Five Mile Beach weekly journal., 1918-02-01

haps 1t did not penetrate her stolid
mind at all. "Charlie never worked
any brands, Billy Louise" she stated
with her glum directness.
"Oh, l beg his pardon, I'm sure
Did your
mo, 1 never done such a thing, nei-
ther. I don't know what you're talkin'
about
swell, who did, them" Billy Louise
faced the old pitilessly.
II d'no." Marthy lifted her hand and
made a futile effort to tuck in a few of
the longest wisps of hair.
well, of all the" The stern gray
eyes of Billy Louise flew wide open at
the ~effrontery Of the words. If they
expected her to believe that
That's it, Miss Louise. That's the
point we'd like to settle, ourselves. ]
know it sounds outrageous, but it's a
fact. Peter and l found those cattle
up In the hills, with our brand worked
over the v. On my word of honor, not
n of us knows who did it."
But you've got them down here"
well" Charlie threw out q hand
helplessly. His eyes met hers with ap-
pealing frankness. "We couldn't rub
out the brands; what else could we
do? I figured that somebody else
would see them If we left them out in
the hills, and it might be rather hard
to convince a man; you see, we can't
even convince you'll But, so help me,
not n of us branded those cattle,
Miss Louise. I believe that whoever
has been rustling stock around here
deliberately tried to fix evidence
against us. I'm a stranger in the u
try, and l don't know the game very
well; I'm an easy mark"
Eyes, you're that, all right enough !"
Billy Louise spoke with blunt disfavor,
but her contemptuous certainty of his
guilt was plainly wavering. "To go
and bring stolen cattle right down
here"
ut seemed to me they'd be safer here
than anywhere else," Charlie observed
naively. Nobody ever comes down
here, unknown to us. I had 1t sized up
that the fellow who worked those
brands would never dream we'd bring
the stock right into the Cove. Why,
Miss Louise, even I would know better
than to put u brand on top of Sea-
beck's and expect it to pass inspection.
II l wanted to steal cattle, I wouldn't
go at it that wayl"
Billy Louise glanced uncertainty at
him and then at Marthy, facing her
grimly. She did not know what to
think, and she showed 1t.
"How do you mean-the real rus
tlers?" she began hesitatingly; and
hesitation was not by any means a
mental habit with Billy Louise.
II mean just what I said.' Char
lies manne was becoming more nat
ural, more confident. "Pve been rid
ing through the hills a good deal, and
I've seen a few things. And I've an
idea the fellow got a little uneasy"
He saw her vince a little at the word
fellow" and he went on, with an
impulsive burst of confidence: Miss
Louise, have you ever, in your riding
around up above Jones canyon. in all
hose deep little gulches, have you ever
seen anything of a-corral, up there?"
Billy Louise held herself rigidly
from starting at this. She bit her lips
so that it hurt. whereabouts is it?"
she asked, without looking at him.
And then: 81 thought you would go to
any length before you would accuse
anybody"
81 would. But when they deliberate
ly try to hand me the blame-and I'm
not accusing anybody-anybody In
particular, am L? The cora. is at the
head of a steep little canyon or gulch,
back in the hills where all these bigger
canyons head. Some time when you're
riding up that way, you keep an eye
out for it. That" he added grimly,
'is where Peter and 1 ran acros
these cattle; right near that corral"
The heart of Billy Louise went heavy
in her chest. Was it possible? Doubts
are harder to kill than cats or snakes,
You think they're done for, and here
they come again, crowding close so
that one can see nothing else.
"Have you any idea at all, who
1t ISL" She forced the words out of
her dry throat. She lifted her head de-
family and looked at him full, trying
to read the truth from his eyes and
his mouth.
Charlie Fox met her look, and in his
eyes she read pity-yes, pity for her.
eff l have" he said, with IN air of
gently deliberate evasion, "Tll wait till
l am dead before l name the a I'm
not at all sure I'd do it even then, Miss
Louise; not unless / was forced to do
it in ~self-defense. That's n reason
why l brought the cattle down here.
1 didn't want to be placed in a posi-
ton where 1 should be compelled to
fight back"
Baffled and angry and hurt to the
very soul of her, Billy Louise opened
the gate and went out. IF you know
anvthino tO roll for heaVpn'S AXE don't