The Lamar register., 1918-01-23

Hesltatlngly she laid her gauntleted
hand on Marthy's stopped shoulder
She did not say anything. Marthy did
not move under her touch, except to
turn her dull glance upon Seabeck.
"Cm In" she said stolidly. "What'd
yuh come ferT"
Miss Macdonald will perhaps ex-
plain"
"She amt got nothin' to explain"
said hard old Marthy with grim final
lty. an do what explainin's TO be
done. GIN in. Don't stand there like
stump. And shut the door. It's
cold as a barn here. anyway"
"Oh. Marthyi" cried Billy Louise.
with the sound of tears in her voice.
Don't oh Marthy me-" said the
harsh voice fatty. 81 don't want no
Marthyin' nor no sympathy. Well. old
man, you're here to colleck, l s'pose.
Take what's In sight; faint none OF 1t
yourn. fairs I know, but anything you
claim you kin have. fer all me. I've
lived honest all my days an worked
fer what I got. I've harbored thieves
in my old age and trusted them that
want fit to be trusted. I've allus paid
my debts. Seabeck. I'm wlllln' to pay
now fer beln' fool"
"W-where's CharlieT' Billy Louise
leaned and whispered the question.
II dino, and don't care. He's
pulled out-him an that breed. I'll
have t pay yuh for seven growed
cattle l never seed till yist'day, Sea
beck. You can set yer own price on
'em. l amt sure. but I've got an ldee
they was shot las night an dumped
In the river. You en- set yer price
I've got rheumatic so bad couldn't
go n put a stop to nothin'-but-"
'Oh. Marthyi" Billy Louise was
shiverinE and crying now. "Aiarthy /
Don't be $3.50 hard. 1t was all Char
lie"
yes" ST d Marthy harshly. at was
all Charlie. He was a thief. an l was
sech a supplemented old fool I never
knowed what he was. / let him go
ahead, an | set in the house with
white apurn tied on me an thOIght l
was havin' an easy time. l set here
and let him rob my neighbors that l
hlu ti OhN VI
a cent, and soon's he thought he was
found out, he-left ole Marthy to look
after herself. Never so much as fed
the hogs or done the mllkin' first
Looky here, Seabeckl You'll git paid
back, an I'll take your figgers fer what
owe. but If you git after Charlie,
r1l-kill yuh. You let i'm go. I'm the
one he hurt most-and | amt goin'-"
She laid her frowsy old head on her
arms, like one who is utterly crushed
and dumb.
"Oh. Marthyr' Billy Louise knelt
and threw her arms around Marthy's
shoulders.
Marthy's chin began to culver. Her
lips sagged with the pull of her aching
heart. For the third time in her life
Billy Louise saw big. slow tears gather
in Marthy's hard blue eyes and slide
down the leathery seams in her cheeks.
Billy Louise looked, found her vision
blurring with her own tears, and
turned from the room.
Seabeck was gone somewhere on his
horse. Billy Louise guessed shrewdly
that he was down in the meadows.
looking over the cattle and trying to
estimate the extent of the thievery.
She put Blue in the stable and fed
him, with that half-mechanical habit
of attending to the needs of ones
mount which becomes second nature to
the range-bred. She would not go on
to the Wolverine; that needed no de-
cision; she accepted 1t at once as a
fact. Marthy needed her now more
than anyone. More even than Ward,
though Billy Louise hated to think
of him there alone and practically