The Oakley herald. [volume] (Oakley, Idaho) 1908-1961, 1922-01-06

case were foolish enough to lose my
| temper.
81 know" she nodded. "He Killed
man once: II was when | was a
little girl and we were living in Grip
pie Creek. He was acquitted on the
plea of Self-defense. So | didn't dare
say anything to you or 10 Daddy.
What l did was to steal your deed
myself, when ! had a chance. Daddy
has some blank forms just like 1t, and
/ sat up one night In my room and
made copy. II wasn't a very good
copy-your grandfather's handwriting
was awfully hard TO initiate. Besides,
didn't have any notarial seal. But
thought II might do for-for some
thing to be stolen. Then l hid the
real deed and put the copy back In
the envelope in your pocket"
"And Fullerton finally stole It, Just
as you thought he would" put I'm.
ale did You are dreadfully care
less with your things; you are al
ways leaving your coat around. Just
where you happen to take 1t off.
knew then that the next thing to be
done was to get your deed recorded
| quickly. He-he was urging me every
day to run away with him, and was
afraid to tell him how much l despised
him; afraid he'd take 1t out on you
and Daddy. So I Just let him go on
and talk and believe what he pleased.
OF course, he wanted to ride with me
the morning we went away, but after
we got down the road a piece l made
an excuse to go 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"
81 didn't go to Atropia, as he ex-
pected me to-" she continued calmly.
81 took the old Haversack trail across
the mountain to Greaser siding.
knew that the Copah train would stop
there on the side-track. When I got
as far as the Haversack I thought 1
heard somebody following me. / was
scared and didn't know what to do. /
was afraid my copying of the deed had
been discovered and that the original
would be taken away from me, so l
hurried to hide the real deed The
old Haversack tunnel seemed to be a
good place, but while I was In there
Barney began to bark, and 1 looked
out and saw that the noise had heard
had been made by a stray COW from
one Of the foothill ranches. So / re-
mounted and rode on to catch the
train to Copah. At Greaser siding I
tried to make Barney lead the pony
home, and Barney tried his best to do
It. But Wrinkle wanted to Craze, and
had TO go off and leave them when
the train came. That's all, l think
except that had to wait two days at
my cousins I'm Copah before 1 could
get the deed back from the record
ers office. They were awfully slow
about It,"
ut isn't quite ALL" l amended. "You
haven't told me how you happened to
come back with Beasley and his
posse"
THAT was just coincidence. I !
reached Atropia on tie early morning
train and met Mr.. Beasley and his |
men just as they were starting up the
mountain. Cousin Buddy Fuller had |
told me how he had telegraphed to |
Angels for Mr.. Beasley, and | was
scared to death, of course because I |
knew what it meant. SO I borrowed |
the Haggertys pony and came along
with the posse"
There was silence for q little time;
such silence as the Gathering and
hammering Of the carpenters and
steam-ftters permitted. Then I said:
And when you got here, the first
thing did was to call you Mrs. Bull
lerton'. l don't blame you for not be-
ing able to forgive me, Jeanne, girl;
honestly, l don't"
1T was worse than crime" she
averred solemnly; ut was a blunder.
What made you do it?"
Partly because / was a Jealous
fool; but mostly because 1 was sore
and sorry and disappointed. I thought
Fullerton had beaten me to It,"
NO" she said quite soberly; at
was Miss Randle who beat you TO It,"
/ gasped. There were tremendous
possibilities In that cool answer of
hers; prodigious possibilities
but sayw / burst out; didn't I
tell you that Lisette had pushed me
overheard long ago?"
Il know. She was sensible enough
to see that you and she couldn't live
on nothing year. But now that you
are rich, or are going to be Pm
sure you are not going to be less gen
erous than she was. What If she did
take your ring off In moment of dis
and knowing that you
couldn't buy her hats? You can be
very sure she put 1t on again as soon
as your back was turned"
There we were; no sooner over one
hurdle before another and a higher
one must jump up. l 5roaned and
thrust my hands into my pockets. A ,
paper rustled and l drew 1t out. 1t
was the telegram Buddy Fuller had
handed me, still unread. / opened 1t
k~sasxze<3 fsaSa.sse1 Enesuzs<T Araa.-.nS3 As.oa.