The Adair County news., 1922-02-21
CHAPTER ~.
The Proposal.


He stared back at the closed door,
still dazed but capable Of swearing at
himself for being such a blame fool.
He felt vague suspicion that he had
acted foOlishly and that the girl was
amused at his awkward embarrass-
ment. The interview had proven al
togther different from what he had
anticipated; the tears he had come to
wipe away were conspicuous by their
absence, and Tnstead of bringing COM
fort and courage to an extremely NOR
titled young lady, he had found her
filed with merriment over the affair
and quite Indifferent as to its outcome.
She was different from anything he
had previously conceived. He had
confidently expected to encounter a ra-
ther ordinary young woman of the COM
monplace frontier type-the kind he
had known for years.
She had proven herself nothing like
what he had conceived. She had been
smiling and self-possessed, mocking
him with her good humor and treating
the whole affair as a Joke. He was
the victim, rather than she, evidently,
In her estimation; and he had actually
| felt like raw boy in her presence,
unable to think of a word to say or
what to do with either hands or feet.
How Immediately clean she was and
ready Of speech. he saw again the
picture Of her, sitting there facing him,
her eyes meeting him frankly. Yes,
| she had made fool of him, all right,
and he turned and strobe up the path,
oblivious to all else but his gloomy
thoughts
There were numerous people on the
main street, although the principal
groups were before the dance hall and
McCarthy's saloon. Shelby stopped in
| the glare Of the former to consider
what he had better do, his mind vibrat-
ing between joining the others at the
bar or seeking his bed at the hotel.
He was still undecided when two men
suddenly bumped into him and lie rec
ognized Cowan and "Red" Kelly, both
drunk enough to be ugly and insult
ing. The first stared into his face
with a sneer.
"H-l, Red if here amt the BRIDE
groom" he exclaimed insOlently. "Say,
where you been all this timer
Shelby drew back slightly, but held
his temper, his brain instantly clearing.
81 don't hold that to be any Of your
business" he replied coldly.
"Well, by thunder, it is, just the
| ,oo,o Vo,, b,7+fad into fhic o,ou1a vryifh
out no warrant, an yer playin' US
fer a parcel of fools. Fer one, ]
don't stand fer 1t. It was a put-up
job. You an her are in cahoots for
that money. She didn't never look at
one O US. Your pretendin' to be sur
prised was too darn thin. Hill bet
yer Just come over from bein' with her
an laughin' at us-yer d-n skunk u
Shelby's face hardened and his teeth
set grimly.
Don't go too far, Cowan," he warn
ed sternly. 1 got some reputation as
a fightin' man myself an I don't take
everything peaceably. Now, listen tt
me, you drunken brute, and keep g
civil tongue in your head. have seer
the girl, but we didn't talk none abou
marriage and, what's more, I wouldn'
touch that money, not cent of it
even If I was to marry her-she ain
that kiad, ner I amt
"Gosh, you must think I'm a sucker
Tom Shelby. What the hi you go
! to git married onf I'll bet yer neve
seed two thousand before in all you
: life. fell that to the marines-ther
! amt nobody goin' to marry her ex
cept for the cash."
! "What do you meanT
"Why, she's homely as hedge fence
Red was Just sayin' that if she'd
D picked him, he'd have jumped the re
, servatioh, money or no, money. Ye
b.. can't string mel"
J, "You say she's homely?"
D sT sure do, an as damn mean as sh
!. looks, reckon"
D Shelby's face was like flint and hi
Q right fist crashed square into Cowan'
sneering lips. The fellow went toI
u pling over and before he even kne'
what had happened the ranchman wa
upon him, holding him fat to th
earth and pommeling with both hands
It was soon over with, Shelby giyini
), his opponent no chance to break away
interspersing his blows with a franl
expression of feeling.
"You measly houndl Coin to MARI
her for money, am II Maybe you''
. like to say that ag'in, d-n you
That's bout the size O. your sou
! Cowan. Take that, you whelpl Yol
: won't be so d--n beautiful yoursel
/, when get through. There nowl Pei
I haps you'll lay quiet awbilei"
BE got to his feet and glared abop
into the ring Of interested faces dc
family.
; "Any more Of yer want to say Yha
he didT' he demanded. Here, yol
Kelly: you laughed when that dirt