American Falls press. [volume] (American Falls, Idaho) 1907-1937, 1918-05-17

sidelong.
"And say, buckarool !" Billy Louise
refined close, so that she could reach
out and pinch his arm a little bit.
"Soon as your leg is all well, and you're
every speck over the hookin'-cough,
why-you can be the boss"
"Can ~
"Honest, you can. Pve"-Billy Lou
Use had the grace to blush a little
"I've always thought I'd love to have
somebody bully me and boss me and
'buse me. And I" Her lips twitchedI
a little. 81 think you can qualify"
They came to the gate, and Billy
Louise freed her hand from his clasp
and ~dismounted, since 1t was a wire
gate and could not be. opened on horse
back. She closed 1t after him, looked
to her cinch, frightened 1t a little, pat
ted Rather on the neck, caught the
horn with one hand and the stirrup
with the other, and went up quite Ike
a man, while Ward watched her In
tently.
"Tn sooth, l know not why you are
so sa-ad,'" murmured Billy Louise,
when she swung alongside in the trail.
Ward caught her hand again and did
not let go so they rode hand In hand
down the narrow valley.
Il was wondering" he hesitated,
drawing in a corner Of his lip, biting
II. and letting it go. "Wilhemina, If
old Lady Fortune takes a notion to
give me another kick or two, just when
life looks so good to me-"
"Why, Wen kick back just as hard
as she does" threatened Billy Louise
courageously. Don't let happiness get
on your nerves, Ward"
"If I wasn't crippled, 1t wouldn't,
But when a mans down and out, he
thinks a lot. The last three days, I've
lived a whole lifetime, lady-girl. Every
thing seems to be coming my way, all
al once. And I'm afraid; what If !
can't make good? If l can't make you
happy"-he squeezed her fingers so
that Billy Louise had to grit her teeth
to keep from interruptlng hlm-"or If
anything should happen to you-Lord! "
"You've got nerves, buckaroo. You've
, been shut up there alone so long you
see things all distorted. We're going
: ito be happy, because Wen be together,
and we've so much to do and so much
q to think Of. You must realize, Ward,
that we've got three places to take care
of, and you and me and poor old Mar
, thy. She hasn't anybody, Ward, but
us. And she's changed so-got so old
Just in the last few days. l never
! knew q person could change so much
In such a little while. She's just let 90
9 FALL holds and kind Of sagged down
mentally and physically. Wen have to
take care of her, Ward, as long as she
Z lives. That's why I'm taking you there
A st we can look after her. She won
leave the Cove. II was hoping" SHE
added shyly, "that we could sit II
=, front Of our W fireplace, Ward, anC
nave nice cozy evenings; but-well
there always seems to be something
for me to do for somebody, Ward"
"Oh, you wilhemina I" Ward slipped
his arm around her, to the disgust o
Rather and Blue, and made shift t
kiss her twice. "Long as you live
you'll always be doing something 70
somebody; that's the way you're made
7 And nobody's been doing things 70
=, you but If the Lord lets me live, that
going to be my Job from now on"
He said a great deal more, o
" course. They had nearly fifteen mile
to go, and they rode at a walk and
man and a maid can say a good dea
at such a time. But l don't think the
= would like to have 1t all repeated
:, Their thoughts ranged far back owe
- the past and far into the future, an
chung close to the miracle of love tina
had brought them together. There
one thing which Billy Louise, even /
~ her most ~self-revealing mood, did nc
CT tell Ward, and that is her doubts Q
him. Never once did he dream tha
she had suspected him and wrung he
20 heart because of her suspicions-an
in that l think she was wise and kind
They found Seabeck and Floyd Cal
~ son and another cowboy at the Gov
&c just preparing to leave. Marthy,
. transpired, had sent for them becaus
~ she wanted to make her will, so this
Billy Louise would have the Cove whe
N1dAlAg WIS uohc Win IL. DlAlg LOuls
" cried a little and argued a good dea
but Marthy had not lost all her stul
" %bornness, and the will stood III
changed.
Billy Louise and Ward were Marie
just as soon as Ward was able to max
~ the trip to the co~unty-seat, which wS
just as soon as he could walk comfor
= ably with a cane.
They stayed the winter In the Gov
90 and a part of the spring. Then the
buried grim, gray old Marthy up on II
side hill near Jase, where she ha
nj asked them to lay her work-worn boo
20 when she was gone.
They were very busy and very hanT