Western liberal. (Lordsburg, N.M.) 1887-1919, 1917-08-17

feileL tram Will hrflNet
"No, ma'am, l can't. Shall I find
o-out7"
she shook her head YEARLY. "Are
you also a wreck victlm2"
"Not exactly t-that."
"YOu seem to have been injuredf"
"Jest b-brulsed. And you, ma'amF'
She negatived. "YOu are the man
who helped me-" Her voice broke.
Adams bowed gravely. "The m-man
with the lantern. The dead Teller was
a friend of your'n, wasn't he?"
She shivered. 1.-THE dead man was
Capt. Ralph Payne. 1 am Miss Pearl
Dare. What is your manner
"T. o. Adams of Monks Corner,
Nebraska" he responded for the sec
ond time that night.
Monks Corner" s%hesechoed.
ats not on tho m-map. It's a c-cow
town."
"Ohl" She looked at him with some
interest. you must be a cowboy
thenI"
"Yes'm."
She felt that he was evading her.
'Tm too curious" said she, apolOget-
ically.
A pleasant light came into his eyes.
"Kin 1 s-sit down and talk with you
a w-while? Maybe l kin help you lin
your trouble. You seem to have a-a
lot of it DON your mind"
She slgnifed an Indifferent willing
ness.
Cowboys make good soldiers" she
commented to keep up the CONVERSE
ton which diverted her.
"Yes'm."
She looked at him askance.
you'd look the part in uniform,
Have you ever thought Of joining the
army? The country needs fighting
men these days"
"Yes'm, I hev. How do you ego
. about it2 You travel around a b-bit
; in the army, don't y-you? Would m-my
; suffering keep me out? Your dads 9
great soldier, amt he2"
The mans simple mind amused
Pearl. you ask too many questions
{ at once" she replied with a little
laugh. "Il answer them all in one
Talk with my father when he arrives
: If the subject appeals to you sert
Ously."
t "Waal," he reflected. 81 amt ego
. anything else to do, 1 m-might as wei
: soldier" Then he changed the sub
ject. "That there Captain Payne wa
s-some officer, w-wasn't hep Insinua
tfnn 1,vrlya1 Tn HE yofnn
l what do you know about Captain
Payne?' she asked sharply.
He replied in an Indifferent tone
"Nothin' mebbe except w-what I seeI
in 1.-THE newspapers. They're always
a b-bundle of lies, anyway"
She seemed to like that.
"Kin 1 s-smoke?" he asked, opening
a cigarette case.
His observance Of polite form va
unexpected to Pearl. Her curlosit,
deepened.
HE m-meant a lot to you, d-didn'
he?" he observed, hunting matches il
his pocket.
every much, indeed. she murmure,
sadly in the mOmentary silence whicl
had fallen.
"Now that There note"
He struck a match and calmly Ii
a cigarette.
"T-that there note" he repeated, in
hallng deeply; that there last w-wil
and Testament Of his. That's
pretty big j-job for a little girl Xix
you ito tackle"
She sat up and glanced at his profile
He smoked and stared straight ahea
purposely avoiding her eyes.
"Are you g-golng to tackle it2" h
questioned with a puzzling %frankness.
Their eyes now met. "Why do 70
ask?"
e "Pd Like to help you"
y "You2"
s. "Nvhy not? I amt g-got a job j-je'
now"
e 81 fear that a cowboy could not b
/ of much assistance" she replied, IL
n I'm a b-barber, too" he ~rejolne,
# BARRIERS hear a Hot Of funny thing
"a ma'am."
lie The idea seemed so fanclful that sf
giggled. "What else have you been,
lg "Waal," he drawled, taking n sole
lie envelope from his inner coat pocket
I- 'Tve b-been a little of everything,
g-guess." He took a card out of II
W envelope and handed it to her. MN
OF speciality of late's b-been telegraI
Is cooperating"
~ He struck a match so that she coul
r. read. The card identified him as
C o. Adams, a member of the Organic
y tion of Telegraphers, a sort Of trade
~ union.
Operators hear a Hot of thing
eu t-tOo, ma'am," he drawled, putting Il