The Celina Democrat. (Celina, O. [Ohio]) 1895-1921, 1918-02-08

| fim-inm y RumOrS had renchet
Seabeck, thanks to Billy Loulse''
dropped lnshes upon certain Occa
sion, which caused him to believe he
saw further light.
"And If you're going TO be horrid-'
"Wlll the-lady he wants to marry
give him another chance?'
Don't you think she ought toll
she l-lOves hlmT Billy Louise studied
the skyline upon the side farthest
from Seabeck.
"You say he wants to pay for the
cattle and"
Hell do anything he can to make
amends" said Billy Louise, with con
victiOn. Hell take his medicine and
go to jail If you insist" she added sor-
rowfully. at will ruin his whole life,
of course, and break a couple of wom-
ems hearts. but"
TITS a bad thing, a mighty bad
thing, when man tries TO get ahead
too fast"
TITS good thing when he learns
the lesson without having to pay for it
with his whole future" Billy Louise
amended the statement.
Seabeck smiled a little behind his
fingers that kept tugging at his whis-
kers.
"Did Charlie Fox send Miss Por-
| tia"
"He doesn't know / had any inten-
| ton of coming" Billy Louise assured
him quickly and with perfect truth
They'll both be awfully surprised
when they find it out''-whlch was also
perfectly true-"and when they see
you ride up, they'll think you've got
the sheriff at your back. I haven't Il
doubt they"
"There are a few points I'd like
to clear up, if you can help me-" Sea-
beck interrupted. "All this rustling
that has been going on for the past
year and a half: are Fox and the
Meilke woman mixed up in that? l
want" he said, "to help the young
man-and ser. But if they have been
operating on a large scale, I'm
afraid"
y believe Charlie must have been
.nGuenced in some ways by bad ac-
quaintances," Billy Louise answered
more steadily than she felt. "But his
-rustling-has been Of a petty kind.
I won't apologize for him, Mr.. Seabeck.
I think it's perfectly awful, what he
has done. But l think it would be
more awful still not to give him
chance. The other rusting is some
outside gang, I'm sure. If Charlie
was mixed up with them it's very
slightly-just enough to damn him ut
terly if he were arrested and tried.
He isn't natural criminal. He's just
weak. And he's learned his lesson.
It's up to you, Mr.. Seabeck, to say
profit by the lesson. And there's poor
old Marthy in it, too. She just wOr-
ships Charlie and would do anything
even steal for him"
Seabeck meditated for a while, and
Billy Louise watched him uneasily
from the tail of her eye. To tell the
plain truth. she was in panic of fear
at what she had done.
Last night, when she lay curled- up
by the stove under Wards wolf-skin
coat, this seemed the only possible
way out: To tell Seabeck and trust to
his kindness and generosity to refrain |
from pushing the case. To have Char
lie Fox give back what he had stolen |
or pay for it-anything that would sat !
isfy Seabeck's sense of justice-and |
let him start honestly She had |
thought that Seabeck would be merci- !
full, if she told him in the right way:
but now, when she stole glance AZ
his bent, broodine face, she was fright
ened He did not look merciful. but
stern and angry. She remembered
then that stealing cattle is the one
crime a cattleman finds it hard to for
give.
Billy Louise might have spared her
self some mental anguish if she could
have known that Seabeck was brood
ng over the wonder of woman's love
hat pardOns and condones a mans
sins.
"Im glad you came and told me
his" he said at last Every glad, in
Iced, Miss Macdonald. Certain steps
nave been taken lately to push this
wipe out this rustling and general law
essness, and If you had not told me,
I'm afraid the mills of justice would
AVE ground your-friends. OF course
he law would be mercifuI to Mrs.
Ieilke. No jury would send an old
woman like that BY the way that
reed they have had working for
hem-he is in on the deal, too, 1 take
t."
Eyes, of course. They had to have
OmeOne to help. Marthy can't do any
iding."
"Hm-mm-do you know, Miss Mac
Donald, whether there was any init
macy between-yOur friends-and the
nan we had for stock inspector, Mr.. !
'lney?"
'I-can't say as to that" Billy Lou J.,
sc, you see, did not know much about , ,
etails, but the little she did know :
lade her hedge.
'There's q queer story about Olney. =
ou know he has left the country,
ont you? 1t seems he rode very hur-
edly up to the depot at Wilmer to
Ike the train. Just as he stepped on,
fellow who knew him by sight no.
ced a piece of paper pinned on the
lck of his coat. He jerked it loose.
was a-m-m-very peculiar docu- i
ent for a man to be wearing on his =
lck." Seabeck pulled at his whis- I
ers, but it was not pulling which Il
lirl1ed the corners of his lips. ''The q
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