Free trader-journal. (Ottawa, Ill.) 1916-1920, 1917-02-02

Uncle Duke uiun't nuke me, III never
look ut you, or speak to you-or live
in the same mountains with vou.'
IL don't think when Il fellow cares
for you as much as | dc, and gets out
of patience once in a while, just be-
cause he loves girl the way red
blooded man cant help loving her, she
ought to hold it against him forever.
Think she ought to. Nan!' he demand
ed after Il pause. She was sewing and
kept silence.
Il think" she responded, showing
her aversion in every syllable before
man begins to talk red-bloud rot, he
ought to find out whether The girl cares
for him, or just loathes the sight of
him."
He regarded her tixedly. Paying no
attention to him. but bending in the
sunshine over her sewing. her hand fly
| Ing with the needle. her masses of
brown hair sweeping back around her
pink ears and curling in stray ringlets
that the wind danced with while she
worked, she intlamed her brawny cous-
| ms ardor afresh. you used to care
for me. Nan. You cant deny that"
Her silence was irritating. Can yOu?"
he demanded. Come, put up your
l Il. nd tnII ntvt I ~ 70
have to coax you for word and II
smile. What's come over you!
"Nothimg has come over me. Gale.
did use to like yOu--when first came
/ back from school. You seemed SO big
and fine then, and were so nice to me-
did like you
! "Why didn't you keep on liking me?'
Nan made no answer Her cousin
persisted. "You used to talk about
thinking the world of me- she said at
last then saw you one Frontier day,
riding around Sleepy Cat with car
rage full Of women"
Gale burst into huge laugh. Mans
face flushed. She bent over her work
"Oh, that's what's the matter With YOU
is it," he demanded joculury. You
never mentioned that before"
THAT isn't the only thing" she con
tlnued after Il pause.
"Why, that was just some Frontier
day fun Nam A mans got to be Il lit.
tie bit of a sport once In a while, hasn't
hep
mot If he likes me-" She spoke with
an omnous distinctness but under her
breath. He caught her words and
laughed again. 'lshaw. didn't thinl;
you'd get jealous over Il little thing
like that, Nan. When there's Il cele-
bration on in town, everybody's friend
~ with everybody else II you lay Il
little thing like that up against HE,
where would the rest of the meN get
or? Your strawbcrry-fac Medicine
Bend friend is celebrating in town
most of the time"
!, Her face turned white. What a
falsehood !" she exclaimed hotly. Look
Ing at her, satisfied. he laughed whole
heartedly again. She rose. furious
ITS Il falsehood," she repeated. "and
| know it,"
~ suppose retorted Gale, regarding
her loosely, you asked him about it,
He had mover seen her 50 angry. She
stamped her foot "Iow dare YOU say
, such Il thing. One Of those WOmet
was at the hospital--shp is there yet
, and she is going TO die there. She tolC
, Uncle Dukes nurse the men they knew
and whom they didn't know. 1T that
+, place. And Henry dc Spain. when he
heard this miserable creature had beer
taken to the hospital, and Doctor
E Torpy said she could never get well
told the sister to take care of her ant
send the bills to him, because he knew
her father and mother in Medicine
Bend and went to school with her there
when she was n decent girl. Go an'
i, hear what she has to say about Herr,
, de Spain, you contemplate falsltier.
= Gale laughed snrdonically. That
, right. | like TO see II girl stick to he
4 friends. DC Spain ought to take car
, of her. Good story"
".And she has other good stories, toe
:. you ought to hear" continued Nan IN
=, dlsmayed. "NIost Of them about 70,
:, and your fine friends in town. She toll
:. the nurse It's you who ought to lie pay
:, ing her bills til she dies
:. Gale made discluin,ng face and
dcprecatlng gesture. NO, no, Nah
. let De Spain tnke care OF his own. h
q sport yourself grille, right now" II
- stepped nearer her. Nan retreatet
ITO BE CONTINUEDl