New Mexico state record. (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1914-19??, 1918-04-26

we've handled rattl" Il few years. l'
admitted. II" had II dilIidrnt manner
of receiving compliments which
lld"nc" n needed brace.
MIR. S"abeck, I've always heard that
y"u re an aWfully square man. she
said. "Daddy seemed to think that
y"i could be depended IN in any kline
of II pinch. | hope IT'S true, I'm
banking II lot on your Squarcness to
day.
"Nhy, | don't know about my being
amy better than my neighbours" he said
with n twinkle Of humor in his eyes,
which were II bright, unvnrying blue,
But you can bank ON my doing any
thing | can for you, Miss Macdonald,
! think | could be even better than
Sqnnr"-to help II plucky little girl
Who"
81 don't mean Just the ordinary
~Sqnarrncss,' Billy Louise put in qui-
city, Il mean bigncsS, too; n blgness
that Will make n man be more than
square; ii bigness that Will let him see
MI around II thing and Judge it from
II bigger viewpoint than mere JUS
titU
"lIm-mm-if you could trust me-
enough to-"
I'm going to. Mr.. Scabcck. I'm 60
ing to take it for granted you're big
ger than your " S~uuarrn"ss. And If
you're motif you're just Il selfish,
weak, Ictter-prrf"ct. honest man, I'll
feel lik"-thrn>hlng YOU" Without a
doubt that was the Billy Of her which
spoke.
"l1l take the thraslling If you think
! need H." he promised, looking nt her
with something more than admiration,
"Whnt have you done, Miss MMrDon-
MD? If | can help you hide the
hody-"
"Thrr"" Billy Louise dared to
wrinkle her most 1T him-and | don't
know which of her did it. II knew
you'd play up Xix" II good sport. But
what if it isn't II body? What If
what if you found some Of your cattle
wirh-with Il big Drum over your
brandt" She had II perfectly white
lin" around her mouth and nostrils
then, hut She faced him Squnrply.
"Ilm-mm" Seabeck gave her n
quick, sideWise glance and pulled
thoughtfully ut the CRAVING whispers
that pointed his chin. Il would have
been glad to lend you money. or help
You in any why"
"Yrs, | know" Billy Louise snapped
her r"ins impaticntly. "But what
would you do about ~the-cattle?"
"Whnt could | do? What would you
want me to do? | should do whatever
would help you. ! would"
"Would you--be as ready to help
somebody else? Somebody Thought
a-lot-of?"
Scnberk evidently saw light. He
cleared his throat and spat gravely
into II bush. 81 see you don't trust me,
nll," he said.
~ do. Eve got to; 7 mean, I'd have
to whether | did or not. It's like this,
Mr.. Seabeck. 1t isn't the big d brand
of course you knew it couldn't be. But
ii isn't yours, either. Some one was
tempted and was weak. They're sorry
now. They want to do the right thing,
and 1t rests with you whether they
cnn do it. You can shut them up in
jnil if you like: you have n perfect
right to do it. Some men would do
that and he able to sleep after 1t. l
suppose. But | believe you're bigger
han that. l believe you're big enough
to see that II a person goes wrong and
hen secs the mistake and wants to
pull back into the straight trail, n
the n who has been
yronged-would be committing a moral
rhine to prevent It.. To take II person
Who wants to make Il fresh, honest
start, and shut that person up amongst
'riminnls and brand him ms n criminal,
seems to me II worse wrong than to
steal a few head of cattle; don't you
hink so, Mr.. Seabeck?"
What Mr.. Seabeck thought did not
Immediately appear In speech. He was
a little harder at his whiskers
md staring at the ears of his horse.
"That would depend on the person."
10 said at last. "SOme mel are born
riminalS."
"Oh, we aren't talking about that
ind of a man. Surely to goodness