The Arizona copper camp., 1918-01-12

purposeful directness they presently
became men who rode with the easy
swing of habit which has become a
second nature. They must have seen
her sitting still upon her horse in the
midst of that high, sunny plateau, for
they turned and rode up the slope to-
ward her.
Billy Louise waited, too depressed to
wonder greatly who they were. Sea-
beck riders probably. And so they
proved. At least one of them was
Seabeck man-Floyd Carson, who had
talked with her at her own gate and
had told her of the suspected cattle
stealing. The other man was stran-
ger, whom Floyd introduced as Mr..
Birken.
They had been "prowling around"
according to Floyd, trying, to see what
those round-faced, round-eyed young
fellows who do not believe much in
secrecy and therefore talk freely when
ever and wherever they dare. He
said that Seabeck had turned them
loose to keep cases and see If they
couldn't PICK up the trail of these rus
tiers whof ere trying to get rich off a
running b ard long rope. Qf you
are of the West you know what that
means, and If you are not you ought to
guess that it means stealing cattle and
let it go at that.) It was not until he
had talked for ten minutes. or so that
Billy Louise became more than mildly
interested In the conversation.
"Say, Miss Macdonald" Floyd asked
by way Of beginning new paragraph,
show about that fellow over on Mill
creek? He worked for you folks a
year or so ago, didn't he? What does
he do?"
"He has ranch,' said Billy Louise,
with careful calm. 'He's been work.
ing on it this summer, I believe"
"Uh-huh. We were over there this
morning. Them Y6 cattle up above
his place are his, reckon?"
eyes," said Billy Louise. He's been
putting his wages into cattle for year
or so. He worked for Junkins last
Winter. why
ooh, nothing, guess, only he's the
only stranger in the country and his
prosperity amt accounted for"
"Oh, but it isv' laughed Billy Louise.
81 only wish had half as clear tick
ct. When he isn't working out he's
wolfing, and every dollar he gets hold
Of he puts into that ranch. We've
known him long time He doesn't
blow his money, you see, like most fell
lows do"
Floyd found occasion to have a
slight argument with his horse just
then. He happened to be one Of the
"most" fellows, and the occasion of
his last blowout was fresh in his
mind.
''Well, of course If you know he's all
straight that settles it. But 1t sure
seems queer"
"That fellow is as straight as a
string. Don't you suppose it's some
gang over on the river, Floyd? I'd
look around over there, believe, and
try to get line on the unaccountables:
There's a lot of new settlers come in
just in the last year or two and there
might be some tough ones scattered
through the bunch. Better see If there
has been any cattle shipped or driven
through that way, don't you think p
"We can try" Floyd assented with
out eagerness. "But as near as we
can figure it's too much of drib drab
proposition for that. A cow and calf
here and there, and so on. We got
wind of it first when we went out to
bring in gentle cow that the deacon
wanted on the ranch. We knew where
she was, only she wasn't there when
we went after her. We hunted the
hills for a week and couldn't find
sign of her or her calf And she had
stuck down in the creek bottom all the
spring, so it looked kind funny"
He twisted In the saddle and looked
back at the pine clotted ridge.
There's Y6 calf up there that's
dead ringer for the one we've been
hunting" he observed, "but it's rum
ming with COW that carries Junkins'
old brand, so''- He looked apologet-
lcally into the calm eyes Of Billy
Louise "Of course 1 don't mean to
say there's anything wrong up there"
he hastily assured her. "But that's