The Washington herald., 1921-04-10
She Fooled the Sheriff, to
the Hurt of Her Heart and
the Freeing of David from
the Shadow of Bars.


Ut WAS summer in the West Coast
hills-summer that blazed the jum-
= bled slopes with enchanting blue.
that made the MONDAY drowsy with soft
gold sun. winey with light. cool winds.
the tall pine trees whispered their eternal
song. weaved on their rooted feet. Bright
little streams ran and shouted on the
slants; trout lay like waving shadows in
pools and below rocks. Manzanita was
thick on the ridges; madrone and buck
brush were everywhere.
The stiffness Of the great lost land was
appalling. 1t accentuated the dropping
of a pine cone from q high tip, made
the call of a camp-roSber bird carry far.
And to the man stretched idly on a
blanket in the dense shade of a fir
thicket it brought with small. clear dis
tinctiveness the sound of q voice singing.
Very faint. and far away it was. a thin
gold thread of sound that cut through
the great cool spaces with sharp and
sweet precision.
The man sat up abruptly. glanced
swiftly around his camp, and listened
with inheld breath.
1t had been long since he had heard q
human voice-and this was enchanting.
He rose and walked with q quick and
graceful step to the camps edge. He was
a tan man, slim built and young. and he
was no native of the land. His dark
eyes were swift and keen. full of live
intelligence. His straight. dark hair was
trained back from his face in a strict
fashion that held true even through the
neglect of camp life. His clothes had
once been of fine weave and texture,
though now they were much the woise
for They and everything about
the man and the camp seemed to have a
daily acquaintance with the bright water
of little stream that tumbled by a
stcne's throw away.
As he stood and listened with a hand
on the boil of towering hr that SEN
tineled his doorway a strange expression
grew in his face. 1t was a wistfulness
and longing and keen enjoyment rolled
into one. He tipped his head the better
to hear those far of silver notes that
rose and fell and rose again, higher and
niger in an abandon of freedom. There
was no settled theme to this singing,
nothing of rote or boundary. They were
elemental notes, like the waters chuckles
or the birds careless trilL but they were
beautiful. wonderfully beautiful
For a long time he listened, standing
as still as the great tree beside him
Then the music stopped and he drew .
deep breath.
Quite trazzinies Tetrazzini!" he said.
softly. with the hills for sounding
board!'
Then he stepped out from the dusky
shade and strode swiftly away down the
dropping slope He walked fast and
keenIy searched the browsing wilderness
ahead, and presently he saw what he
sought the singer coming slowly along
between the laurel bushes, and 1t was a
girl on q great white horse. At the
sight of the two young things, each in
the flower of its pride, he stopped and
the sensitive corners of his lips drew in
with a sudden twitch-
The young DIANA he whispered.
-And-a steed from the sun gods chariot.
no less!"
The singer was slim and straight an
arrow, and she sat in her cattleman's
saddle like one born thereto. Her hair
was red brown. and it blew in q smoke
o. fine curls all over her proud head
Her eyes were long and narrow and as
blue as the violets that grow in shaded
spots, and their brows and lashes were
not red-brown. as one would have ex-
pected, but very black Her skin was the
golden tan of the out of doors, for she
wore no hat and the glow of sunset
shone in her cheeks.
The horse, thewed like and built
in nawless perfection. threw up his huge
head. stared at the man. and blew his
pink nostrils wide. The silver cloud of
name that tossed down his arching neck
billoved against his riders breast They
made a never to be forgotten picture and
the man looked at them 50 hard that
slow flush rose in his lean face when he
became conscious of it
The girl did not notice, for she was ap-
praising him as frankly. And then she
smiled, and il was as II the sun shone
after rain
Hello, stranger" she said easily,
Hello the man answered. and came
forward
He looked up and she looked down and
they were instant friends
where on earth did you come from.
Diam he asked gently.
Prom Red Mountain house." she
laughed: AN my name amt Dian-its
sydney"
-GIory- he breathed- -sydneyI And
here In this great wild land Where's
Red Mountain house!"
Fifteen miles from here-over in tn
Long Ridge country
How did you happen to be SO far
away. alone?"
Far! Alone!"
She leaned over her pommel and laugh
cd like q young child.
Mister. I've been out four days at a
time with my grub tied on Silver's sad
die. slep' In my blankets on top O. Steep
Stone mountain, an brought In more
head of steers than any man dads got"
He regarded her in wonder. Then he
nodded.
Yes he said with conviction. Il be-
Iicve it"
The girl slouched sidewise in her sad
die and took him in from head to foot
with her long blue eyes.
How long have you been in here?"
.ha xanfed tn know IAN, what's your