Belington progressive. [volume] (Belington, W. Va.) 1912-1927, 1923-08-09

| at the turns In their walk, he lifted
his head and with ears forward looked
up the trail by which he had come,
and beyond the foothills. He was
looking over the range. Someone was
calling to him, perhaps, from beyond
the mountains. Madeline liked him
the better for that memory, and pitied
the hayward cowboy who had parted
with his only possession for very
love Of it.
At supper-time Madeline was unusu-
ally thoughtful. Later, when they as
sembled on the porch to watch the
sunset, Stillwell's humorous COM
plainings inspired the inception of an
idea which flashed up in her mind
swift as lightning. And then by lis
tening sympathetically she encouraged
him to recite the troubles of a poor
cattleman. They were many and long
and interesting, and rather numbing
to the life of her inspired idea.
"Mr. Stillwell, could ranching here
on a large scale, with up-to-date meth
dds, be made-well, not profitable, ex-
actly, but to pay-to run without
loss?" she asked, determined to kill
her newborn idea at birth or else give
1t breath and hope of life
oval, reckon it could" he replied,
with a short laugh. ltd sure be
money-maker. Why, with all my bad
luck an poor equipment I've lived
pretty well an paid my debts an
haven't lost any money except the
original outlay. / reckon thet's sunk
fer good"
would you sell--if someone would
pay your price?"
Miss Majesty, I'd jump at the
chance. Yet somehow I'd hate to
leave hyar. I'd jest be fool enough to
go sink the money in another ranch"
'Would Don Carlos and these other
Mexicans SELF"
"They sure would. The Don has
been after me fer years, wantin' to
sell tibet old rancho of his; an these
herders in the valley with their stray
cattle, they'd fall daid at sight Of
little money"
ACooC ICiA Lie, MI. OlitlWCll, SA-
actly what you would do here If you
had unlimited meansY' went on Made
line.
Good Lud J" calculated the rancher.
"Wall, Miss Majesty, it jest makes my
old heart warm up to think of such
thing. dreamed lot when first
come hyar. What would I do If /
he'd unlimited money? Listen. I'd
buy out Don Carlos an the Greasers
I'd give job to every good cowman
in this country. I'd make them pros
per as / prospered myself. I'd buy
all the good horses on the ranges. I'd
fence twenty thousand acres of the
best grain. I'd drill fer water in the
valley. I'd pipe water down from the
mountains. I'd dam up that draw out
there. A mile-long dam from hill to
hill would give me big lake, an
hevin' an eye fer beauty, I'd plant cot
tonwOods around 1t. I'd fill that lake |
full of fish. I'd put in the biggest field
Of alfalfa in the Southwest. I'd plant |
fruit-trees an garden. I'd tear down
them old corrals an barns an bunk |
houses to build new ones. I'd make
this old rancho some comfortable an |
fine. I'd put in grass an flowers all
around an bring young pine trees
down from the mountains. An when
all tibet was done I'd sit in my chair
an smoke an watch the cattle string
in in fer water an stragglin' back
into the valley. An thet red sun out |
there wouldn't set on a happier man
In the world than Bill Stillwell, last |
Of the old cattlemen."
Madeline thanked the rancher, and |
then rather abruptly retired to her |
room, where she felt no restraint to |
hide the force Of that wonderful idea,
now full-grown and tenacious and |
alluring.
Upon the next day, late in the after
noon, she asked Alfred II 1t would be
safe for her to ride out to the mesa.
"Tll 60 with you,' he said gayly.
Dear fellow, want to 60 alone"
she replied.
"Ah!" Alfred exclaimed, suddenly
serious. He gave her just a quick
glance, then turned away. go ahead
/ think it's safe. I'll make it safe by
sitting here with my glass and keep
ing an eye on you. Be careful coming
down the trail. Let the horse pick
his way. That's ALL"
She rode Majesty across the wide
fiat, up the zigzag trail, across the
beautiful grassy level to the far rim
of the mesa, and not till then did she
lift her eyes to face the southwest.
In that darkening desert there was
something illimitable. Madeline saw
the hollow Of stupendous hand; she
felt mighty hold upon her heart. Out
of the endless space, out Of silence
and desolation and mystery and age,
came slow-changing colored shadows,
phantoms Of peace, and they whis-
pered to Madeline. They whispered
that it was great, grim, immutable
earth; that time was eternity; that
life was fieeting. They whispered for
hnr to hq a woman. RI love coroona |