The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1917-04-21

and Sleepy Cat a low-lying wall of
lava rock, in part sand-covered and in
part exposed, parallels and sometimes
crosses the principal trail. This undu-
latlng ridge was favorite with De
Spain and Nan, because they could
ride In and out Of hiding places with
out more than just leaving the trail
Itself. To the west Of this ridge, and
commanding it, rose rather more than
q nile away the cone called Black Cap
Suppose" said Nan one afternoon,
looking from De Spain's side toward
the mountains, someone should be
spying on us from Black Cap?" She
pointed to the solitary rock.
IF anyone has been, Nan, with q
good glass he must have seen ex.
changes Of confidence that would make
him gnash his teeth. know If I ever
saw anything like it I'd go hang. But
the country around there is too rough
for horse. Nobody even hides around
Black Cap, except some tramp hold-up
man that's crowded in his getaway.
Bob Scott says there are dozens of
mountain lions over there"
But Sassoon had the unpleasant pa
aence Of mountain lion and its dog
yed persistence, and, hiding himself on
Black Cap, he made certain one day
Of what he had long been convinced
that Nan was meeting De Spain.
The day after she had mentioned
Black Cap to her lover, Nan rode over
to Calabasas to get a bride mended.
Galloping back, she encountered Sas-
soon just inside the gap. Nan SO
detested him that she never spoke
when she could avoid it. On his part,
he pretended not to see her as she
passed. When she reached home she
found her Uncle Duke and Gale stand
Ing in front Of the fireplace in the liv-
Ing room. The two appeared from
their manner to have been in heated
discussion, one that had stopped sud-
denly on her appearance. Both looked
1t Nan. The expression on their faces
torewarned her. She threw her quirt
on the table, drew off her riding
gloves, and began to unpin her hat;
but she knew storm was impending.
Gale had been made for long time
to know that he was an unwelcome
visitor, and Mans greeting Of him was
the merest contemptuous nod. "Well,
UNCLE" she said, glancing at Duke,
"1'm late again. Have you had sup
PERI"
Duke always spoke CURLY; tonight
his heavy voice was as sharp as an
AZ. "Been late good deal lately"
Nan laid her hat on the table, and,
glancing composedly from one suspi-
cious face to the other, put her hands
up to arrange her hair. "I'm going to
try to do better. I'll go and get my
supper If you've had yours" She
started toward the dining room.
"Hold onw Nan paused at her I'M
cle's ferocious command. She looked
at him either really or feignedly sur.
prised, her expression changing to one
Of indignation, and waited for him to
speak. Since he did no more than
glare angrily at her, Nan lifted her
brows little. "What do you want,
uncle?"
where did you go this afternoon?"
"Over to Calabasas," she answered
Innocently.
"Who'd you meet there?" Dukes
tone snapped with anger. He was
working himself into fury, but Nan
saw it must be faced. 1.-THE same
people 1 usually meet-why?"
did you meet Henry de Spain there
this afternoon"
Nan looked squarely at her cousin
and returned his triumphant expires
sion defiantly before she turned he,
eyes on her uncle. mo-" she said col
lectedly. "Why"
''See him anywhere e.se?"
'No, I did not. What do you mean;
What" demanded his niece with spirit,
"do you want to know? What are you
trying to find out?"
Duke turned in his rage on Gale!
"There! You hear that-what have
you got to say now?" he demanded
with an abusive oath.
Gale jumped forward, his finger
pointed at Nan. "Look here, do you
deny you are meeting Henry de Spain
all over the desert? You met him
down the Sleepy Cat trail near Black
Cap, didn't you?"
Nan stood with her back against the
end of the table where her uncle's first
words had stopped her, and she looked
sidewise toward her cousin. In her
answer he heard as much contempt as
a girls voice could convey to re-
)ected lover. $50 you've turned sneak!'
Gale reared string of bad words.
"You hire that coyote Sassoon tt
spy for you, do 7ou?" demanded Mar
coolly. "Aren't you proud of yot,
manly relation, uncle?" Duke was
choking with rage. He tried to speak
to her, but he could not form his words.
"What is it you want to know, unclei
Whether it is true that I meet Henry
de Spain? It is. I do meet him, and
we're engaged to be married when you