Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1919-09-04

"Thanks for those first kind words,
she exclaimed, taking the cup from him
and drinking eagerly.
"why didn't you say you were
thirsty?" he asked in a resentful tone
without looking at her. He had, IN
fact, studiously refrained from looking
at her throughout the journey.
I'm not used TO asking for any
thing" she answered with a chuckle
81 take what comes my way. Taking
is your job, too, isn't it?'
ITO hell with my job !" he broke out
fiercely. "I'd never have taken it if
knew it meant this"
Its your own fault" she retorted.
"It wouldn't have been this if you
hadn't been so grouchy. We could
have had a chummy little gabfest, il
you hadn't been bunging holes in the
landscape with your lamps all the
way"
He made no response but began to
examine the workings of his ear.
Does the county furnish it to you?'
she asked. at doesn't seem as if you d
pick out anything like this. Was II
Made in America? Funny outfit for
cowboy country, anyway.
Get in" he commanded curtly.
1--WE must be away"
"Oh, please, not yet she implored.
Its so awful hot, and l won't have
all this outdoors for long time, / sup
pose. l see there's a tidy little bit Of
shade yonder. Let's go there and rest
awhile. I'll be good; honest, L will,
and when ] get rested, you can hit a
faster gait to even up. I get tired just
the same as honest folks do. Come
now, won't you?"
In a flash she had taken advantage
of this oasis of shade that, beckoned
enticingly to the passerby.
He followed reluctantly.
This is heaven let loose" she said,
lolling luxuriously against the trunk OF
a tree. You're the only nice sheriff
man that ever run me i'll.
He sat down near her and looked
gloomily ahead
Cheer up" she urged, after a short
silence. 1T may not be so bad. Any
one would think you were the prisoner
instead of poor little me"
II wish l were" he said shortly.
She looked at him curiOusly.
''Say. what's eating you. anyway
If you hate your job so, what did you
take it for?"
"It was forced on me. I'm only
sworn in as acting sheriff for the coun-
ty until the sheriff returns. y
How long you been it,!
Two weeks. You re my second
arrest"
Who was the first?"
80 Long Sam
She sat upright.
Are you the man who caught So
Long Sam? Every one has been afraid
to tackle him. I'd never have thought
it of you"
why" he asked curiously, not
proof against the masculine enjoyment
of hearing himself analyzed in spite of
his reluctance to talk to her. DO l
seem such weaklng I couldn't take
one man.
mo: you look like you'd take
red hot stove if you wanted to; but
they said-Say; is your maiden name
Kurt? No! 1t cant be-"
'Why not?"
Because they called the man who
took So Long Sam Kind Kurt You
haven't been overland to me till just
lately. Whirling me over sands in that
awful foreshortencd car.
1T must be better" he said dryly,
than the kind you've been used to. )"
"You mean the Jail jitney. Do you
know, they never yet put me in one.
Always conveyed me other ways.
Weren't so bad to me, either, | guess
maybe your heart is in the right place
or you wouldn't have let me rest and
given me the drink, even if you did wait
till the eleventh hour. Cant you look
pleasant like you were going to sit for
picture to give to your" best girl
instead of posing for Just before the
battle. mother? You look so sorry
you came"
Il am" he said angrily. "I guess
Kind Kurt is n blankety blank fool,
as some peoAe say. I've been lot
kinder to you than YOU know. When
I heard of your case and Bender pointed
you out to me and said he'd got you
locked up I thought you were one of
the many young city girls who go wrong
because they have no chance to know
better The kind bred in slums, ignor
ant. ill -fed-the kind who never had
a fair show. So I resolved that you
should have one. Bender wanted you
out of town with the surety that you
would never come back.
81 felt sorry for you. I offered to
take you off his hands and bring you
out here among the hills. where the
best woman in the world would teach
you to want to be honest. Do you
suppose I'd have done it if I'd known
the kind you area bright, smart brat
who is bad because she wants to be
and boasts of it? There is no hope for
your kind"
1t was the longest speech the acting
sheriff had ever made. He had been
scarcely conscious that he was talking,
but was simply voicing what had been
in his thoughts for the last half hour.
How old is this best woman in the
world'?" asked the girl, seemingly un
concerned in his summing up of her
case. is she your sweetheart or your
wife? If she is either one, you'd better
take me back to Bender or spill me out
on the plains here. She won't be rea