The Washington herald., 1922-01-01
READING SIGN
The Man from Arizona
and the Girl from New
York Couldn't See
Around the Big Bend in
the Trail, but They Read
the Clew and They Took
the Chance Together

II sewing. II was incongruous bust.
and the thing he was bent upon 50 seriously
was repairing a rtdiculousiy little pair of
sveraHs.
His foreman leaned over the back Of a
Tilted chair Watching the operation inter
ested1y. Across the big knee was spread tho
. three cornered tear which had been raised
into hard wests by overland strokes with
saddle thread. pulled tight
She reads like Lazy L brand" the fore
man declared. AN she sure sets in the
right place.
nve. He was pushing the needle through a
puckered ridge Of the coarse material with
the end Of an empty rife cartridge.
-Youah young orspring's soin' to feel Hike
he's settin' on a ravhide rope," the foreman
suggested. Let me take 'en down to the
blacksmith shop an natten them seams some
the anvil
A jerk Of the thread iooseoed an avalanche
Of assorted stmf from the small pocket into
Lanham's lap. Curtoasiy he fingered the col
lection and spread the exhibits upon his
broad palm Fhsre Eas . rttie wad OF red
WOOL yaxn, The wheel from . broken spur.
the dried head Of horned toad, a Mex silver
dollar, and a cut glass stopper from a bottle.
Lanhams interest centersd upon the stop
psr. He head It up IN the light II wondered
what had become Of that" he said quietly.
1t w.s hers, you know" There was a Pc
euisar gentle eg1passis In the way he said
-hsrs." Betongs to q bottle that always
sssod on bar bureau. 1t held lilac water"
His big hand closed tightly upon the boys
treasure. Tho foreman lowered his eyes and
stared at has boots
-LIsaos grew whrs brought her from
and were sort Of strung along WITH our court.
ing"
nd watched the changing eoIors cleaning
from ~ facets.
Little Don probably hooks her memory UP
prstty close to that bottle, like pup holding
. scent She used 70 let him wet his nose
With the stoppsr.-
when his sewing was finished, and taking
ths lamp With him. went OF to his bedroom
Standing over the cot in a corner across
from his own bed. the father lowered the
hmp beside the sleeping boys face. An anx-
ious frovn cEouded the little lads expression.
a. though he were not resting peacefully.
Lanhan crouched down upon his heels and
softly touched the small hand flung Imply
across the blanket. At once the hand tight
eDed upon his finger the child's frown gave
vsy to the relaxation Of happy surprise and
ths smiling lips drowsily whispered.
-Muvvy!-
Two years Of solely masculine attention
had nodded domestic matters at the ranch
erudely awry. Lanham noted that the little
hand about his finger was grimy in its
creases. that the corners OF the boys mouth
we're caked with dried strip. that the tucking
Of the bed covers was bunchy and haphazard.
The whole room had an air Of dispirited un-
welcome Lanham's steady gray eyes roved
over the desolate, silent place. They came
to rest again. tenderly, upon the boys face
He gripped the small hand softly and rose to
prepare for sleep.
The regular ranch routine went on with
unehanging demands upon the fathers atten-
don and with unreHeved monotony for the
boy until. early IN December. a sudden i'm
pulse seized upon the COW hands to make
q Christmas for the Kid" 1t caught them
collectively. Ike a spreading epidemic, and
. stir ot stalking mystery enveioped the out
1T
By day the hrswny. bovtesyed hor,enen
traiIed little Don on, singly, and with studied
and cunntnsly indirect questioning sought
to arrive at conclusions as to the small lads
secret Songinss. By night. baffied and uncsr-
tain. they secretively thumbed over the bulky
mail order catalog from Chicago, straining
for suggestions The spirit Of competition
was rife.
Eventually, one By one, they sent away
letters with enclosures Of money as each
narrowed a list Of tentative selections to his
final choice Of gift preeminent-and each
with an enlarged air or elation. Then. q, Ger.
tain notices besan to arrive in the mails,
they stole away one by one to the express
agent at the railroad a hah-day's ride out,
and rooe In after dark, each craftily hiding
packase IN . place OF ,nvtolate seclusaon
Christmas does not come to the high, hori.
ron-wsde mesas Of Arizona-t has to be IN
trigued- Three days before Christmas little
Andy Anes, the G-urt Of the OUTFIT rode away
toward the mountains. an unladen packhorse