Shoshone journal. [volume] (Shoshone, Idaho) 1884-1931, 1918-02-15

She stared and stared. Blue looked
around at her inquiring1y, reproacb
fully. Billy Louise sent him slowly
little bunch. She read the brand OF
each one; read the story they shouted
at her, Of bungling theft.
Finally she swung Blue on the down
stream side and shouted the range
cattle cry. The animals turned awk,
| wardly and went upstream, as they
had been going before Billy Louise
stopped them. Blue followed watch
fully after, content with the game he
was playing. Where the bluffs drew
close again to the river, the cattle
climbed to a narrow. shelving trail
picking their way carefully along the
blum. Below them it fell sheer to the
river; above them it rose steeply. a
blackened tumble, save where the snow
of the last storm lay drifted. :.
Billy Louise had never known there
was trail up this gorge. She eyed it
critically and saw where boulders had
been moved here and there to make
its passage possible. Her lips were
set close together and they still bore
the imprint of her contempt.
She thought of Ward. Mentally she
abased herself before him because Of
her doubts. How she had dared think
him thief? Her brave buckarool
And she had dared think he would
steal cattleI Her very remorse was
whip to lash her anger against the
guilty. She hurried the cattle along
the dangerous trail, impatient Of their
cautious pace.
Since she had closed up on the
cattle and had read on their sides the
shameful story Of theft, Billy Louise
had known that she would eventually
come out at the lower end Of the Cove;
and that in spite of the fact that the
Cove was not supposed to have any
egress save through the gorge. What
surprised her was the short distance
she had not realized that the bluff
and the upland formed a wide curve,
and that she had cut the distance al
most in half by riding next the river.
She seemed in no doubt as to what |
she would do when she arrived. Billy |
Louise was not much given to indie
cision at any time. She drove the |
cattle into the corral farthest from the |
house, rode on to the stable, and |
stopped Blue with his nose against the |
fence there and with his reins drag
ging. Then, tight-lipped still, she
walked determinedly along the path to
the gate that led through the berry
jungle to the cabin.
She opened the gate and stepped
through, closing 1t after her. She had
not gone twenty feet when there was
a rush from the nearest thicket. and
Surbus, his hair rufred out along his
neck, growled and made leap at her
With barred fangs.
Billy Louise had forgotten about
surbus. She jumped back, startled,
ind the dog missed landing. When
lie sprang again he met .30-caliber
Juliet from Billy Louise's gun and
Iropped back. 1t had been snap shot,
Without any particular aiming; Billy
4ouise retreated a few steps farther,
the dog suspiciously. He
altered himself slowly and prepared ]
o spring at her again. This time Billy |
.ouise, being on the watch for such a {
love, aimed carefully before she fred q
urbus dropped again, limply-a good
og forever more.
Billy Louise heard a shrill whistle t
nd the sound of feet running. She 4
-aited, gun in hand, ready for what
YER might come. L
"Heyl Charlie! Somebody's come;
lie bell, she don't reeng." Peter
.owling Dog, a pistol in his hand,
lme running down the path from the !
bin. He saw Billy Louise and stopped |
1ruptly, his mouth half open.
From a shed near the stable came |
harlie, also running. Billy Louise |
aited beside the gate. He did not |
e her until he was close, for a tan |
ed gooseberry bush stood between
EN-.
what was 1t, Peter? Somebody in
e Cove? Or was it you"
"No, it wasn't Peter; it was me-"
lily Louise informed him calmly and
grammatically. 81 shot Surbus.
ats ALL"
"Ohl Why, Miss Louise, you nearly .
We me heart failurel How are you?
bought"
you thought somebody had gotten
o the Cove without your knowing 1t.
ell, somebody did. l rode up from
low, along the river"
'Oh-er-did you? Pretty rough
ng. wasn't it? didn't think it could
done. Come in; Aunt Martha will
-
L don't think she'll be overjoyed to -
me-" Billy Louise stood still be-
e the gooseberry bush, and she had n
gotten to put away her gun. 81 NJ
we up those cattle you had down be- He
:. You're awfully careless, Charlie
hould think Peter or Marthy would
'e told you better When a man brs
ais cattle by working over the the
nds, it's very bad form to keep Mi!
m right on his ranch in plain sight. tina
-iSn'f done nv fhe host raoDI, w., | hoo