Five Mile Beach weekly journal., 1922-05-12

get him."
The girl sparkled. Here was a new
slant on matrimonial desirability.
Clearly the view of the little COW
puncher was that Clay had only to
crook his fingers to summon any girl
In the world that he desired.
"What would you advise me to dor"
she dimpled.
"Sho! 1 dunno" He shyly un-
burdened himself of the warning he
had been leading up to. "But I'd
tie a can to that dude fellow that hangs
around-the Bromfield guy. o. course
l know he amt one, two, three with
you while Clay's on earth, but l don't
reckon I'd take any chances, as the
old sayin' is. Better get shet of the
dude"
Miss Whitford bit her lip to keep
from exploding In a sudden gale of
mirth. But the sight Of her self-ap-
pointed chaperon set her off into peals
of laughter in spite Of herself. Ev-
cry time she looked at Johnnie she
went off into renewed chirrups. He
was so homely and so deadly earnest.
The little waif was staring at her In
perplexed surprise, mouth open and
for gayety at his suggestion. There
was nothing subtle about the Runt.
In his social code wealth did not fig
ure. A forty-dollar-a-month bronco
buster was free to offer advice to the
daughter of a millionaire about her
matrimonial prospects If it seemed
best.
"Clay amt one O. the common run Of
cowpunchers, ma'am. You bet you,
by jollies, he amt. Clay he owns a
half-interest in the B-in-a-Box. o.
course it amt what he's got, but what
he is that counts. He's the best darned
pilgrim eve l did see."
Hes all right, Johnnie" the girl
admitted with an odd smile. do you
want me to tell him that I'll be glad
to drop our family friends to meet his
approval? l don't suppose he asked
you to speak to me about it. did her"
The little range-rider missed the
irony of this. mo, ma'am, I Jest but
ted in. Mebbe I hadn' ought to of
spoke"
"You needn't feel bad, Johnnie.
There's no harm done-if you don't
say anything about it to Mr.. Lindsay.
But l don't think you were intended
for a matchmaker. That takes quite
a little fnesse, doesn't It'll"
The word "lnesse" was not in John
MES dictionary, but he acquiesced in
her verdict.
~ reckon, ma'am, you're right"
Clay vas waiting for lunch at a rot
isserie on Sixth avenue, and in order
to lose no time-of which he had more
just now than he knew what to do
with-was meanwhile reading a news
paper propped against a water-bottle.
From the personal column there popped
out at him three lines that caught his
attention:
IF this meets the eye of G. L. of
Arizona please write me, Box Mi,
The Herald. Am in trouble.
Kitty NJ"
He read it again. There could be
no doubt in the world. 1t was ad-
dressed to him, and from Kitty. He
remembered that on the bus he had
casually mentioned to her that he
usually read the Herald.
After he had eaten, Clay walked
down Broadway and left a note at the
office of the Herald for Kitty.
The thought of her was in his mind
all dav. He had worried a good deal
over her disappearance. II was nor
alone that he felt responsible for the
loss of her place as cigarette girl. One
disturbing phase of the situation was
that Jerry Durand must have seen her.
What more likely than that he had
arranged to have her spirited away2
Lindsay had read that hundreds Of
girls disappeared every year in the
city. If they ever came to the surface
again 1t was as jewellers in that M
derworld in the current of which they
he'd been caught.
He had an engagement that after
noon to walk with Beatrice WhitfOrd
They crossed to Morningside park
and moved through it 10 the northern
end where the remains of Fort Laight,
built to protect the approach to the
city during the War of 1912, can still
be seen and traced.
Beatrice had read the story of the
earthworks. In the midst of the tell
ing of it she stopped to turn upon
him with swift accusation, you're
not listening"
That's right, l wasn't" he admit
ted.
Have you heard something about
your cigarette girl?"
Clay was amazed at the accuracy
Of her center shot.
yes" He showed her the news
paper.
She read. The golden head rodded
triumnhantlv 81 fold Won cha couId