Clearwater Republican. [volume] (Orofino, Idaho) 1912-1922, 1918-04-26
the reason ! thought ia ask you about

"Oh. it's perfectly right to make sure
Of everybody" smiled Billy Louise.
ia do the same thing myself. But
you'n find everything's all straight up
there. We know all about him and
how and where he got his few head of
stock and everything. But Of course
you could ask Junkins II you have any
doubt"
"Oh, wen take your word for It. l
just wanted to know. He's a stranger
to our outfit. I've seen him a few
call him Noisy. It's like pulling a wis.
dom tooth to get any kind a talk out
of him"
"He is awful quiet" assented Billy
Louise carelessly. But he's real
steady to work."
Them quiet fellows generally are"
put I'm Mr.. Birken. "You run stock In
here, too, do you. Miss MacDOnaldT
'The big Ds." answered Billy Louise
and smiled family. i've been range
herding them back here in these foot.
hills this summer. DO You want to
look through the bunch?"
Mr.. Birken blushed. "Oh, no, not at
all! ] was wondering If you had lost
any"
Nobody would rustic cattle from
lady, l hope. At any rate, l haven't
missed any yet. The folks down in the
Cove have, though"
Eyes, l heard they had. That breed
rode over to see il he could get a line
on them. It's hard luck. That Charlie
Fox seems a fine, hard working boy
don't you Think"
"Yes-s," said Billy Louise shyly, "ht
seems real nice" She looked away
and bit her lip self consciously as she
spoke.
The two men swallowed the bait lik,
a hungry fish. They glanced at eacf
other and winked knowingly. Billy
Louise saw them from the tail of hel
downcast eye and permitted herself {
little sigh of relief. They would bt
the more ready now to accept at iii
face value her statement concerning
the feat of being. in love with the tive
men at the same time.
swell, I'm sorry Charlie Fox hal
been tapped of too. He's a mighty
fine chap" declared Floyd. with trans
parent heartiness, his round eye
dwelling c~uriously upon the face o.
Billy Louise.
Eyes, I must be going" said tina
young woman self-consciously. "Tv,
quite a circle to ride yet. I hope yor
locate the r~ustlers, and If there's any
thing l can do-if l see or hear any
thing that seems to be a clew-In lei
you know right away. I've been keep
ing my eyes open for some trace Of
them. and so has Char-Mr. Fox
Then she blushed and told them good
by very hastily and loped of up the
ridge.
Bark up that tree for awhile, YOU
twOr' she said. with a twist of hel
lips, when she vas well away from
them. "You-you darned idiots, to &c
prowling around Wards place, just as
\ if Ward'il take a shot at them II
he catches them nosing through his
stock" She scowled at a big ID COW
that thrust her head out of an alder
browning, she watched the animal &c
numbering down the hill toward the
Wolverine Just because he's a stran.
ger and doesn't mix with people and
minds his own business and is trying
to get a start they're suspicious. as II
a man has no right to- Well, ] think
i managed to head them of anyway.
Her satisfaction lasted while she rode
to the next ridge. Then the little
devils Of doubt came a-swarming and
a~-whispering. She had said she knew
all about Ward. Well, she did to a
| greater extent than others knew. But
she wondered II she did not know toe
much or II s,se knew enough. There
were some things
She beaded Blue down the slope and
as straight for the Big Hill as she
could 60. There was no trail that way,
and the ridges were steep and the can.
yons circuitous. But Blue was a good
horse, with plenty Of stamina and
much experience. He carried his lady
safely, and he carried her willingly,
Even her impotence could find nc
fault with the manner In which he
climbed steep pitches. slid down slopes
as steep. jumped narrow washouts and
picked his way through thickets Of
Quaking aspens or over wide stretches
of shale rock and lava beds. He was
wet to his ears when finally he shut
fed into Wards trail up the creek bot
tom, but he breathed evenly, and he
carried his head high and perked his
ears knowingly forward when the cor
raj and haystack came into view
around a sharp bend. He splashet
both front feet into the creek Just be
fore the cabin and stopped to drink
while Billy louise stared Al the silen'
place.
BY the tracks along the creek trai
she knew that Ward had come home
and she urged Blue across the ford ant
up the bank to the cabin. She slid of
and went in boldly to hide her inward
embarrassment-and she found nothing
but emptiness there.