The Bozeman courier. (Bozeman, Mont.) 1919-1954, 1922-06-07

'Thar isn't your opinion; it's the
verdict of the bunch. | want yours
f~lat-footed."
81 think he's horrid-if you must
know"
"Oh, do you?" Tom laughed. SD
have bet a thousand on your answer.
Now, tell me why?"
ooh, / don't know. l Couldn't put
my finger on a thing that he's done,
or failed to do, for that matter. He's
just horrid-kinda snaky. l always
have the feeling when / am near him
that he ought to smell bad; only he
doesn't; or, at least if he does, l have
never noticed it. He's-er-repuls-
i've to me; and ought not to say
this, but Pm going to. just the same
Il can't get the notion out of my
head that Kitten is afraid of him."
"What-a-at?" Tom, In his aston
ishment, turned around in his chair
and stared.
Bessie nodded her head with en-
pnasis. Then she replied, slowly:
give seer her start, and shiver,
and contract her lips and her eyelids
when he has spoken suddenly to her
not so that anybody but l would no
tice it-not so that l would, if we
hadn't been like twin sisters ever
since we were born. II feel it
rather than see it. Katherine is
afraid of him or l miss my reckon
so. And, say, Tom. dear, have you
ever watched a cat that was playing
with a mouse that wasn't much hurt?
Just pretending not to see it, but
watching all the time with a sort of
satisfied smirk around it's jowl, and
with n of its velvet-padded claws
ready to shoot out and plant their
needle-pointed claws into Mr.. Mouse's
tender skin? Well. that's exactly the
way Conrad Belknap looks to me
when he's anywhere near to RATHER
Inc. Now, if you can make head and
tail to that, you're welcome"
THAT isn't a polite way to speak
Of n of her guests, is it?" Tom
bantered.
"He isn't her guest; he's Harry
Archer's-and Harry doesn't know
him from Adam. Kitten told me so.
| asked her, and she had to tell me.
What are you questioning me about
him for?"
Because 1 don't like him any more
than you do, Betty"
Il thought So"
$50 | put Rushton on his trail"
What does he say about him?"
THAT is what I've just been read.
ing. He doesn't say anything-and he
uses two sheets of paper to do it. The
gist Of it ali is that Belknap showed
up IN town about three weeks ago.
brought letters of introduction to {
lot of good people; has been put up
at half a dozen clubs; lives, when he:
IN town, at the Hotel Colossus; is al
ways well supplied with money
poses as the owner of mines an
ranches in the southwest, and is prob
ably trying to promote them; regis
tered from Phoenix, Ariz., but is sup
! posed, in Arizona, to be from New
Orleans-and the chief of police il
l New Orleans never heard of him an
: Doesn't know anything about him
Rushton's report closes with the tw
i words, more later"
: Are you through with Mr.. Bel
e KNAPP for the moment, Tom ?c
= yes. Why?"
Come over here and take a nee
Y at this picture, and tell ME who
e looks like"
Clancy did so. He leaned over Bel
y tvs shoulder, and because of the re
! Elected light, could not see the de
q guerreotype distinctly. He took it j
d ms hand and presently got it into
position so that the picture was vi:
ible.
4 Great Scott!" he exclaimed. sta
ing at it. Then he turned it owe
T. IN his hand, satisfying himself tn:
1t was really an ancient daguerre
type, case and all. Next. he covere
" the lower part of the picture vii
9 one OF his hands and put a thun
= over the top of it, concealing the hal
y n after a moment, with entire co
ylctlon. he said:
Is Betty, if it weren't for the stvIe
dress, and the way the hair IS dor
If l could see nothing but the fea
ures, I'd be willing to take the wi
ness stand and swear that the hea,
II. wonderfully tonight-Senorita Ce
vahOez is her name, isn't it-sat f
to anyhow"
a one was my great-grandmotht
rs ION. Also, she was Katherine
great-great7aunt, because her broth
was hatherlns great grandfather.
~ But that isn't the point: this is
~ who is Senorita Cervantez-wbo G.
she be-that she is a perfect fac
- reproduction of my great-grar
TO mother and Kittens ereat-gre,
n aunt when she was twenty ear {
ny In the year 1845, seventy-t,
ys years ago? Who is the beautit
; senorita, Tom? Who a she be ?,
ne There were other restless suir
"a n p~reoccupled mentalities at N
AT quest that Saturday night.
III, The guests had begun to seek tn
several quarters earlier than custo
;es airy, ostensibly to make ready for
planned excursion for the morn.
ch so that by eleven o'clock Tom 8
ne, Betty Clancy, the Archers. DENIM
i've and Coraline Crane-wfho were rav
by ly approaching the beautific st
nv whereby an engagement is announ
est Diana Loring and Belknap. '