Grand Forks herald. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1916-1955, 1922-08-03
CHAPTER II.
Clay Appoints Himself Chaperon.

CHAPTER II.
Clay Appoints Himself Chsperun.
As he travelled east Clay began to
slough the outward marks OF his call
ing. He rave his spurs to Johnnie
! before he left the ranch. At Tucson
he shed his chaps and left them in
care of a friend at the Longhorn cor
raj. The six-gun with which he had
shot ~rattlesnakes he packed into his
suitcase at Ell Paso. His wide-rimmed
felt hat few off; while the head be-
meath 1t was stuck out Of a window
Of thescoach somewhere south Of Dem
YER. Before he passed under the
Welcome arch in that city h silk
kercabef had been removed ron his
brown neck and retired to the hip
five.
The young cattleman began to fiat
ter himself that nobody could now tell
he waS.a wild nan from the hills who
had neve been curried. He might
nave spared himself the illusion. The
lightnew of his stride, the breadth of
the wen-packed shoulders, the frank
. of the steady eyes, all advertised
him as a son of Arizona.
1t was just before noon at n of
h small plains towns east of Den
yer that a girl got on the train and
was taken by the porter to a section
back of Clay Lindsay. The man from
Arizona noticed that she was refresh
ingly pretty in an unsophisticated way
A little later he had a chance to
confirm this judgment, for the dining
car manager seated her opposite him
at a table for two. When Clay hand
ed her the mem card. she murmured
Thank you!" with a rush Of color
TO her cheeks n looked helplessly
at the list in her hand. Quite plainly
h was taking her first long journey.
order card. She put herself entirely
in his hands and was willing to eat
whatever he suggested unbiased by
preferences of her own.
She was a round. soft, little person
with constant limitations Of a child
hood not long outgrown. During the
course Of lunch she confided that her
an orphan. and hat she on her
"a to New York to study at a school
for moving picture actresses.
IT sent my photograph, and the
manager wrote back that my a was
n hundred per cent perfect for the
movies" the girl explained. 1t was
clear that she was expecting to be
week Or two.
After they had finished eating, the
range-rider turned in at the smoking
compartment and enjoyed a cigar. He
fell into casual talk With an army
officer who had served in the south
west. and it was three hours later
when he returned to his own seat in
the car.
A hard-faced man in a suit of checks
more than a shade too loud was SIT
ting in the section beside the girl
from Brush. He was making ak in
an assured. familiar way, and the girl
was listening to him shyly and yet
eagerly. The man was a variation of
a type known to Lindsay. That type
was the Arizona bad-man. If this ex-
pensively dressed fellow was not the
eastern equivalent of the western gun
man, Clay's experience was badly at
fault.
Clay had already made friends with
the Pullman conductor. He drifted
to him now on the search for infor-
nation.
"The ha%rd-faced guy with the little
girl?' he asked casually after the
proffer of a cigar. The n with the
muscles bulsing out all over him
who is he?"
He ONE by that tough mug hon.
estly. That's Jerry Durand.'
he<prize-ighter?
Yep. Used to be. He's a gang
leader in New York now. Runs a
gambling house of his own. I've heard
You can't prove it by me-"
When Lindsay returned to his place
he settled himself with a magazine In
a seat where he could see Kitty and
: her new friend. The very vitality Of
the girls young life was no douba
a temptation to this man. The soft
rounded throat line. the oval cheek.
rich coloring 80 easily nov to ebt
and flow, the carmine of the full rec
lips: every detail helped to confirm
the impression of a sensuous young
creature, innocent as a wild thing O.
the forests and as yet almost as un'
spiritual.
Durand took the girl in to dinner
with him, and they sat not far from
Lindsay. Kitty was lost to any mem,
DRY of those about her. She was f1irt
ing joyously with a n of newt,
awakened powers. The man from
Graham county. Arizona, felt uneas.
in his mind. The girl was flushed
with life: In a way shc was celebrat
ing her escape from the narrow hor
lion in which she had lived. In he,
unsophfstdcation danger lay. For sh,
vas plainly easily Influenced, and ii
the heat OF her healthy young bloo<
!. probably there was latent passion.
They left the diner before Clay. H
passed them later in the vestibule o
lne sleeper me were looking on
together on the moonlit plain through
which the train vas rushing. The arm
of the man was stretched behind he
to the railing. and with the motion O
the a the girl swayed back slightl,
against him.
Again Clay sought the smoking com
partment and was led into his talk b
the officer. It "a well past clever
/ when he rose yawned and announced
a NY'm i0o}n' 70 hit the hav" G s
Most Of the berths were made ur
and It was with a little shock of sur
prise that his eyes fell on Kitty Ma
son and her new friend, the sleel
black head Of the man close to he
fair curls, his steady eye holding he
like . charmed bird while his careaa
ing voice wove the fairy hale Of Ne,
y York to which she yielded herself i
strange delight