Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1918-01-08


both front feet into the creek just be-
fore the cabin and stopped to drink,
while Billy Louise stared at the silent
place.
By the tracks along the creek trail
she knew that Ward had come home.
and she urged Blue across the ford and
up the bank to the cabin. She slid off
and went in boldly to hide her inward
embarrassment-and she found nothing
but emptiness there.
Billy Louise did not take long to in
vestigate. The coffee pot was still
warm on the stove when she laid her
palm against it. and she Immediately
poured herself cup of coffee A plate
and cup on the table indicated that
Ward had eaten hurried meal and
had not taken time to clear away the
litter Billy Louise ate what was left,
and mechanically she washed the
dishes and made everything neat be-
fore she went down to look for Rather.
She had thought that Ward was out
somewhere about the place and would
return very soon probably. Blue she
had left standing in plain sight before
the cabin so that Ward could see him
and know she was there, fact which
she regretted.
While she was washing dishes and
sweeping she had been trying to think
of some excuse for her presence there.
1t was going to be awkward, her COM
ing there on his heels, one might say.
Billy Louise began to wish she had
not come. She began to feel quite GER
tain that Ward would be surprised and
disguised when he found her there and
would look at her with that faint curl
Of the lip and that fainter lift Of the
nostril above it, which made her go
hot all over with the scorn in them
She had seen him look that way once
or twice, and in spite of herself she be-
gan to picture his face with that ex-
preston.
Billy Louise was on the point of rid
ing away a good deal more hastily
than she had come in the hope that
Then her own stubbornness came up
permost, and she told herself that she
had a perfect right to ride wherever
she pleased and that if Ward didn't
like it he could do the other thing.
She went to the door and stood look
he was.
There was a little window behind
the bunk and beside that a shelf Tiled
with books and smoking material and
matches. She knew by the very ar
rangement of that shelf and window
that Ward liked to lie there on the
bunk and read while the light lasted.
At the head of the bed hung a -four
sack half full of some hard, lumpy
stuff which Billy Louise had not no
ticed before. She felt the bag tenta-
lively, could not guess its contents and
finally took it down and united it.
Within were irregular scraps and
strips of stuff hard as bone, puzzle
still to one unfamiliar with the from
tier. Billy Louise pulled out d little
piece, nibbled corner and pronounced:
"M-mm! Jerky! I'm going to swipe
do to the extent of filing her pocket,
for to those who have learned to like
ii jerked venison is quite as desirable
as milk chocolate or any other nibbly
tidbit.
The opposite wall had sacks of -four
stacked against it and boxes of staple
canned goods, such as corn and toma-
toes and milk and peaches. A box of
canned peaches stood at the head of
the bed and upon that q case of toma-
toes. Ward used them for table and
set the lantern there when he wanted
to read in bed. Hes got pretty good
supply of grub" was the verdict of
Billy Louise; sizing up the assortment
while she nibbled at the piece of jerky.
Il wonder where he is anyway And
a moment later: HE oughtn't to hang
his best clothes up like that They'll
be all wrinkled when he wants to put
them on"
She went over and disposed of the
best clothes to her liking and shook out
the dust. She had to own to herself
that for a bachelor Ward was very or
derby, though he did let his trousers
hang down over the flour sacks In a
way to whiten their hems She hung
them in different place.
But where was Ward? Billy Louise
bethought her that Blue deserved
something to eat after that hard ride
and led him down to the stable There
was no sign of Rather, and Billy
Louise wondered anew at Wards alb
sence. It did not seem consistent with
his haste to leave the Wolverine and
his frequent assertion that he must ger
to work. From the stable door she
could look over practically the whole
creek bottom within his fence, and she
could see the broad sweep of the hills
on either side. On her way back to
the cabin she tried to track Rather.
but there were several stock trails
leading in different directions, and the
soil was too dry to leave any distin-
gushing marks.
She waited for an hour OF two. sit-
ting in the doorway, nibbling jerky and
trying to read a magazine. Then she
found a stub of pencil, tore out an ad-
vertising page which had wide mar
gin and wrote: 81 don't think you're a
bit nice, Why don't you stay home
when fellow comes to see your" This
she folded neatly and put in the cigar
box of tobacco over Wards pillow.
She resaddled Blue and rode away
more depressed than ever, because her
depression was now mixed with a dis
appointment keener than she would
have cared to acknowledge, even to
herself
CHAPTER vi.