The Huttig news., 1917-03-24

Law, Texas Ranger, at a water hole and is compelled to spend the night there with him, as he Is in ambush for a murderer and cannot leave his post.
 CHAPTER II-Next day at evening the murderer appears with a companion.
 CHAPTER III-Law captures the mur- derer but Is compelled to kill his compan- ion, Panhlo Sanchez, who happens to be cousin of Mrs Austin's horsebreaker Jose Sanchez.
 CHAPTER IV-At Las Palmas Alaire teils her husband. Ed, that his carousals and inebriety must stop. Her cattle at La Feria, the Mexican ranch, are con fiscated by Longorio, Mexican federal general, and she finds that 1t is because Ed has been helping the rebel junta.
 "After supper I'm going to show you our town,' Blaze declared. Its the finest city in south Texas, and grow ing like weed. All we need Is good farmers. Those we've got are mostly back-to-nature students who leaped q drug counter expecting to Tight in the lap of luxury. In the last outfit we sold there wasn't three men that knew which end of mule te put the collar on. But they'll learn. Natures with lem, ard sc am I. God supplies 'em with all the fresh air and sunshine they need, and when they want any thing else they come to Old Blaze. Ain't that right. Paloma?'
 "Yes, father"
 Paloma Jones had developed won derfully since Dave Law had last seen her. She had grown into il most whole some and attractive young woman. with an honest, humorous pair of brown eyes. During dinner she did her part with grace that made watch Ing her q pleasure, and the Ranger found it great treat to sit at her table after his strenuous scouting days in the mesquite.
 .Im glad to hear Jonesville is pros. perous," he told his host. And they say you're in everything"
 That's right; and prosperity's no name for 1t. Everybody wants Blaze to have a finger in the pie. I'm inter- ested in the bank, the sugar mill, the hardware store, the ice plant Say, the ice plants luxury for town this size. D'you know what l made out of it last yearf"
 i've no idea"
 "Twenty-seven thousand dollars !" The father of Jenesville spoke proud ly, .impressively, and then through habit. called upon his daughter for verification. Didn't 1, Paloma?"
 Miss Paloma's answer was unexpect- ed, and came with equal emphasis "No. you didn't, father. The miserable thing lost money
 Blaze was only momentarily dis mayed Then he joined his visitors laughter. "How can man get along without the cooperation of his own household?" he inquired naively. May be 1t was next year I was thinking about" Thereafter he confined him. self to statements which required no .corroboration.
 Dave had long since learned that to hold Blaze Jones to strict account ability with fact was to rob his so- ciety of its greatest charm. A slavish accuracy in figures, an arid lack of
  the insipidness of flat wine, ana Blaze's talk was never dull. He was keen, shrewd, practical man, but some where in his being there was con cealed a tremendous, lopsided sense of humor which took the form of bewildering imagery. An attentive au- dience was enough for him, and, once his fancy was in full swing, there was no limit to his outrageous exaggera- tons. A light of credulity in hear CTS eye filled him with prodiglous mirth, and 1t Is doubtful if his listen CTS ever derived a fraction Of the amusement from his fabrieations that he himself enjoyed. PalOma's spirit of contradiction was the only fly In his ointment; now that his daughter was old enough to keep books on him. much of the story-teller's joy was denied him.
 Of course his prOclivities occasion ally led to misapprehensions; chance acquaintances who recognized him as an artful romancer were liable to con- sider him generally untruthful. But even in this miSconceptiOn Blaze took a quiet delight, secure in the knowl- edge that all who knew him well re- garded him as a rock of integrity. As matter of fact, his genuine exploits were quite as sensational as those Of his manufacture.
 When, after supper, Blaze had hitched pair of driving mules to ms blackboard, preparatory to showing ms guest the glories of Jonesville, Dave said:
 "Paloma's getting mighty pretty
 "She's as pretty as blue-bonnet flower," he father agreed. And she runs me around something scandalous. I ain't got the freedom of peon. Blaze sighed and shook his shaggy head. "You know me, Dave; l never used to be scared of nobody. Well, It's different now. She rides me With .