try to get another
glimpse of the person on the table and
failed because Of Ward.
"She's down in the meadow" Billy
Louise murmured.
"She's down in the meadow" Ward
repeated to the despatched young man.
"You just go down past the stable and
follow on down. he waved a hand
vaguely before he took up the broom
again. you'll find her, all right" he
added en~couragingly.
ooh, Ward! That must be Marthy's
nephew. What will he thinkT"
Does it matter such a deuce Of a
lot what he thinks" Ward went on
with his interrupted scrubbing.
I'm awfully glad he came, anyway"
said Billy Louise. 81 won't have to
stay all night now. 1 was going to-"
I'm that case the young man is well
come as a gold mine. Here they come
he and Mrs. Martha. You'll have to
introduce me; 1 have never met the
lady," Ward hastily returned the mop
to its corner, rolled down his sleeves
and picked up his gloves. Then he
stepped outside and waited beside Billy
Louise, looking not in the least like u
man who has just wiped a lot of dishes
and scrubbed a floor.
The nephew, striding along behind
Marthy and showing head and Shout
ders above her, seemed not to resent
any little mischance, such as muddy
water flirted upon him from a broom.
He grinned reminiscently as he came
up, shook hands with the two of them
and did not let his glance dwell too
long or too often upon Billy Louise o
too briefly upon Ward.
When Ward went to the stable after
Blue half an hour later Charlie Fox
went with him. His manner when they
were alone was different, not so exub-
erantly cheerful-more frank and prac-
teal.