The Celina Democrat. (Celina, O. [Ohio]) 1895-1921, 1917-11-30

| rouo Better Rlde On Ahead and Get
In Out of This"
queer little vicious click that had al
ways been her habit when she felt
thwarted and constrained to yield to
circumstances and Strengthened herself
in the saddle.
Looks like a storm" the fur coated
one observed, with a perfectly trans
parent attempt to Tighten the awk-
wardness.
Billy Louise tilted her chin upward
and gazed at the gray sweep of clouds
moving sullenly toward the mountains
at her back. She glanced at the man
and caught him looking intently at her
face.
He did not look away Immediately,
as he should have done, and Billy Lou
iSe felt a little heat wave of embar-
rassment, emphasized by resentment.
Are you going far?" he queried in
the same tone he had employed before.
'Six miles," she answered shortly,
though she tried to be docently civil.
I've about eighturn." he said.
Looks like We'll both get caught out
in a blizzard"
Certainly he had a pleasant enough
voice, and, after all, it was not his
fault that he happened to be at the
crossing when she rode out of the
gorge. Billy Louise, in common JUS
tice, laid aside her resentment and
looked at him with a hint of smile
at the corners of her lips.
That's what we have to expect when
we travel in this country in the win
ter" she replied. Eighteen miles will
take you long after dark"
well, 1 was sort of figuring on put
ting up at some ranch if it got too bad.
There's a ranch somewhere ahead on
the Wolverine, isn't there"
Yes" Billy Louise bit her lip, but
West, law not to be lightly broken.
''That's where l live. Well be glad to
have you stop there Of course"
The stranger must have felt and ad-
mired the unconscious dignity of her
tone and words, for he thanked her
Simply lCAAh AASill lOOhlhS3 LOU
intently at her face.
Fine siftings of snow like meal flung
down from gigantic sieve, swept into
their faces as they rode on. The man
turned his face toward her after long
silence. She was riding with bowed |
head and face half turned from him
and the wind alike.
You'd better ride on ahead and get |
in out Of this" he said curtly. Your |
horse is fresh. It's going to be worse |
and more Of it before long. This
cayuse of mine has had thirty miles
Or so of rough going"
II think I'd better wait for you," she
said primly. ''There are bad places
where the trail goes close to the bluff,
and the lava rock will be slippery with
this snow, and it's getting dark so fast
that a stranger might go over"
IF that's the case the sooner you
are past the bad places the better. I'm
all right. You drift along"
Billy Louise speculated briefly upon
the note of calm authority in his voice.
He did not know evidently that she
was more accustomed to giving com
than to obeying them. Her lips
gave little quirk of amusement at his
"You go on. 1 don't want a guide"
He tilted his head peremptorily toward
:he blurred trail ahead.
Billy Louise laughed little. She did
1ot feel in the least embarrassed now.
DO you never get what you don't
want?" she asked mildly. "Pd a lot
'ather lead you past those places than
nave you go over the edge she said,
because nobody could get you up or
sven go down and bury you decently.
{. wouldn't be a bit nice. It's much
simpler to keep you on top"
He said something, but Billy Louise
,ould not hear what it was. She sus-
,ected him OF swearing. She rode on
n silence.
"Blue's a dandy horse on bad trails
md in the dark" she observed COM