The Washington herald., 1922-01-01

Barclay could imagine. in view of his own
impressions Of the young wife.
At camp he found things the same way
between them: the woman friendly. stten-
tive. evenly sweet.tempered; the man quiet.
courteous. but stoicaily undemonstrative and
aloof.
80 That eastern guy" remarked Bud to Al
Lawley over the woodpne. don't stack up
with mo no higher than paint on q stone
floor. don't like his damn white little
hands. an don't like the look Of them but
ton eyes O. his when he looks at her"
Il kinda been feelin' the interest he's
takin' in quail amt hardly up to huntin
standard. An l been feeiin' the interest
the Chief is takin' in him amt hardly UP to
what he'd ought take in q stranger startin'
a brandin' fire on his range"
"Meanin'f" asked Bud. gratinsiy. Il
reckon Mnt has got you about risht-you
amt delicate. too much"
-Now. there yuh go! You an Milt an
delicate! You make me ache In my thoughts.
You do a heap OF lookin' an can't see nothin'
fer the view. You got heads. an they're
Just knobs to keep yuh from slippin' down
through yer clothes. They couldn't no one
even think crooked about her In the sign
language without I'd crawl him as quick as
any one. I'm talkin' about men. Here's the
pore. spunky little crittur putin It through
out here alone. surrounded by q herd OF men.
An look at EN-! Those that amt just
sprung kneed COW handp is either a stubborn.
buck-jumpin' son-of-a-gun that won't, hitch
or a creepin' coyote slinkin' UP in the grass.
Now. that mayn't be d. .ea:e enough to suit
yuh. but it's facts"
In the light Of Al's commentary, Bud
watched the trend Of affairs more closely.
1t was not difficult to see that the Chief
acted queerly. He threw short. like . new
rope. in the woman's pr sence. There wasn't
anything hearty about his carnpanionship
with her: he took a lot OF trouble TO see that
she was comfortable, but he let 1t stop at
that. We'll. doggone mel" Bud muttered.
And then he noticed that the fastener
kept making little plays to talk with the
woman alone; and that she kept finding ways
to ride with him-Bud-or to sit near the
Chief in the evenings or to keep Don beside
her. We'll. doggone mel" Bud declared.
But with patience Barclay awaited his op-
portunity. and an hour came when the others
were drawn away on various AFFAIRS
What an experience It has been for you"
he unused. with q vague gesture indicating
the west in general.
Helen, seated with her knitting on the
fragrant needle carpet under a yellow pine.
freed a length Of yarn from her workbag
and answered lightly:
with not an association Of the old life
carried overt"
And yet without fulfllment Of the new"
He cast up at her 4 shrewd. searching gaze
from where he lolled At her feet. why
pretend?" he continued. Two might carry
1t of together-but one cannot alone"
Very WELL she answered; "let us not
pretend. Just what il 1t that you have in
mind7"
q can't put It into its proper verse eI-
acty but something about 4 flower unseen,
and desert air-and all that. You left US
rather precipitatsly back there-quite a Jolt
you gave US. But that aside. 1t has been
an experience. but under the circumstances
II must have been also somewhat Of an ex-
pertinent; one. I am forced to assume-well,
let us say as l said before-short Of fulfill
ment."
You assume readily. Under the circum.
stances might we not say that almost you
presumed"
You forget. We are not pretending. I'm
telling you what see. You say that none
Of the old associations are carried over.
get your point. You have been avoiding me
for a week. and you wish to haye me believe
that my old interest in you can no longer be
entertained--
Was it ever entertained" she inter.
rupted.
Doesn't It mean something to . woman
to have an interest manifested?" Il" he returned
in here is intolerable. And position de-
scribes It about as see It"
So you would suggest my resignins!
And may have my old position back
Look here. Helen. Face the facts. What
your feeling may be you succeed admirably
in concealing. He does not do 50 well. For
some reason that Heaven only knows. he
does not care. He
He is coming now she broke in. See
along the trail through the ptfons May
tell him how you feel about it-or will
you7"
"No-for I suppose according to weStarn