Mexico Missouri message., 1917-11-08

| years, and its crumbling shacks, only
| one Of which seemed to have survived
in habitable entirety, scattered among
the frs Of the gulch.
At the top Of the rise the horsewom-
an drew rein and shaded her eyes
with q gantleted hand. On q bench
beside the door on the single tenanted
cabin a man was sitting, and she saw
him stand to answer her hand-wave.
A few minutes later the man, q gaunt
young fellow with one arm in O sling
and the pallor of a long confinement
whitening his face and hands, was try
ing to help the horsewoman to dis
mount in the cabin dooryard, but she
pushed him aside and swung out of
the saddle unaided, laughing at him
out Of the slate-gray eyes and saying:
How often have 1 got to tell you that
you simply can't help woman out of
mans saddleF
The man smiled at that.
'1ts automatic" he returned. II
shall never get over wanting to help
you, guess. Have you come to tell
inc lnul Cdh BOt
Flinging the bride reins over the
head Of the wiry little cow-pony which
was thus left free to crop the short,
sweet grass of the creek valley, the
young woman led the man to the house
bench and made him sit down.
"You are frightfully anxious to go
and commit suicide, aren't your" she
teased, sitting beside him. every time
come it's always the same thing:
When can goP You're not well
yet"
'Tm well enough to do what I've
got to do, Corona; and until it's done.
Besides, there is Jibbey."
"Where is Mr.. Jibbey this morning?"
''He has gone up the creek, fishing.
I made him go. If didn't take club
to him now and then he'd hang over
me all the time. There never was
another man like him, Corona. And
at home we used to call him the black
sheep and the failure and cross the
street to dodge him when he'd been
drinking too muchw
HE says you've made q man of
him; that you saved his life when you
had every reason not to. You never
told me that, John"
"No; didn't mean to tell anyone.
But to think of his coming out here
to nurse me, leaving Verda on the
night he married her! A brother of
my own blood wouldn't have done It."
The young woman was looking up
with q shrewd little smile. maybe
the blood brother would DO even that,
If you had just made it possible for
him to marry the girl he'd set his
heart on, John"
"Piffle!" growled the man. And
then: Hasn't the time come when
you can tell me a little more about
what happened to me after the doctor
put me to sleep that night at the
DAMP"
"Yes. The only reason you haven't
been told was because we didn't want
you to worry; we wanted you to have
chance to get well and strong again"
The mans eyes filed suddenly, and
he took no shame. He was still shaky
enough in nerve and muscle to ex-
cuse 1t. "Nobody ever had such
friends, Corona" he said. "You all
knew I'd have to go back to Lawrence
vile and fight 1t out, and you didn't
want me to go handicapped and half
dead. But how did they come to let
you take me away? I've known Mac
auley ever since was in knickers. He
Is not the man to take any chances"
The young woman's laugh was
soundless. "Mr. Macauley wasn't
asked. He thinks you are dead" she
said.
"Whatw
'Its so. You were not the only one
wounded in the fight at the dam.
There were two others-two of
MGraw's men. Three days later, just