The Aberdeen weekly. [volume] (Aberdeen, Miss.) 1878-1933, 1922-03-17


me and to lift paw for me to shake
1 jollied him a bit and let him nose
me to his hearts content. Then sud
denly, as if he had discovered a long
lost master, he broke away and began
to leap and dance around me. barking
a furious and hilarious welcome. In
| the midst of this hubbub / heard hoOf-
/ beats and the squeaking of saddle
! leather, and the dogs owner rode up.
AT first I thought the dimly outlined
Stetson-hatted figure in the saddle was
that of boy But it was a woman's
voice and mighty pleasant one, that
called to the dog: Down, Barney.
and behave yourself-what's the mat
ter with you, sir! :"
1 stood up and pulled off my cap.
I'm chiefly the matter" l said.
Your dog seems to think he knows
me, and I'm awfully sorry that his
memory is so much better than mine.
You'd think-anybody would think
that a woman riding alone in the
dark on solitary mountain road
would be handsomely startled, to say
the least, at seeing man rise up fair
ly under her horses nose. But II my
little lady were scared, she certainly
didn't parade her fright.
Barney is such foolish dog, some
times" she said apologetically. He
has a double brain, you know; half
of it is good-natured and silly and
the other half is-well, it's"
The dog had come around again
wagging his tail and at that magic
word half / stopped to let him stick
his cold nose into my palm. The act
brought me near enough to enable me
to see him better, and / had to clap
hand over my mouth to keep from
shouting Ouk and soaring the entire
combination into a wild stampede
For, if you'll believe me, the dog was
my dog One-half of his face was
white and the other was so black that
it merged and faded tremendously in
to the night!
Il know I said Strengthening up
again; my brain acts that way, too,
sometimes" Then: Pardon me, but
would you mind telling me the color
of the horse you are riding?"
The young woman laughed and her
laugh was just as jolly and pleasant
as her speaking voice.
''Winkie is what the cOw-men call a
'pinto'-a calico horse" she answered
promptly.
"Sure!" I beloved, 81 knew it!''
and the horse SHE'D and the dog barked
in sheer sympathy. Then I apolOgized.
please forgive the explosion. As l
said a minute ago, my brain some
times acts like Barney's: half of it
being goOd-natured and silly and the
other half-well, Wen omit the de-
scription of the other half for the
present, if you'll permit me. May I
you have the goodness to tell |
me where l am?"
"I-why-dear ne! Don't you know |
where you are?'
Not any more than harmless, nee |
essary goat, l assure you"
l couldn't be certain, but l thought |
she took little frmer hold upon her
lridle rein.
did you-did you come from An
yels?" she asked in sort of awed
title voice.
How did you guess it? I was, in
leed-for very short space of time
yelic band. And if you should ask me,
might say that feel as though 1 had
walked most of the way here from
Angels. I-I-my car broke down, you
,nOw."
Yes" she said: at know''-just as
she did. Then: 81 can at least tell
-ou where you are. This is the south
.rn slope of Cinnabar mountain. This
Dad leads on down to Atropia, about
hree miles below"
Yes; Atropia was the place 1 was
rying to come at"
She stopped and appeared to be think
ng about something. Then she said
Really, l think you would better
lot go TO Atropia. It's-we1, it's
.uite long walk"
The walk doesn't specially appal
ne. I've done so much walking this
fternOOn that a few hundred miles.
lOre or less. in addition wouldn't be
7Orth mentioning. But for some other
easons-"
"Yes; for some other reasons" she
aid, repeating it right after me- Then:
I-we-Daddy and /, might give you
ONE supper and put you up for the
light, tiff you wouldn't mind sleep
~ in them the loft"
My Lord | hadn't so much as seen
er face clearly yet, but I could have
'orshiped her! She had just come
rom Atropia. and she knewi OF
curse, she knew. That little dry-as-
ust hamlet must have been sizzling
Dr hours with the wire news of the
scaped lunatic who had alighted in
ngelS only 10 light out again with a
-olen Inspection car And in the face
all that she was willing TO take
chance on mel If she had only
nown that / would cheerfully risk
eeping in the cellar-to say nothing
a loft-rather than lose sight of
pr but she was going on a bit
-eathlessly: ut is only a short mile
our cabin and-and if you are very
red, I might let you ride Winkie''
Il shall be most delighted-to walk" 4
FASTENED TO say.
straight on up the road, then" she
rected. b
We' had traversed possibly half of I
e promised mile in Flooding silence I
hen we came TO a place where the c