The Adair County news., 1922-02-28

killed himself: left a daughter bout
nineteen"
"The hi he did JEFF Calkins new
er was married; not before he left the
army, anyhow. ] know because /
bunked with him nearly two years an
he told me a lot about himself. He
wasn't no lady's man at all. Say.
what the devil is goin, on hereT'
There's been a wedding" Shelby
started to explain. but the outfiowing
throng cut his sentence In two, and
the startled soldier, stepping back to
get out of the way, was instantly
swept aside, while the gang poured
forth between, separating the two
completely. The bridegroom found
himself once more the center of fer
vent congratulations and only escaped
by pushing a passage down the steps
to where his outfit waited for depar-
ture. Some moments later she Joined
him, accompanied by her bodyguard,
wearing a long duster which almost
reached the ground and a clOse-fitting
cap pulled down over her smooth hair.
He silently helped her into the seat
Of the blackboard, joining her grimly
and gathering up the reins in his fin
gers.
"Now, then," he called, "a couple
Of you unite those brutes and jump.
They're bad starters"
The broncos amply justified his pre-
diction and the party went tearing
down the main street, pursued by yells
of enjoyment and cat-howls of deri-
sion. Shelby struggling with the reins
in an endeavor to keep the maddened
brutes off the sidewalks.
However, the steep ascent of the
bluff brought the plunging animals to
their senses and by the time they
had surmounted the ridge and struck
the prairie trail leading across the
upland they were willing enough to
slow down to the swift trot they were
accustomed to take on long journeys
Shelby loosened his grasp on the leath
er and rested back in the seat, ven
turing a side glance at his companion
She was still gripping the iron raj
for safety, but evidently felt no fear
"Mean devil, that bronco" said Shel
by, feeling the necessity of speecl
and fiecking his whip lash at the buck
skin. whose evil eye was peering mall
ciously backward, worst horse I eve
owned. The Kid back there seems
to be some bronco buster and I'll le
him try his luck when we get out t
the ranch. l got some outlaws there.
She turned her head and glanced
behind through the cloud Of dust.
"Who is he7 One of your men2"
well, just hired him down a
Ponca. Seems to be a mighty goot
rider. His name is Macklin, but ev
erybody calls him Kid"
Somehow / don't Just like him."
"Oh, he's harmless enough"
perhaps so, but l have that feeling
about him just the same"
Shelby made no answer and the
rode on in silence through the circlin
dust. He felt awkward and embaI
rassed, unable to think of anythin
to say to keep up conversation and in
tensely conscious Of the peculiar situa
tion in which they found themselve:
Occasionally ne stole a surreptitiou
glance aside at her, but her eyes wer
averted as though in avoidance, ga7
ing out over the dull vista. To Shelb
this Quietness on her part, this hal
turning from him seemed particularly
ominOus. She was doubtless sorry al
ready at her choice this drear eXpanse
which they rode was more than she
expected to encOunter-she was dread
Ing already an approach to the Cot
tOnwOOd He had been a fool to even
dream that he could ever satisfy her
in such surroundings. Well, it was
not too late to turn back. He would
talk with her and learn the truth.
He drove steadily forward, en-
deavOring to formulate some pleasant
opening sentence, his mind inevitably
drifting back to that late conversa-
ton with Shaunessy and the doubts il
had awakened. Ought he to permit
her to become exposed to a possible
Indian attack? Was it not plainly
his duty to explain fully the exact
situation? And then that other mat
ter relative to Old Calkins? Surely il
was her place to make that clear
He Strengthened up, clearing his
voice, and she glanced about, dis.
turbed from revery by his action.
"HOw dismal it all is" she said
as he failed to speak, "and yet the