St. Tammany farmer., 1922-06-03

Clay lifted hand. Stop righ,
there, Miss Beatrice You don't want
to say anything you'll be sorry for.''
"I'll say this" she cut back 1.-THE
men I know wouldn't invite woman
to their rooms at midnight and pass
her off as their sister-and then ex-
pect people to know her. They would
be kinder to themselyes-and to their
own regulations"
"Will you tell me what else there
was to do? Where could l have taken
her at that time of night? Are repu-
table hotels open at midnight to lone
women, wet and ragged, who come
without baggage either alone or escort.
ed by a man7''
Tim not telling you what you ought
to have done, Mr.. Lindsay" she an
swered, with touch of hauteur. But
since you ask newly couldn't you
have given her money and let her find
place for herselfT'
Because that wouldn't have saved
her."
"Oh, wouldn't it?" she retorted, dry
~.
He walked over to the fireplace and
put an elbow On the corner of the
mantel
Lemme tell you story, Miss Bea-
| trfce," he said presently. "A1ebbe it'll
| show you what mean. l was runnin'
cattle In the Galiuros five years ago
and got caught in storm way up
In the hills. When it rains in my part
of Arizona, which amt often, it sure
does come down in sheets. The clay
below the rubble on the slopes got
slick as Ice My hawss, young one,
slipped and fell on me, clawed back to
Its feet, and bolted. Well, there Yves
with my. luig busted forty miles from
even whistlin' post in the desert
gettin' wetter and colder every blessed
minute.
There wasn't chance in million
that anybody would hear, but + kept
firm off my fohtyfive on the Off hope.
And just before night a girl on pinto
came down the side of that uncurrled
hill round II bend and got me- She
took me to cabin hidden in the bot
tom of canon and looked after me
four days Her father, a prospector,
had gone to Tucson for supplies and
we were alone there. She fed me,
nursed me, and waited on me. We d.
vided >one-room twelye-by-sixteen
cabin. Understand, we were four
days alone together before her dad
came back, and all the time the sky
was lettin' down terrible lot of wa
ter. When her father showed up he
grinned and said, Lucky for you Myr-
tie heard that six-gun Of yore's pop!'
He never thought one evil thing about
either Of us. He just accepted the sit
uation as necessary. Now the ques-
tion, Is, what ought she to have done7~
Left me to die on that hillsideY
"Of course not. That's different"
protested Beatrice, Indignantly.
You're trying to put me in the
wrong. Well, won't have It, That's
all. You may take your choice, Mr..
Lindsay. Either send that girl away
give her up-have nothing to do with
her, Or"
"Or-7"
"Or please don't come here to see
me any more"
He waited, his eyes steadily on her. !.
DO you sure enough mean that, Miss
BeatriceY" .
Her heart sank. She knew that she
had gone too far, but she was too I'M
perious to draw back now
"Yes, that's just what mean."
'Im sorry. You're leavin' me no op- Z
ton. I'm not yellow dog. Sometimes
I'm 'moSt man. I'm goin' to do what !
I think Is right"
"Of course" she responded lightly.
III our ideas Of what that is differ"
"They do"
"1t's because we've been brought up j
differently, l suppose" She achieved
stihed little yawn behind her hand.
you've said it." He gave it to her
straight from the shoulder. "All yore
life you've been pampered. When you
wanted a thing all you had to do was
to reach out hand for it. Folks were
born to wait on you, by yore way of it.
You're a spoiled kid Ask ME to turn
my back on a friead, and I've got to
say, 'Nothin doin'.' And If you was
just a few years younger I'd advise
yore pa to put you In yore room and
feed you bread and water for askin'
It,"
The angry color poured into her
cheeks. She clenched her hands till
the nails bit her palms. II think you're
the most hateful man ever met" she 4
cried, passionately. 4
His easy smile taunted her. "Oh,
no, you don't. You Just think you think
it. Now, I'm goin' to light shuck:
I'll be sayin' good-by, Miss Beatrice,
until you send for me-"
"And that will be never" she flung
at him.
He rose, bowed and walked out Of
the room.
The street door closed behind him.
Beatrice bit her lip to keep from
breaking down before she reached her
room.
CONTINUED next weekly