Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1918-02-26
"Dru Charlie Fox send Miss por-

'Dlu Charlie Fox send Miss Por-
tia
He doesn't know l had any inten-
ton of coming" Billy Louise assured
him quickly and with perfect truth.
They'll both be awfully surprised
when they find it out''-which was also
perfectly true-"and when they see
you ride up, they'll think you've got
the sheriff at your back. l haven't a
doubt they"
There are a few points I'd like
to clear up, if you can help me-" Sea-
beck interrupted. "All this rustling
that has been going on for the past
year and a half: are Fox and the
Meilke woman mixed up in that? |
want" he said, "to help the young
man-and her. But if they have been
operating on a large scale, I'm
afraid"
81 believe Charlie must have been
influenced in some ways by bad ac-
quaintances," Billy Louise answered
more steadily than she felt. 'But his
-rustling-has been of a petty kind.
won't apologize for him, Mr.. Seabeck.
1 think it's perfectly awful, what he
has done. But l think it would be
more awful still not to give him
chance. The other rustling is some
outside gang, I'm sure. If Charlie
was mixed up with them, it's very
slightly-just enough to damn him ut
terly if he were arrested and tried.
He isn't a natural criminal. He's just
weak. And he's learned his lesson.
It's up to you, Mr.. Seabeck, to say
whether he shall have a chance to
profit by the lesson. And there's poor
old Marthy in it, too. She just wor-
ships Charlie and would do anything
even steal for him."
Seabeck meditated for a while, and
Billy Louise watched him uneasily
from the tail of her eye. To tell the
plain truth she was in a panic of fear
at what she had done.
Last night, when she lay curled up
by the stove under Wards wolf-skin
coat, this seemed the only possible
way out To tell Seabeck and trust to
his kindness and generosity to refrain
from pushing the case. To have Char
lie Fox give back what he had stolen
or pay for it-anything that would sat
isfy Seabeck's sense of justice-and
let him start honestly. She had
thought that Seabeck would be merci-
full, if she told him in the right way
but now, when she stole a glance at
his bent, brooding face, she was fright
ened. He did not look merciful but
stern and angry. She remembered
then that stealing cattle is the one
crime a cattleman finds it hard to for
give.
Billy Louise might have spared her.
self some mental anguish if she could
have known that Seabeck was brood
ing over the wonder of a woman's love
that pardons and condones a mans
sins.
Pm glad you came and told me
this he said at last. VERY glad, in.
deed, Miss Macdonald. Certain steps
have been taken lately to push this
wipe out this rustling and general law
lessness, and if you had not told me.
I'm afraid the mills of justice would
have ground your-friends. OF course
the law would be merciful to Mrs.
Meilke. No jury would send an old
woman like that BY the way, that
breed they have had working for
them-he is in on the deal, too, l take
it."
Eyes, of course. They had to have
someone to help. Marthy can't do any
riding"
"Hm-mm-do you know, Miss Mac
Donald, whether there was any inti-
macy between-your friends-and the
man we had for stock inspector Mr..
Olney?"
"I-can't say as to that" Billy Lou
Use, you see, did not know much about
details, but the little she did know
made her hedge.
''There's queer story about Olney.
You know he has left the country
don't you? 1t seems he rode very hur-
riedly up to the depot at Wilmer to
take the train. Just as he stepped on,
a fellow who knew him by sight no.
ticed piece of paper pinned on the
back of his coat. He jerked 1t loose.
1t was a-m-m-very peculiar docu-
ment for man TO be wearing on his
back" Seabeck pulled at his whfs-
kers, but Ii was not pulling which
| ouirked the corners of his lips. "The
man said Olney seemed greatly upset
over something and had evidently for
gotten the paper until he felt it being
pulled loose. He said Olney looked
back then, and he was the color of a
pork-rind. The train was pulling out.
| The man took the paper over to a
saloon and let several others read It..
! They-mm- mm-decided that 1t should
ties. m-your-friends ever
mentioned the matter to your"
"No," said Billy Louise, and her eyes
were wide.
+ "Hm-mm! We must discover. IL we
can, Miss Macdonald. whether they
iare in any way implicated with this
man Olney. I believe that this is at
present more important than the re-
covery of any-m-m-cattle of mine
which they may have appropriated"
Billy Louise looked at him for min
ute. mfr. Seabeck, you're awfully dear
about thisi p she told him. 81 haven't
been as square as you; and I've been
Listen here, Mr.. Seabeck! l don't love
Charlie Fox a bit. l love somebody
else. and I'm going to marry him. He's
so square, I'd hate to have him think
I even let you believe something that
wasn't true. It's Marthy I'm thinking
MIGHT SHAD0WS IN RUSSIA