The Elk Mountain pilot., 1922-12-07

friend to get her out Of the country
That won't be very soon. don't mis-
take me. =. l don't want to seem
over-curious about you-Laddy has
interested me in you-and straight
out I'd like to know what you propose
to do now"
II haven't any plans" replied Dick |;
and. taking the moment as propitions.
he decided to speak frankly concern
ing himself. II Just drifted down
here. My home is in Chicago. When
l left school some years ago-l'm
twenty-five now-I went to work for
my father. He's-he has business In.
terests there. tried all kinds of in
side jobs. I couldn't please my ia
ther. To tell you frankly Mr.. Bel
ding. 1 suppose didn't much care"
"What do you want to dor
II want a mans job. want 70 do
things with my hands. ! want action.
/ want to be outdoors"
Bedding nodded his head as II he
speak again, cut something short. ti,en
went on. hesitatingly:
"Gale-you could 60 home again
to the old man-it'd be all rightY'
''Mr. Belding, there's nothing shady
In my past. The governor would be
glad to have me home. That's the
only consolation I've got. But I'm
not going. I'm broke. 1 won't be
tramp. And it's up to me to do
something"
"How'd you like to be a border
vox ri
on Dicks knee. "Part Of my job
here is United States inspector of i'm.
migration. I've got that boundary
line to patriotic keep out Chinks
and Japs. You'll not be hired by the
U. 8. You'll simply be my ranger,
same as Laddy and Jim. who have
promised to work for me. I'll pay
you well. give you a room here, fur
nish everything down to guns, and the
finest horse you ever saw in your life.
Your job won't be safe and healthy.
sometimes, but It'll be a mans job
don't mistake mel You can gamble
on having things to do outdoors. Now.
what do you say7"
81 accept, and l thank you-I can't
say how much" replied Gale, ear
nestly.
"Goodl That's settled. Let's go
out and tell Laddy and JIM"
Both boys expressed satisfaction
at the turn of affairs, and then with
Belding they set out to take Gale
around the ranch. The wide grounds
were covered with luxuriant grass
and flowers and different kinds of
trees.
Belding explained that the luxuri-
ance of this desert place was owing
to a few springs and the dammed-up
waters of the Rio Forlorn.
1--WE got one never-failing spring
on my place." said Belding. Fine.
sweet waterl You know what that
means in the desert. like this oasis
The longer l live here the better I
like 1t. It's beautiful and healthy
Forlorn and lonely. yes, especially for
women like my wife and Nell; but
I like 1t. And between you
and me, boys, I've got something up
my sleeve. There's gold dust in the
arroyos. and there's mineral up in the
mountains II we only had water!
There are possibilities, and want
you boys to stay with me and get in
on the ground floor. wish this rebel
war. was over. Well, here are
the corrals and the fields. Gale, take
a look at that bunch of horses
Belongs last remark was made as
he led his companions out of shady
gardens into the open. Gale saw an
adobe shed and huge pen formed
by strangely twisted and contorted
branches or trunks Of mesquite. and,
beyond these, wide. fiat fields, green
a dark, rich greenland dotted with
beautiful horses. There were whites
and blacks, and bays and grays. In
his admiration Gale searched his
memory to see II he could remember
the like of these magnificent animals
and had to admit that the only ones
he could compare with them were the
Arabian steeds.
"Shore l reckon l savvy why you
don't sleep nights" drawled Laddy.
II see Greaser out there-no; it's
an Indian"
That's my Papago herdsman.
keep watch over the horses now day
and might. Lord, how I'd hate to
have Rojas or Salazar-any Of those
bandit rebels-find my horsesl :.
Gale, can you rider
Dick modestly replied that he could,
according to the eastern idea Of
horsemanship.
The ringing Of a bell. which Bel
ding said was call to supper, turned
the men back toward the house. II
was not until they reached II and
were about to 60 In that Belding
CHANGED to discover Gales crippled
hand.
what an awful hand!" he ex
claimed. where the devil did you
get that7"