Five Mile Beach weekly journal., 1918-01-04

and in the sky beyond a blend of pur-
pie and deep crimson to show where
the sun had been. Close beside her as
she stood looking down a little, gray
bird twittered wistfully.
Billy Louise took a deep breath and
rode on, angling slightly up the bluff
SO that she could cross at the head OF
the gulch. 1t was very quiet, very
peaceful and wildly beautiful, this jum-
BILE of hills and deep gashed canyons.
But Billy Louise felt as though some
thing precious had died. She should
have gone down and investigated and
turned those cattle loose-that is, If
she dared. Well, she dared; 1t was not
fear that held her to the upper slopes.
She did not want to know what brand
they bore or whether an iron had scar
ed fresh marks.
"Oh, God!" she said once aloud, and
there was a prayer and a protest, a
curse and a question all in those two
words.
So trouble-trOuble that sickened her
very soul and choked her into dumb
ness and squeezed her heart SO that
the ache of it was agony-came and
rode with her through the brooding
dusk of the canyons and over the
brighter hilltops.
Billy Louise did not remember any
thing much about that ride except that
she was glad the way was long. Blue
carried her steadily on and on and
needed ne guiding, and though Wolver-
inc canyon was black lark in most
places she liked it SC.
John Pringle was standing by the
gate waiting for her, which was un-
usual, If Billy Louise had been normal
enough to notice it. He came forward
and took Blue by the bride when she
dismounted, which was still more un-
usual, for Billy Louise always cared
for her own horse both from habit and
preference.
"Yor mommie, she's SICK" he an
nounced stolidly. "She's worry you
maybe hurt yoreself. 70 better go,
maybe"
Billy Louise did not answer, but ran
up the path to the cabin. "Oh, has
everything got to happen all at once%
she cried aloud, protesting against tr'
implacableness of misfortune.
"Yor mommie's SICK" Phoebe n
nounced in a whisper. "She's crazy
cause you been so long. She's awful
bad, l guess"
Billy Louise said nothing, but went
in where her mother lay moaning, her
face white and turned to the ceiling.
Billy Louise herself had pulled up her
reserves of strength and cheerfulness,
and the fingers she laid ON her mothers
forehead were cool and steady.
Poor old mommie! Is it that nasty
lumhago again?f she asked caressingly
and did not permit the tiniest shade of
anxiety to spoil the reinsurance of her
presence. II went farther than usual
and Blues pretty tender, so l eased him
along, and I'm fearfully late. / sup
pose you've been having all kinds of
disasters happening to me-" She was
passing her fingers soothingly over her
mothers forehead while she explained
and she saw that her mother did not
moan so much as when she came into
the room.
"Of course I worried. / wish you
wouldn't take them long rides. Oh, /
guess it's NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. seems
like it amt, either. The pain seems to
be mostly In my side" She stirred
restlessly and moaned again.
"What's Phoebe been doing for it?
You don't seem to have any fever,
mommie-and that's a good thing. I'll
go fix you one of those dandy spice
.poultices. Had any supper, mommie?"
ooh, / couldn't eat. Phoebe made a
hop poultice, but it's awful soppy."
"Well, never mind. Your dear daugh-
ter is on the job now. She'll have you
all comfy in just about two minutes
Headache, mum? All right, I'll just
shake up your pilly and bring you such
a dandy spice poultice l expect you'll
want to eat it," Billy Louise's voice
was soft and had a broody sweetness
when she wished it so, that soothed
more than medicine. Her mothers eyes
closed YEARLY while the girl talked;
the muscles Of her face relaxed a little
from their look of pain.
Billy Louise bent and laid her lips
lightly on her mothers cheek. "Poor
old mommie! I'd have come home
a-running if I'd knogn she was sick
and had to have nasty, soppy stuff"
In the kitchen a very different Billy
Louise measured spices and asked a
question now and thenin a whisper and
breathed with a repressed ~unevenness
which betrayed the strain she was I'M
der.
"Tell John to saddle up and go for
the doctor, Phoebe, and don't let NOM
mic know whatever you do. This isn't
her lumbago at all. / don't know what
it is. 1 wonder if a hot t%urpentine
cloth wouldn't be better than this? I've
a good mind to try it; her eyes are
CLASSY with fever and her skin is cold
as a fish. You tell John to hurry up.
He can ride Boxer. Tell him / want