Vernon County censor. [volume] (Viroqua, Wis.) 1865-1955, 1917-08-08

before. I've been eating humble-pie
ever since"
Smith breathed freer. Nobody but
most consummate actress could have
simulated her frank sincerity. He had
jumped too quickly to the small sum-
Tradition conclusion. She did not
know the story of the absconding bank
cashier.
Il don't know why you should feel
| that way" he said, eager, now. TO run
where he had before been afraid TO
walk.
81 do. And l believe you wanted to
shame me. believe you gave up your
place at the dam and took hold with
daddy more to show me what an incon-
sequent little idiot I was than for any
other reason. Didn't you, really?"
He laughed in quiet ecstasy at this
newest and most adorable of the
moods.
Honest confession is good for the
soul: l did" he boosted "Now beat
that for frankness, if You can"
II can't" she admitted, laughing
back at him. But now you've accom-
plshed your purpose, I hope you are
not going to give up. That would be a
little hard on cOlonel-daddy."
"Oh no; I'm not going to give up
until have to-"
Does that mean more than it saysY
Eyes, I'm afraid it does"
She was silent for the length of time
that it took the flaming crimson in the
western sky TO fade to salmon. The
colonel had mounted the steps and was
coming toward them. The young wom-
an slipped from the hammock and
stood up.
'Don't 60" said Smith. feeling as If
he were losing an opportunity and
leaving much unsaid that ought to be
said. But the answer was quiet
good night" and she was gone.
Smith went back TO town with the
colonel the next morning physically
rested, TO be sure, but in a frame OF
mind bordering again upon the sar-
donic. One thing stood out clearly:
he was most Enthusiastically in love
with Corona Baldwin.
Hence there was another high re-
solve not to so to Hillcrest again until
he could go as free man; a resolve
which. it is perhaps needless to say,
was broken thereafter as often as the
colonel asked him to go. Why, in the
last resort, Smith should have finally
chosen confidant in the person of
William Starbuck, the reformed cow
puncher, he scarcely knew, But it was
to Starbuck that he appealed for adj
vice when the sentimental situation
had grown fairly desperate.
"Tve told you enough 50 that you
can understand the vise-nip of it.
Billy" he said to Starbuck one night
when he had dragged the mine owner
up to the bathroom suite in the Hophra
House. and had told him just little,
enough to merely hint at his condition.
"You see how it stacks up. I'm in a
fail way to come out of this the big
gest scoundrel alive-the piker who
takes advantage of the innocence o. a
good girl. I'm not the man she thinks
l am. am standing over volcano pit
every minute of the day. If it blows
up. I'm gone, o6literated. wiped out"
as it aiming to blow upT' asked
Starbuck sagely.
81 don't know any more about that
than you do 1t is the kind that usual
~ does blow up sooner or later. I've
prepared for It as well as can. What
Colonel Baldwin and the rest of you
needed was financial manager, and
Timanyonl High Line has its fighting
chance-which was more than Timan-
yoni Ditch had when took hold. If
should drop out now, you and Maxwell
and the colonel and Klnzie could go on
and make the fight; but that G ,sn't
help out in this other matter"
Starbuck smoked in silence for a
long minute or two before he said: us
there another woman in It, John?"
"Yes; but not in TIE way You
mean"
"COrrys a mighty fine little girl.
John" said Starbuck slowly. ANY
one of a dozen fellows I could name
would give all their old shoes TO swap
chances with YOU
''That isn't exactly the kind of adj
vice I'm needing was the sober re-
joinder.
mo; but it was the kind you were
wanting. when you tolled me off up
here" laughed the ex-cowpuncher. 81
know the symptoms. Had 'em myself
for about two years so bad that cocld
wake up in the middle Of the night and
taste 'en. Go in and win. Maybe the
great big stumbling-blOck you're wor-
rying about wouldn't mean anything
at all 10 an open-minded young woman
ike Corona; most likely It wouldn't. -
IF she could know the whole truth
and believe it, said Smith muslngly.
you tell her the truth, and she'll
take care of the believing part Of It.
all right. You needn't lose any sleep
about that"