The Tacoma times. [volume] (Tacoma, Wash.) 1903-1949, 1917-01-13

} Louise curbed him gently with
hand and voice as he stepped
through the wide gateway of the
ranch.
He paced lightly across the
first shallow ford. Then the mar
rowing walls of the canyon echoed
his clean-cut steps-a patter of
phantom hoof-beats following him,
stride for stride. Down the long.
ever-winding road they swung.
Louise turned him into the Old
Meadow Trail. At the edge of the
lOld Meadow the girl dismounted,
following Boyar to Craze at will.
She climbed to the low rounded
rock where she sat with knees
gathered to her in her clasped
hands.
The moon was lost somewhere
behind the ragged peaks. The
night grew deeper. The Old
Meadow, Swallowed by the range
above it, grew dark, impenetra-
BILE. a place without boundary or
Got a match, KIDD"
! Louise raised her head. Some
one was afoot on the Old Meadow
Trail. Another voice replied.
Sure! Here you are" And
Louise knew that Collie was one
Of the men.
| About to call, she hesitated,
strangely curious as to who the
other man might be, and why Col
lie and he should foregather in
the Old Meadow. at night.
Never mind" mumbled the
first speaker; Il thought | wanted
to smoke, but | don't. | want to
talk first-about the Rose Girl"
Louise tried to call out, but she
was interrupted by Overland 8
voice. The two men had stopped
at the lower side of the great rock.
She could hear them plainly, al
though she could not see them.
! "Collie-we're busted. l aim
said nothin' to Billy yet. He's got
money, anyway. This here only
hits you and me-"
What do you mean, Red?"
II mean that the Rose Girl mine
don't belong to us and never did. +"
Flows that?"
81 was goin' to rite. But I amt
no hand to write about business.
You recollec them papers and that
dust Billy tried to find, out there
by the track?"
YES"
well, I found 1t all. I went out
there, paced her off down the
track, guessed at about where 1t
was, and found en-"
Found them"
Eyes, sir. There was that lit
tie bag almost atop of the sand.
account of wind and rain. Then
there was a record Of the claim,
our claim. It's been filed on be-
fore"
Who owns our claim, them"
You know the guy we give the
water to-the one that died out
there? He owns the claim, or he
did. 1t belongs by rights to his
girl now. His name was Andre
Lacharme."
"Lacharme!"
Eyes. Louise's pa. Recollect
your boss tellin' us as how the
Rose Girls daddy was missin' out
in the Mojave? Then they was
a letter-old and most wore out
from Walter Stone himself. 1t
was to him-he pa--tellin' him
about the little Louise baby and
askin' him to come to the Moon
stone and take a Job and quit
prospectin'. That's where we
| stand"
Louise, breathless. listened and
could not believe that she was
real, that this was not a dream.
Andre Lacharme! Her father!
Il seen lawyer about It," re-
sumed Overland. "He said 1t was
plain enough that the claim be-
longed to the dead prospector or
his girl now. Now I'm leavin' it
up to you. Do we tell her or do
we say nothin', and go on gettin'
rich? ?"
"Why do you put 1t up to me?"
asked Collie.
Because, kid, you got the most
to lose. Your chance is about
gone with the Rose Girl IL you let
go the gold. Sabe? When she
gets all me and Billy made and
your share, she'll be rich. What
do you say?"
"Why-to tell Louise, of
course"
you givin' 1t up because you
had some fuss with her, or any
thing like that?"
mo, Red. I say tell her, be-
cause it's square. I guess we care
more for her than whole-carload
of gold"
We'll, guess. Once I wouldn't
"a stopped to worry about whose
gold 1t was. But KNOWN the
Rose Girl-knowin' what she is
why. it's maxim me soft in me
morals"
What do we do now, Red?"
I'm goin' to beat it. Back to
the dusty for mine."
Quitting now seems like saying
I'm whipped" said Collie. "Quit-
ting after giving up our money to
her looks like we were sore-even
II we do it and smile. She would
feel bad, Red. She'd think she
drove us off. Why don't you ask
Stone for job?"