The Miller press. [volume] (Miller, S.D.) 190?-current, 1917-06-14

V~erlncaLlOn. D1unL J., fhlUInhE
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 q 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
confederation.
Dave had long since learned that to
hold Blaze Jones to a strict account
ability with fact was to rob his So
ciety Of its greatest charm. A slavish
accuracy In figures, an arid lack OF
imagination, reduces conversation to
the insipidness of fat wine, and
Blaze's talk was never dull. He was a
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 a
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 a hear
er's eye filed him with prodigious
mirth, and 1t is doubtful If his listen
ers ever derived a fraction Of the
amusement from his f~abrications 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 curse his proclivities occasion
ally led to misapprehensions; CHARGE
a~cquaintances who recognized him as
an artful romancer were liable to con.
slider 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
a matter Of fact, his genuine exploits
were quite as sensational as those OF
his manufacture.
When, after supper, Blaze had
hitched a pair of driving mules to his
blackboard, preparatory to showing hi,
guest the glories Of ~Jonesville, Dave
said:
"Paloma's getting mighty pretty"
shes as pretty as a blue-bonnet
iower," he father agreed. "And she
runs me around something scandalous
/ amt got the freedom OF a poem
Blaze sighed and shook his shagg.
head. "You know me, Dave; / never
used to be scared Of nobody. Well, it,
different now. She rides me with
Spanish bit, and my soul amt m,
own" With a sudden tightening of hi
gloom, he added: "Say, you're going t.
stay right here with us as long a
you're in town; I want you to see hoy
/ cringe."
In spite of Blaze's plaintive tone |
was patent that he was inordinatel,
proud of Paloma and well content witt
his serfdom.
Jonesville proved to be a typica
Texas town of the modern variety, an,
altogether different to the picture,
frontier village. All In all, the effec
was much like that of a prosperous
orderly northern farming town. To 1t
happy founder IL seemed well-nigh pei
feet, and its destiny reused his mad
dest enthusiasm. he pointed out tn
Odd Fellows hall, the Palace Pictur
theater, with Is glaring orange light
and discordant electric plano; he cor
Quoted Law to the First Nationa
bank, of which Blaze was a proud bu
somewhat ornamental director; the
to the sugar mill. the ice plant an,
other points Of equally novel interest
Everywhere he went Jones wa
hailed by friends, for everybod
seemed to know him and to want 3
shake his hand.
"Some town and some body of mer
ehf" he inquired, finally, and Dav
agreed:
"Yes. She's got q grand framework
Blaze. She'll be most as bi: as For
Worth when you fatten her sp."
Jones waved his buggy whip In
wide circle that took In the miles o
level prairie Oh all sides. .We,ye 20
the whole blamed state to grow IL
And, Dave, I haven't got an enemy Ii
the placed 1t wasn't many years ag
that certain people allowed I'd neve
live to raise this town. Why, IL use,
to be that nobody dared ride wit
me-except Paloma. and she used b
sleep with a shotgun at her bedside.
"Yor sure have been a responsible
ity to her."
"But Pm as safe now as Ii I was ii
church..