Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1918-01-15

~, which thawed the man to an alarm
ing amlaDility. She questioned him art
fully-trust Billy Louise for that-and
she decided that the stock inspector
was either a very poor detective or a
very good actor. He did not. for in
stance, mention any corral hidden In a
blind canyon away back in the hills
and Billy Louise did not mention it,
either. He had not found any worked
brands, he said. And he did lot appear
to know anything further about Ward
than the mere fact of his existence.
There's fellow holding down a
claim away over on Mill creek" he
had remarked "Pll look him up when
l come back, though Seabeck says he's
all right"
Ward is all right" asserted Billy
Louise rather unwisely.
Haven't a doubt of it. | thought
maybe he might have seen something
that might give us clew" Perhaps
the stock inspector was wiser than she
gave him credit for being. He did not
at any rate pursue the subject any fur
Their until he found an opportunity to
talk to Mrs. Macdonald herself Then
he artfully mentioned the fellow on
Mill creek. and because she did not
know any reason for caution he got all
the information he wanted and more,
for mommie was in one of her gar
rulous humors.
After that the days drifted quietly
for month and grew nippier at each
end and lazier in the middle, which
meant that the short summer was over
and that fall was getting ready to
paint the wooded slopes with her CAV
est colors and that one must prepare
for the siege of winter.
1t was some time in the latter part
Of September that Billy Louise got up
in the middle of a frosty night because
she heard her mother moaning. That
was the beginning She sent John off
before daylight for the doctor. and be-
fore the next night she stood with her
lips pressed together and watched the
doctor count NOMINEES pulse and take
mommie temperature and drew in her
breath hardly when she saw how long
he studied the thermometer after
ward.
There was a month or so of going
to and fro on her toes and of watching
the clock with a mind to medicine Civ
ing. There were nights and nights and
nights when the cabin window winked
like a star fallen into the coulee from
dusk to red dawn. Ward rode over
once, stayed all night and went home
in a silent rage because he could not
do thing.
There was a week of f1uctuating
hope and a time when the doctor said
mommie must go to a hospital-Boise
since she had friends there. And there
was a terrible, nerve racking journey
to the railroad. And when Ward rode
next to the Wolverine ranch there was
no Billy Louise to taunt or tempt him.
John Pringle and Phoebe told him in
brief, stolid sentences Of the later de-
yelopments and gave him meal and
offered him bed. which he declined.
When the suspense became madden
ing after that he would ride down to
the Wolverine for news. And the news
was monotonously scant Phoebe could
read and write after a fashion, and
Billy Louise sent her letter now and
then, saying that mommie was about
the same and that she wanted John
to do certain things about the ranch.
she could not leave mommie, she said.
Ward gathered that she would not.
Once when he was at the ranch he
wrote a letter to Billy Louise and told
her that he would come to Boise if
there was anything he could do and
begged her to let him know if she
needed any money. Beyond that he
worked and worked and tried to crowd
the lonesomeness out Of his days and
the hunger from his dreams with COM
plete bone WEAKNESS. He did not ex-