Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1918-02-08
The Ranch
at the
Wolverine {
b B M BOWER

la b. B M BOWER !:
4 OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES
scop,nsss ), IAtsle. B.ovn snA ccupany,
What Mr.. Seabeck thought did not
Immediately appear In speech. He was
pulling little harder at his whiskers
and staring at the ears Of hia horse.
. ''That would depend on the person"
he said at last. "Some men are born
criminals"
\ "Oh, we aren't talking about that
kind Of man. Surely to goodness
You don't call Charlie Fox q born
criminal, or Marthy Meilkef'
"Charlie Foxi Is that the person,
you mean, who has BEEN"
Eyes, 1t Isl And he IL horribly sorry,
and 80 is Marthy. and they'll pay You
for the cattle. And II you do any.
thing mean about 1t, 1t will simply kill
poor old Marthy. You couldn't send
her to tho pen. Mr.. Seabeck. Think
how she's worked there In the Cove;
and Charlie has worked like perfect
slave y and hs was trying to get q
startIso he-could get married.
"Hm-mml'' RumorS had reached
Seabeck, thanks to Billy Louise's
dropped lashes upon certain occa-
sion. which caused him to believe he
saw further light.
sAnd IL you're going to be horrid-"
.Will the-lady he wants to marry
give him another CHANGER
.Don't you think she ought to-if
sha l-loSes him e BILLY Louise studied
the skyline upon the aide farthest
from seabeck.
r aYou say no wants to pay for the
cattle and
.He1l do anything he can to make
amends" said Billy Louise, with con-
yiction. Hell take his medicine and
70 to jail IL you insist" she added sor-
rowfully. ut will ruin his whole life.
Of course, and break q couple OF wom-
ems hearts, but"
. SITS bad thing, q mighty bad
thing, when . man tries to get ahead
too fast"
cts 1 good thing when he learns
the lesson without having to pay for It
with his whole future" Billy Louise
amended the statement.
Seabeck smiled 4 little behind his
fingers that kept tuggtng at his Wills
kers.
.Did Charlie Tox send Miss Por-
tia"
Il aHe dessn't know I had any inten-
ton Of coming" Billy Louise assured
him quickly ana with perfect truth.
'Theyll both bs awfully surprised
when they ind It ont which was also
perfectly true "and when they see
you ride up, they'll think you've got
the sheriff At your back. haven't .
doubt they
a sThere are few points I'd like
to clear up, II you can help me-. Sea-
beck interrupted. "All mis- rustling'
that has been going on for the past
year and . half: are Fox and the
Meilke woman mixed up IN that7 !
want" he said, ITO help the young
man and her. But II they have been
operating on : large scale. Pm
afraid"
81 believe Charlie must have been
Influenced In some ways BY bad ac-
quaintaEces," Billy Louise answered
more steadily than she felt "But his
has been Of Z petty kind.
] won't apologize for him. Mr.. Seabeck.
/ think It's perfectly awful. what he
has done. But I think It. would be
more awful still not to give him
chance. The other rustling II some
outside gang, I'm sure. II Charlie
was mixed up with them. It's very
ghtly-just enough 10 damn him ut
terIy II ~ were arrested and tried.
He Isn't . natural criminal. He's just
weak. And he's learned his lesson.
It's up to you, Mr.. Seabeck, to say
whether no shall have Z chance to
pront ~ the Lesson. And there's poor
old Narthy 81 II, too. She just wor-
ships Charlie and would do anything
even steal ~ him.
eeabeck msditated for while. and
Billy Louise watched him uneasiiy
from the tail Of her eye. To tell the
plain: truth, she was In panic Of fear
ct what she had done.
Last night, when She lay curled mp
81 the stove under Wards wolf-skin
coat this seemed the only possible
waysout: 10 tell Seabeck and trust to
his Kindness and generosity to refrain
fron pushing the case. To have Char