The circle banner. [volume] (Circle, Mont.) 1914-1939, 1917-12-21

the gorge, tWltcHluS Ill ear Ddck ware
e with flattering attention whenever hi
D lady spoke. The horse went on, calm
ly stepping over this rock and around
' that as if it were the simplest thing il
, the world to find sure footing and car
~ his lady smoothly up that trail. He
threw up his head so suddenly thai
| Billy Louise was startled out of hel
aimless dreamings and pointed nose
and ears toward the little creek bot.
her campfire long and long ago.
, A few steps farther and Blue STOP
ped short in the trail to look and lis
ten. Billy Louise could see the nerv-
GUS twitchings of his muscles under
the skin of neck and shoulders, and she
smiled to herself. Nothing could ever
come upon her unaware when she rode
alone so long as she rode Blue. A
hunting dog was not more keenly alive
to his surroundings.
go on, Blue" she commanded after
minute. "If it's bear or anything
like that you can make a run for it;
if it's wolf I'll shoot it. You needn't
stand here all night, anyway"
Blue went on, out from behind the
willow growth that hid the open. He
returned to his calm, picking a smooth
trail through the scattered rocks and
tiny washouts. 1t was the girls turn
to stare and speculate. She did not
know this horseman who sat negligent
ly in the saddle and looked up at the
cedar grown bluff beyond while his
horse stood knee deep in the little
stream. She did not know him, and
there were not so many travellers in
the land that strangers were a matter
of Indifference.
Blue welcomed the horse with a DEM
ocratic nicker and went forward brisk
ly. And the rider turned his head,
eyed the girl sharply as she came up
and nodded a cursory greeting. His
horse lifted its head to look, decided
that it wanted another swallow or two
and lowered its muzzle again to the
water.
Billy Louise could not form any opin-
ion of the mans age or personality, for
he was encased in q wolfskin coat
which covered him completely from
hat brim to ankles. She got an impress
sion of a thin, dark face and a sharp
glance from eyes that seemed dark
also. There was thin, high nose, and |
beyond that Billy Louise did not look. |
If she had the mouth must certainly |
have treasured her somewhat.
Blue stepped nonchalantly down into
the stream beside the strange horse
and went across without stopping to
drink. The strange horse moved on
also, as If that were the natural thing
to dO-which 1t was, since chance sent
them travelling the same trail. Billy
Louise set her teeth together with the
ways been her habit when she felt
thwarted and constrained to yield to
and Strengthened herself
In the saddle.
Looks like Storm" the fur coated
one observed, with a perfectly trans
parent attempt to tighten the awk-
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,
Is he should have done, and Billy Lou
Sc felt little heat wave Of embar-
'assment, emphasized by resentment.
Are you going far?" he queried In :
he same tone he had employed before.
"Six miles," she answered shortly, !
hough she tried to be decently civil. ,
I've about eighteen" he said. ,
Looks like we'n both get caught out :
q a blizzard"
Certainly he had a pleasant enough i,
'Oice, and, after all, 1t was not his
ault that he happened to be at the :
rossing when she rode out of the =
orge. Billy Louise, In common JUS :
ice, laid aside her resentment and
)oked at him with hint Of smile =
t the corners of her lips. .
'That's what we have to expect when
re travel In this country in the win :,
er," she replied. Eighteen miles will u
AXE you long after dark"
"WelI, I was sort Of figuring on put
ng up at some ranch If it got too bad. ',
here's a ranch somewhere ahead on o
ne Wolverine, isn't there"
YES" Billy Louise bit her lip, but u
is an unwritten law Of the
lest, a law not to be lightly broken. y,
That's where 1 live. Well be glad to -
ave you stop there Of course" ~
The stranger must have felt and ad-
fred the unconscious dignity of her Z
me and words, for he thanked her IL
IMPLY and refrained from looking too =
tently at her face. w
Fine siftings of snow, like meal flung M
,wn from gigantic sieve, swept into al
eir faces as they rode on. The man q
rned his face toward her after a long
Ience. She was riding with bowed as
ad and face half turned from him
i'd the wind alike. or
You'd better ride on ahead and get al
out Of this" he said CURLY. "Your er
rise Is fresh. It's going to be worse r
ID more OF it before long. This
yuse of mine has had thirty miles
so of rough going"
L think I'd better wait for you" she
Id primly. There are bad places II