Fulton County tribune. (Wauseon, Ohio) 1883-1925, 1918-07-05

Billy Louise had forgotten about
Surbus. She jumped back, startled,
and the dog missed landing. When
he sprang again he met a .30-caliber
bullet from Billy Louise's gun and
| dropped back. 1t had been a snap shot,
without any particular aiming; Billy
Louise retreated a few steps farther,
watching the dog suspiciously. He
gathered himself slowly and prepared
to spring at her again. This time Billy
Louise. being on the watch for such a
move, aimed carefully before she fired.
Surbus dropped again, limply-a good
dog forever more.
Billy Louise heard a shrill whistle
and the sound of feet running. She
waited, gun in hand, ready for what
ever might come.
"Hey Charlie Somebody's come !;
the bell, she don't reeng" Peter
Howling Dog, pistol in his hand,
came running down the path from the
cabin. He saw Billy Louise and stopped
abruptly, his mouth half open.
From q shed near the stable came
Charlie, also running. Billy Louise
waited beside the gate. He did not
see her until he was close, for tan
gled gooseberry bush stood between
them.
"What was it, Peter? Somebody in
the Cove? Or was it you"
mo, it wasn't Peter; it was me-"
Billy Louise informed him calmly and
ungrammatically. II shot Surbus,
that's ALL"
"Oh! Why, Miss Louise, you nearly
gave me heart failurel How are you?
| / thought"
"You thought somebody had gotten
into the Cove without your knowing 1t.
Well, somebody did. 1 rode up from
below, along the river"
"Oh-er-did you? Pretty rough
going, wasn't it? 1 didn't think it could
be done. Come in; Aunt Martha will
be" .~-e-- ~sr-r--s sse..ss.,s ssa,s.sye--
81 don't think she'll be overjoyed to
see me-" Billy Louise stood still be-
side the gooseberry bush, and she had
forgotten to put away her gun. 81
drove up those cattle you had down be-
low. You're awfully careless, Charlie
1 should think Peter or Marthy would
have told yon better. When a man
steals cattle by working over the
brands, it's very bad form to keep
them right on his ranch in plain sight
It-isn't done by the best people, you
know" Her voice stung with the con.
tempt she managed to put into it. And
though she smiled, it was such a smile
as one seldom saw upon the face OF
Billy Louise.
whats all this? Worked brands
Why, Miss Louise, IL wouldn't know
how to-"
81 know. You did an awful punl
job. A person could tell in the darl
it was the work of greenhorn. Why
didn't you let Peter do it, or Marthy
You could have done better job thar
that, couldn't you, Marthy?"
Poor old Marthy, with her rheumati,
knees and a gray hardness in hel
leathery face, had come down the patti
and stood squarely before Billy Lou
Use, her hands knuckling her flabb!
hips, her hair blowing in gray, strag
| u.
Better than what? Come in, Bill,
Louise. I'm right glad to see We bacl
and lookin' so well, even if yuh d,
pear to be in one of your tantrums
How's yer maw?"
Billy Louise gasped and went white
"Mommie's dead" she said. "She die
the ninth" She drew another gaspin
breath, pulled herself together, an,
,, went on before the others could begii
the set speeches of sympathy whicl
the announcement seemed to demand
'Never mind about that, now. In
talking about those Seabeck cattle yo
folks stole. / was telling Charlie hoy
! horribly careless he is, Marthy. Dl
, you know he let them drift down tn
, river? And blind man could tell
, mile off the brands have been worked !
, Billy Loulse's tone was positively yer
, omous in its contempt "Why didn
, you make Charlie practice on a COW
!. hide for a while f1rst?" she asked MAJ
thy cuttingly.
Marthy ignored the sarcasm. Pc
: haps it did not penetrate her stoli
: mind at all. Charlie never worke
!, any brands, Billy Louise" she state
!. with her glum directness..
: "Oh, beg his pardon, I'm sure
Did your"
, "NO, never done such a thing, ne
ther. don't know what you're talki
I about"
! "Well, who did. then" Billy Louis
Il | foaa1 ha ola rr,Oyoo1 ri4ilocc1u
N Il d'no." Marthy lifted her hand ar
N made futile effort to tuck in a few
NJ the longest wisps of hair.
NJ well of oil the" The stern gr.
NJ eyes of Billy Louise few wide open
n the effrontery of the words. If tn,
4 expected her to believe that!
a That's it. Miss Louise. That's Il
4 point we'd like TO settle, ourselves.
a know it sounds outrageous, but it's
"a fact. Peter and I found those catt
"A up in the hills, with our brand work
N over the V. On my word of honor, n
"A one of us knows who did it."
81 But you've got them down here
Nj "Well-" Charlie threw out a ha
v helplessly. His eyes met hers with 6
n pealing frankness. "We couldn't r
u out the brands; what else could
\ do? l figured that somebody e
\ would see them If we left them out
the hills, and it might be rather ha
to convince q man. you see, we ca
even convince you. But, so help 1
not one of US branded those catt
Miss Louise. l believe that whoe'
u has been rustllng stock around h,
= deliberately tried to fix evidel
a against us. I'm a stranger in the col
try, and / don't know the game V,
well; I'm an easy mark"
ny "Yes, you're that all right enough
lat Billy Louise spoke with blunt disfay
'e; but her contemptuous certainty of
un guilt was plainly wavering. "To
We, and bring stolen cattle right do
al here"
er. at seemed to me they'd be safer h
nat than anywhere else," Charlie obser'
lily naively. Nobody ever comes do
de- here, unknown to US. had it sized
the that the fellow who worked tn