The Arizona copper camp., 1918-01-12


'Pd do the same thing myself. But
you'll find everything's all straight up
there. We know all about him and
how and where he got his few head of
stock and everything But of course
you could ask Junkins If you have any
doubt"
''Oh, we'll take your word for it.
just wanted to know. He's stranger
to our outfit. I've seen him a few
times. What's his name? Us boys
call him Noisy. It's like pulling a wis
dom tooth to get any kind talk out
of him."
"He is awful quiet" assented Billy
Louise carelessly: "But he's real
steady to work."
"Them quiet fellows generally are"
put In Mr.. Birken. 'sYou run stock In
here, too, do you, Miss MacD Donald? 2"
''The big Ds," answered Billy Louise
and smiled family. 'I've been range
herding them back here in these foot
hills this summer. Do you want to
look through the bunchY'
Mr.. Birken blushed. "Oh, no, not at
all! 1 was wondering If you had lost
any" ~
Nobody would rustic cattle from a
lady, hope. At any rate, 1 haven't
missed any yet. The folks down in the
Cove have, though"
Eyes, heard they had That breed
rode over to see If he could get line
on them. It's hard luck. That Charlie
Fox seems fine, hard working boy,
don't you thinkT'
"Yes-s," said Billy Louise shyly, "he
seems real nice" She looked away
and bit her lip self consciously as she
spoke.
The two men swallowed the bait like
a hungry fish. They glanced at each
other and winked knowingly. Billy
Louise saw them from the tail of her
downcast eye and permitted herself
little sigh Of relief They would be
the more ready now to accept at its
face value her statement concerning
Ward, unless they credited her with
the feat of being in love with the two
men at the same time.
"Well I'm sorry Charlie Fox has
been tapped off too. He's mighty
fine chap" declared Floyd, with trans
parent heartiness, his round eyes
dwelling curiously upon the face Of
Billy Louise
eyes, I must be going" said that
young woman self-consciously. "Pve
quite circle to ride yet. I hope you
locate the rustlers, and If there's any
thing I can do-if 1 see or hear any,
thing that seems to be clew-In let
you know right away. I've been keep
ing my eyes open for some trace of
them, and so has rChar-Mr. Fox"
Then she blushed and told them good
by very hastily and loped of up the
ridge.
'Bark up that tree for awhile, you
twov' she said, with a twist Of her
ffps, when she was well away from
them. }"You-you darned idiots, to go
prowling around Wards place, just as
If Ward'll take shot at them IL
he catches them nosing through his
stock!" She scowled at big D cow
that thrust her head out of an alder
thicket and sent Blue in after her.
Frowning, she watched the animal go
numbering down the hill toward the
Wolverine. "Just because he's stran-
ger and doesn't mix with people and
minds his own business and is trying
to get start they're suspicious, as If
man has no right to- Well think
managed to head them off anyway"
Her satisfaction lasted while she rode
to the next ridge Then the little
devils Of doubt came a-swarming and
a-whispering. She had said she knew
all about Ward. Well, she did to
greater extent than others knew. But
she wondered If she did not know too
much or if she knew enough. There
were some things
She headed Blue down the slope and
as straight for the Big Hill as she
could go. There was no trail that way,
and the ridges were steep and the can
yons circuitous. But Blue was good
horse, with plenty Of stamina and
much experience. He carried his lady
safely, and he carried her willingly.
Even her impatience could find no
fault with the manner In which he
climbed steep pitches, slid down slopes
as steep, jumped narrow washouts and
picked his way through thickets of
quaking aspens or over wide stretches
Of shale rock and lava beds. He was
wet to his ears when finally he shut
fed into Wards trail up the creek bot
tom, but he breathed evenly, and he
carried his head high and perked his
ears knowingly forward when the cor
raj and haystack came into view
around sharp bend. He splashed
both front feet into the creek just be-
fore the cabin and stopped to drink,
while Billy Louise stared at the silent
place.
BY the tracks along the creek trail
she knew that Ward had come home,
and she urged Blue across the ford and
up the bank to the cabin. She slid off
and went in boldly to hide her inward
mbarrassment-and she found nothing
but emptiness there.
Billy Louise did not take long to in
vestigate. The coffee pot was still
warm on the stove when she laid her
palm against it, and she Immediately
poured herself cup of coffee. A plate
and cup on the table indicated that
Ward had eaten hurried meal and
had not taken time to clear away the
litter. Billy Louise ate what was left,
and mechanically she washed the
dishes and made everything neat be-