Clearwater Republican. [volume] (Orofino, Idaho) 1912-1922, 1918-05-03
RANCH AT THE WOLVERINE.

RANCH AT THE WOLVERINE.
~ some excuse for ner pre.,,...l
II was going to be awkward, her com
ing there on his heels, one might say.
Billy Louise began to wish n 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 1t. 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 % picture mis- 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
Ward would not discover her there.
Then her own stubb0rnness came up
permost, and she told herself that she
had a perfect right to ride wherever
she pleased and that II Ward didn't
Ike 1t he could do the other thing.
She went to the door and stood look.
mg out for q minute, wondering where
ho
There was q little window behind
the bunk and beside hat a shelf filled
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 flour
sack half full Of some hard. lumpy
ticed before. She felt the bag tenta-
lively, could not guess its contents and
finally took 1t down and united 1t.
Within were irregular scraps and
strips of stun hard as bone, a puzzle
still to one unfamiliar with the from.
tier. Billy Louise pulled out a little
piece, nibbled a corner and pronounced:
"M-mm! Jerky' I'm going to swipe
some Of that" which she proceeded to
do to the extent Of filing her pocket,
for to those who have learned to like
It jerked venison is quite as desirable
as milk chocolate or any other nibbly
tidbit.
The opposite wall had sacks Of -four
stacked against 1t 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 q Of toma.
toes. Ward used them for a table and
ret the lantern there when he wanted
to read in bed. He's got a pretty good
supply Of grub was the verdict Of
Billy Louise. sizing up the assortment
while she nibbled at the piece OF jerky.
II wonder where he is anyways And
. moment later: HE oughtn't to hang
his best clothes up like that. They'll
be all wrinklcd 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 -four sacks In a
way to whiten their hens. She hung
them in a 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
mt 1t did not seem consistent with
his haste to leave the Wolverine and
his frequent assertion that he must get
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 t 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 or two, sit.
ting In the doorway. nibbling jerky and
trying to read a magazine. Then she
found a stub Of pencil, tore III an adj.
vertislng page which had a wide mar