Western Kansas world., 1918-03-28
CHAPTER Iv-continued

CHAPTER IV-Contfhueo
"Roarin' Bills goin' to get himself
killed one uh these days."
Hazel started, but 1t was only Jim
Briggs in the doorway beside her.
"I guess you amt much used TO see
in that sort of exhibition where you
come from, Miss Weir" Briggs wife
put in over his shoulder. '.AIy land,
it's disgustin'-men fghtin' in the
street where everybody can see 'em.
Thank goodness. it don't happen very
. often. Specially when Bill Wagstaff
amt around. You amt shocked, are
you. honeyT
"Why. 1 didn't have time to be
shocked" Hazel laughed. 'It was
done SO quickly"
''If them fellers would leave Bill
alone" Briggs remarked. "there
wouldn't be no fight. But he goes off
like a hair-trigger gun. and he'd scrap
a dozen quick as one. I'm lookin' to
see his finish one uh these days"
What a ~ Hazel observed.
caught by the appellation Briggs had
first used. as that Roaring Bill over
ithere?'
That's him-Roarin' Bill Wagstaff."
Briggs answered. "If he takes few
drinks. you'll find out tonight how he
got the name. Sings-just like bull
moose-hear him all over town. Prob
ably whip two or three men before
mornin'."
His spouse calling him at that mo-
ment, Briggs detailed no more infor-
mation about Roaring Bill. And Hazel
lsat looking across the way with con-
siderable interest att the specimen of
a type which hitherto she had encoun-
tered in the pages of 'ffction-a fight
Ding man, what the West called a dad
actor" She had, however, no wish
for closer study of that particular
type. The men of her world had been
altogether different, and the few from
tier specimens she had met at the
briggs dinner table had not I'M
pressed her with anything except their
ishyness and manifest awkwardness in
her presence. The West itself ap-
pealed to her. its bigness. it's nearness
to the absolutely primeval, but not the
people she had so far met. And so
she looked at Roaring Bill Wagstaff.
over the way. with n quite impersonal
interest.
He came into Briggs place for sup
per. Mrs. Briggs was her own wait
ress. Briggs himself sat beside Hazel.
She heard him grunt, and saw a mild
look of surprise fit over his counte-
nance when Roaring Bill walked in
and coolly took seat. But not until
Hazel glanced at the newcomer did she
recognize him as the man who had
fought in the street. He was looking
straight at her when she did glance
up. and the mingled astonishment and
eyes made Hazel drop hers quickly to
her plate. Since Mr.. Andrew Bush
she was beginning to hate men who
looked at her that way. And she could
not help seeing that many did so look.
The next Saturday Hazel went for
n tramp in the afternoon. The few
walks she had taken had dulled all
sense of uneasiness in venturing into
the Unfolding forest. She felt that those
shadowy woods were less sinister than
man. And since she had always kept
her sense of direction and come
straight to the Meadows whenever she
went abroad. she had no fear or
thought of losing her way.
To reach her objective point. she
crossed long stretch of rolling land.
well timbered, dense in parts with
thickets of berry bushes. Midway in
s this she came upon little brook. purr-
ing monotone as it crawled over
pebbled reaches and bathed the tangled
roots of trees alongsits brink. BY this
she sat n while. Then she itlled along,
coming after considerable difficulty to
abruptly rising ground. She could not
see the town, but she could mark the
low hills behind it. At any-rate, she
knew where it lay, and the way back
So she thought But the short after
noon fled. and. warned by the low dir
of the sun. she left her nook on the
hillside to make her way home
Though it was near sundown. she felt
no particular concern The lons
northern twatght gave her ample time
to cover the distance
But once down on the rolling land
among the close-ranked trees, she be
gan to experience difficulty that hat
rot -.therto troubled her With ths