Licking Valley courier., 1922-03-02

son capable Of q thing when a person
is not; to--just take It for granted
that a person is guilty-oh"-with
little stamp Of her foot-"I can't bear
to talk about itI
! guess it's part Of q mans equip
ment to be dense and sort of stupid
In his dealings with women, l mean.
Slowly. SO slowly that / thought the
catch would never snap and hold, my
fool mind crept back along the line,
searching blindly for the point at
which all this fiery indignation toward
me had begun: back and still back to
that moment Of our dellverance-
Daddy's and mine-at the shafthouse
door, with this dear girl untwisting her.
aims from her fathers neck, and with
me saying, "Tm not hurt, either. We'll
come home, Miss Twombly-or should
say, Mrs. BullertonT
"Jeaniew gasped; "do you mean
that you're not going to marry Charles
Bullertoni-that you never meant tot"
"Of course, I'm not |" she retorted,
with a savage little out-thrust of the
adorable chin. "But you thought SO
small Of me that you simply took It
for granted"
| wagged my head in deepest hu-
millty.
I'm as the dust under your pretty
feet, Jeanie; please don't trample me
too hard. Bullerton-that is--er-we
had a scrap the next morning after
you went away, you know, andI, -.
well, he rather got the worst Of 1t.
And when I had him down and was
trying to make him tell us where you
were-even your father thought you'd
gone of with. hlm-he said you'd
planned to go with him to get mar
ried. but that you had failed to show
up at Atropia In time for the train."
"He told lie, because that Is the
way he is made and he couldn't help
It," she said simply, still as cool as
a cucumber. "He said we were going
to Angels to get married, and IL
didn't say we weren't; I just let him
talk and didn't say anything atiall."
Wont you tell me a bit moref' ]
begged.
"You don't deserve II the least lit
tie bit, but I will. II began with the
deed' your deed to the mine. One
day, when you were over at the shaft
house, and had left your coat here In
the cabin, I saw him take the deed
from your pocket when he didn't know
I was looking. He read It and put II
back quickly when he heard me stir
ring in the other room. knew It
hadn't been recorded; you and Daddy
had both spoken Of that. felt sure
he'd take It again, and perhaps de-
stroy 1t. At first, I thought I'd tell
you or Daddy, or both of you. But ]
knew that would mean trouble.S
1--WE were never very far from the
fighting edge In those days." ] admit
ted. Fullerton had shawn me the
gun ha always carried under his arm,
and had told me what to expect in
case were foolish enough to lose my
temper
II know" she nodded. HE killed
a man once; II was when I was
little girl and we were living In Grip
pie Creek. He was acquitted on the
plea Of salf-dafense. So / didn't dare
say anything to you or to Daddy.
What did was to steal your deed
myself, when I had a chance. Daddy
has some blank forms Just like II, and
! sat up one night In my room and
made a copy. II wasn't very good
copy-your grandfather's handwriting
was awfully hard to initiate. Besides,
didn't have any notarial seal. But
I thought II might do for-for some
thing to be stolen. Then hid the
real deed and put the copy back In
the envelope in your pocket
"And Fullerton finally stole II, Just
as yau thought hs would" put In.
uHe did. You are dreadfully care.
less with your things; you are al
ways leaving your coat around. Just
where you happen to take II of. I
knew then that the neft thing to be
done was to get your deed recorded
quickly. He-he was urging me every
day to run away with him, and Twas
afraid to tell him how much despised
hlml afraid hed take It out on you
and Daddy. Sol Just let him 90 on
and talk and believe what he pleased.
OF course, he wanted 10 ride with me
the morning we went away, but after
we got down the road a piece, made
an excuse to 20 on ahead by another
trail"
"That much Of what he told your
father and me-when we were having
the scrap-was true. He said you
went on ahead"
II didn't go to Atropia, as he exr
pected me to-" she continued calmly,
II took the old HRvaTsaek trail across
tho mountain to Greaser siding.
knew that the Copah train would stop
there on the side-track. When got
as far as the Haversack I thought ]
heard somebody following me. was
scared and didn't know what to do. I
Was afraid my cppying of the deed had
baen discovered and that the original
would be taken away from me, 20.
hurried to hide the real deed. The
old Hayersapk tuhnel seemed to be a
aaod place, hut while was In there
Barney began to bark, and ! looked
out and saw that the nolae I had heard
Ind been made by stray COW from
one N The fOothill ranches. SO I re-
mounted and rode on to catch the
train to Copah, At Greaser siding ]
tried TO make Barney lead the pony
home, and Barney tried his best to do
It. But winkie wanted to Craze, and
had to go of and leave them when
tho train came. That's all, l think
except that 7 had to walt two days a
my cousins In Copah before coult
got the deed back from the record
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